I have had similar problems because i was not born in Britain. The one that really got my goat was my driver's license. Coming over here it was a straight one-for-one swap, no tests of any kind, just a £10 fee or thereabouts. But when it came to car insurance, oh no, 5 years driving in another commonwealth country doesn't count. It's your full British license we're interested in. Well, I've had it for a week (a little longer now). So they see you as a one week experienced driver, and no amount of letters or phone calls to the insurance brokers made a blind bit of difference.
It's good to bitch and moan. It's these small things that should be so easy to sort out that can really wind you up...