Principal Insurance - avoid

[Berin]

Mrs Berin had her Tiger GT Pro insured with Principal. As it came to renewal they sent her an auto renewal notice, saying unless she cancelled it would auto renew. The price was OK so she let it auto renew.

This week (a couple of weeks into the new insurance period) she called them to change the bike to the new one she was collecting.

It transpired that they had not collected payment for the new insurance and so had cancelled the policy. They did not contact to either get updated payment details or to tell her the policy was cancelled.

They then blamed her for not updating payment details, even though the card details they had were exactly the same as they had used last year which had not changed and which were still valid.

Steer clear!

 

[harry the cat]

So I just cancelled a policy with them because I changed bikes and the cost to change for the remaining few months was too expensive.

In their defence however in your case they would have auto renewed if you had let them which you probably didn’t, and I never do. They would probably have also asked if they could save the credit details at time of purchase, which again I never allow.

Having said that they should have notified you the policy had lapsed.

 

[wessie]

on principle, I never agree to auto-renewal. I want control.

 

[Berin]

So I just cancelled a policy with them because I changed bikes and the cost to change for the remaining few months was too expensive.

In their defence however in your case they would have auto renewed if you had let them which you probably didn’t, and I never do. They would probably have also asked if they could save the credit details at time of purchase, which again I never allow.

Having said that they should have notified you the policy had lapsed.

But they sent the auto renewal documents, then didn’t auto renew. They also had the card details they used previously and successfully but subsequently had somehow made an error in expiry date.

I agree, I never auto renew but this was Mrs Berin.

I forgot to say, previous policy was for a Tiger 900 GT Pro, and the new policy was for the same but new. Quote went from £214 to £564

 

[casbar]

So you didn't bother to check if any payment had been made and left it to them. I have used Principle before and they have been very good. I always keep an eye on any payments leaving my accounts. This is as much your fault as theirs.

 

[Easy_Rider]

One of my bikes is with them (Valadero 1000), i dont have the auto renewal set up and i ring them when i get the renewal after i have shopped around and use the best price i got online to get the price down. Saved £50 ish last month off there renewal price doing this. No plan on changing the bike so not worried about that side of it.

 

[craigholt]

I got my renewal through and simply decided over £600 was just way too much, so went on a comparison site, went for the cheapest (just under half) and take my chances come claim.

Principal were one of the cheap quotes.

I insure to save getting stopped for not being - they're all as bad when you need them, so now cheap is good for me.

 

[Berin]

So you didn't bother to check if any payment had been made and left it to them. I have used Principle before and they have been very good. I always keep an eye on any payments leaving my accounts. This is as much your fault as theirs.

No. I didn’t do anything. Principal said they would auto renew Mrs Berin’s policy and didn’t. It’s quite straightforward and it’s clearly their fault. You might check your bank account and credit card every day but I don’t. This is only a couple of days after the policy was supposed to renew.

I have used Principal before too and they’ve been good, but I haven’t used them for 2-3 years because they became not good. That happens.

 

[Hartley]

I’ve been with Prinicipal in the past and found them fine.
I think to say this equally the fault of Berin and Priincipal is a bit off. Maybe could have kept an eye out for email confirming renewal but that said insurance companies constantly tell us auto renew is that we don’t find ourselves uninsured.

 

[Wapping]

No. I didn’t do anything.

Not even to raise a formal complaint with Principal? Leaving a vehicle uninsured and (presumably) on the highway, might well have landed ‘er indoors in hot water…. And who then would do the washing-up?

Principal, the broker / intermediary (not the insurer, per-se) needs to be properly informed of their error.

 

[Berin]

Not even to raise a formal complaint with Principal? Leaving a vehicle uninsured and (presumably) on the highway, might well have landed ‘er indoors in hot water…. And who then would do the washing-up?

Principal, the broker / intermediary (not the insurer, per-se) needs to be properly informed of their error.

Yes, a complaint has been raised with Principal.

Not that they seemed very bothered. On the call with Mrs Berin, after explaining they couldn’t be arsed to renew the auto renewal, the chap quipped lightly:

“Could have been worse, at least you weren’t stopped by the law”

 

[Hartley]

Few years ago I was with admiral for my car insurance. I was considering changing my car so called to ask if they would insure the new vehicle as it was a more expensive and a higher performance vehicle than I currently had. Had the chat left it at that. Never bought the new car.
Few months later my renewal landed in my inbox. My premium had about tripled. Then I noticed the car listed was a BMW535 registration ABC123. Doesn’t even exist.
I still owned the Honda. When I called them they said I’d changed the vehicle.
Don’t know what would have happened if I’d been pulled.
I renewed elsewhere.

 

[Monsieur]

I found out a few years ago that insurance bods (house/car/travel) log EVERYTHING you tell them. Much like your wife bringing up something you said 30 years ago.

 

[Wapping]

Yes, a complaint has been raised with Principal.

Not that they seemed very bothered. On the call with Mrs Berin, after explaining they couldn’t be arsed to renew the auto renewal, the chap quipped lightly:

“Could have been worse, at least you weren’t stopped by the law”

Put in a formal complaint in writing and quote, word for word, the opinion (as above) proffered to your wife, along with the date and the time of the call.

The broker’s complaints procedure will be in the documents you received. If you can’t find them, ask that they provide them to you.

 

[GSite]

I found out a few years ago that insurance bods (house/car/travel) log EVERYTHING you tell them. Much like your wife bringing up something you said 30 years ago.

They also record all phone calls, so with this in mind I always make a note of the date, time amd name of the person I speak to when making any changes or asking them to do anything. I make it quite clear in a summary statement on the phone as to what they have agreed to and when this change will take place.
On a couple of occaisions when they got it wrong and denied it, I reminded them of the above and when checked they admitted an error and agreed to recompense required.

 

[chablis]

For balance, I have a policy through Principal too, they called and sent me an email as my card details were expired, now renewed, but they did actually help me out.