I received two letters on the same day from my car insurer More Than, both bearing the same date of eight days previously. One said my policy was cancelled; the other declared it would automatically renew. Both gave my date of birth as 11 November 2010, indicating that I was just six years old.
Because the £709 premium had been taken from my account two days after the date on the letters, I assumed that the first one cancelling the policy was a formality to let me know that it had been superseded by the new one.
I decided to call to correct my date of birth and discovered that my policy had been renewed and then cancelled, meaning my car had been uninsured for two-and-a-half days.
I was told that I would have to complain by phone rather than letter, and that it was impossible to renew the policy immediately. Apparently the cover was cancelled because I had asked to be removed as the named driver and could not therefore be the policyholder – but no one warned me of this. Who would sign two contradictory letters on the same day addressed to a six-year-old child? CB, London
More Than explains that “human error” was to blame and the cancellation notice should never have been sent, nor should you have been told that policyholders must be named drivers. As for your extreme youth, this was an “input error”.
More Than has since issued the correct documents along with £100 in goodwill and insists that, despite what you were told in the letter and in subsequent phone calls, you were never left without cover.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
