Car insurance,refuse to send disc

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I swapped insurance over to a new vehicle this morning and the company advised me that although the policy is in force, they wont issue the disc until I have sent them the new logbook.

I wasnt happy about this, because non display of disc is an offence - even if a policy is in force.

By the time the car dealership sends the documents to Shannon and I receive them back and then send the details onto the insurance company and wait for them to send out disc (took them 10 days when I first took out the policy) I could be looking at a few weeks of no disc.

Im not clear how a car insurance company are allowed to put a customer in the position that they are breaking the law, for non display of disc.

Is this really ok?

Blanchy90

I'm in the same boat as I had to wait for the previous company to send my no claims cert. I've just kept the letter in the car saying that I have insurance and hope I dont get stopped

grogi

....... wrote: »

I swapped insurance over to a new vehicle this morning and the company advised me that although the policy is in force, they wont issue the disc until I have sent them the new logbook.?

Just display the disc you already have. Nobody will notice the different registration number.

Eggs For Dinner

grogi wrote: »

Just display the disc you already have. Nobody will notice the different registration number.

That is a separate offence

grogi

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

That is a separate offence

Sure - if you just took a different disc and display it - that's a different story. But in this case, the cert is for the policy that the OP is covered to drive the new car with.

He'd need to be extremely unfortunate for anything to come out of it. Far less unfortunate for anything to come out of driving without any disc.

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grogi wrote: »

Just display the disc you already have. Nobody will notice the different registration number.

But thats an offence too.

So youd actually be done for 2 separate offences if you were caught doing that.

I dont ever recall this happening before.

Is it a new thing or only certain insurers or what? Its enough to make me consider cancelling the policy altogether and going with a different insurer (but obviously if they are all at it thats not much use).

grogi

....... wrote: »

But thats an offence too.

So youd actually be done for 2 separate offences if you were caught doing that.

I dont ever recall this happening before.

Is it a new thing or only certain insurers or what? Its enough to make me consider cancelling the policy altogether and going with a different insurer (but obviously if they are all at it thats not much use).

No, not new. If certain flags are raised, the insurer will require additional documentation.

I had similar story with AA two years ago and AiG this year.

I’ve never been asked for the logbook.

Dravokivich

What do they want the log book for?

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Dravokivich wrote:

What do they want the log book for?

To prove I am the registered owner of the vehicle.

The car dealership reckon they are trying to crack down on the practice of people calling in, insuring vehicles, then cancelling the policy immediately after the discs have been issued thus leaving them with a disc that'll stand up to casual observation.

Effects

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they are trying to crack down on the practice of people calling in, insuring vehicles, then cancelling the policy immediately after the discs have been issued thus leaving them with a disc that'll stand up to casual observation.

Don't they usually request the discs back though?

A different scenario but I cancelled a renewal on a policy, they went ahead and issued it anyway. When the discs arrived I checked my account and they had taken the money from my account. They were fine about issuing a refund but not until they had received the discs back in the post.

RustyNut

You are allowed 10 days bofore you must display an insurance disc.


"5. (1) A person shall not use a vehicle in a public place, after the expiration of a period of ten days commencing on the date of authentication of the certificate of insurance, unless the vehicle carries an insurance disc in the manner specified in sub-article (2) of this article.

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RustyNut wrote:

"5. (1) A person shall not use a vehicle in a public place, after the expiration of a period of ten days commencing on the date of authentication of the certificate of insurance, unless the vehicle carries an insurance disc in the manner specified in sub-article (2) of this article.

Yes 10 days.

Today is Friday. It's reasonable to expect the car dealership won't even post the documents until Monday. Thats 3 days gone Give them 2 days to get to Shannon. Another 3 to get the logbook back. That's 8 days gone. Plus another weekend. 10 days.


Then I need to photograph and get the logbook to the insurer. 1 day.

From past experience, it's been 10 days from the time I sent documents in to receiving disc.

That's 3 weeks. Assuming no delays.

Dravokivich

....... wrote: »

To prove I am the registered owner of the vehicle.

The car dealership reckon they are trying to crack down on the practice of people calling in, insuring vehicles, then cancelling the policy immediately after the discs have been issued thus leaving them with a disc that'll stand up to casual observation.

I've insured 3 cars in the last year and never had to give a copy of a log book.

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Dravokivich wrote:

I've insured 3 cars in the last year and never had to give a copy of a log book.

Yes. I have never been asked to in the past.

Hence I am asking, is this a new thing generally or just this company?

Because I'm happy to lose money on a cancellation to protest this nonsense.

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....... wrote:

Because I'm happy to lose money on a cancellation to protest this nonsense.

Maybe I need to be making a complaint to the Ombudsman or some regulatory body?

I just can't see that it's acceptable to put the customer in the position that they are committing an offence.

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OmegaGene wrote:

In over 20 years of driving here and the uk and having a couple of cars on the go at the same time and not all in my name either I have never been asked for a log book to prove ownership. I have had to send on no claims in the past but I have always been issued with the insurance certificate if in the uk or disc if I’m here. I’m assuming you have an email with the insurance certificate and if so carry on driving and if you’re stopped then explain.

Indeed. I'm driving over 20 years myself. I don't ever recall being asked for a logbook.

I do have an email.

The responses on here are definitely leaning me towards cancelling the policy and moving on.

I had been thinking perhaps it was a new thing I wasn't aware of. Seems not.

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I already did express the above. However I was in the dealership at the time waiting to drive off. So not great timing to make a case.

It's Chill insurance. I was with Alliance previously and switched on a better quote at renewal time. They annoyed me then with same story. Even though I'd paid 2 weeks before renewal date, it was 4 weeks before I got the disc.

I wrote it off thinking it was just a new customer wrinkle. But now...

They already charged me 35 quid on the change to a different car.

Eggs For Dinner

grogi wrote:

Sure - if you just took a different disc and display it - that's a different story. But in this case, the cert is for the policy that the OP is covered to drive the new car with.

It is an offence to display a disc on any vehicle other than the one it is designated for. No grey area

Graniteville

Op obviously falls into a specific risk category that the insurance company has.

They have their terms and conditions and the op's suggestion of ombudsman is ridiculous.

OP has a simple choice, do as they ask or move to another insurer.

As for non display, once you have relevant documentation, no Garda will have an issue unless you give them reason to have one. Eg, don't act the bollox if stopped.

SCOOP 64

wonder what the story is then when you do transfer for temporary insurance to a different car which im about to do for 2/3 weeks, do they issued a disc?
also the asking for old disc back its my sister in laws car which still has her insurance disc in it ,shes now insure on her new car,obliviously didn't ask for it to be sent back,
you could drive round in it (not legal ) 99.9% of the time the guards just look for valid insurance/nct/tax and wave you on.

grogi

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

wonder what the story is then when you do transfer for temporary insurance to a different car which im about to do for 2/3 weeks, do they issued a disc?

No, they don't.

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Graniteville wrote: »

Op obviously falls into a specific risk category that the insurance company has.

They have their terms and conditions and the op's suggestion of ombudsman is ridiculous.

OP has a simple choice, do as they ask or move to another insurer.

As for non display, once you have relevant documentation, no Garda will have an issue unless you give them reason to have one. Eg, don't act the bollox if stopped.

Not really sure what the first part of your post means, apparently they ask everyone to send a copy of the logbook, its not specific to me?

Actually, I contacted the Guards myself today about it. Im worried about it. Its never happened me before that I had no disc to display and it worries me driving around in a car with no discs. The guy I spoke to agreed its not the correct way for an insurance company to be behaving and he suggested I phone the Financial Services Ombudsman on Tuesday for advice, because as far as he was concerned, people should not be put in the position that they are committing an offence - which is pretty much how I feel about it too.

On non display he suggested I print out the document they sent me (its a copy of the insurance cert with disc attached both emblazoned with the word "copy" across them) and put the disc from it into the windscreen for the time being - ie, treat it as a temporary disc.

Having already been charged to make the change of vehicle on the policy, and no doubt facing another charge for cancelling - I would rather not have the expense of cancelling tbh, although I will certainly move along to another insurer at renewal time because if Chill are causing this level of stress now, I can only imagine the difficulties dealing with them if you had an actual problem and needed to claim on the policy.

So the choice isnt really that simple, its more a choice between being forced to commit an offence or lose more money cancelling and going elsewhere. Neither is really palatable, and given I just paid for a car, funds are short to be taking another hit.