bridge too far Posted 23 October, 2008 Share Posted 23 October, 2008 About 6 months ago, a seven year old girl ran out from between parked cars in front of my daughter's car. My daughter couldn't avoid her and hit the little girl. The child had a serious head injury but, thankfully, has made a full recovery. The police impounded her car after the accident for investigation and she had to pay £150 to get it back. She tried to claim for that but the insurance company said her insurance didn't cover that. My daughter's car insurance is due for renewal. There has been no claim against her and she's made no claim either. Her insurance premium has gone up a lot. When she queried this, she was told that the case would lie on her file UNTIL THE CHILD WAS 18 and therefore they couldn't offer her the normal rate and that her protected no claims bonus was now invalidated. My question is this. Isn't there a Statute of Limitations on how long after an accident / incident a claim can be made? And surely her protected NCB should be just that - PROTECTED? Any insurance whizz-kids amongst you lot? Any advice gratefully received Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintwarwick Posted 23 October, 2008 Share Posted 23 October, 2008 About 6 months ago, a seven year old girl ran out from between parked cars in front of my daughter's car. My daughter couldn't avoid her and hit the little girl. The child had a serious head injury but, thankfully, has made a full recovery. The police impounded her car after the accident for investigation and she had to pay £150 to get it back. She tried to claim for that but the insurance company said her insurance didn't cover that. My daughter's car insurance is due for renewal. There has been no claim against her and she's made no claim either. Her insurance premium has gone up a lot. When she queried this, she was told that the case would lie on her file UNTIL THE CHILD WAS 18 and therefore they couldn't offer her the normal rate and that her protected no claims bonus was now invalidated. My question is this. Isn't there a Statute of Limitations on how long after an accident / incident a claim can be made? And surely her protected NCB should be just that - PROTECTED? Any insurance whizz-kids amongst you lot? Any advice gratefully received I'm not an insurance whizz kid but surely if no claim has been made against you and you have made no claim then technically you are innocent of any blame and remain claim free and your protected NCB is as you say, PROTECTED. What your daughter needs to do is ask her insurance company what exactly is being left on her file and why considering no blame has been asserted. Have you tried other insurance quotes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 23 October, 2008 Author Share Posted 23 October, 2008 I'm not an insurance whizz kid but surely if no claim has been made against you and you have made no claim then technically you are innocent of any blame and remain claim free and your protected NCB is as you say, PROTECTED. What your daughter needs to do is ask her insurance company what exactly is being left on her file and why considering no blame has been asserted. Have you tried other insurance quotes? She's done an on-line search but of course they all ask for information on accidents / incidents. If she 'lies', her insurance will be invalid. Her current insurance company's Invitation to Renew will show that she doesn't have an NCB any longer so she won't get her discount. My main beef is that this accident (which wasn't her fault) will lie on her file for 11 years! That seems grossly unfair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintwarwick Posted 23 October, 2008 Share Posted 23 October, 2008 She's done an on-line search but of course they all ask for information on accidents / incidents. If she 'lies', her insurance will be invalid. Her current insurance company's Invitation to Renew will show that she doesn't have an NCB any longer so she won't get her discount. My main beef is that this accident (which wasn't her fault) will lie on her file for 11 years! That seems grossly unfair. She doesn't need to lie, just tell the facts. Insurence companies will do checks to validate any claim whether its your fault or not. My wife was involved in a crash some time ago and it was not her fault. We recorded these details online when getting quotes. I would be talking to the present insurer to find out what is on file and why considering no fault has been lain. I cannot see how you can lose your no claims and have higher premiums when it appears you are completely innocent. Failing that speak to the insurance ombudsman. http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/assessment-guide/first-annual-report/resolving-insurance-related-disputes.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crouchie's Lawyer Posted 23 October, 2008 Share Posted 23 October, 2008 Surely if no claim was made and the insurance company was not contacted then they are pushing it a little? I would suggest speaking to the ombudsman? I believe the normal question that insurance companies ask is (and I think this is truely unfair) is 'have you been involved in an accident in the last 5 years whether it is your fault or not?' This is ludacris, as if someone went into the back of you and wrote your car off, and it was completely paid for by the other party, they will tell you it doesnt affect your premiums, but that is bull. Your premiums will be loaded. Any excuse for insurance companies to make extra money! I have never heard of a situation like this though. Im guessing they are saying it will remain on file until the child is 18 though due to potential future claims which said child may make? Im guessing on the back of these pirates which do the 'Have you had an accident in the last 74 years which was not your fault?' schemes. However, if no claim has been made then why it would affect your premiums I dont know. Best advice would be to speak to the ombusdman, to check the insurance company are within their rights to do what they are doing and speak to other insurance firms rather than apply online. You may find, smaller companies are willing to ignore this fact to gain your business so maybe try insurance brokers who personally underwrite the premiums? I would be surprised if anyone would be able to answer the question mainly due to the specifics of the case, its not something you come across daily, but I wish you and your daughter the best of luck resolving it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintwarwick Posted 23 October, 2008 Share Posted 23 October, 2008 Surely if no claim was made and the insurance company was not contacted then they are pushing it a little? I would suggest speaking to the ombudsman? I believe the normal question that insurance companies ask is (and I think this is truely unfair) is 'have you been involved in an accident in the last 5 years whether it is your fault or not?' This is ludacris, as if someone went into the back of you and wrote your car off, and it was completely paid for by the other party, they will tell you it doesnt affect your premiums, but that is bull. Your premiums will be loaded. Any excuse for insurance companies to make extra money! I have never heard of a situation like this though. Im guessing they are saying it will remain on file until the child is 18 though due to potential future claims which said child may make? Im guessing on the back of these pirates which do the 'Have you had an accident in the last 74 years which was not your fault?' schemes. However, if no claim has been made then why it would affect your premiums I dont know. Best advice would be to speak to the ombusdman, to check the insurance company are within their rights to do what they are doing and speak to other insurance firms rather than apply online. You may find, smaller companies are willing to ignore this fact to gain your business so maybe try insurance brokers who personally underwrite the premiums? I would be surprised if anyone would be able to answer the question mainly due to the specifics of the case, its not something you come across daily, but I wish you and your daughter the best of luck resolving it! You are correct when you say they ask if you have been involved in an accident in the last five years whether it's your fault or not, but if it's not your fault you are not punished. As I mentioned in a post above my wife was involved in a crash and entered these details when searching online for quotes. Your details are checked and validated and my wife did not receive loaded premiums, in fact she got a cheaper quote than the existing premium. As for this specific case about being left on file until the child is 18, you could be correct that it may be used for potential claims however if you are innocent how can they use it against a claim in the future? Seems to me btf's daughter is innocent but they may decide she could be guilty sometime in the future. Very bazaar, I would definately get in touch with the ombudsman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Keith Posted 23 October, 2008 Share Posted 23 October, 2008 About 6 months ago, a seven year old girl ran out from between parked cars in front of my daughter's car. My daughter couldn't avoid her and hit the little girl. The child had a serious head injury but, thankfully, has made a full recovery. The police impounded her car after the accident for investigation and she had to pay £150 to get it back. She tried to claim for that but the insurance company said her insurance didn't cover that. My daughter's car insurance is due for renewal. There has been no claim against her and she's made no claim either. Her insurance premium has gone up a lot. When she queried this, she was told that the case would lie on her file UNTIL THE CHILD WAS 18 and therefore they couldn't offer her the normal rate and that her protected no claims bonus was now invalidated. My question is this. Isn't there a Statute of Limitations on how long after an accident / incident a claim can be made? And surely her protected NCB should be just that - PROTECTED? Any insurance whizz-kids amongst you lot? Any advice gratefully received we are currently doing some work for the largest insurance brokers in the world, and it is staggering what some of their people know. pm me and i would be happy to put you in touch with someone oh, and they have just saved me about a 3rd on my renewal, for a far superior policy and benefits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crouchie's Lawyer Posted 24 October, 2008 Share Posted 24 October, 2008 but if it's not your fault you are not punished. As I mentioned in a post above my wife was involved in a crash and entered these details when searching online for quotes. Your details are checked and validated and my wife did not receive loaded premiums, in fact she got a cheaper quote than the existing premium. Her new quote maybe cheaper than her renewal, however, how do you know it wouldnt have been even cheaper had she not been involved in the accident (even though it wasnt her fault)? Why do they need to know if it doesnt affect premiums? Shouldnt the question just be, 'Have you been involved in an accident in the last 5 years which for insurance purposes was deemed your fault and which your insurance company had to pay out for?' Would make more sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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