Assuming you told us the full and true story, why did you not contact the insurance company to appeal their decision citing the facts you now give us and show them the received NCD document which in most cases can be simply scanned and emailed/uploaded to their website?

In my experience some insurance companies don't ask for proof until a claim is made, most will want to see your insurance renewal schedule which usually shows the NCD. Some insurance companies send a "statement of fact" with the renewal notice, but as I found out, these are not accepted as proof of NCD in which case you can request an NCD entitlement letter from your previous insurer and yes its usually only sent in postal letter form.

Iirc insurers allow a fairly long time, from memory, at least 2 weeks to get the proof but usually issue a final demand type letter if they don't receive it warning you of the consequence (cancellation), you should have contacted them immediately in that case to discuss the situation.

If there was a delay due to post you should have kept your (cancelled) insurer in the picture, the best you can do now is appeal in writing directly to them presenting your case. If you think you've been unfairly treated, you can write to the Insurance Ombudsman. Your (cancelled) insurer should have given you details of how to apply to the Insurance ombudsman if they deem their decision is final. If they didn't, it could be they are still open to an appeal.

Time is of the essence, your chances of a successful appeal diminish with time.

I thought these days insurers had some sort of internal network where they could check no claims proofs?
I've not had to send proof of no claims for years when changing insurers.

Assuming you told us the full and true story, why did you not contact the insurance company to appeal their decision citing the facts you now give us and show them the received NCD document which in most cases can be simply scanned and emailed/uploaded to their website?

In my experience some insurance companies don't ask for proof until a claim is made, most will want to see your insurance renewal schedule which usually shows the NCD. Some insurance companies send a "statement of fact" with the renewal notice, but as I found out, these are not accepted as proof of NCD in which case you can request an NCD entitlement letter from your previous insurer and yes its usually only sent in postal letter form.

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When you say full and true story, I have nothing to hide and very proud of a flawless driving record, don’t get me wrong I clearly dropped the ball a little here as the single email they sent on the 28th December was missed (I never received a letter or phone call) this was after I had spoken to them regarding the proof of no claims, and to be quite honest I’m so used to insurers not asking for the PNC, I don’t think I’ve been asked for a good 5-6 years. In fact, I used to always call to check previous years and they used to say they didn’t need it...so I got so used to this and naturally became more relaxed about it. I never expected an insurer to start threatening me with cancellation.

I contacted them the day of my cancellation, my no claims letter arrived that same day which I’ve attached to my complaints letter and also sent. I’ve called them every day to push this. According to the support person I spoke to she said they may review and can actually revert it, so I guess I will cross my fingers.

You need to get this sorted with the insurer because, bar a change in the law, you will have to declare the cancellation whenever you are asked.

Yes, I have a really busy job with long hours but I am dedicating a few hours a morning to focus on this. I’m even willing to get some solicitation, will even look at contacting ombudsman. I’ve sent 2 emails to their complaints department in the past few days WITH my PNC attached, so I wonder how good they are at replying to emails swiftly themselves! Anyone that reviews this, if they are human they will see that I was not withholding.

thought these days insurers had some sort of internal network where they could check no claims proofs? I've not had to send proof of no claims for years when changing insurers

I thought the same! Like I said previously, I used to call previous years and eventually I stopped because I was told they just don’t need it. So I assumed there was some shared database or something. Seems like it’s different for all, as I’ve found.

There’s so many factors I think that’s contributed especially with Covid, companies are 10x harder to get hold of, postal service/Royal Mail is bottle necked so I believe my NCP took way longer to arrive than usual.

I’ve always paid for car insurance outright for the year, but this has forced me to pay monthly now it’s added so much to my premium, which also slaps a credit charge onto it aswell.

Edited by Wikemud on 08/01/2021 at 10:05

You need to pursue this matter, OP.

Should you not get any satisfaction from the insurance company then it needs to be taken to the Insurance Ombudsman.

Whatever you do don't just leave it!

I just thought I'd come back and report what happened to anyone else who comes across this thread.

So after a few phone calls and 2 complaint emails they have actually dropped the enforced cancellation, so I will not have to declare it on future insurance. They also waivered the cancelation fee of £60 and have refunded me.

I'm not saying everyone will get to the same resolve as me, but it went in my favor that I'd called numerous times so there was communication about the PNC there, I also provided them with an actual proof after the cancellation which probably swayed them.

Also they probably sensed I was going to fight this tooth and nail and was just easier to get rid of me.

In future if I have trouble getting hold of PNC I will be calling every day to update them! It's so easy online to pay for insurance and just think it's all sorted. From now on I will call the company after purchasing online to ensure they have everything they need before I shut the lid on it.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

i recentley had to ask for no claims proof. long story . ended up paying another £ 90

i think car insurance should be nationalised. i mean you have to have it. then it should be easier to understand and be more transparrent

Long experience shows that Nationalisation increases cost to consumers as there's a lack of competition - unless it's subsidised by taxes.

Imagine if British Car insurance was nationalised. You'd buy your policy and it would be delivered 28 days later or late.

My first thought on reading this was to suggest that 3rd party insurance should be included in with vehicle tax ... but then realised that this might act as a further disincentive to pay the tax.

However if 3rd party cover were incorporated into fuel duty there would be fewer uninsured drivers on the road - and those covering the highest mileage would pay proportionately more to reflect their increased risk of being involved in an RTA. This would also collect revenue towards basic insurance cover from overseas drivers visiting the UK without appropriate insurance.

It would then be up to individual vehicle owners to opt for comprehensive insurance at their own discretion.

Edited by Theophilus on 15/01/2021 at 13:52