Car insurance news
Cheap car insurance firm issues apology over printing mistake
Saga, the cheap car insurance provider for older drivers, has apologised after a misprint meant that a customer was refused assistance in a claim.
David Dunne's car, a Volvo V40, caught fire while he was driving in Maidstone as a result of an electrical fault. He believed it would be a write-off and tried to make a claim on the cheap car insurance policy he had held with Saga for several years.
However, he was astounded to learn that his policy would not cover him for this type of motor insurance claim. He commented, "They said it was the wrong sort of fire. My insurance is comprehensive and covers fire but they said that because it was caused by an electrical failure it wasn't covered and they wouldn't pay."
The policy clause in question stated: "We do not cover the following: mechanical, electrical, electronic or computer failures or breakdowns, including any loss or damage caused as a result of the failures or breakdowns."
After looking at the terms and conditions for his previous cheap car insurance policy, he discovered that in 2005 the clause had finished "if not kept in a roadworthy condition", but in his 2006 policy these words were omitted.
He followed this up with Saga, which admitted that the change should not have occurred and that it was down to a printing error.
A spokesperson for Saga said, "Clearly we have made a mistake and we're grateful to Mr Dunne for bringing this to our attention and we're sorry for the stress caused."