Are you tea total, question on insurance proposal?

Question

I recently changed my car insurance, on reciving the paper work I sat and read it through. I came across the question are you tea total? to which the answer had been set as yes. Well I'm not ( I drink with in the recomended guide lines) and I didn't recall having been asked this question when I applied ( and no I had not been drinking when I applied).
This was not the only question I had not been asked but the other answers happened to be correct. I rang up and poited this out and was told oh its ok thats the default answer, no explanation was given as to why it wasn't asked and my premium did not go up as a result.
Had I not spotted this "error" and then had an accident whilst under the influence would the insurers have refused to pay out on grounds of a false claim on the proposal form?

Using this as a get out would then leave the poor souls who have been hit by a drunk driver trying to get compensation from a driver with comparitavly nothing who will just go bankrupt from the bill.
Drive a car live side on an airfield and your insurance won't cover you anyway, unless you have paid a massive extra premium. You need personal liability insurance for that, which comes as a 'free' or low cost extra with your pilots insurance.

This was not a we are cheap because we don't advertise company it was one of the house hold names.

Answer 1

yes they would have tried to get out of paying if u had ticked u were tee total . i worked for a major insurance company on group life, they refused to pay out on a woman who fell down steps and died post mortem said she had cirrhosis of liver and was drunk on application she said she didnt drink. family took them to court but lost .

Answer 2

Its catch 22 ,
your insurers can if they choose claim your policy is void , though it is unlikely unless you happen to crash into say Posh and Becks Private jet while they are on board and it explodes wiping out the whole of Heathrow Airport .

You could always refuse to tick the box and they will just cancel your policy .

I call legal crime and if you look for it you'll find it exists all over the place , I guarantee your home whether owned or rented is not strictly a legal residence .

Answer 3

had you said you were tea total.. ie accepted the default answer then any alcohol level could have invalidated your insurance. it just goes to underpin that you should always check anything that you are expected to sign as accepting. had you signed it you would have indicated that you agreed with the claims. had you had an accident and had some form of alcohol reading, even if it was below the threshold for legal purposes arguably the insurers could have voided the insurance

Answer 4

This is a dodge. vary few of us are tee total and if you had an accident and there is even a trace of alcohol in your blood they would use it as an excuse not to pay out or not to honour the comprehensive part of your policy. if you say you are not TY they will up the premium.

I suggest you find another insurer there will be other dodges on this policy

Answer 5

Yep they probably would have tried to escape paying out.What big insurance company do you know that pays out WITHOUT checking out everything first?
This was asked,as if u were teetotal,ur premiums may have been reduced.I don't drink,and pay a low comprehensive insurance.Glad U spotted their *Default*,the sly dogs!

Answer 6

70 % of all people fill in the forms wrong, the way you talk, this is in the us our insurance is different in the uk and if i were you i would just say yes, if they dont catch you d,i,c, who cares, your insurance is null and void after this anyway just don't drink and drive

Answer 7

Make it easy on yourself , don't drink when you have to drive , that way you can avoid all the headache

Answer 8

No-one is 'tea total', because there is no such thing.

However, you can be 'teetotal', which means you do not drink alcohol.