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Speed awareness pushes up premium.


TM88

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I'm a bit miffed, got an email from Admiral highlighted 'changes to your policy'. Strange I have't made any recent changes, give them a bell only to discover that I didn't inform them of a speed awareness course i attended in May 2012!? Now they want an extra £90! I took this policy out over the phone and was asked if I had any motoring convictions, which as far as I'm aware a SAC isn't.

Anyway long story short guy on the phone says I should have been asked if I had attended one, which I'm 99.9% I wasn't :sad01_anim: so he's now searching for the recording of the call to listen what was asked.

Just ranting really but just a heads up for anyone with Admiral. :thumbsdown_anim:

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w*nk*rs

If they cant prove the question was asked then I don't believe they can change the contract already entered into.

They may have the right to cancel the policy under their tcb's however.

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My understanding is that a SAC does not affect your insurance. A friend was recently served with the option of a SAC and it specifically stated "it will not affect your insurance". Honest John on Daily Telegraph has a lot of comments on this. If they try to impose a surcharge tell them to bog off and look elsewhere.

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Also had this 18 months ago. Caught doing 57 in a 50 by those average speed cameras used during roadworks. Went on the speed awareness course, told admiral and come renewal time they upped the premium by £70. Had a 5 minute discussion on the phone and as a loyal customer they waived the £70.

Worth another call if you are a long standing customer?

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Exactly what I thought. They said it affects their policies and it's a question they ask. I said I was never asked. He'll check their recording and if I wasn't asked they waive the charge. I'd just tell them to F off but they are easily £250 cheaper than anyone else for me :(

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Not sure how much people are paying for their car insurance but, I have my van for work with churchill ( builder) wife has her car with them ( hairdresser) when I'd picked the porker I phoned them and said that I wanted insurance have no no claims what could they do, came back with £372. So I would shop around, yes they did ask if its garaged but nothing on any speed awareness coarse.

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Didn't think you had to tell them about the speed awareness coarse as its not a conviction, or am I missing something now.

Got this from the Go compare website:

"Do I have to inform my insurers?

While the successful completion of a speed awareness course does mean you've side-stepped a physical driving conviction, your insurance company still need to be made aware of this development as you broke the Road Traffic Act.

Insurers will not be informed by the police or local authority of your speed awareness course completion, so the onus is on you to inform them in good faith. This needs to be done by the renewal of your policy at the very latest."

There is still confusion over the SAC and insurance as some companies do not bat an eyelid but admiral will take any opportunity to get more money - it's the admin fees that irritate me when you change something online!!!

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Didn't think you had to tell them about the speed awareness coarse as its not a conviction, or am I missing something now.

Got this from the Go compare website:

"Do I have to inform my insurers?

While the successful completion of a speed awareness course does mean you've side-stepped a physical driving conviction, your insurance company still need to be made aware of this development as you broke the Road Traffic Act.

Insurers will not be informed by the police or local authority of your speed awareness course completion, so the onus is on you to inform them in good faith. This needs to be done by the renewal of your policy at the very latest."

There is still confusion over the SAC and insurance as some companies do not bat an eyelid but admiral will take any opportunity to get more money - it's the admin fees that irritate me when you change something online!!!

But thing is if someone picks up the phone and insures a car that way, no one will know about the go compare web site, think its another way of screwing us for more money, maybe a call to watch dog or the like.

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As always with insurance the requirement is to tell the absolute truth.

If the question is 'Do you have any speeding convictions' then a SAC is NOT a conviction and does not need to be declared.

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Didn't think you had to tell them about the speed awareness coarse as its not a conviction, or am I missing something now.

Got this from the Go compare website:

"Do I have to inform my insurers?

While the successful completion of a speed awareness course does mean you've side-stepped a physical driving conviction, your insurance company still need to be made aware of this development as you broke the Road Traffic Act.

Insurers will not be informed by the police or local authority of your speed awareness course completion, so the onus is on you to inform them in good faith. This needs to be done by the renewal of your policy at the very latest."

There is still confusion over the SAC and insurance as some companies do not bat an eyelid but admiral will take any opportunity to get more money - it's the admin fees that irritate me when you change something online!!!

But thing is if someone picks up the phone and insures a car that way, no one will know about the go compare web site, think its another way of screwing us for more money, maybe a call to watch dog or the like.

A quick scan over the internet appears to suggest it is only the Admiral group that ask about SAC - as you say, screwing us for more money.

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I would question how they obtained the information as to your SAC, as it was obtained, and I guess disclosed by DVLA without your permission....

As you say, its not a conviction.

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I would question how they obtained the information as to your SAC, as it was obtained, and I guess disclosed by DVLA without your permission....

As you say, its not a conviction.

I would also want to know how they got this information, although you probably agreed to personal searches and the like in the application/t&c's

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It's not a conviction so unless asked to the contrary (i.e. for any other misdiscretons) I would say it doesn't need disclosing...also don't forget you have a right to all data held against you under data protection act (for a nominal fee of £10 max) so ask for a copy of your 'file' and the recording of the conversation...if they can't prove they asked you, and its not in their renewal papers then it is unfair to impose a retrospective change...

Consider making a complaint, it will cost them more in man hours and a fee to the Financial Ombudsman if you decided to onward pursue too...

Where's Sky (sponsor) they must have a view on this for clarification too?

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I would question how they obtained the information as to your SAC, as it was obtained, and I guess disclosed by DVLA without your permission....

Without permission? Ha - this is Government "big data" - the idea that every single piece of information ever gathered about you (including your medical history) should be made available for commercial gain.

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I would question how they obtained the information as to your SAC, as it was obtained, and I guess disclosed by DVLA without your permission....

Without permission? Ha - this is Government "big data" - the idea that every single piece of information ever gathered about you (including your medical history) should be made available for commercial gain.

And this is a road of discussion none of us really want to travel down.....

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Consider making a complaint, it will cost them more in man hours and a fee to the Financial Ombudsman if you decided to onward pursue too...

Yes £500 for an Ombudsman complaint, whether the complaint is upheld or not although it makes sense to hint about the Ombudsman with the Customer Relations Unit prior to actually sending the complaint to give them a chance to react and save themselves £500...and save the OP the £90 hopefully...

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SAC is not a conviction. But parallel it with accidents; they used to ask if you have had a claim, now they ask if you have had an accident. So even if you don't claim, you must still disclose. I would guess that the speeding question will change accordingly in the future.

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Confused.com is owned and run by the Admiral group and that site doesn't ask the question regarding speed awareness courses, strange that they should ask the question over the phone.

I know that from July 2014 the government introduced "My Licence" this data records every aspect of a drivers record and is available to all insurers, not a clue if speed awareness courses are recorded on this.

The Police always stated they would not be releasing those details to anyone else in order to promote participation in these courses they have always stated the course doesn't need to be declared.

One could argue that attendance of a course makes you a safer more aware driver - at least that is the view of the Police - so how is a premium increase justified?

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Didn't the old bill take an insurance company to court over discriminating based on SAC?

The whole idea of it was that it didn't up your premium. Considering a SAC costs £200? and an FPN costs £60, if it bumps your insurance up by £100 and robs you of a day of your time, you'd have to consider the FPN as the easier option. As I recall, people started to realise this, and the police were none-too-pleased about it.

I seem to recall my father taking the FPN option rather than the awareness course when he was caught a few years back.

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Yep, I did it through confused for my original car but rang them as I always do to make sure everything was correct. I wasn't asked about SAC then or when recently changed back to a Boxster.

I've just checked my policy online and they've already added 'SAC' under convictions. T*ssers! I don't think they are going to charge me as they'll have to check the recording and see I wasn't asked, if I was asked I wouldn't have lied.

However at renewal I'm going to have to declare it if asked and watch my premium increase. Then I'll take great pleasure in telling them to sod off.

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I've had to request the tape of the recording now. Said they could play it down the phone to me then retracted that. It's going to cost me £10 but I want to hear what I said on the phone before I agree to paying £90 extra.

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