This morning's post contained a shock; my motor-bike insurer has written to me to say they are cancelling my insurance as of Wednesday and I have to return the certificate to them or I will be committing an offence. No reason, no explanation and no mention of how much of my premium I will get back. They claim they are within their rights as per para. blah blah of their Ts & Cs. The final paragraph of the letter said that if I had any queries I should ask my broker. Of course I jolly well have queries but my broker claims to know nothing about the cancellation and the insurer is not open on Saturdays so I will have to wait until Monday before I can find out what is going on. I have sent a stiff fax to the broker saying I want an explanation and to make sure that I have continuity of cover as I paid my annual premium to them in advance.
Any comment, Mark or anyone?
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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Perhaps a case of mistaken identity, what bike? is it modified without telling your insurer, could they have found out?
Have you looked at para blah blah of their T & Cs, might give you the reason.
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Very strange. Have you been involved in any issues with them, or could perhaps a third party have made an allegation of some sort without your knowledge?
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Is it possible that the broker has not remitted the premium? The broker may have bound the cover originally but presumably the insurance company can unbind it subject to the applicable regs and the T&Cs.
What does paragraph blah blah blah say - does it gove any clue as to why the cover might have been cancelled?
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Bike is a naked Bandit 600 unmodified save for a small flyscreen declared to the broker at quote stage. Para. blah blah is no help, it just says that either party can cancel at so many days notice.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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Check with GISC, the general insurance council advice body. I think insurers have to give you quite a few goes before they just cancel on you. Did they send the letter registered post? If not then they're on thin ice anyway as it would be highly possible for you not to get the letter and end up riding around uninsured. When a company made a cobblers and sent letters saying they hadn't received details and were going to cancel they sent 2 to me, both of them were registered post. The woman at the insurance company also said they'd have to send another letter before they were allowed to cancel a policy so I am a bit surprised that this company has sent you one letter before cancelling.
teabelly
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This is so funny - peculiar funny.
My Dad bought a new bike last week - got the cover note etc...and then got a "Cancellation Warning Letter" yesterday. No explanation given.
I can't wait to hear the phone call on Monday!
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Adam
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I had a car policy cancelled once - the brokers fault, despite my employer being on the list of un-acceptable ones.
Now it appears for ever and a day I have to declare it to insurers, although as far as I can tell, they don't mind.
It may have something to do with it now being years old, and the statement from me "due to insurerer not covering employees of *** and brokers incompetance at not observing it".
The bit that mystifies me about these cases though is the not recieving a reason - in childish voice - "cos I can and I'm not telling why", seems a poor show. I await Mondays posts!
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Tell me about it SP - it is pretty strange, not to mention childish as to why they don't give a reason.
I don't know about Hawkeye's circumstances but my Dad hasn't used a broker and I'm pretty sure his employer is fine as previous bikes/cars haven't been a problem.
Oh well - he's seething so I wouldn't be surprised if he goes elsewhere. As he said, they were happy enough to take the premium payment that very day weren't they?
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Adam
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Check with GISC, the general insurance council advice body
GISC ceased to exist at 23:59 on 13 January 2005, replaced by the Financial Services Authority and the Financial Ombudsman Service at 00:00 on 14 January 2005.
If there is a reciprocal right of cancellation in the agreement then I'm afraid there's little you can do. The Ombudsman Service have no remit to adjudicate on "commercial decisions" such as the decision to exercise this right of cancellation.
Hawkeye, you haven't been on any track days have you? It's not unheard of for insurers with a high exposure to bike policies to send reps along to track days to make notes of reg numbers and then cancel cover if the cover expressly forbids track use. Not entirely surprising, given the relative ease with which a trashed bike can be transported away and a claimable accident invented.
Yes, I know, not likely, but enough people have tried it on in the past for insurers to get edgy about these things.
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But if your cover excludes track days, doesn't it mean just that - that you won't be insured for such events?
Surely they can't actually tell you that you're not allowed to do it?
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" But if your cover excludes track days, doesn't it mean just that - that you won't be insured for such events?"
Yes, but those dodging that clause usually tow the wreckage out to a quiet country lane and call police/insurance co and say the accident occured there, not on a track, and therefore is a valid claim. Highly illegal I am sure, but those that do it have thousands or reasons why they are willing to take that risk.
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Hawkeye, you haven't been on any track days have you? It's not unheard of for insurers with a high exposure to bike policies to send reps along to track days to make notes of reg numbers and then cancel cover if the cover expressly forbids track use.
I've never done a track day; not got the bottle for it. I've spectated at Croft during track days and other motor sport events there.
I'll let you all know how things progress tomorrow; it's lucky I don't have a "proper" job to interfere with my dialogue with these clowns.
Thanks all for your replies so far.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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They don't cancel policies as a result of you being at a track day - the policy dosen't forbid track days, just cover whilst at one.
ISTR the 'noseys' at track days just create a list of reg numbers for the day. If a suspect claim arrives, the reg nr is checked against the lists of regs/dates.
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I hope it's all resolved. I called the insurer and spoke to a seemingly very efficient lady who told me the reason they cancelled was that the haven't heard from the broker, despite several requests, about a claim I made on my car insurance - this one;
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=27505&...e
Details were e-mailed to the broker in April so the issue I have is with them. I have faxed the insurer my understanding of the conversation in which I described the accident and the efficient lady told me they would withdraw the notice of cancellation immediately.
I am waiting for the broker to reply to Saturday's fax ...
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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When my vehicle insurance renewals came in this year , there was a dire threat about the premium actually having to reach the insurer by the due date. Otherwise everything was cancelled.
Maybe this was invoked?
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I had something similar to this when i renewed (or tried to) with budget in February. Got a letter through the post saying they would not be able to reinsure me for this year. When i rang them up they were apologetic and said something along the lines of the computer system has messed up due to the particular numbers and letters combination/order of my reg plate and DVLA ref number. Apparently this caused a glitch and the computer automatically refused me.
This was a while ago now so my memory is a bit hazy.But maybe something similar in your case?
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Sorry! just read your post instead of just looking at it. Not similar case at all.
Hope everything works out alright anyway.
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It was something to do with needing to send a certificate off proving it's security or something.
It would have been nice had they actually told us beforehand.
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Adam
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