# Car Insurance Renewal - How much notice should I get?



## WaterWater (31 Dec 2019)

I received by email my car insurance renewal from Aviva.  I have requested in the past that this be sent to me by way of hard copy. They just ignore my request.

My car insurance is due to be paid within two weeks.  I always thought that I should receive a month's notice of renewal?


----------



## Laramie (31 Dec 2019)

From the Citizen's Information website.

"Your motor insurance company must issue your insurance renewal notice at least 20 working days before the date of expiry of your insurance policy. Your no claims discount certificate must also be included with the renewal notice. You will need this certificate if you want to renew your motor insurance with a different insurance company."

I would have thought that you are also entitled to your "no claim's discount certificate". A bit difficult to get if they are refusing to send you a paper renewal and you have no way of printing off the certificate.


----------



## IsleOfMan (31 Dec 2019)

I wonder if notifying you by email is sufficient. Can they insist that this is sufficient notification? Not everybody might notice or receive this email for a variety of reasons.


----------



## RedOnion (31 Dec 2019)

IsleOfMan said:


> I wonder if notifying you by email is sufficient. Can they insist that this is sufficient notification?


The legislation includes the following:
_"“writing” shall be construed as including electronic modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form."_



I can't remember from my renewal, but it's probably a condition of dealing with them directly that renewal notice is by email.



Laramie said:


> I would have thought that you are also entitled to your "no claim's discount certificate". A bit difficult to get if they are refusing to send you a paper renewal and you have no way of printing off the certificate.


What do you need it printed for? Most (if not all) insurers now want to receive these by email.
What I was really surprised with 2 weeks ago was AXA sent my wife her insurance disc by email, with instructions on how to print it herself. They're all moving away from postal services.


----------



## Kimmagegirl (1 Jan 2020)

Aviva emailed me my car insurance renewal reminder on the 30th December that is due on the 12th January. So much for 20 "working days" notice.

I notice that they do not give you any information in their email about your renewal amount. In order to get any information they are forcing you to sign up to "My Aviva". As and from last November they are also required to advise you on the previous amount that you paid for your last insurance, this is not visible in the reminder that I received. (nor is my renewal premium amount).

I think that Aviva are being smart sending me a renewal reminder so late and trying to force me to sign up for MyAviva to get further information on my renewal policy, 

Their email should clearly indicate my renewal premium amount and the amount I paid last year.  

Aviva have only given me 8 working days notice and I still don't know the amount of my premium.


----------



## Tintagel (1 Jan 2020)

Don't get me started on Aviva.

You receive a reminder email with nil information other than "renew now". 

You get a follow up cold call phone call a few days later...... YOU then have to identify yourself before they will speak to you despite the fact that they just phoned you, the policy holder. I told them that I was the policy holder but they refused to believe me.

If you don't give your personal information they refuse to speak to you.  I asked them to post me my renewal documents but they refused because I didn't give personal information during this cold call.

I have 4 policies with them and having to go through this ordeal every time is not worth it.


----------



## Bronco Lane (2 Jan 2020)

RedOnion said:


> The legislation includes the following:
> _"“writing” shall be construed as including electronic modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form."_
> 
> I can't remember from my renewal, but it's probably a condition of dealing with them directly that renewal notice is by email.



But surely when sending an email reminder about a renewal they should include the price of the renewal.  It should not be a condition that you have to register with My Aviva to get this basic information?


----------



## RedOnion (2 Jan 2020)

Bronco Lane said:


> But surely when sending an email reminder about a renewal they should include the price of the renewal.  It should not be a condition that you have to register with My Aviva to get this basic information?


There's actually legislative minefield here, and lots is open to interpretation as there hasn't been strict guidance set out. 
Everyone has interpreted things differently, and the best consumer experience is actually in breach of the consumer protection code.

Under CPC an insurer shouldn't include the quote in an email that isn't secured:
"
4.3 A regulated entity must ensure that, where it communicates with a 
consumer using electronic media, *it has in place appropriate arrangements to 
ensure the security of information* received from the consumer and the 
secure transmission of information to the consumer.".

Aviva use a secure log in (MyAviva).
Others use password protected pdf attachments.
And of course lots of brokers just ignore CPC and do what they've always done (which is the nicer experience).


----------



## SoylentGreen (3 Jan 2020)

Tintagel said:


> You get a follow up cold call phone call a few days later...... YOU then have to identify yourself before they will speak to you despite the fact that they just phoned you, the policy holder. I told them that I was the policy holder but they refused to believe me.


Aren't we told not to give personal information to cold callers....

I would have thought that when you confirm to them that you are the policy holder, then they should believe you rather than not believe you.


----------



## SlugBreath (3 Jan 2020)

According to the Citizen's Information website, insurance companies are required to....

From 1 November 2019, when your insurance is due for renewal, your insurance provider must give you:

Details of the premium paid for motor insurance in the previous year
Quotations for all the policy options available to you, such as comprehensive, third party fire and theft, and third party only
I got my car insurance renewal from Aviva and this information, (lat years premium) was well hidden.....but it was there.


----------



## Leo (6 Jan 2020)

Tintagel said:


> YOU then have to identify yourself before they will speak to you despite the fact that they just phoned you, the policy holder.



They obviously have to go through the verification steps to know you are the policy holder...otherwise you are just someone who answered the phone.


----------



## SlugBreath (6 Jan 2020)

Leo said:


> They obviously have to go through the verification steps to know you are the policy holder...otherwise you are just someone who answered the phone.



And they could just be anyone ringing you.


----------



## Leo (6 Jan 2020)

SlugBreath said:


> And they could just be anyone ringing you.



Yes, so you ask them to confirm details that only an authorised caller should know. The verification needs to be two-way.


----------



## SparkRite (6 Jan 2020)

Leo said:


> Yes, so you ask them to confirm details that only an authorised caller should know. The verification needs to be two-way.


Yes I agree, but try it @Leo .
If I remember correctly, NONE, of the financial,insurance or utility providers that have initiated a call to me have played ball with this and will happily quote 'data protection' but want me to divulge such information.
Most are quite happy to allow a stalemate where the call can not progress, some have hung up and some have advised that I ring them.


----------



## Leo (7 Jan 2020)

SparkRite said:


> Yes I agree, but try it @Leo .
> If I remember correctly, NONE, of the financial,insurance or utility providers that have initiated a call to me have played ball with this and will happily quote 'data protection' but want me to divulge such information.



To be fair, I haven't done it much, but you just need to ask questions about information they will have that is not protected. Try asking for a couple of random digits from account or phone numbers, characters from the address or generic terms from the policy or product. If they don't play along I'll just hang up. I don't like them cold-calling me, so I'm usually already annoyed talking to them, so doesn't take much for me to hang up


----------



## SlugBreath (7 Jan 2020)

Just got my renewal for my car insurance from Aviva.  I went on line as a *New Customer* and got the same policy for circa €70 cheaper.

You still have to go through the rigmarole procedure of having your certificate of no claims bonus sent to you which you then have to send back to them. Why they cannot send it to themselves is beyond me.


----------



## SlurrySlump (15 Jan 2020)

I have requested from Aviva that they post me my insurance documentation. I have spoken to 3 customer service reps at this stage and I have also sent two emails asking them to post my documents to me.
Despite this I continue to receive emails asking me to register with MyAviva.
My insurance is now past due and despite paying my premium I have still not received my up to date insurance documents.

It appears I am being forced to register online to get this documentation.

This has to be wrong?


----------



## Leo (15 Jan 2020)

SlurrySlump said:


> It appears I am being forced to register online to get this documentation.
> 
> This has to be wrong?



You have no automatic entitlement to receive these documents via the post. More and more providers are moving to an online model, Aviva's terms offer the choice of dealing with these matters online or on the phone, but not via postal service. If it's important for you to conduct matters via the post, you likely need to find a provider that offers that option.


----------



## Odea (22 Jan 2020)

I also think that Aviva need to do something about their complaints section. A recent complaint by me, nothing major, and I was left feeling that they were going to ignore the thrust of my complaint but answer what they wanted to answer instead.


----------



## fistophobia (26 Jan 2020)

I have a promo code for Aviva.
I used it last year, and same code will work this year.
You add the code when you are doing an online quote, and it gives a discount.

PM me if you want the code.


----------



## TrundleAlong (27 Jan 2020)

Rang *Aviva* about my wife's car insurance renewal. We found that getting a quote as a new customer was considerably cheaper than paying her renewal. Anyhow, got the online quote, tried to pay, but their system wouldn't accept her payment. So we made the phone call.

My wife suffers from Tinnitus and has difficulty speaking on the phone as it sets it off. I phoned and I asked if I could arrange to pay over the phone on her behalf. My wife gave the customer service rep her permission to speak to me over the phone. *Aviva *refused to accept this insisting that they had to speak with my wife. My wife was then subjected to having all the questions asked to her despite the fact that we had the insurance quote reference number with all the questions answered.

End result. Got the insurance but my wife's head is lifting.   Surely they could have accepted her request to talk to me on the phone? After all it was their system that would not accept the online quote.


----------



## Leo (27 Jan 2020)

TrundleAlong said:


> Surely they could have accepted her request to talk to me on the phone? After all it was their system that would not accept the online quote.



They have a challenge in that unless you are correctly authorised, you cannot enter into a binding contract on your wife's behalf. Some of the institutions are also dealing with complaints where customers are saying they are being coerced by controlling partners.  Ask them if they have a procedure to authorise you as a contact on your wife's policy.


----------

