Quick insurance question?

baldshin

Hey folks,

Last year I bought my insurance over the phone with Aviva. However, when the policy arrived in the post, they had given me 3 years no claims, instead of the 2 I actually have. I immediately phoned them to point out this mistake, which they said was noted and amended, and there would be no extra charge. Fair enough. Fast forward to this year, and my renewal has arrived, with a no claims cert for 4 years! So, what I'm wondering is if I should call them about it again and get them to issue a no claims cert for 3 years? I'm assuming my insurance would be invalid if I went ahead and renewed without saying anything, even though I informed them already and they failed to rectify it?

readytosnap

if you are renewing it with them i wouldn't bother pointing out their error as you have already informed them previously.
I don't think the policy would be invalid as a result of the error, they are using the ncb as a method for pricing the policy larger ncb larger the discount (in theory), either ways you should always shop around annually when renewal is coming up rathet than just accepting the quote from your current insurer, try a few companies on line and you will be amazed at the difference in some quotes.

baldshin

Aye I've been shopping around a little and actually not yet found anything lower! But hopefully that'll change with a few more calls. When providing info for quotes with other companies though,should I say I have 4 years no claims as my cert says, or be honest and say 3?

readytosnap

well let me put it like this, when you take out a policy with another company they are going to ask for the original proof of ncb as provided by your current insurer and on that it is going to say 4yrs. but having said that if you are checking online try entering both and see if there is actually any difference in the quote if there isnt then say you have 3 on the online form, then when you send in the original if they respond saying "hey, you have 4 not 3" (this is not going to happen), then you say oh ok so do i get a cheaper quote then , and 4? i thought i only had 3 thanks.

readytosnap

theres also nothing stopping you ringing your current insurer and saying you have received a lower quote from a competitor ( you are under no obligation to name them) and say that even though its lower you would prefer to remain loyal so can they match it, this method never failed for me or anyone in the family yet, having said that we are paying so little at the moment its hard to get it cheaper.

Jimdagym

Yes, ring them. The onus is on you to make sure your details are correct.

djimi

If your current insurer, who you have been with for a number of years, sends you out a letter to say you have x number of years NCB, then as far as Im concerned who are you to argue with them! I actually couldnt tell you off the top of my head how many years NCB I have; its either 4 or 5, but if I rang my insurer and asked them to send me a copy of my NCB details, then its up to them to get it right, considering they have all of my details on file. Id take whatever they send me without question (unless it was very obviously wrong, like saying I had 0/1 years).

Lord Nikon

Whether you have 3 or 4 years NCB, insurance companies just use this to calculate a bonus discount, hence the name.

The fact that you have already pointed out the error, the previous year, would keep you in the clear if any accident occured. I have over 12 years NCB, but the maximum insurance companies discount up to is usually 5 years.