Car Insurance

JMS gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Don't forget to keep the car parked off the road...

The "Made-Up Excuses Act, 1998", as amended by the "Umm, I Don't Know, But I Don't Want To Admit That Act, 2007"

See above.

Why can't you renew your car tax with your current cover - which is currently in force and valid - as I understand it you can do so several days before the end of month, indeed you NEED to do so to ensure you have received the tax disc to display..

Paul gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Because the current insurance expires before the start date of the tax disc.

Easily resolved, of course, for next year. Either buy a 6mo disc now and renew for a year next time, or buy a year, cash it in and replace at some other point in the year.

To renew your tax, the insurance has to be valid on the day covered by the start of the tax. You therefore can't renew from the start of next month using insurance which expires at the end of this month.

JMS wrote: || || They say if I cancel the insurance - I must "by law" return the || certificate. NB "return" - not destroy or not use. What law is this || please?

s147 (4)

Ok, I see the date issue, but wonder how refined the system is to pick up on this, whether it uses the date of application - is the car insured right now - grant disc , or does it actually look forward - will the car be insured on the date in question.

It seems a bit pointless to look ahead, when insurance is easily cancelled or could expire on the 2nd of April - in the latter presumably they'd still grant a tax disc for 12 months

Or move to some less picky ins co, the ones I use now quite happy fax or email a cover note at 5.20 pm when you have just got a new car and want to drive it home.

Paul gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

MID, as checked by the online tax application, only seems to give the current policy expiry.

Well, yes, but that's always going to be the case. Even with a certificate in your hand.

Again, that's not a bad workaround...

I did - I did not change the cover in any way - note I used the term "renewal".

Have you tried to renew it on line, what message does it give?

Many thanks - I also guess that para (1) of that section may preclude a faxed or PDF if they are not the "prescribed form".

(1) A policy of insurance shall be of no effect for the purposes of this Part of this Act unless and until there is delivered by the insurer to the person by whom the policy is effected a certificate (in this Part of this Act referred to as a "certificate of insurance") in the prescribed form .......

I really cannot see why the policy has to be returned or a declaration made. That serves no purpose whatsoever, as far as I can see, other than more bureaucracy.

They're talking nonsense. Or other companies, Adrian Flux for one, are breaking this law...

Mike P

Provided it's taxed on time, they give you a few days (5 IIRC) "grace" while the disc arrives.

Mike

JMS wrote: || On Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:42:52 +0100, "Rob" || wrote: || ||| JMS wrote: ||||| ||||| They say if I cancel the insurance - I must "by law" return the ||||| certificate. NB "return" - not destroy or not use. What law is ||||| this please? ||| |||

||| ||| s147 (4) || || || Many thanks - I also guess that para (1) of that section may preclude || a faxed or PDF if they are not the "prescribed form". || || (1) A policy of insurance shall be of no effect for the purposes of || this Part of this Act unless and until there is delivered by the || insurer to the person by whom the policy is effected a certificate || (in this Part of this Act referred to as a "certificate of || insurance") in the prescribed form ....... || || || || I really cannot see why the policy has to be returned or a || declaration made. That serves no purpose whatsoever, as far as I || can see, other than more bureaucracy.

I Presume it was designed to stop people taking out insurance to get the certificate, cancelling after a short while but keeping the certificate to produce on a vehicle stop. There was no MID when that was written.

that is not renewal, more like a new policy

only if you renew the tax before the end of the preceding month online.

That seems to happen quite a lot. The TV police shows often show a driver with a certificate of insurance, but the driver has opted to pay by instalments and not bothered to pay the instalments after the first one. The police do a quick check with the insurance data base and the driver is nicked if the certificate is not valid due to lack of further payment of instalments.

You need to vote with your feet .. it's not like Zurich have any monopoly on halfway acceptable car insurance. Churchill operate in a far saner manner .. and have (after mucho bitching) stopped taking the money until X days AFTER the renewal date (instead of 30 seconds after you get off the phone).

It isn't Swift Cover send PDF's by email, however you need an original hard copy to convince the plods, not just some print out.

Your current insurance continues - what is the problem?

That is in the contract, but probably also in the RTA 1988.

PS if you have previously been done for driving without insurance this may explain their attitude.

"R. Mark Clayton" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

And where do you think those "originals" come from, if not from a laser printer?

B'sides, they don't take certificates at face value - since many scrotes are fond of taking on a policy, then failing to pay the installments, leading to the policy being cancelled, but a certificate in hand.

Many "originals" these days are indistinguishable from DIY printouts, so I don't know how a plod would be expected to tell the difference. Besides, they don't go by paper anyway, do they, but by what's in the DB - which of course can be out of date.

The problem isn't lack of *cover*, despite the apparent 6 minute gap he mentioned (assuming he really did just renew and not change insurers). The problem is lack of *evidence* of cover to permit him to renew his tax in advance.