keithwalters

I insured my spanish car in April for one year with Mapfre. Then my circumstances changed and I no longer needed the car so I sold it. When I went to Mapfre they told me that they can't refund the remaining 10 months of the policy to me.

All they offered was to 'hold' the unused money in reserve and if I want to insure another vehicle within the next 18 months I can use that pot of money to do so. But I don't intend to buy another car!

The fully comp policy cost me 599 euros and I have only used it for 6 weeks. Can they really refuse to refund me for the unused months????????

Mitzyboy

What does it say, if anything, in the policy document. Have they given you a credible explanation as to why they won't refund? How about taking it up with the Insurers Association. http://www.abi.org.uk/ or http://www.biba.org.uk/ if its a British company.

keithwalters

No, it's a spanish company - Mapfre. And as for their credible explanation, well they just say that it's their policy.

What I don't know is if this is just the way things are in spain, and no insurer would refund in this case, or whether this is something exclusive to Mapfre.

David

It happened to me once when I sold my car. I tried to get a refund for the remaining 9 months and was told by Alliance Seguros that the insurance was for one year and there was no refund.

I now pay quaterly for my insurance.

Regards

David

keithwalters

So it sounds like this might be the case for all insurance companies and there might be very little I can do about it then?

If I insure a car in the future I think I will try to insure it on a daily basis!!!!!

mikelincs

According to local papers, insurances that you take out for a year, do continue for that year and are not stopable. There was an instance here where someone bought a car, took out the various insurance offers suggestd without realising what he was getting into, he sold the car, but had to continue paying all the insurance policies he had taken out.

keithwalters

I´ve obviously got no hope whatsoever of getting my money back. Some things you just have to learn the hard way!

jdr

The insurance is for the car not the driver, you should of added the cost to the sale price

coralsoft

Compared to the UK, insurance is awful.

My wife was hit from behind by a 4x4 up in the mountains when there was snow. The back door became unusable. It took weeks to arrange a repair and the car was unavailable for several weeks too, while it was fixed. They provided an inadequate replacement car for a week only and my wife spent significant amounts on bus fares and the inconvenience of being without transport for weeks.

Rubbish treatment for something that was someone else's fault and we ended up suffering more than the person who caused the accident. We'd have had to fight a personal claim against them or their insurer to get a refund on anything spent to alleviate inconvenience.