# van insurance: never got renewal-stopped by gardai: Is ins co obliged to send notice?



## Liam Og (24 Jan 2008)

My van insurance was up in November 2007 but I got no notification. 

I didn't know until I was stopped by the cops today. I have to produce my insurance in 10 days. 

Went to the broker who said that there was an error and they never got it from the company (who have stopped insuring vans). 

They should have got my bonus but didn't. They said they are sorry but it is up to me to renew the policy. 

I thought they had to send out the renewal. 

Surely this is the insurance companies and brokers fault. I am going to end up in court over this.


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## truthseeker (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

It is not the responsibility of brokers or insurance companies to make you you keep your insurance in date. Its your responsibility.


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## Liam Og (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

But I thought they had to give me my renewal before the renewal date.


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## ClubMan (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

I think that they are. But this does not mean that it's their fault that you were stopped and summonsed (?) as you claimed in your first post though.


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## truthseeker (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

That has nothing to you with your legal responsibility to have your insurance kept up to date. If your insurance policy is about to lapse and you havent received a renewal notice then it is up to YOU to get onto the insurance company or broker and sort it out.


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## Lauren (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

Don't you have to display an insurance disc though, that would have said 11/07? Surely reminder enough.....Its your responsibility...Lucky you didn't crash in the meantime......


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## Simeon (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*



Liam Og said:


> My van insurance was up in November 2007 but I got no notification. I didn't know until I was stopped by the cops today. I have to produce my insurance in 10 days. Went to the broker who said that there was an error and they never got it from the company(who have stopped insuring vans). They should have got my bonus but didn't. They said they are sorry but it is up to me to renew the policy. I thought they had to send out the renewal. Surely this is the insurance companies and brokers fault. I am going to end up in court over this.


The courts are generally fair, so I imagine that if you get a letter from your broker restating the error, you'll get off with a slap on the wrist - a fine, a couple of points. Get it insured wherever immediately. By doing all the right things, Your Honour will honour the mitigating circumstances. I'm not a legal eagle. but generally common sense dictates. Best of luck and post the result!


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## GA001 (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*



Liam Og said:


> Went to the broker who said that there was an error and they never got it from the company(who have stopped insuring vans). They should have got my bonus but didn't. They said they are sorry but it is up to me to renew the policy..


 
You might want to take this up with the IIF as to why the insurer suddenly stopped doing van insurance and didn't notify you - very bizzare.

Yes, it is up to you to renew your policy - broker / insurer error or not.


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## Liam Og (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

in the brokers again. they showed me a place in the policy where it says it is my fault blah blah etc etc.

I went up to the garda and told them and they said pretty much the same as the last poster. Get it insured now and get a letter from the broker. I thought the renewal was in the new year. Didn't realise it was finished. I thought that was why I paid a €50 to the broker for the last 5 years.


As for the company not doing it any more, they covered me up to the renewal and then sent all the bonuses to the broker with no renewal papers. They were supposed to find me a different quote but my one got lost so they didn't know it was due either.


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## BountyHunter (24 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

Hi OP,
Its totally up to you to have your insurance in place. The insurance company/broker are meant to send you out a renewal notice, obviously in this case they didnt and are fault in that respect. But not at fault for you not having insurance.
If I'm honest it was kind of stupid of you not to realise that your insurance was out.
I had the exact same situation with my home insurance in December,you better believe I wouldnt forget when that was up. I just went with a different insurance company.

BountyHunter.


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## Liam Og (25 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

Went to a different broker. They gave me insurance from yesterday mornign so as far as the cops are concerned I was covered. It will mean I don't have to go to court. 
I told them what happened before anyone gives out and they said that was the easiest thing all around. I had to sign a letter saying I had no claims since november.


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## Simeon (25 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

Young Liam - one presumes that you are self employed. If so, put it in your work diary. And remember when claiming against expenses/tax that you don't (inadvertantly) forget to put in for just 10 months.


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## truthseeker (25 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

One wonders if the new insurance company would have been so accomodating if there had been an accident rather than just being stopped by the guards??

Im not really surprised that you can so easily forget when the insurance is due if a new insurance company makes it so easy for you not to take responsibility for your actions.


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## Bgirl (25 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

I can't believe a broker did that for you - thats a disgrace.


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## SNOWBALL (25 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

when you insure your car/van for a year surely you know after the year that you have to renew it.youcant rely on insurance brokers or the company to remind.you need to be responsible for it just like your car tax.


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## noname (30 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*



Liam Og said:


> Went to a different broker. They gave me insurance from yesterday mornign so as far as the cops are concerned I was covered.


 

I am very suprised to hear that the insurance company agreed to backdate your cover, I thought that was a big no no, glad to hear that you have it sorted though.

Please check your doc's just to make sure the insurance has been backdated.


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## twofor1 (30 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*

I accept this was a genuine error and have no issue with the outcome, 
but I too am very surprised a broker could backdate a policy, especially knowing you had been stopped, surely that's illegal.

I'm even more surprised though that the guards have accepted this when they know that on the day you did not have insurance and that they don't have an issue with people getting insurance backdated after they are stopped without insurance, or indeed  an issue with brokers facilitating this.


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## mathepac (30 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*



samhradh said:


> something similar happened to me lately..got stopped had april 07 up (i know i hear you all screaming how lapse can one be) but thing is i had renewed and in april07 the insurance company who i better not mention sent me out wrong cert- april 07instead of 08- i was then away travelling until janurary-(was only suppose be gone 3months so car was insured while i was away) anyway long story short when i got onto insurance company when i arrived back and again they sent me out april07 instead of april 08!! despite numerous phonecalls,they kept going into wrong policy! so in meantime i got stopped by guards, i then produced correct insurance (finally )within the ten days and then i got a shock fine of 60 euro in the post (garda who stopped me never mentioned that and said all would be fine if i produced insurance within 10 days)
> 
> needless to say when i contacted my insurance company requesting a letter outlineing the error they claimed the correct cert had being sent out!!
> 
> i was wrecked from all the phonecalls so in end i just paid up, anyone any similar experience?


No TG, not to date. Presumably the 60 euro fine was for non-display of a current insurance disc?


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## Bgirl (30 Jan 2008)

*Re: van insurance : never got renewal - stopped by gardai: broker say an error occure*

am glad some agree with my sentiments.


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## Stifster (30 Jan 2008)

*Re: never got renewal - stopped by gardai*



SNOWBALL said:


> when you insure your car/van for a year surely you know after the year that you have to renew it.youcant rely on insurance brokers or the company to remind.you need to be responsible for it just like your car tax.


 
I wouldn't know exactly what day and time my insurance policy runs out at, i rely on the insurance company sending me out my renewal notice and NCB (so that I can check the market) as is their obligation. If they didn't I would imagine that they might well backdate the insurance in circumstances where there were no claims anyay!

Where they stopped insuring my vehicle type I would expect some advance notification. Maybe they are not obliged to do that.

It is a strict liabaility offence though i once represented someone who got off having put forward a genuine (in the eyes of the court) excuse.


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## Liam Og (30 Jan 2008)

*Re: van insurance : never got renewal - stopped by gardai: broker say an error occure*

When I was stopped I thought I must not have put up the right disc so told the garda it must be at home. I called the broker straight away and they told me what happened. Then I went to another broker and told them I needed insurance. the girl(who I went to school with) put it on cover right away and put the time it started as 1am on that day. i had been stopped in the morning so as far as the garda was concerned I was covered when I was stopped. If he knew he didn't say.


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