Major car insurer engaging in forgery- quelle surprise!

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Forged signatures land Direct Line and Churchill with £2.2m fine

 

Direct Line and Churchill, two of Britain's biggest insurance brands, have been fined £2.17m by the City regulator for "improperly altering" customer complaint files.

 

Story continues on:

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/forged ... 08006.html

 

Surely they'll be blaming uninsured drivers/borderline whiplash claims when they pass the fine on to their customers...I like it how they can engage in criminal activity and only receive a fine for it- if you or I did it, I bet we'd spend at least a couple of years in Serco's finest accommodation!

[Rocket88]

Basically, that's fraud. I don't blame the poor sods who did it either. Basically they're just poor bloody call centre operatives, no doubt getting berated by management for not meeting targets.

Try ringing up one of the big insurers to insure a car that is slightly obscure [i.e. it doesn't appear on their database] ans see what reaction you get.

"There is no such vehicle, sir", oh, in that case, I'm driving a bloody mirage am I ?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Basically, that's fraud. I don't blame the poor sods who did it either. Basically they're just poor bloody call centre operatives, no doubt getting berated by management for not meeting targets.

 

I agree with you 100% on that. However, directors are more often than not liable for crimes carried out within and on behalf of their organisations. Is there anything to suggest that an RBS director will be (not prosecuted but at least) asked a few questions by the police? Is there fuck?

[Cavcraft]

Zero sympathy here. Direct Liars are a shower of shit and (sorry to anyone on here who may do this for job) but call centre operators must know what they're letting themselves in for. Obv. cold callers are the absolute worse of the lot but even Direct Liars call centre workers are fucking useless.

[scooters]

jack Straw on the today programme again last week horsing into the Car Insurance industry. Good to see a politician getting on this - his major point being the fleecing of customers at every turn, collectove pricing, dishonesty, outrageous premiums, inflated damage bills (over 100% overquotes) and the whole thing stinks because as it is a legal requiement we have no choice as customers. Seems to be getting some cross party support - gets my vote on it!

[Rocket88]

Forged signatures land Direct Line and Churchill with £2.2m fine

 

Direct Line and Churchill, two of Britain's biggest insurance brands, have been fined £2.17m by the City regulator for "improperly altering" customer complaint files.

 

Story continues on:

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/forged ... 08006.html

 

Surely they'll be blaming uninsured drivers/borderline whiplash claims when they pass the fine on to their customers...I like it how they can engage in criminal activity and only receive a fine for it- if you or I did it, I bet we'd spend at least a couple of years in Serco's finest accommodation!

 

Actually, a more punitive action would be to make them freeze the renewal price to all customers who's circumstances [i.e postcde, accident record etc] haven't changed.

[DSdriver]

News Update..... Insurance companies are now being taken to task by the insurance ombudsman for undervaluing write-offs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16653221

Insurers undervalue wrecked vehicles, ombudsman claims

By Catherine Burns

Business reporter, BBC News

They are becoming the estate agents of the twenty-tens. People we love to hate - and I find it quite justified because they have just charged me an extra forty-five quid to renew the insurance on the pug because I had an accident in the DS which is on a classic policy. So the more cars you have the more you get ripped off. It makes as much sense as them surcharging you if you put in a house insurance claim. [/rant]

[eddyramrod]

the more cars you have the more you get ripped off.

 

You hadn't already realised this?

 

As for undervaluing write-offs, it's nothing new. In 2002-3 we suffered two write-offs, Mrs R's Proton and my Orion. I was happy enough with what I got for the Orion - £450, IIRC; whatever, it covered the cost of the MG Maestro that I bought as a replacement - but Direct Line massively undervalued the well-loved, low-mileage Proton and it was like moving heaven and earth to get another penny out of them. Suffice to say, they won't be seeing any more of my business, ever. If they were the last insurers operating I'd give up driving before I gave them a red cent. I have a well-earned low opinion of the industry as a whole!

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Thinking about this again...I am still royally pissed off at the fact that there hasn't been any criminal investigation. Will be e-mailing W. Yorkshire Police (the registered office of 'UK Insurance Ltd' is in Leeds) to ask them to have a look at it.

[HillmanImp]

Its pointless emaiing the police. The only reason they have been fined is because it is a breach of the FSA rules. Its not a criminal act and quite frankly the police have better stuff to deal with.

[CIH]

Seen as this hasw become the random insurance venting thread, I'll take a shot at FJ. Six months, SIX MONTHS I had to wait for a payout as they um'd and ah'd and they then knocked me down on the price at the last moment. NEVA AGAIN........unless they're cheap ofcourse.....

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Its pointless emaiing the police. The only reason they have been fined is because it is a breach of the FSA rules. Its not a criminal act and quite frankly the police have better stuff to deal with.

 

I'm interested in your opinion on that, and any links to the statutes if poss (especially seeing as e-mailing the police is less straightforward than I thought it would be). Is it possible for a forgery NOT to be criminal?

[DSdriver]

Is it possible for a forgery NOT to be criminal?

 

How about if the perp is in the same "funny handshake club" as the chief of police?

[504GL]

the more cars you have the more you get ripped off.

 

You hadn't already realised this?

 

As for undervaluing write-offs, it's nothing new. In 2002-3 we suffered two write-offs, Mrs R's Proton and my Orion. I was happy enough with what I got for the Orion - £450, IIRC; whatever, it covered the cost of the MG Maestro that I bought as a replacement - but Direct Line massively undervalued the well-loved, low-mileage Proton and it was like moving heaven and earth to get another penny out of them. Suffice to say, they won't be seeing any more of my business, ever. If they were the last insurers operating I'd give up driving before I gave them a red cent. I have a well-earned low opinion of the industry as a whole!

 

I used to work for a price comparison site. As they were a big insurer the company offered to list them for free, Direct Line threatened legal action because they knew they'd look shit.

 

Purely on that basis I will never use these counts ever again.