Thieving Insurance

[waue1978]

Got a nasty shock this morning when I checked my bank account to make sure I had enough to pay the credit card bill - my available balance was £455 less than it should have been. On phoning the bank I found that this was due to a pending payment of £455 to... Hastings Direct - my insurers from last year.

Who in insurance land decided it was reasonable to just help themselves to peoples money for their renewal without even asking first? This isn't the first time it has happened either. When the wife's insurance on her little learner car ran out a couple of years ago, the insurance company just helped themselves to THEIR renewal cost (highlighted as a renewal figure is very rarely the cheapest available) & when quizzed about it I was informed that I would have been asked at the time of the original quote if that was ok & must have agreed. This is why when I found it had happened again this week, I know I wouldn't have given permission for it because I was now fully aware of this sneaky little tactic.

What's even better is that they needed details of who I was now insured with to determine how much they needed to refund me, as, if I wasn't insured with anybody else I would get charged! Who is to say that I didn't park the car off the road when it ran out & decided not to use it for a couple of weeks while I saved up for the next years astronomical insurance cost?

Rant over, I'm now off to tender my resignation to my work as I'm now planning on setting up an insurance company which I'll be able to use to fund a champagne lifestyle by making interest from the £s that I'm just going to help myself to out of my customers bank accounts.

[mjb]

Adrian Flux tried to do that to me last year

[DiscoPol]

Just a little bit of info on insurance guys,

any motor insurance bought in any European country must by law cover you for the minimum required level anywhere else in europe for the FULL term of the insurance, I only say this as most uk insurance companies will tell you that you only get 90 days foreign travel insurance in any one trip or charge you more for the privilege of european cover.

I had the 406 and the disco initially covered on a policy from the uk and it was silly money, since swapping to a Polish company the Disco is now substantially cheaper to insure here even though its RHD and still Brit plated( )

I know this may not be much use to you fellas still residing in "Rip-off Britain" but if you are looking at travelling outside the uk and were wondering about your level of cover or costs included, when calling the insurance company for quotes it might just be worth asking about it

Oh a Waugh, I feel for you mate, they did the same to me a couple of years ago

[TooT]

Think they all do. Im sure i had to ring Direct Line last year and tell them not to take it as it comes out automatically.

[kevtherev]

after i have found cheaper insurace than my re-newal offer and set up direct debits etc with them, i phone up to tell the current insurer i wont be using them and to cancel the policy . the next day i go to the bank and cancel the direct debit. not getting 1 more penny out of me. and next year i am going to pay in full on the debit card as the credit charges for monthly payments are ridiculous

[waue1978]

I did pay in full - no direct debits to cancel. Didn't stop the thieving bas*ards taking another years worth though.

[Gary406]

i feel sorry for all thos people they do it to who never check their banks

i bet theres thousands out there that never check their banks because they have a sh*t load of cash anyway

just shows doesnt it

[FarmerPug]

snattender rings every fecking time i make any payments, they say its for security but really do i need to know that i used the whole in the wall. Though it stops that sort of carry on happening.

[waue1978]

i feel sorry for all thos people they do it to who never check their banks

i bet theres thousands out there that never check their banks because they have a sh*t load of cash anyway

just shows doesnt it

I wouldn't feel sorry for anyone who has so much cash that they never have to check their bank - they're probably the ones that are fleecing those of us that don't have that much to spare!

[FarmerPug]

wouldnt an iphone with an online banking app be so convenient, you could loose the phone and someone would have your bank account with it.

[kevtherev]

I did pay in full - no direct debits to cancel. Didn't stop the thieving bas*ards taking another years worth though.

so you payed by a debit card that instantly takes it from your account and they kept your details for 12 mths and took it again??
there must be some law against that? thats crazy. once they have their money i would have thought that they should have to delete the details of your bank account, or it is as you say basically theft got me worried now lol

[omega]

Got a nasty shock this morning when I checked my bank account to make sure I had enough to pay the credit card bill - my available balance was £455 less than it should have been. On phoning the bank I found that this was due to a pending payment of £455 to... Hastings Direct - my insurers from last year.

Who in insurance land decided it was reasonable to just help themselves to peoples money for their renewal without even asking first? This isn't the first time it has happened either. When the wife's insurance on her little learner car ran out a couple of years ago, the insurance company just helped themselves to THEIR renewal cost (highlighted as a renewal figure is very rarely the cheapest available) & when quizzed about it I was informed that I would have been asked at the time of the original quote if that was ok & must have agreed. This is why when I found it had happened again this week, I know I wouldn't have given permission for it because I was now fully aware of this sneaky little tactic.

What's even better is that they needed details of who I was now insured with to determine how much they needed to refund me, as, if I wasn't insured with anybody else I would get charged! Who is to say that I didn't park the car off the road when it ran out & decided not to use it for a couple of weeks while I saved up for the next years astronomical insurance cost?

Rant over, I'm now off to tender my resignation to my work as I'm now planning on setting up an insurance company which I'll be able to use to fund a champagne lifestyle by making interest from the £s that I'm just going to help myself to out of my customers bank accounts.

sorry but its your fault
if you read your policy you agree to this when you sign up. unless you let them no before the end of the term.
its standard on a lot of policys now

[omega]

oops double post.

[rwb]

sorry but its your fault
if you read your policy you agree to this when you sign up. unless you let them no before the end of the term.
its standard on a lot of policys now

Just because they've sneaked it into the small print doesn't mean it's right, or indeed enforcible.

If they renewed the contract without your explicit consent then the contract is unfair (Schedule 2 par. 1h) and thus is unenforcible. Check for something buried in their small print that says they will do this, but don't let on until they quote it at you, and then argue (i)+misrepresentation.

Did they increase the premium? Then use (l) (but note 2d i.e., they must state in the contract that they will increase the price).

if I wasn't insured with anybody else I would get charged

Once the supplier has delivered goods/services it is much more difficult to get out of a contract. This may be what they mean, but have failed to adequately explain. If you are not insured elsewhere then they have, in principle, insured you from when they took the payment.