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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Just been pulled over by the police

259 replies

Outandabout43 · 10/08/2024 01:36

Fuming right now.

Been on a night out with work, partner picked me up, he is a named driver on my car.

Had issues with insurence when I renewed. Noticed policy was inactive after paying yearly fees. Spoke to insurence who apologised, stated the policy will be activated and gave £100 as a gesture of good will, this was in may

Police just pulled us over. Breathalysed DH driving the car and stayed we had no insurence. Checked policy and it's come up again as inactive. Have been told we have 7 days to prove insurence or DH will get 6 points in his license, this will effect his job.

I'm mortified. Obviously I'll contact insurence on Monday, but what if they say we are not covered. I've attached a screenshot of email provided by insurence but I'm really panicking now. What do I do??

Just been pulled over by the police
OP posts:
theDudesmummy · 10/08/2024 08:03

This sort of thing is why I think the system of having an insurance disc on your car windscreen (which we still have in Ireland) is better. No room for this kind of error.

3luckystars · 10/08/2024 08:05

What? They don’t have tax and insurance disks in the car window everywhere ? I didn’t know that!!

Neveragain8102 · 10/08/2024 08:05

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 10/08/2024 06:07

I'm also interested in what was refunded?

Also the wording 'I can confirm you have been' this could imply that you are no longer (hence the refund) as I would expect it to say 'I can confirm you are and have been'

For those saying about her partner having cover to drive on his own insurance, the car still needs to be insured by someone for his third party to be legal (in the vast majority of cases)

Anyway OP, I hope I have misunderstood the email and all is ok. I would also phone them this morning, someone will be able to look and see if your policy is active.

It’s not a ‘refund’ though? The £100 was compensation for the mistake made by the insurance company

velvetcoat · 10/08/2024 08:07

3luckystars · 10/08/2024 08:05

What? They don’t have tax and insurance disks in the car window everywhere ? I didn’t know that!!

No, they stopped tax discs ages ago now and I dont recall ever having an insurance disc

3luckystars · 10/08/2024 08:10

Thank you. So when you take out insurance you just get an email or letter and you carry that documentation in the car with you.

velvetcoat · 10/08/2024 08:10

@3luckystars - I just checked out of curiosity, tax discs stopped 2014/15

WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout · 10/08/2024 08:12

We had this. Was an admin error. Luckily we had the documentation to show the police on email.

I now always take a photo of insurance and it’s in ‘documents’ photo folder on my phone. Along with photos of passports, driving licence and NI numbers.

Original poster
Outandabout43 · 10/08/2024 08:14

So when taking out the policy I chose the pay monthly option, this included an initial fee of £168 and then monthly payments of £60.

After the forst month I noticed no money had been taken from my bank account. I checked my policy online and it states it was invalid ans I had an outstanding balance of just over £800 so panicking I paid it there and then but my policy still didn't become active.

I called them up and the lady apologised and said it was a computer error there side and that was a cancellation fee, she passed me onto someone else who explained it was a system error and I had now paid for the year and I was insured and always had been insured. They reimbursed my £168 from the initial DD payment and as a gesture of good will gave me £100 compensation.

Policy was then active online. No I did not receive a certificate as was available to view online (learnt my lesson from this one)

On checking policy today there is no record at all on the online portal, ot states my last policy was 2023 with no mention at all of current policy

OP posts:
velvetcoat · 10/08/2024 08:16

3luckystars · 10/08/2024 08:10

Thank you. So when you take out insurance you just get an email or letter and you carry that documentation in the car with you.

No, you dont have to carry it with you, info is held on a database the police can check that. However, if you have certain types of business insurance it wont appear on there so if stopped you have to take in proof to police station within 7 days or something. My husband runs a garage and he was stopped once and it wasnt on the database so he had to take his business insurance certificate into police station to show them.

VilanelleTutu · 10/08/2024 08:17

I got sent a letter from a motorway police monitoring scheme advising that it appeared my car was not insured. I work in insurance so I knew I had cover but when I called to see what was going on, we found that an admin error had resulted in the Reg record being one character in error. All sorted and one I probably should I spotted on the certificates etc. Happens all the time apparently.

Snackpocket · 10/08/2024 08:19

Why are you going to wait until Monday to contact them? They are open today and tomorrow - www.1stcentralinsurance.com/help-support

theDudesmummy · 10/08/2024 08:19

In Ireland we have to have 3 physical paper discs on the windscreen: road tax, insurance and NCT (equivalent of MOT). I think it is a better system, no mistakes possible.

SlashBeef · 10/08/2024 08:19

OP I had the same situation with the same insurers. For some reason I had two portals under the same email address so I could log in to two different policies if you see what I mean. It all depended on which policy number I used to log in, the previous or current year. Check the policy number for this current year and make sure you're logging in with that number.
I nearly had a heart attack when it said my policy was inactive after a collision because I'd paid the year in full and not received any cancellation notification. Checked the policy number on the initial certificate and I was logged into the wrong one.

Sunsetbeachhouse · 10/08/2024 08:20

Op as long as your payments were going out and you did everything reasonable to ensure the policy is active (which sounds like you did) then your partner won't get points. Just get the bank statements ready too which will show you was paying and the error is with the insurance not you.

velvetcoat · 10/08/2024 08:21

@Outandabout43 I think you'll be fine- sounds like another admin error, but in future you MUST get everything in writing. If you speak to anyone on the phone note the time and date and ask for their name. I know it's a pain in the arse to have to do but it will help you in situations like this. The problem is saying they told you on the phone is so vague that anyone could say that. Always get it in writing and especially the certificate.

Fluufer · 10/08/2024 08:22

theDudesmummy · 10/08/2024 08:19

In Ireland we have to have 3 physical paper discs on the windscreen: road tax, insurance and NCT (equivalent of MOT). I think it is a better system, no mistakes possible.

Surely even with a disk a policy can be cancelled or admin errors can happen. The disk just shows a policy was active at the time the disk was issued.

Original poster
Outandabout43 · 10/08/2024 08:22

I've had around 2 hours sleep panicking and counting down the hours till 9

OP posts:
Missfitte · 10/08/2024 08:22

To reiterate from another poster, does your DP have his own policy which states he can drive other cars third party?

johnd2 · 10/08/2024 08:23

Missfitte · 10/08/2024 08:22

To reiterate from another poster, does your DP have his own policy which states he can drive other cars third party?

Doesn't help, the car being driven also needs to be insured

velvetcoat · 10/08/2024 08:23

Also, tell them you want to make a formal complaint and will report them to the ombudsman for this, its dreadful incompetence on their part

BabySnarkDoDoo · 10/08/2024 08:25

I would e-mail or webchat customer service/complaints for you insurance company now. Include screenshots and dates of all correspondence you've had with them. Follow up with a call as soon as they open on Monday, be polite, but make sure they understand the urgency of needing to get it sorted asap.

MoodyMargaret11 · 10/08/2024 08:26

Hi OP,
I don't want to scare you but I think this might be a scam. There is a car insurance company called 1st Central but they are literally spelled like this: 1st Central, not "First Central" (see website below).
I was with them last year and had no issues at all.
www.1stcentralinsurance.com

*Edited to include website

Snackpocket · 10/08/2024 08:28

MoodyMargaret11 · 10/08/2024 08:26

Hi OP,
I don't want to scare you but I think this might be a scam. There is a car insurance company called 1st Central but they are literally spelled like this: 1st Central, not "First Central" (see website below).
I was with them last year and had no issues at all.
www.1stcentralinsurance.com

*Edited to include website

Edited

It’s not a scam. First central is their registered name and 1st central is a trading name. It’s at the bottom of their website.

Missfitte · 10/08/2024 08:29

Call them today!

Missfitte · 10/08/2024 08:30

johnd2 · 10/08/2024 08:23

Doesn't help, the car being driven also needs to be insured

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Oh b*gger, yes!