Hi,
I'm new to this forum and this is my first post so please, be gentle with me!
I have a car insce policy with Chartis Insce Ireland Ltd (formerly AIG Ireland Ltd). I'm going over to visit family in the UK in a few weeks and want to hire a car whilst I'm over there. So I checked with my broker, 25Plus.ie that I would be covered. Long story short, they say "No". 25PLus.ie say:
"Unfortunately, we are unable to transfer your policy to a car which has been hired by you - this is one of the assumptions that you must agree to you when temporarily transferring your insurance."
They are trying tomaintain that this "transfer" amounts to a "temporary adjustment" of my policy but my view is that I am simply acting in accordance with the wording of the policy (for which see below) and so there can't be any adjustment.
My actual policy document wording says:
"If your Certificate permits you to drive a car that is:hired to you,(my underlining and highlighting),a member of your family or your employer
we will pay the amount of damages,claimant's costs and expenses plus any other costs agreed between us in writing arising from
a)death or bodily injury to any other person;
b)accidental damage to the property of any other person; for which you are liable at law resulting from an accident during the period of insurance involving any borrowed vehicle."
My Cert. of Insce says:
"The Policyholder may also drive a motor car not belonging to him/her or hired to him/her under a hiring agreement" (again,my highlighting).
I maintain that I am entitled to rely on the policy wording and that the policy is a contract between me and AIG and not between me and 25Plus.ie who are only the broker/agent. I do not see how 25Plus.ie can override/ignore the policy wording.
25Plus.ie refuse to budge; they interpret the wording in the Cert of Insce as reading:
" Your certificate of insurance states "The policyholder may also drive a car not belonging to him/her or hired to him/her under a hiring agreement." This alone confirms that you are not insured to drive a hire vehicle."
I do not accept their interpretation and have insisted that they refer the matter to AIG who are the Underwriters, my view being that any interpretation of wording is a matter for Underwriters and not an agent or broker.
I just wondered if any members had any thoughts/could suggest any further action I could take (I have already advised 25Plus.ie that I intend to refer thematter to the Financial Ombudsman if they persist in refusingto contact the Underwriters). Because I took the policy out using the auspices of 25Plus.ie, I doubt that AIG will agree tocorrespond with me direct.
All help would be very much appreciated.Many thanks.