Lil Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Hello All, I would just need to know your opinion about an issue that came up from my Insurers, When I was ask for a quote I told them that I have an EU lisence and they quoted me upon those terms, and I paid them straight away they never mentioned anything about a counterpart. 1 month after the start of my cover they asked me to provide them with a counterpart, in EU (Greece) the Licenses don't come with a counterpart, it is just the card and nothing more, I even applied for a counter part on DVLA but I received this answer (find attached) that I don't need a counterpart to drive in the UK so they cannot provide me with one. I sent that to my Insurers and they sent me a letter saying that I have to pay them 260GBP because I never provide them with a counterpart.... I replied back saying this: Dear Mr. H When I quoted, I mention that I have a EU license, and you gave me a quote upon that. EU licences don't come with such a thing like a counterpart (and by the British law don't need one). I don't think it was my responsibility to know that. I paid everything straight away and never mentioned anything about the counterpart before I paid for my cover. I think that asking me now to pay £260 for something that was never mentioned on my quotation is not fair. It is not that I have a counterpart and I don't want to provide you with it, but it is that EU licences don't come with a counterpart, they are just a card. I could apply for a GB licence, which would come with a counterpart (and then should I have a lower quote since I will own a GB licence?) or I can ask my Insurers in Greece if they could provide me with a substantiation that I had no motoring convictions. Will any of those be helpful for you? Regards E. K What else can I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quarryman Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 they make you bloody sick ,, always asking for more,,i had a similar experiance with my insurance over somethink diferant .. the only thing you can do is hope for an intelligent person next time you speak to them , i've always found the best thing to do is RING them that way they can't misplace your call like they can do with a letter.. but your letter's very good :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdavies Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Write them a complaint letter and then if there's not satisfactory reply tell them and wrote them another one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 They replied back to me with that: If you were to apply for a GB licence then the premium would revert back to the price we have given you minus the charge for the time that you have been on cover with us without a counterpart. This means that you would have to pay us the £258.64 and then once you have received your GB licence we would do a pro-rota return on the policy for you. So they didn't reply back to everything I said to them... :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdavies Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Tell them that you gave all the correct details at the time of taking out the policy therefore extra charges shouldn't happen. Someone told me that if you complain enough they will sort it as otherwise it goes to the ombudsman which then costs them money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_ufo Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Ask to listen to recordings, they will soon give in... The next time I get insurance out I am going to record it myself just in case, dont trust the bastards... even though im with Sky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) I don't know how insurance companies treat licences from other EU countries, but my understanding is that an EU licence is valid in the UK until age 70, just like a UK licence. Is it even possible to exchange a Greek licence for a UK licence? Exchange licences are for places like the Channel Islands, or non-EU countries that have reciprocal deals with the UK. EDIT: Apparently it is possible to exchange an EU licence for a UK licence >>>> https://www.gov.uk/exchange-a-foreign-driving-licence Exchange a foreign driving licence 1) Are you a resident of Great Britain? -- Yes 2) What kind of licence do you have? -- Car or motorcycle 3) Where was your licence issued? -- European Union You can drive in Great Britain on a full, valid driving licence from another EU country until you’re 70, or for 3 years after becoming resident in Great Britain, whichever is longer. You don’t have to exchange your licence, but follow these steps if you want to. Order form D1 from DVLA. Send the form, the £50 fee and any documents you need to (including your driving licence) to the address on the form. You should get your new licence within 3 weeks. You can only drive in Great Britain for 12 months if you got your EU licence by exchanging your non-EU licence. Edited January 16, 2014 by garethr (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Manos, play the racism card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I can't find anything that says you have to have a UK licence in order to insure a car, but I guess an insurance company can impose any restriction it wants to. It would be worth telephoning again to make sure that they understand that you have an EU licence that is valid (until you're 70) in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Manos, play the racism card. Do you think that this would be helpfull? Ask to listen to recordings, they will soon give in... The next time I get insurance out I am going to record it myself just in case, dont trust the bastards... even though im with Sky I am with a company that is reccommended here a couple of times... Tell them that you gave all the correct details at the time of taking out the policy therefore extra charges shouldn't happen. Someone told me that if you complain enough they will sort it as otherwise it goes to the ombudsman which then costs them money I will ask for a complain form then.. I can't find anything that says you have to have a UK licence in order to insure a car, but I guess an insurance company can impose any restriction it wants to. It would be worth telephoning again to make sure that they understand that you have an EU licence that is valid (until you're 70) in the UK. I don't have to exchange the license... the statement from the DVLA is clear enough I think... I quoted as an EU lisence holder, and now they ask me to pay more because I can't provide them wit a counterpart, even if EU Lisences dont come with a counterpart... o.O I just wish common sense was more common some times.... :/ I don't want to pay 260 for that reason I think is totally unfair, and its not my fault if they didn't know that EU Lisenses dont come with counterparts... it's their job to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 It would be worth telephoning again to make sure that they understand that you have an EU licence that is valid (until you're 70) in the UK. In my case they dont have problem with the license but with the absence of a counterpart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 I sent out this email today: Dear Mr H, you didn't reply back to any of my questions asked on my previous email. I gave all the correct details at the time of taking out the policy therefore extra charges shouldn't happen. You can always listen to the recordings. I quoted as an EU license holder, and now you ask me to pay more because I can't provide you with a counterpart, even if EU Licenses don't come with a counterpart... I don't think it was my fault that you didn't know that EU Lisences dont come with counterparts on the first place. If the case is that you need a proof that I had no motoring convictions back in Greece, all I could do is to ask my insurers in Greece to provide me with a statement for this. Regards E. Kountouris Thank you all for your help so far guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 (edited) their reply: As we do not have access to the Greek licensing information system, to do with convictions we would not be able to verify your convictions with the Greek authorises. However if you apply for a GB licence then the additional premium will be return to you minus the charge for the time you have been on cover without a counterpart. once again they don't say anything about my alternative solution to provide them with a statement from my former Insurers... :/ and I am wondering... They are saying it is my fault that they are not be able to verify my convictions with the Greek authorises? They knew that I had a Greek Licence when I applied for a quote.. and they gave me a price upon that. If I had a UK Licence when I applied I would have a cheaper quote, wouldn't I ? So if I apply for a GB licence they should not only return part of the charge to me but also part of the annual cover minus the time I have been on cover without a counterpart right? Edited January 17, 2014 by Lil (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 So if I apply for a GB licence they should not only return part of the charge to me but also part of the annual cover minus the time I have been on cover without a counterpart right? It sounds like what they are saying is that the quote they gave you was based on you having a GB license. If I were you I would ask them for the recording of the call so that you can prove you told them you had an EU license, and I would also mention in the reply that you are prepared to take the matter to the Ombudsman. You have been very polite and patient with them so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rider Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 You could raise a complaint with the ombudsman. http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk They will look at your complaint and if they think the insurance company has acted in bad faith they will require things be put right, including honouring agreed pricing for an agreed cover. Then, I'd recommend you sit a UK driving test if you plan to be here for more than 12 month anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Posted January 18, 2014 Author Share Posted January 18, 2014 I don't need a test, I can exchange my License straight away, but I don't need to do it.. By Law I can drive on an European license until my 70th Birthday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I received this email today: Dear Mr Kountouris Firstly may I apologise for the delay in getting back to you, I have had a chat with the underwriters and I can confirm to you that we are not blaming you for not be able to verify your convcitions if you have any. I have also managed to get the underwriters to reduce the additional premium to £172.43. If you do apply for a GB licence the underwriters are willing to return this additional premium to yourself minus the time you have been on cover without a GB licence. If you do not apply for a GB licence then the underwriters will not return any of the additional premium back to you. If you do not wish to pay the additional premium and do not want to apply for a GB licence then you can of course cancel the cover with ourselves and we will return your premium to you minus our £16.00 charge as per the attached terms of business. In order to cancel the policy we will require you to send us a letter stating you wish to do this and also return to us the covernote for the vehicle. We will be putting a letter in the post to you today asking for the additional premium of £172.43 as well. If we can be of anymore assistance then please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind Regards, M H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.