Basically told to lie by insurance company

StevieNicksFan

Was ringing around getting car insurance quotes and I stumbled upon an absolute bizarre request. Basically I was involved in a hit and run in 2013 and the driver at fault was never traced. I had to claim through my insurance and the no claims bonus was taken away until the MIBI settled the case. I got my NCB back as the guards concluded I was obviously not at fault.

So I rang this insurance company looking for a quote. They wanted proof of no claims, fair enough. I told them about the accident plus the fact that I had 6yrs NCB statement with the accident noted on it. I then get a call later saying that we need definitive proof that you weren't at fault at the time of the accident. My no claims statement doesn't say who is at fault, just my name,amount paid out, date of accident and type of accident. The guy on the phone says ring up your present insurance company, tell them to put 'not at fault' on the NCB statement and ring us back. Rang present insurance company, they tell me that they don't put 'fault' or 'not at fault' on the NCB statements regardless of the outcome. Not many insurance companies do this. So I then ring new insurance company back and tell them this.

Guy on the phone says 'Well we need this info on the statement'. I say 'They told me it's not something they do so I can't give it to you, will you still be able to insure me?'. He says 'well if you put 'at fault' on the online application rather than 'not at fault' it may give you a quote and you can go with that. Me: 'But I'm not at fault and have a letter from the guards to prove it, plus 6yrs NCB returned'. 'Thats the only way we can insure you', he says. I said 'Im not lying to get insurance - esp admitting to something that wasn't my fault! It will be put down on my next NCB that I was at fault'. Are you mad!?'

Is this insurance company allowed to do this?? If I lied about having no licence or being banned or 12 penalty points I'd be done for insurance fraud! But yet if I admitted to a crime that wasn't my fault, ITS STILL A LIE but thats alright?? Never ever ever having any dealings with these guys again. Absolute crooks!

MarkAnthony

He's told you how to get a quote rather than asked you to lie.

You're looking for insureance and they're unwilling to give it to you on the basis you can't supply the infio they're looking for.

EDIT: I'm not unsympathetic given an experiance I had with mortgage approval but one company owes no allegence to another.

StevieNicksFan

But they will give me insurance on the basis that I lie about the outcome of a claim? I can't prove that either but thats ok?

MarkAnthony

StevieNicksFan wrote: »

But they will give me insurance on the basis that I lie about the outcome of a claim? I can't prove that either but thats ok?

Once you've got the quote (on the basis of no NCB presumably or on the basis of being at fault) you'll then have to tell the insurance company that you were not at fault but can't prove it to their satisfaction. The quote probably won't change, he's just getting you to a point of having a quote from them which you can then accept or reject.

My take on how sales people work more than the law. He probably should have just said he can't do anything, people can be too helpful for their own good to be frank.

StevieNicksFan

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Once you've got the quote (on the basis of no NCB presumably or on the basis of being at fault) you'll then have to tell the insurance company that you were not at fault but can't prove it to their satisfaction. The quote probably won't change, he's just getting you to a point of having a quote from them which you can then accept or reject.

My take on how sales people work more than the law. He probably should have just said he can't do anything, people can be too helpful for their own good to be frank.

I agree to be fair. I would have had more respect for them if he said we can't insure you at all because you can't either prove or disprove whether you were at fault. But it seems they were willing enough to provide cover as long as I bended the truth to their advantage. I know there will be poor folks out there that have no choice but to go with this option as they may have no other choice. Thankfully i got another insurance company but this type of thing can't be right?

MarkAnthony

StevieNicksFan wrote: »

I agree to be fair. I would have had more respect for them if he said we can't insure you at all because you can't either prove or disprove whether you were at fault. But it seems they were willing enough to provide cover as long as I bended the truth to their advantage. I know there will be poor folks out there that have no choice but to go with this option as they may have no other choice. Thankfully i got another insurance company but this type of thing can't be right?

As I say I think of it from the €20K a year 'warm' body they have sitting in an open plan call centre who probably thinks he'll be sacked if he suggests he can't do a sale.

Piss poor CS rather than a bent insurance co IMHO. Although they're still crooks! :pac: