Insurance quotes and how they can change during validation?

[Niknak23]

Hello people,

In previous times when I have bought car insurance, Ive had a quote online then either the transaction happens online or I speak to someone to complete it. But the price stays the same as the original quote.

This time I cold called a few companies. So a couple of days ago I tried U Drive Cover Ltd and received a quote over the phone of pay monthly of £60 resulting in total of £805, I decided I would go for that quote as I was going to look at a car that day, I paid a substantial deposit (on 15/03/22) and the agent said I was insured to drive and sent off the completed information to get it validated.

I received an email thanking me for my purchase and that to be a ware that if anything was different to ehat had been declared it could change my premium.
The next morning I got an email saying the validation had been successful and to ring the agent back to go through final details and complete.

When I called back I got a different agent, it was strange because they started talking about a different amount than my already agreed quote, it was very confusing and at one point he stopped to check with me if it was a quote I was ringing for and I said no, that I had had my quote and I was ringing to go through he final processes.
There was then some information about a score of points during validation that meant my already agreed quote went up by more than £30 a month...he said he would speak to his manager to see if he could get a bit of a discount, I think he got something negligible because it still worked out at £90 a month in total.

The agents for insurance speak so fast, I understand why, because they're repeating themselves a lot but it was all so rushed.
And because I had been told I was insured the day before I went and paid for the car, so I felt I maybe had to go with this policy, or the vehicle would be uninsured. I feel like I was a bit trapped and limited by my options at that point.

So on paper, the certificate showed my insurance to start on the 16th, what would have happened if the vehicle had been in an incident on the 15th when I was told the vehicle was insured? They would have had carte blanche to charge me any premium they chose! I cannot help but feel this isn't right...

I have never had this happen before or heard of it happening to other people...What I do not understand is how this premium could change over night when I had been told that I was insured to drive the day before, at that accepted quote, and there was no new information that had been changed that could affect this.

I realise this is a broker that deals with high risk policies and I have been informed that they might do things differently.

I am wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

Any advice most welcome...

[echat11]

Hi NIKNAK23

You shouldn't get insurance quotes over the phone, you've given the 'pitfalls' of doing so in your experiences. This could be a case of mis-selling, but I don't know all the facts.

You should go online use a comparison site, then see where you go from there.

https://www.comparethemarket.com/car...ium-high-risk/

[des8]

Without commenting on your particular case as we do not have full information;
if you received a QUOTATION which you accepted and for which you paid a deposit, and if none of the information you gave was incorrect, the broker should stand by the quote.
If the broker has made a mistake he should pick up the shortfall himself....
At least that is the way all broking firms I worked for operated!

I would be concerned about the difference in commencement date of the insurance.
The broker should have issued you with a certificate of insurance commencing on 15th March, and sent it to you online so you would have proof of cover on that date.
If they were not authorised to issue the certificate they should not have told you you were covered.
If there had been an incident you might have had a problem obtaining a letter of indemnity from the insurers, and then you may have been prosecuted for driving uninsured.

A letter of complaint to U Drive Cover Ltd's CEO with a threat of reporting to FOS may resolve the situation