Hi Adam,
We’re sorry to hear that you’re unhappy.
We’d like to provide some clarification regarding the Telematics policy but would also like to address some inaccuracies within your review relating to assumptions about how our business operates.
Firstly, when a policy is purchased, we make it explicitly clear that whilst the policy is an annual one, it is also milage based – whichever is met first. Many insurers adopt a similar approach.
During the quotation phone call, we ask you for your estimated annual mileage, and we will then break that mileage down into monthly, weekly, and daily figures. We then ask you to confirm that the miles that you have requested will be sufficient for your use. Furthermore, we stress the implications of exceeding your requested mileage. These terms are made clear to help you avoid being charged more at a later date. In addition, we reiterate these terms when the policy is purchased as well as asking you to confirm that you understand and agree to the terms. On top of that, we email all of the information to you, and there is a 14-day cooling off period if you’re not happy with the policy you’ve purchased.
In addition, our system monitors the number of miles that have been used and compares that to the miles you decided to proceed with. If the system estimates that the driver will use up all of the declared miles before the 12-month period is reached, we then send a letter saying so. Again, a process which actively assists you in avoiding having to pay more later on.
Secondly, the Telematics process is centred around promoting good driving. Our Telematics Team routinely monitor driving data and will only contact those where their data has flagged within our system. We will not issue Warnings for trivial driving events, and may instead offer an ‘Advice Call’, which doesn’t count against the driver.
As stated, if we contact a driver to issue a Warning, it is not for a trivial matter. It is because the standard of driving has fallen far short of what is acceptable. During this call, we will explain the event in more detail, but importantly, we will advise on how to avoid this happening again, as well as potential implications if our advice is not heeded.
If this advice is ignored and the quality of driving does not improve, then multiple warnings can be accumulated. This may indeed result in policy cancellation, as it would be irresponsible for us to continue covering a driver who is repeatedly demonstrating a poor driving ability, as they could be deemed a risk to themselves and other road users. Before cancelling, we do issue a Final Warning, offering the driver a last chance to improve.
A driver does not need to wait for us to get in touch to find out whether their driving is considered good or bad; they can see all their own data within an online portal. The portal shows all of the information mentioned here, as well as their overall score and how many miles they have left.
If we are able to offer more miles, then the cost of this is related directly to the driver’s overall score. The better the score, the lower the cost of adding miles.
To summarise, we go to great lengths to encourage good driving, and we cannot turn a blind eye to poor driving (especially considering the accident statistics for those in their first year of on the roads), we are particularly upfront regarding the terms of our policy, and it is also not in our interest to be prematurely cancelling policies.
If you would like to discuss these points in more detail, then please contact us on 03303 331 251.
Thanks
Safely Insured
