Loss of no claims discount
 

To cut a long story short I have recently returned from 3.5 years in Canada and am currently having a faff with convincing an insurance company to give me the appropriate credit for my claim free driving history.

I have a letter from my Canadian insurance company showing proof of my Canadian history and a letter from my UK insurer from before I left showing I was entitled to 9 years of NCD. This totals 12 years. My current insurer (from a short list of one since they were the only company that would even accept NCD from Canada) is saying they will only take the last three years since the UK history is greater than 2 years old.

The Canadian system doesn't like to credit NCD from previous insurers. I am currently trying to persuade them that a simple letter that states I joined them with 9 years history and attained 3.5 years with them would suffice. However they are proving to be a little inflexible (or just plain thick TBH but I won't tell them that just yet).

Now before I visit a solicitor or enlist the services of a tabloid newspaper to test the validity of the military covenant I feel sure that I am not the first denizen of PPrune to come across this issue.

To that end is there anyone on here who knows any easy fixes before I have to get too excited?

I'm calm for now but if this is still going on in two months time and I am forced to pay significantly more than I am paying now I will get a little grumpy to say the least. I may then start to see why many people don't want to do overseas jobs any more!

I await your replies with trepidation and thank you in advance for your assistance.

BV:O

Bob,

I had exactly the same problem (also returning from Canada). There are a limited number of UK insurers who will accept NCD's earned overseas.

I went with Adrian Flux in the end.

Hth, Doug

I would second Adrian Flux. I had the same problem a few years ago returning from Southern Europe. They were by far the most reasonable.

NCD transfer
 

BV,
I had a similar issue on going to the colonies (not the pesky one full of convicts and better rugbyists than us)

I simply wrote (yes with pen and paper) to Directline explained the situation and asked them to miss out the middle man( person) me, and reply forthwith to the new company underwriter, details of whom I had demanded from the new outfit should they want my business (car,house.contents etc.). I ended up with a better offer than the 'unverified' years I had given - perhaps in some cases letting the pros decide the risk 'man to man' is the way to go.
Good luck,
H

Adrian Flux
 

Can't speak highly enough of Adrian Flux - very similar scenario to yourself when I returned from USA, reasonable price and offered me full no claims at the end of my policy if no claims made.

H

Bob
 

I was with Frizzells ( with full NCB on both policies ) until we went to live in France. On our return over 3 years later they gave us full NCB based on my word of mouth that we had been claim-free in France.

Join the Civil Service Motoring Association ( CSMA ) first, I'm sure they would accept serving personnel and that entitles you to the best priced cover ( in my opinion ) for both home and car insurance.

Still cycling?

Same problem for me, I was Europe for 5 years and had a letter from my European Insurers - rang Forces Insurance (in Loughborough) and all fixed in a heartbeat. I still use them in retirement as I go to France for long periods and their 'BFG stylie' policy is still available to vets. Phone no: 01509 283899.

Good gouge.
 

Thanks for all your replies gents (and maybe ladies). I knew I could rely on this place to get some answers.

I will give my current insurers the chance to do the right thing and failing that I will try some of the other options I have gleaned from here.

I am still cycling Brian. At least I will be when our main shipment gets here tomorrow with my bikes.

BV:ok:

Same situation, returned to the UK to find that UK NCB + Overseas NCB is not accepted within the UK. Eventually found Aviva who provide me with the Maximum NCB (5 years).

A loss of 5 years...but 5 years is better than 0 years.

This is good advice. I was not aware that some companies did honour foreign proof of no-claims.

I didn't have a problem on returning from 3 yrs in US. Even though the US companies didn't do NCB they did provide me with a letter to confirm I had made no claims in my 3 years with them. This seemed to satisfy the UK companies with whom I dealt on my return.

BV,

Pose your problem to Honest John at the Daily Telegraph. He is one of a small team who give motoring advice each saturday.

You could always try the Ombudsman if all else fails.

O-D

I knew someone who was due to return to the UK after many years as an ex-pat in Hong Kong...

When enquiring about the cost of car insurance, he was alarmed to be told that his absence for so many years would rule out any no-claims bonus.

However, as an 'old system' Cathay Pacific pilot, he'd been paid absurd amounts of dosh during his airline time. So was there much sympathy for his situation? Well, noooooooooo....

Thankyou
 

Thanks again for all your replies. Just to confirm my insurer is willing to give me the three years I accrued in Canada but it is the other years from before that that I'm concerned about.

If I get nowhere with them I may well try some of the options mentioned above.

Cheers,

BV

Beagle, Strangely enough, I was in a similar situation (but not working for Cathay) and I had no problem keeping my NCD, including that accrued during the years spent driving abroad. I did obtain a certificate of maximum no claims before I returned to UK; perhaps your friend didn't do the same?

Should you wish to spend a career adjacent to sunkissed tropical beachs fanned by dusky nubile maidens then take a few precautions with your NCB.

Buy an old rusty banger for £100. Insure it 3rd Party only for about £30/annum. Flog it to a scrappie (not a car breaker because he will want the documentation) saying that you've sent the papers off to DLVA. SORN it and keep the insurance up-to-date.

I knew somebody who did that. He used to have his UK mail sent out and his insurance would be renewed with his NCB entitlement every year. I will mention that he did not have or need a car where he was working.

You have to take a few other precautions as well.

Another bloke I knew worked in Sumburgh in the Shetlands. He was on a 2 and 1 rotation and he would park his green Cortina in a long term car park at Heathrow. He would remove the tax disc and when he arrived in Sumburgh he would put it on another green Cortina with the same number plates as the one in Heathrow.

Saved him loads.

A tangent but may be of interest
 

Lost my D/licence on medical grounds March '14; like most we were down to single car with self as insured party/lead driver & wife as additional driver
Notified Ins Co & on basis that I could possibly get license back they kept policy in place with wife as lead driver thus maintaining NCD
At renewal this was maintained, however at recent renewal as I haven't got my licence back they started muttering about a New Policy in wife's name and consequential loss of NCD!!!
However the guy who I was dealing with pulled his finger out our full NCD has been transferred to her - only proviso is that should I get licence back then I would have to be the additional driver on her policy - no problem to me!!!

PZU- Out of Africa (Retired)

What were his parking fees v paying his tax and insurance?

At that time Notalot and his company was paying.

Another friend was based at Unst on a similar rotation. His trusty BMC 1100 was having severe problems with regards to its MOT. Usual stuff; sills, subframe, handbrake and it was going to cost a bomb. Without an MOT he could not tax it for the minimal running it did daun sauf.

So he transferred the keepership to him at his Unst address.

The Island of Unst did not have an MOT tester so vehicles registered in Unst were exempt from requiring an MOT for road tax purposes. There was a proviso that if the vehicle departed Unst for the Shetland mainland then it required an MOT. His excuse was that it wasn't departing Unst, it was in Hampshire already, so he ignored that. He therefore continued to use this 1100 for a further year before the age started to get serious.

His time at Unst coincided with that so he bid farewell as it went to that car park in the sky.

As I recall, it were not the sky but the Briney off the nearest cliff.