No claims, help with overlapped policies?

[Adam Ef]

Hi. Wondering if anyone can offer best approach to talking through no claims issue with insurance company tomorrow.

Situation is I have my SV, insured with Carole Nash since beginning of Feb this year. I Recently bought an old Honda 250 that the underwriters wouldn't add to my poilcy as they don't insure bikes that old (1983). So I took out a seperate poilcy for the 250 with Bennetts. Last Friday I got a letter asking me to supply proof of my 1 years no claims, which I actually had from a policy with them for a 125 from end of Feb 2015 to Feb 2016. I sold that bike once the policy ran out this year and by then had my SV insured with Carole Nash.

So I do have 1 years no claims as of Feb 2016, from a Bennetts policy. They have now asked me to show evidence and have sent a letter which arrived Saturday saying as I haven't provided it (the letter asking arrived Friday!! = Xmas post maybe?!) they're putting my policy cost up and charging me extra £35 admin cost to do that too!

So does anyone have any suggestions of what to say to them when I phone them tomorrow? I need to tell them that my no claims is with them so why do I need to send proof? Will they not allow that as the policy ended February? Since then my policy on my other bike (not with them) hasn't been another whole year. So, my new policy won't issue anything to me saying I have no claims with them as it's not a whole year. But the Bennetts policy was a whole year but ended Feb. How do I prove all this?

It's all a bit confusing. I have consecutive no claims of 1 year and 10 months, but on overlapping policies between two bike with two different insurers.

[Adam Ef]

^ To clarify dates...
* 125 Bennetts policy Feb 27th 2015 to Feb 27th 2016 (Bike sold when it ended)
* SV Carole Nash policy Feb 13th 2016 to Feb 13th 2017 (still valid)
* New Honda 250 Bennetts policy 24th November ongoing... This is the one they want 1 years no claims proof for.

[500tie]

I really don't wish to sound like I'm asking you to suck eggs or insult you but I don't fully understand your question.

You can only use no claims earnt per policy. E.g you insure a bike from January 2015 to January 2016. In that time you have earnt 1 years not claims. You then have up to 2 years before they expire..

If you then start up a new policy but tell them you don't have any no claims I.e starting a complete fresh then anything earnt on that bike can be used on a second bike.

You can't mix and match both of them. Also if your previous policy was with that company they should be able to pull up the details from it and use that as proof, I have done this with my car policies and they have been really easy to deal with.

Hopefully that's useful and clear it's really hard to put it into words so it makes sense

[Red Herring]

Am I right in thinking you don't have a years no claims applied to the Carole Nash policy, i.e.: when you took it out on Feb 13th it was without any discount?

Provided that is the case I can't see why you cannot use the no claims discount earned on the 125cc Bennetts policy on a new policy. All you should have to do is provide them with the 125cc policy number.

Obviously if Carole Nash took that into consideration (even if it was technically two weeks under the year at time of inception) then it can't be used on another policy.

[Adam Ef]

You're correct. I didn't say I had any no claims for the Carole Nash policy as I didn't have a whole year by then (2 weeks under a year on the 125 policy wasn't enough). So this is the first time I am saying I have any no claims. I'll see if they will count the year from the 125. Just concerned as it ended back in Feb they won't allow it. Cheers.

[Adam Ef]

Also hoping they don't need me to get a letter from them proving it so I can send it back to... them.

[Red Herring]

Usually no claims are recognised for up to two years after a policy ends so you should be OK, and just quoting the policy number should be enough. Good luck.

[500tie]

In that case mate there should be no reason why they can't pull up the old details from your 125 and honour them that way

[Adam Ef]

I have a policy number and a letter telling me my policy ended on my 125. No mention of no claims on it, but it was a year long policy without a claim, and I haven't had a claim on any other policy since then. I'll call tomorrow and tell them to check their records.

I didn't realise no claims was valid for two years. That's the sort of info I needed.

Thanks for your help.

[500tie]

Yep no claims are valid for 2 years which unfortunately I was 6 months over between me selling my old bike and getting my SV, I was a bit gutted.

Was your previous policy fully comprehensive. You don't normally earn no claims on anything less

[Adam Ef]

Only ever had fully comp policies yes. Car too.. which is about 20 years no claims.. not that it counts.

[500tie]

You should be absolutely fine then mate I can't think of anything else that would halt it

[Adam Ef]

All sorted today. Phoned them, pointed out that their threat of increase in poilcy cost and admin fee now due arrived the day after the original request for no claims proof. Also told them that my no claims was with them from earlier this year. Didn't even mention another bike and policy with someone else as I didn't use or have any no claims when it started and didn't want t oconfuse things. They looked up previous policy number with them, confirmed it was within the past two years and applied it straight away. They were even slightly apologetic, in a very scripted sort of way.

Thanks for your help all.

[500tie]

Ah that's good news mate glad it's all sorted

[jagryan85]

Was your previous policy fully comprehensive? You don't normally earn no claims on anything less

Is this true?! Anything black and white?

Ryan

[Red Herring]

It would be news to me.... I've been insured third party only, not even theft cover, for as long as I can remember and managed to build up maximum no claims bonus without a problem.....

[500tie]

I do think I may have been lying, I honestly thought I hadn't earnt any no claims on my first few cars as I was 3rd part fire & theft only. Or maybe I'm losing my marbles as I get older. Sorry about that

[PyroUK]

Should earn no claims on anything third party only and up, but not for just fire and theft cover but those policies are rarer than cowl infils.

Hopefully Bennetts will find the no claims but I can honestly say it's not easy to know if a "new" customer was with the insurer previously to check for past policies, even then there is no guarantee that no claims that was wasn't previously is free to use on the new policy


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