New insurer looking for "Copy of PPS number"?

dollylama

Hi all,

I switched over to a new insurer for this years car policy. I've been with this particular (Irish) insurer before and I tend to change motor insurers every year so I've become accustomed to the reams of paperwork they post out for signatures and the need to send back a copy of license, etc...

However the list of additional items they want me to return this year seems a bit excessive... copy of valid NCT, copy of logbook and a copy of your PPS number. I think in the past I've emailed scans of NCT disks to different insurers but I never recall needing to send a copy of the logbook (car is my own) and I definitely do not recall ever sending my PPS number to a car insurer

Has something changed in the last year that insurers now require PPS numbers... or logbooks for the matter? I'm happy to comply with this if these are the rules but I am a bit uncertain about the PPS number element. I seem to recall a national uproar a few years back when a new national utility was requesting PPS numbers. Aren't PPS numbers meant to be kept fairly guarded and why might a car insurer need them? I probably sound like a conspiracy loon now!

treascon

Having worked in the insurance industry, a copy of nct, log book (proof of registered owner) would be standard but I have never once asked a new customer for their pps number and can’t see why this would be needed

Cows Go µ

There are a few insurers who require the log book. I only know of one who request the pps number. By any chance are you paying by direct debit?

Effects

I've never been asked for logbook or NCT cert myself. With many insurers over many years.

dollylama

Cows Go µ wrote: »

There are a few insurers who require the log book. I only know of one who request the pps number. By any chance are you paying by direct debit?

Yes, paying installments by direct debit

Insurer is Cover in a Click or Insure my Car... whatever it is they trade as. I'm tempted to ring them back and ask them to explain what they need my PPS for. I don't mean to be a pain but fúck it... our personal information is being taken from us left and right and I can tell you from experience that the attitude of many Irish companies towards data protection and customer privacy is wholly shocking

Effects wrote: »

I've never been asked for logbook or NCT cert myself. With many insurers over many years.

Checking back through old emails here, I've been asked for NCT cert once or twice over the years. Logbook is a first for me though

Another first I heard this year was with 123. If trying to insure a car older than 2003, you must have owned the car for 2 years. How does owning a car for over 2 years make sod bit of difference to your risk category?!

I despair...

Cows Go µ

dollylama wrote: »

Yes, paying installments by direct debit

Insurer is Cover in a Click or Insure my Car... whatever it is they trade as. I'm tempted to ring them back and ask them to explain what they need my PPS for. I don't mean to be a pain but fúck it... our personal information is being taken from us left and right and I can tell you from experience that the attitude of many Irish companies towards data protection and customer privacy is wholly shocking

I'd be willing to bet that it's not a direct debit but a credit agreement and that's why they want a pps number. It might not be, I've never used them but I know at least 1 company that do a credit agreement and they are the only ones who ask for the pps number.

dollylama wrote: »

Checking back through old emails here, I've been asked for NCT cert once or twice over the years. Logbook is a first for me though

Another first I heard this year was with 123. If trying to insure a car older than 2003, you must have owned the car for 2 years. How does owning a car for over 2 years make sod bit of difference to your risk category?!

I despair...

Well, one of the biggest problems with the older cars is that they are used for fraudulent claims. People buy cheap cars, fill them with people and crash them to get the big pay out. I suppose if you have owned the car for 2 years it's unlikely you are doing that.

GM228

There is strict legislation concerning who can request your PPS number, if not provided for in legislation or an approved body then a simple request for a PPS number is in fact a criminal offence, insurance companies are not authorised under the Social Welfare Acts to make such a request.

dollylama

Cows Go µ wrote: »

I'd be willing to bet that it's not a direct debit but a credit agreement and that's why they want a pps number. It might not be, I've never used them but I know at least 1 company that do a credit agreement and they are the only ones who ask for the pps number.


Well, one of the biggest problems with the older cars is that they are used for fraudulent claims. People buy cheap cars, fill them with people and crash them to get the big pay out. I suppose if you have owned the car for 2 years it's unlikely you are doing that.

You are correct is seems. Cover in a Click is a broker and I know from previous years, most brokers seem to use a third-party for the money side... collecting direct debits, etc. In this case they're using "Close Brothers Premium Finance" who have an address in Dublin

To be honest, I couldn't care less who collects the money... only how much is to leave my bank account every month! I've always paid insurance by direct debit and have signed credit agreements with other brokers in the past to allow this but not once have I ever been asked for a PPS number


As for folks buying older cars and "crashing" them... well it's been an educational week

dollylama

GM228 wrote: »

There is strict legislation concerning who can request your PPS number, if not provided for in legislation or an approved body then a simple request for a PPS number is in fact a criminal offence, insurance companies are not authorised under the Social Welfare Acts to make such a request.

Okay, I'll give them a call in the morning

Again, if they need my PPS because some rule somewhere says they need it, fine by me. If however it's a case that some honcho decided "sure we'll ask for their PPS number when we're asking for everything else"... no thanks

Cows Go µ

dollylama wrote: »

You are correct is seems. Cover in a Click is a broker and I know from previous years, most brokers seem to use a third-party for the money side... collecting direct debits, etc. In this case they're using "Close Brothers Premium Finance" who have an address in Dublin

To be honest, I couldn't care less who collects the money... only how much is to leave my bank account every month! I've always paid insurance by direct debit and have signed credit agreements with other brokers in the past to allow this but not once have I ever been asked for a PPS number


As for folks buying older cars and "crashing" them... well it's been an educational week

I thought it might be Close Brothers. As far as I know, and I don't know all the ins and outs, they don't do direct debit, it would be a loan instead.

dollylama

Cows Go µ wrote: »

I thought it might be Close Brothers. As far as I know, and I don't know all the ins and outs, they don't do direct debit, it would be a loan instead.

Hmm... seems a very convoluted way of providing / collecting what I always regarded as a direct debit. The form for this "credit agreement" has a SEPA Direct Debit mandate at the bottom which I have to sign. I'll read their small print as no where on Close Brother's paperwork does it ask for a PPS number... only on CiaC's front page does it mention sending a copy of it

I've been paying car insurance for over a decade now and I've always paid an upfront deposit and then 9 or 10 installments by direct debit. Some insurers were able to collect the direct debits themselves and without paperwork (e.g. Liberty would appear on the bank statements) then others, mainly brokers, would use a third-party to collect (e.g. Premium Credit would appear on the bank statements)

Should I be concerned that Cover in a Click require using the services of a loan provider just so I can pay in installments by direct debit? To be honest, when asked how would I like to pay... all at once or in installments, I always opt for installments by direct debit. I've never once seen or heard from any insurer or broker mention of a "loan"

Cows Go µ

I'm not very sure of the technicalities of the finance side. I just know we were always told to advise people that it's not a standard direct debit and we only used it when we absolutely had to. I do know they have recently started requesting the PPS number and when questioned they said it was a new regulation and they have to get it. I'm not in that department anymore though so I didn't really look into it too much.

It's not really a bad sign, it generally just means that the insurer that is underwriting the policy doesn't offer a direct debit themselves so the broker is using an alternative solution.

dollylama

Cows Go µ wrote: »

I'm not very sure of the technicalities of the finance side. I just know we were always told to advise people that it's not a standard direct debit and we only used it when we absolutely had to. I do know they have recently started requesting the PPS number and when questioned they said it was a new regulation and they have to get it. I'm not in that department anymore though so I didn't really look into it too much.

It's not really a bad sign, it generally just means that the insurer that is underwriting the policy doesn't offer a direct debit themselves so the broker is using an alternative solution.

Woah... I'm not liking the sound of this! In case anyone here is thinking that I have bad credit history or I've been refused direct debit... this is certainly NOT the case. I've always paid insurance in installments by direct debit and hand on heart, I've never once missed a payment... this being a benefit of using direct debit I suppose. Outside of insurance, I have no loans, no mortgage and no credit problems thankfully

Broker wise, I've used First Ireland (I think they collected the installments themselves by direct debit), Briton (they used Premium Credit to collect the installments by direct debit) and Cover in a Click (as above, they use Close Brothers to collect the installments by direct debit). At no point did Cover in a Click ever tell me that this is "not a standard direct debit... only used when they absolutely had to". Briton used credit agreements too and they never said there was anything out of the ordinary about it... again, "how would you like to pay... all at once or installments". I choose installments

Thanks for the responses folks. I'm going to lean on them for a reason for the PPS number and I'll ask them to clarify this "loan" malarkey while they're at it. The muckers will probably cancel my policy in spite!

Cows Go µ

dollylama wrote: »

Woah... I'm not liking the sound of this! In case anyone here is thinking that I have bad credit history or I've been refused direct debit... this is certainly NOT the case. I've always paid insurance in installments by direct debit and hand on heart, I've never once missed a payment... this being a benefit of using direct debit I suppose. Outside of insurance, I have no loans, no mortgage and no credit problems thankfully

I didn't mean it that way. I mean, it was offered if the insurer doesn't offer direct debit. Not all do and it's not a reflection on the customer. Most of the big ones offer it but not all. And by only absolutely necessary, as in if the customer couldn't/wouldn't pay in full and so had to pay by installments. It could be that Close Brothers have a number of different products and that was the one that we used, they could be using a different product by them.

galwaytt

There is no compunction to provide your PPS to anyone for anything other than State services. Health, Welfare, Passport, Licence, Revenue, LPT etc.

Private companies have no access (or should have no access....) to anything with PPS numbers on it. Do ye not remember the hullah over Irish Water asking for it, and then having to back down ??