I've insured my Volvos with Volvo Owners Insurance (administered by Royal
and Sun Alliance) for a number of years - but am going elsewhere this year
because they have hyped up the premium and imposed an excess on glass damage
for the first time in living memory.

They issued the renewal invitation one month before the renewal date (which
is 25th October), as usual - but I have ignored it because of going
elsewhere. This morning I received a letter from them saying:

<Quote>
Dear Mr X,

We refer to our letter of 24 September asking for payment of £XXX in respect
of the above policy. To date, we have no record of payment received.

Please pay this amount by one of the following methods {cheque, credit card,
on-line} by 18th October 2007.

If we do not receive your payment by 18 October 2007, we will be obliged to
take further action. This may include cancellation of cover or cancellation
of your entire policy. Where the policy is already cancelled, the debt may
be placed in the hands of an agency to pursue collection.
</Quote>


How dare they! *What* debt? My policy is fully paid up until renewal date,
and I have made no commitment whatsoever to renew with them. I owe them
*nothing*!

Have they taken leave of their senses - or are *all* motor insurance
companies doing this sort of thing these days?
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored..
Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks. PLEASE REPLY TO
NEWSGROUP!

On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:01:35 +0100, "Roger Mills"
<watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote:

>I've insured my Volvos with Volvo Owners Insurance (administered by Royal
>and Sun Alliance) for a number of years - but am going elsewhere this year
>because they have hyped up the premium and imposed an excess on glass damage
>for the first time in living memory.
>
>They issued the renewal invitation one month before the renewal date (which
>is 25th October), as usual - but I have ignored it because of going
>elsewhere. This morning I received a letter from them saying:
>
><Quote>
>Dear Mr X,
>
>We refer to our letter of 24 September asking for payment of £XXX in respect
>of the above policy. To date, we have no record of payment received.
>
>Please pay this amount by one of the following methods {cheque, credit card,
>on-line} by 18th October 2007.
>
>If we do not receive your payment by 18 October 2007, we will be obliged to
>take further action. This may include cancellation of cover or cancellation
>of your entire policy. Where the policy is already cancelled, the debt may
>be placed in the hands of an agency to pursue collection.
></Quote>
>
>
>How dare they! *What* debt? My policy is fully paid up until renewal date,
>and I have made no commitment whatsoever to renew with them. I owe them
>*nothing*!
>
>Have they taken leave of their senses - or are *all* motor insurance
>companies doing this sort of thing these days?


You need to go into insurance office and showing this letter. If your
are paid up to date-bring proof. They can not change coverage in the
middle. Yes, they can change it at the time of renewal but not
before.

Good luck

Roger Mills wrote:

> How dare they! *What* debt? My policy is fully paid up until renewal date,
> and I have made no commitment whatsoever to renew with them. I owe them
> *nothing*!
>
> Have they taken leave of their senses - or are *all* motor insurance
> companies doing this sort of thing these days?

It may well be that you have unwittingly entered into an arrangement
whereby renewal is automatic unless you tell them otherwise. Mine
with Direct Line works like that, and the renewal invitation letter
reminds me that if I want to renew, I need do nothing (except tell
them about any details which have changed) and that the premium will
be collected by DD a few days after renewal.

So you *could have* made a commitment to renew (whilst of course
reserving the right to change your mind, in which case you ought to
have let them know). If that is the case, and if they do renew, and
subsequently cancel the renewed policy, they could indeed hold you
liable for the uncancelled portion of the renewal premium.

"Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:5n6l5bFgitsqU1@mid.individual.net...
> I've insured my Volvos with Volvo Owners Insurance (administered by
Royal
> and Sun Alliance) for a number of years - but am going elsewhere
this year
> because they have hyped up the premium and imposed an excess on
glass damage
> for the first time in living memory.
>
> They issued the renewal invitation one month before the renewal date
(which
> is 25th October), as usual - but I have ignored it because of going
> elsewhere. This morning I received a letter from them saying:
>
> <Quote>
> Dear Mr X,
>
> We refer to our letter of 24 September asking for payment of £XXX in
respect
> of the above policy. To date, we have no record of payment received.
>
> Please pay this amount by one of the following methods {cheque,
credit card,
> on-line} by 18th October 2007.
>
> If we do not receive your payment by 18 October 2007, we will be
obliged to
> take further action. This may include cancellation of cover or
cancellation
> of your entire policy. Where the policy is already cancelled, the
debt may
> be placed in the hands of an agency to pursue collection.
> </Quote>
>
>
> How dare they! *What* debt? My policy is fully paid up until renewal
date,
> and I have made no commitment whatsoever to renew with them. I owe
them
> *nothing*!
>
> Have they taken leave of their senses - or are *all* motor insurance
> companies doing this sort of thing these days?

Yup - a lot have changed their T&C's to say something like "your
policy will automatically renew at the end of the year unless you tell
us otherwise". Did yours?

--
Andy

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Andy Pandy <spam8times@wonderful.spam.invalid> wrote:

> "Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote in message
> news:5n6l5bFgitsqU1@mid.individual.net...
>>
>> Have they taken leave of their senses - or are *all* motor insurance
>> companies doing this sort of thing these days?
>
> Yup - a lot have changed their T&C's to say something like "your
> policy will automatically renew at the end of the year unless you tell
> us otherwise". Did yours?

Absolutely not! The renewal invitation letter (referred to in this latest
threatening letter) says:
<Quote>
How to renew your cover

{things about payment options}

Please ensure that we receive your premium payment prior to your renewal
date, otherwise your cover will cease automatically.
</Quote>

I can live with that - but *not* with "Pay by one week before renewal date,
or we'll take legal action" - which is the gist of the latest letter!

In the past, I have always paid - one year at a time - by giving them my
credit card details over the phone, and have never used a DD or given them
any other sort of continuous payment authority.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Roger Mills wrote:

> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> Andy Pandy <spam8times@wonderful.spam.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> Yup - a lot have changed their T&C's to say something like "your
>> policy will automatically renew at the end of the year unless you tell
>> us otherwise". Did yours?
>
> Absolutely not! The renewal invitation letter (referred to in this latest
> threatening letter) says:
> <Quote>
> How to renew your cover
>
> {things about payment options}
>
> Please ensure that we receive your premium payment prior to your renewal
> date, otherwise your cover will cease automatically.
> </Quote>
>
> I can live with that - but *not* with "Pay by one week before renewal
> date, or we'll take legal action" - which is the gist of the latest
> letter!

Fair enough. It was probably a "computer error", then.

On 11 Oct, 16:09, "Roger Mills" <watt.ty...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Please ensure that we receive your premium payment prior to your renewal
> date, otherwise your cover will cease automatically.
> </Quote>

Ceasing to cover you is not the same thing as you not having a
contract to pay them. It's quite likely that the default action on
your part (not cancelling, not paying) will leave you in a position of
owing them for a policy that no longer exists, as an enforceable
contract.

Why do you think otherwise? Why do you think they might have _your_
interests at heart?

On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:21:47 -0700, Andy Dingley
<dingbat@codesmiths.com> wrote:

>On 11 Oct, 16:09, "Roger Mills" <watt.ty...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>> Please ensure that we receive your premium payment prior to your renewal
>> date, otherwise your cover will cease automatically.
>> </Quote>
>
>Ceasing to cover you is not the same thing as you not having a
>contract to pay them. It's quite likely that the default action on
>your part (not cancelling, not paying) will leave you in a position of
>owing them for a policy that no longer exists, as an enforceable
>contract.
>
>Why do you think otherwise? Why do you think they might have _your_
>interests at heart?

Principles aside, send them a formal letter of cancellation before the
25th and never look back.

blurp

On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:01:35 +0100, "Roger Mills"
<watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote:

> I have made no commitment whatsoever to renew with them.

Do not rely on that belief; make sure you cancel prior to, and with effect
on, the expiration date of the current year policy unless you believe
litigation is entertainment, when you should stick to your fine
principles. The insurer is required to insure you unless and until you or
they terminate the cover, and they will not terminate the policy prior to
its expiration by which time you will already be liable for some further
payment. So it's your choice - play the silly bugger or give them a phone
call.

Tony

"Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote...
> I've insured my Volvos with Volvo Owners Insurance (administered by
> Royal and Sun Alliance) for a number of years - but am going elsewhere
> this year because they have hyped up the premium and imposed an excess
> on glass damage for the first time in living memory.
>
> They issued the renewal invitation one month before the renewal date
> (which is 25th October), as usual - but I have ignored it because of
> going elsewhere. This morning I received a letter from them saying:
>
> <Quote>
> Dear Mr X,
>
> We refer to our letter of 24 September asking for payment of £XXX in
> respect of the above policy. To date, we have no record of payment
> received.
>
> Please pay this amount by one of the following methods {cheque, credit
> card, on-line} by 18th October 2007.
>
> If we do not receive your payment by 18 October 2007, we will be
> obliged to take further action. This may include cancellation of cover
> or cancellation of your entire policy. Where the policy is already
> cancelled, the debt may be placed in the hands of an agency to pursue
> collection.
> </Quote>
>
>
> How dare they! *What* debt? My policy is fully paid up until renewal
> date, and I have made no commitment whatsoever to renew with them. I
> owe them *nothing*!
>
> Have they taken leave of their senses - or are *all* motor insurance
> companies doing this sort of thing these days?

I suspect it's a not-so-subtle way of applying pressure on you to renew
instead of shopping around. You could probably get a lower premium off
your current insurer if you start a new policy with them - a disloyalty
bonus, in other words.

Matti (writing from uk.finance)