Beyond Livid at Lloyds Car Insurance

I'm so f***ing pissed off right now, I can't see straight. We are moving back to the US on Dec. 6th. We sold the car this past weekend, and hubby called the insurance company tonight to cancel it. We are being told that, because of some kind of short term insurance thing, that we are going to have pay them £265 to cancel the policy plus a £35 admin fee (for the privilege of canceling the policy).

This would NEVER happen in the US! When we sold the car and canceled our policy in the US, we were actually OWED a refund!

I've never felt so f***ed over in my life!

And I'm not even mentioning the fees we are being told we have to pay to cancel the Virgin Media and O2 contracts. I have half a mind to just walk the heck away and not pay one of them a single penny and transfer all the money out of our accounts back to the US.

I am counting down the 14 days until we leave.

I can maybe understand the fees for the Virgin and O2 as they are contract deals but the insurance?  I once had insurance with Geico in the states.....I cancelled them when my 6 months was up and I went with another company who was cheaper....Geico then wrote to me to tell me that I owed them money....I told them to put it where the sun didn't shine......The last insurance I had with American Family on my car paid me money when I got rid of my car and cancelled to come over here....sorry that you have to put up with such nonsense from an insurance company.......but you know how it goes.....the rich get richer etc......take care and good luck!!!!!!

The only companies I've found in the UK thus far that haven't tried to screw every single £ out of you at every turn are Orange and PlusNet.  All the rest have been just as greedy as you've described, BL.

I can maybe understand the fees for the Virgin and O2 as they are contract deals but the insurance?  I once had insurance with Geico in the states.....I cancelled them when my 6 months was up and I went with another company who was cheaper....Geico then wrote to me to tell me that I owed them money....I told them to put it where the sun didn't shine......The last insurance I had with American Family on my car paid me money when I got rid of my car and cancelled to come over here....sorry that you have to put up with such nonsense from an insurance company.......but you know how it goes.....the rich get richer etc......take care and good luck!!!!!!

Thanks for the sympathy Snowlass. However, I have a big beef with Virgin and O2 as well because of how they handle early termination of contracts. I can't help but compare to the US. O2 are telling us that we have to pay all remaining months off in order to cancel the contract. At ~£36/mo and 18months left, that's one heck of a fee. In the US, all we'd have to pay is early termination fee of around $200 and that's it - they don't expect you to pay all remaining months off. And the same thing for Virgin. Being expected to pay all remaining months is outright thievery.

Lloyds is a bank, not an insurance company. Never buy insurance from a bank, supermarket, etc. Just my 2p.

Lloyds is a bank, not an insurance company. Never buy insurance from a bank, supermarket, etc. Just my 2p.

We didn't have a choice. My OH had to get insurance for the car when he bought it, and Lloyd's gave him the cheapest rate..and that was at £1700! His driving record for the last 7yrs in the US, and the 4yrs in the UK before that, meant absolutely nothing! Let's just say I practically peed on myself learning how much it was going to cost, since we were only paying $1300/yr for full-coverage on 2 cars back in the US!

We didn't have a choice. My OH had to get insurance for the car when he bought it, and Lloyd's gave him the cheapest rate..and that was at £1700! His driving record for the last 7yrs in the US, and the 4yrs in the UK before that, meant absolutely nothing! Let's just say I practically peed on myself learning how much it was going to cost, since we were only paying $1300/yr for full-coverage on 2 cars back in the US!

I know it's too late for you (and I'm really sorry they're screwing you over), but I always advise other people to find a good local insurance broker who'll do the shopping around for you. I know you could have got a policy for less than £1700.

Alas I had forgotten that this is the way they all operate here in the UK.....and you are right that it would be a flat $200.00 to cancel a contract in the US.......I too had a big blow-up with a cell phone company here when my DH and I went to the US when my daughter died......we ended up paying them £600.00 for one month because they didn't know where the 1st payment was.....anyway it was finally taken care of and we paid to get out of the contract with them....you are correct when you say they are all crooks and want to squeeze the last £££££ our of someone.....still sorry you have to go through all of this......it just adds to the stress you are already going through with moving.....but good luck to you on all counts.........

Thanks for the sympathy Snowlass. However, I have a big beef with Virgin and O2 as well because of how they handle early termination of contracts. I can't help but compare to the US. O2 are telling us that we have to pay all remaining months off in order to cancel the contract. At ~£36/mo and 18months left, that's one heck of a fee. In the US, all we'd have to pay is early termination fee of around $200 and that's it - they don't expect you to pay all remaining months off. And the same thing for Virgin. Being expected to pay all remaining months is outright thievery.

It doesn't totally surprise me that the contract has to be bought out.  Years ago (in 1999, before mobile companies in the US were nationwide), I had a mobile with Southwestern Bell in TX.  When I moved back to MA, I was told that I needed to pay out the remainder of my contract (which ended up being about $500 back then).  I am glad that things have changed over here, but it stinks that you have to go through it on that end.  I can sympathize in that respects. 

Good luck with your move back otherwise.

Cell phone - see if you cant change your plan to the lower one and just pay it ya know 10 a month or something...

I hope it works out!

Hi

Whilst I can understand the frustration and I'm in no way making light of that, I must point out that when you took out insurance, or mobile phone contracts and the like etc, all the detail is in the small print. I know it's no good now, and it's only an infuriating element to you moving back etc, however, legally, you signed the agreement and the onus was on you to check these kinds of things.

I like the idea of dropping down to the cheapest available plan for the phone idea, also if you have it, perhaps sell off the handset that you have and put it towards the cost? with the car insurance, not sure if there's any wiggle room really.

Good luck with your move back and all though !

cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!