Motor insurance

[vanman1]

Can motor insurance be cancelled retrospectively? My company had motor insurance, I added a car and had email confirmation that this had been done. A month later my named driver (named on the policy) was stopped by the police, who told him the car was not on the MIB database, and had the car seized on suspicion of having no insurance. It was taken to the pound, and we had to pay to get it back, having produced the insurance the police said we didn't have. To add to this, the driver was summonsed to answer to the charge of having no insurance, however on producing the insurance (which the police said we didn't have) the case was cancelled.

Given the poor service received from the insurance company (and broker) we cancelled the policy (verbally) in June and got new insurance, which is still in place.
I then tried to reclaim the fees from the car pound, but received a letter saying the policy had been cancelled in May! On speaking to the broker, I was told this was the case, and the insurance company had done this, backdating the cancellation to inception, this was done in July (when I cancelled the direct debit no doubt).

Is it possible for an insurance company to backdate a cancellation? Where does this leave my driver? Although he has been to court and the case cancelled, can the case be re instated?

[factor-fiction]

Had you paid any premiums? Did you meet all the policy conditions (declared all drivers & convictions etc, pay all instalments) during the months you were on cover for. if you hadn't paid the insurer could have voided it so it wouldn't be on Motor insurance database.
If you had paid premiums did they refund any?
It may be that as insurance is a one-year contract rather than a 'pay as you go'/'pay as you feel like it' contract then once you reneged on the contract they are entitled to void it from inception.
Have you been charged with driving without insurance?

[vanman1]

I paid a deposit, and instalments . In fact I recently found out (by asking my bank) that payments were taken AFTER the date I was told the policy was cancelled! The driver was charged and attended court, the case was dismissed after he produced a copy of the insurance certificate.
I repeat I actually had an email confirming the vehicle had been added to the policy. Basically i am seeing the broker's at fault here. Their general attitude seems to be they want well rid of us, because they f**cked up!

[vanman1]

I forgot to add I told the brokers (sadly verbally) where to stick their insurance, after the car was seized and after I had sorted out new insurance. I forgot to immediately cancel the direct debit though, by the time I remembered more payments had been taken.

[bednobs]

as factor has said, if you pay the policy by monthly installments you were lucky you did not get charged the whole amount n one go when you cancelled i suppose

[factor-fiction]

I don't think you've said yet whether they refunded any premiums.

[woozer]

I could be wrong - but I think the insurance company has acted illegally.I dont think cancellations can be back dated what are they thinking of I wonder particularly as they have provided proof of insurance for a court case. If the policy is declared null and void due to breach of contractual terms then you would be entitled to a refund of premium paid but that is a different scenario.

[vanman1]

I have only just recently been told the policy was cancelled. My company was paying by instalments anyway, so only the deposit was paid immediately. The broker's are saying the policy was cancelled in July (back to inception), yet payments were not returned and even taken in August. This is the reason I am so amazed they can back date a cancellation, I couldn't see them back dating the start date, so why can they back date the cancellation?