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Why has my insurance company noted minor pothole damage as an 'incident'?
When I renewed my car insurance I also took out a specialist uninsured loss recovery insurance. Having recently damaged a tyre and wheel in a pothole I wondered if the specialist would pursue the council. When I rang up to see what they could do I explained that I was making an inquiry, I was not making a claim and that I did not want the matter added to my claim record. They said they would not take on the council. Later, I was surprised to receive a letter from my car insurer saying that they had noted my incident. I complained to the specialist but he said the insurer would not remove the incident from their records and that I had a duty to disclose material facts. As a consequence of this my next renewal premium is likely to rise. Is this reasonable, when I had specifically requested that the matter should not be added to my record?
Asked on 21 March 2011 by PM, Kenninghall, Norfolk
Answered by
Honest John
No, it's entirely unreasonable. And there's nothing you can do about it. Never ever tell an insurance broker or an insurer about minor damage that can be fixed for less than £500, because merely informing them will inevitably cost you a lot more in increased premiums over the years and it permanently goes on your record so you cannot even change insurers without it counting against you.
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