Car Insurance - old insurer will not close a claim

[slightlyslumamama]

Just hoping someone can help please! I was wrongly charged with Failing to report an accident, driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after an accident back at the end of the summer.
This was in a town I have never been to and it wasn't me! The Police have since dropped the charges as there is no evidence to support it was me and say that my number was just wrongly remembered by someone.
I have sent this letter to the insurers but they are refusing to close the "claim" and will not tell me when they will do so. They haven't had any response from the third party insurers - they are not answering their calls or replying to letters. They will not give me a cut-off date when they will close this claim.
This is affecting my insurance renewal (it is due on Tuesday!) but I hadn't renewed with anyone yet as the quotations are about £100 more than they were previously.
I have just had a chat with someone at Hastings (who I have just insured car with from next week) who says that they should really take this off as it is affecting my renewal quotes.
The old company do not have a call centre and you can only Live Chat with people - it's rubbish really and very stressful!

Does anyone know how I can get them to close this old claim down please?

Contact your local Ombudsman?

Make a complaint with the company then contact the financial ombudsman but the ombudsman won’t even look at it without a complaint already been made to the company.

Raise a complaint with the claims department. You may need to pay the extra at renewal but as soon as the claim is closed you will be able to claim back any return of premium and any No Claims Bonus reinstatement premium as well.

Which company is it?

Make a formal complaint. Be very clear. State the issue, what you want to happen, the cost to you (which you have) and that you expect the complaint to be noted and acknowledged in accordance with FCA rules (which are know as DISP). This should get them moving. However if you have not heard within 21 days got to the FOS.

When you complain, do say that you will look to take it to the insurance ombudsman. It cost the insurance company each time a customer goes to the ombudsman...so this is a key phrase to get things moving.

Thank you I complained and then had a call back from a senior manager. He told me that they have told the third party that I had denied any involvement (I said this was an understatement as it was nothing to do with me) and they were waiting to hear back from them. They can't call them directly as he said it was very common for insurance companies not to be able to speak to each other but just communicate via email or letters.
He said they might be able to close it if they other party back down, however, if they do not or if they don't hear from them they have to keep this open for 6 YEARS!!!!!!
FML
Really fed up now!!