Personalised Number Plate - Insurance
Hello all,
Yesterday my car developed engine trouble as I was driving it. The engine started to smoke and so I pulled over to the side of the road. The engine then caught fire (I don't know why) and all the front of the car was ruined. I should say that the fire brigade put it out ! It looks like the car will be a write off.
I have let my insurance know about the incident and this is the rub. I had a personalised plate on the car at the time of the incident, but not when I purchased my insurance. My insurance company have flagged up that I should have told them about the personalised plate and so my insurance policy may be void. Maybe I am naive, but the thought of telling them that I had changed the number plate never crossed my mind. My car has not been altered in anyway. I've looked at my policy documents and they do advise that material change's must be notified to the insurer. However, change of number plate is not included in the list, which includes things like modifications, convictions, health issues etc.
Does anybody know the position ? Any help will be very much appreciated. Thank you.
bewigged1972 Wed 21/05/08 12:17
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gouldc - I question your flippant dismissal of a car being seized.
I would class having to pay £105 release fee plus £12 per day storage (remember release will only occur upon presentation of the amended policy received x days later) as quite a big deal.
This on top of the inconvenience of finding transport home once the car has been seized at the roadside and the time and effort required to secure release.
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Hi Kempie, wasn't trying to dismiss it as minor (I know it reads that way)!
I was trying to point out that the seizure of the vehicle doesn't endanger anyone's life, although granted it would invconvenience bewigged somewhat.
What I was suggesting is that some of the replies have treated bewigged as if they had been driving drunk, uninsured, and without a licence rather than making a mistake that harms no-one else other than themselves.
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personal plate says i have even more money....
You dont need to give a VIN number to an insurance co, until a claim arises and its the first thing on the engineers report or estimate.
the chassis/vin number identifies the vehicle 100% , and this is fully traceable by HPI etc. and will show up any plate changes.
and 2 vehicles on one plate does happen although illegal, its called cloning,
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i agree with gouldc, really cant see what the fuss is all about..
the one thing no one has mentioned is that bewigged would have all the relevent DVLC documentation in place to show what he had done..
and like i previously said ,i have seen far worse issues and still the claim/policy wasnt voided.
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Question Author
Again, thank you for all your help, particularly chas and gould. I still find the vitriol of some of the other posters unbelievable. Moreover, it is quite clear from some of the posts and the misconceived analogies used that they just have not read my question. In any event, whatever people's feelings, I only asked for guidance.
I have all of the relevant documents from the DVLA. The only thing I didn't do was inform the insurance company that I had put a different registration plate on the car. This is my only error. I hold my hands up to that.
I am braced that my insurance company will try and void the policy. If they do I will argue the issue. There is little doubt here that the only reason they have to void the policy is a technicality. It is quite simply no more than that. The car was no different and my situation as a driver had not altered. It just had a new plate on it. There is absolutely no question of me trying to pull a fast one here. I haven't the time or the inclination.
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bewigged, I would follow this advice straight away to avoid further delays in dealing with your claim.
Write to or ring their complaints department (or even their underwriting department as they will be making the decision) and explain the situation. If they do then decide to void your policy (which I find highly unlikely), then you would need a ''final response'' from their complaints department (ie saying they will not overturn their decision) before you can take the case to the financial ombudsman service.
Quite honestly though, our underwriters would deal with this issue in a matter of days - it's normally just a case of updating the policy details, and as previously stated, it shouldn't even affect your premium.
In my dealing with Sabre, I've honestly found them to be useless - they seem to have no idea what they're doing.
I would also once again agree with chas - some of the stuff I've seen that has been ok'd by our underwriting to stay on cover is beyond, but we are very strict, and I'm not aware of all the criteria they have to adhere to.
I really wouldn't worry though
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Question Author
Thanks gould. I appreciate your response. I'll follow your advice. Have a good Bank Holiday.
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Question Author
Hi all,
I mentioned that I would let you know how my case turned out. My insurance company have paid out with minimal hassle.
To those who gave useful and informative answers I thank you. To those who responded in a flippant and self-righteous way go %^ck yourselves.
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