AA Home Insurance. Rant alert!

[Brandane]

Unless you emailed or wrote a letter 2 attempts to call and never actually talking to anyone is not a reasonable attempt.

Whatever.
Writing would have involved taking the letter to the post office and have it sent by recorded delivery. Have you seen the queues in my local post office in december?
Sorry, but when they bury auto renewal in their small print, and then claim that it is just a matter of calling them to cancel it, then I do not expect it to become a major hassle!! Calling an automated call centre and then being put on hold indefinitely is not acceptable. Yes I only did it twice, but what is the point in repeating the process, when we had storms in december and no doubt they were busy and would have been up to and beyond my renewal date?

 

[sazzaa]

Sorry, but when they bury auto renewal in their small print

I was taught to always read the small print.

 

[Cycling Dan]

Whatever.
Writing would have involved taking the letter to the post office and have it sent by recorded delivery. Have you seen the queues in my local post office in december?
Sorry, but when they bury auto renewal in their small print, and then claim that it is just a matter of calling them to cancel it, then I do not expect it to become a major hassle!! Calling an automated call centre and then being put on hold indefinitely is not acceptable. Yes I only did it twice, but what is the point in repeating the process, when we had storms in december and no doubt they were busy and would have been up to and beyond my renewal date?

The point being you would of had significant proof that you wished to cancel rather than 2 phone calls which could be for anything. In turn its more difficult for you now you are in this position. If you had trouble with the phones there is post and email. This is exactly what they are going to say in return to your complaint that the contract continued. If you emailed them or posted it recorded delivery and it didn't arrive due to the weather after the date then there would be no issue in them ending it I would imagine as it was sent in advance and the purpose was clear. However the way you did it I doubt they will let you get out without paying what is owed
As in regards to it being in the small print it would be in the T&C in the written contract which is mailed to you, in fact some of them tend to be emailed PDFs with normal size writing. When dealing with such policies it worth reading them.
Half measures get you nowhere when you need to use full measures

 

[Brandane]

The point being you would of had significant proof that you wished to cancel rather than 2 phone calls which could be for anything. In turn its more difficult for you now you are in this position. If you had trouble with the phones there is post and email. This is exactly what they are going to say in return to your complaint that the contract continued.
As in regards to it being in the small print it would be in the T&C in the written contract which is mailed to you, in fact some of them tend to be emailed PDFs with normal size writing. When dealing with such policies it worth reading them.

OK.. I stupidly thought that cancelling the payment would automatically cancel the insurance, which in effect it probably would do. The only difference being that it hasn't cancelled my contract with the insurers who are now trying to claim payment. Easy to be wise after the event.

 

[Cycling Dan]

OK.. I stupidly thought that cancelling the payment would automatically cancel the insurance, which in effect it probably would do. The only difference being that it hasn't cancelled my contract with the insurers who are now trying to claim payment. Easy to be wise after the event.

It wouldn't have achieved the cancellation in the first place. All you did was in effect change the payment method from direct debit to manual payment.

 

[asterix]

So to summarise,

The OP couldn't be bothered to cancel his contract but cancelled his payments.

The insurance company gets arsey about non payment of premiums and it's all the insurance company's fault?

I worry about the ever decreasing ability to admit culpability for one's own (in)actions and ensuing misfortunes.

There appears to be no shame in shifting the blame.

Nevertheless, I think both sides have fallen short, the AA in adopting the default renewal approach and then failing to make it easy to cancel. Especially when they had made a large increase in premiums at a time when I understand insurance premiums are falling. Brandane, having spent 30 minutes trying to phone them should have sought an alternative means of communication.

I've got two conflicts on the go at the moment. One is with Npower where they have failed to provide a relative with invoices for energy used last year and have tried to obtain payments when they actually owed their customer money! It is with the Ombudsman at the moment and the energy company have now made two compensatory payments amounting to £120 but we have still not received a proper account.

Then there's my bank whose credit card let me down at fuel pumps in France. it worked in supermarkets but not fuel pumps. They first said there's a fault with the card and sent a new one but I decided to cancel the whole thing. When I phoned them they said it was an error sending out a new card and the problem was because I'd not told them I wanted to use the card abroad. So I said ok, I want to use the card abroad but now they say I have to tell them (by phone) a few days before I go (I'm not sure I believe this either, I have other cards that I use abroad without any such trouble). They have also charged me the annual fee that they say runs from the date the card started, except they didn't levy it until nearly 3 months after the relevant date. The person I spoke to last appeared to be some sort of supervisor and was abrupt and unhelpful so now they will be getting a letter from me.

If we let these corporations roll over us with their tricks and traps then they will.

 

[sazzaa]

Then there's my bank whose credit card let me down at fuel pumps in France. it worked in supermarkets but not fuel pumps.

I have that problem with my debit card here!

 

[asterix]

I have that problem with my debit card here!

Maybe it is too environmentally friendly?

 

[Brandane]

My own situation has just been resolved, and it was less painful than expected. Phoned the AA, got straight through to a helpful agent, and after explaining the circumstances to him, he put me on hold for about 5 minutes, before coming back and telling me that the £99 charge would be cancelled as I have had another insurance policy in force since the renewal date. So a result, but I could have done without the stress, with other things that were going on yesterday.
I might even stay with the AA for my motorbike insurance now, subject to a satisfactory renewal premium .
Better day today, I hope, and that includes a 35 mile bike ride to visit relatives in Ayr .

 

[swee'pea99]

I have to say it amazes me that so many people seem keen to side with the AA and lay into the OP.

It seems to me that if the insurance company is going to make auto-renewal an integral part of the deal, they ought to be obliged to FLAG THAT UP in BIG RED CAPITALS. Not everyone is going to realise, and no-one but no-one reads the (14 pages/12,000 words of) small print. If they then offer a phone number to enable cancellation, it should be responsive 'within a reasonable time' - the kind of terminology built into all sorts of English law, for the very good reason that it puts the onus on companies not to behave in ways which are palpably unfair to their 'co-contractor'. 15 minutes is not reasonable, period.

The OP may not have realised that by stopping the payments without gaining an agreed cancellation, they were leaving themselves open to retaliation - and as we know, 'ignorance is no defence' - but it is clear to me that the AA is, here, behaving like a bunch of unprincipled chiselling scumbags - and I'm sure any appeal would swiftly establish that the financial ombudsman agrees.

I once had a sort of similar dispute with BT, who decided, after my company was forced to leave its premises, to hit us with a bill of £700ish 'for the remainder of the contractual terms'. I protested that I had never been told that I was signing up to any such contracts; they insisted otherwise; I demanded that they show me my signature on any confirming piece of paper; they said, oh no, this would have been a verbal contract; I said fine - you record everything, produce the relevant recording. Everything went quite for a week or two, then I received a call during which they said they'd agreed to write it off 'as a gesture of goodwill'.

If we let chiselling scumbags get away with it, they will carry on abusing their power. And while people like me, who are articulate, reasonably well-informed, and stroppy enough to be 'more trouble than it's worth' get left alone in the end, there are a lot of people who don't, who give up in confusion and despair, and pay up to make the bastards go away and leave them alone. They tend to be the less well off, the less well educated, and above all, the elderly. I think there's an absolute obligation on all of us who aren't never to give an inch to such scum - every time they lose, it tilts the business case in favour of 'doing the right thing'; every capitulation vindicates their policy of behaving like daffodils.

PS Your post came in while I was composing my rant. I'm very pleased by the news. Not that it makes any difference to anything in the rant. Remember folks: don't let the bastards grind you down!

 

[Brandane]

I have to say it amazes me that so many people seem keen to side with the AA and lay into the OP.

It seems to me that if the insurance company is going to make auto-renewal an integral part of the deal, they ought to be obliged to FLAG THAT UP in BIG RED CAPITALS. Not everyone is going to realise, and no-one but no-one reads the (14 pages/12,000 words of) small print. If they then offer a phone number to enable cancellation, it should be responsive 'within a reasonable time' - the kind of terminology built into all sorts of English law, for the very good reason that it puts the onus on companies not to behave in ways which are palpably unfair to their 'co-contractor'. 15 minutes is not reasonable, period.

The OP may not have realised that by stopping the payments without gaining an agreed cancellation, they were leaving themselves open to retaliation - and as we know, 'ignorance is no defence' - but it is clear to me that the AA is, here, behaving like a bunch of unprincipled chiselling scumbags - and I'm sure any appeal would swiftly establish that the financial ombudsman agrees.

I once had a sort of similar dispute with BT, who decided, after my company was forced to leave its premises, to hit us with a bill of £700ish 'for the remainder of the contractual terms'. I protested that I had never been told that I was signing up to any such contracts; they insisted otherwise; I demanded that they show me my signature on any confirming piece of paper; they said, oh no, this would have been a verbal contract; I said fine - you record everything, produce the relevant recording. Everything went quite for a week or two, then I received a call during which they said they'd agreed to write it off 'as a gesture of goodwill'.

If we let chiselling scumbags get away with it, they will carry on abusing their power. And while people like me, who are articulate, reasonably well-informed, and stroppy enough to be 'more trouble than it's worth' get left alone in the end, there are a lot of people who don't, who give up in confusion and despair, and pay up to make the b******s go away and leave them alone. They tend to be the less well off, the less well educated, and above all, the elderly. I think there's an absolute obligation on all of us who aren't never to give an inch to such scum - every time they lose, it tilts the business case in favour of 'doing the right thing'; every capitulation vindicates their policy of behaving like *****.

PS Your post came in while I was composing my rant. I'm very pleased by the news. Not that it makes any difference to anything in the rant. Remember folks: don't let the b******s grind you down!

 

[Svendo]

say no to continuous payments cant do it

 

[The AA]

In December 2012 I took out house and contents insurance through the AA, paid by debit card.
December 2013 the renewal notice arrives, telling me that for my convenience, I don't need to do anything. Renewal will automatically be taken from my bank account, and by the way, your premium has risen by about 40% .

Needless to say I shopped around and found better cover at a much reduced price. So, I tried to contact the AA by the only option given on their renewal notice, via a 0800 telephone number. I tried twice to contact them, but after waiting for a reasonable time IMO (15 mins) to be connected to a person, I gave up. Instead, I contacted my bank to have the payment stopped, and this was successfully done.

Now, they have wriiten to me demanding £99 payment. I think it is for the insurance cover they say has been in force since December until their realisation that they haven't been paid.

I have no intention of paying a cent, on the grounds that:
They bumped up the premium by an unreasonable amount.
The option for cancelling renewal did not supply a reasonable service.
I had already arranged alternative cover, and therefore AA insurance would have been null and void in any case (IIRC you cannot have multiple insurance policies for one property).

Any advice on where I stand here?

Hello Brandane, this is something that we would like to look into for you. Please email the details to chat@theaa.com including your full name, address and policy number with Reference FOR63811. Kind Regards, The AA

 

[Chromatic]

[QUOTE 2936797, member: 259"]Blimey![/quote]
Thats just what I thought.

 

[Cycling Dan]

I think it's fake and someone attempting to have a laugh. For one I can't find that email supplied.