insurance gone up ,for not claiming.

[g1057]

my son skidded off an icy country lane and went into a hedge, caused £85 worth of damage, but this was only a dent in his front wing. He asked his insurance if he made a claim to get the work done, how much would his premium go up by. he was told it would be about £80-£100, so with his excess it woudn t be worth it. He got the work done and paid for it himself . Today he had a letter from his insurers saying that there has been an increase in his insurance premium of £90, due to this incident,and for not reporting it to them, even though no claim was made ,and no other vehicle involved. Can this insurance company do this?????

[factor-fiction]

They can set their premiums however they want. You have to notify them of any accidents and they must have concluded that the risk for your son is now higher than previously thought. The only answers are either to shop around or ring and say he'll only renew if they waive the increase.

[boxtops]

I'd shop around if I were you - your son will still have to declare the accident though, even though he didn't claim.

[g1057]

my son has renewed since ,but they have just come back to him and said you have not reported that accident on your claim form . He told them it wasnt an accident, no one else was involved and he just skidded on ice and put a dent in his wing,which he paid to have put right. The insurers then changed their wording and said you should report any INCIDENT to them. and if you cancel your policy there is a £45 admin fee.

[Gazza61]

Insurance companies seem to be able to do whatever they want.
My partner had a "no fault" claim when someone ran into her in her own car - and her insurance company dealt with it - and she was paid out.
She is also insured as an additional driver on my car insurance which is with a totally different insurance company.
When I got my renewal claim for my car, my insurance company have noted my partner's claim as "an incident" - even though it was in another car and with another insurance company - nothing to do with my insurance.
When I queried this with them, they said it was standard procedure to do this and any incident is noted - the company is Liverpool Victoria by the way -but they say all insurance companies do this using a central database.

[R1Geezer]

yes that's why you should never tell them!

[Davethedog]

Last year my Daughter got clipped we asked the same no claim ever made premium went up £200.

She has just had the car broken into and £400 of damage, we are not making a claim or even asking.

[joko]

an accident doesnt have to involve someone else!

what you descibe is still an accident...

[bennhoughton]

your son skidding off is described as an "incident" - insurers ask for details of any claims, or any incidents or accidents which may have given rise to a claim - a person with an "incident" is statistcially more likely to have another "incident" - one which this time may give rise to a claim - hence the rise in premium

[david51058]

The lesson to be learned here is that if you have a bump involving no-one else and you pay for it doing yourself, then noboday will ever know, just dont even contact your insurance copmany.