Car insurer Brightside penalised me for its own mistake

I renewed my car insurance with Brightside over the phone 10 days before the policy expired. Previously, I’d paid in instalments by direct debit, but this time, I paid the full premium upfront.

I received the policy documents, but was also sent emails from Brightside saying it would be cancelling my policy as I had not renewed. I called to confirm my renewal and checked the money had gone from my account.

On the day my new policy started, I was told it had been cancelled due to non-payment. It seems that, as I had paid the full premium, and ceased the direct debit, I was deemed not to have paid. I was assured it would be rectified, but have now been told my car is not insured and I need to obtain a new quote which has gone up by approximately £70 due to their error!
PB, Brighton

One error is excusable. To fail to remedy it, then penalise the customer, is outrageous. You could have faced an even higher price if you’d had to make a claim and found you’d been driving uninsured.

I contacted Brightside eight days after you wrote it a letter of complaint. You hadn’t yet received a response and, with startling frankness, the company thanked me for encouraging it to investigate more quickly.

It promptly fired off a letter of apology for an “error that shouldn’t have happened” along with a goodwill gesture of £100. It says: “We’ve compensated the customer, but, regrettably, not before he was forced to go elsewhere for his insurance, which is disappointing but, in view of this experience, not altogether surprising.”

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