Just been pulled over by the police…

Driving up the M6 earlier, loads of marked and unmarked cars around and as I went under a bridge there was a marked car hiding behind it. He pulled out and followed me for about 2 miles (I'm driving at 70, not been on the phone or anything), next thing I know he's put his lights on and I'm sat in the back of the police car, he told me he'd pulled me over because the ANPR showed I have no insurance!

So I gave him full details of the insurance that I definitely have, he phoned it through to check it out. While waiting for that to come back he was quite chatty – obviously realised I wasn't one of the chav scum you see on Police Stop! programmes so he showed me all the fancy ANPR gubbins, then the phone call came back to say that everything was OK, the insurance co had just f***ed up completely by not updating their database. Muppets. 👿

Anyone else managed to get a discount/compensation for inconvenience out of an insurance company as a result of them being a useless bunch of f***wits?

phone call came back to say that everything was OK, the insurance co had just f***ed up completely by not updating their database. Muppets.

Or plod didn't have the active ANPR plugged into the most up to date insurance database would be my guess.

Compensation culture blah blah blah….

I have read many poor excuses for looking for discounts or compensation from insurance/gas/airlines etc etc but this is one of the poorest yet 🙄

Or plod didn't have the active ANPR plugged into the most up to date insurance database would be my guess.

Possible geoff, but normal practice would be to do a PNC check on the vehicle prior to stopping it, which would provide up to date information from the DVLA and MIB databases. This would probably explain the 2 mile delay.

Possible geoff, but normal practice would be to do a PNC check on the vehicle prior to stopping it, which would provide up to date information from the DVLA and MIB databases. This would probably explain the 2 mile delay.

Fair dos. I was coming at it from the cynical puplic sector useless twunts (that'd be the IT bods who plumb the bits together, not plod) angle 😉

I have read many poor excuses for looking for discounts or compensation from insurance/gas/airlines etc etc but this is one of the poorest yet

Not really, I missed my physio appointment because of the delay.

Innocent people have to put up with things going wrong sometimes in order to make the world a better place…. Maybe use it as a negotiation tactic when renewing but that's about it IMO.

Understandable

Not really, I missed my physio appointment.

Now why didn't you say that. I would say that as a result of your world nearly collapsing in on itself, you're due at least a year's free insurance. 🙂

LOL!
To be honest, it was good to see them out and about and doing their job rather than relying on speed cameras, the officer was a decent guy, very polite and professional.

But if I can use it as any sort of leeway in saving a few quid off my car insurance, I will!

Anyone else managed to get a discount/compensation for inconvenience out of an insurance company

I would definitely go for it if I were you. Get on the phone first thing tomorrow morning and give them some right ear-bashing, demanding to be told what they are going to do about it.

Unfortunately, I myself, would be unlikely to have any such luck, as my insurance company could quite correctly, point out that I was in fact "chav scum" and therefore fully deserved to be pulled up by the old bill.

BTW …… how lucky were you – that the copper showed you all their "fancy gubbins" ! Did he let you twiddle with any knobs or buttons ? I would have asked to have a quick go with the siren 🙂

You should report it to them tomorrow then. Arrange for someone to be twisting your free arm behind your back so that it sounds like you're in a lot of pain due to missing your physio appointment. Realism is the way forward 😀

That would be verisimilitude, wouldn't it?

Is that a sort of dark red colour?

Teacher's Pet 🙄

😛

obviously realised I wasn't one of the chav scum you see on Police Stop! programmes

I say! How dare you stop me? Show me your gubbins or I shall have my valet whip you!

😆

I got pulled over several weeks ago by an unmarked black BMW after I overtook a van plodding along the A420 and was clocked at 78mph. The nice police officer breathalyser me, though at seven in the evening I hadn't been near a cup of tea let alone booze, then told me to be careful and let me off. Nice man.

The three times I've sat in the back of a Plod car recently-ish, I had ugly unsociable fat blokes to contend with, yet there are some super looking lady police locally.
3 points later… it's me, isn't it! Darn it.

I got pulled a couple of years back for the same thing. The copper said that the computer was never wrong. After 45 mins sat in the car with him having a chat, someone somewhere had spoken to my insurers and notified Mr PC that I was insured, at which point he exclaimed…" that's the second time that's happened to me this morning!" to which I replied "does the system never being wrong exclude previous incidence of it being wrong to maintain it's 100% accuracy record then?".

He saw the funny side and was a decent bloke. It made me late for an appointment so I asked him to give me one of his cards with details of the time I spent with him written on the back – which he did and I showed on arrival at my meeting.

I like the ANPR system, it does one job and does it pretty well.

ernie_lynch you bet me to it with your last sentence – although I would have added much more oo-er phnarr but I am from the colonies so don't do subtle.

Anyone else managed to get a discount/compensation for inconvenience out of an insurance company as a result of them being a useless bunch of f***wits?

Maybe you could also sue them for hurt feelings? 🙄

Zaskar will be along shortly to advise on what you are owed.

One of those thing I guess. Although if you were charged £26.50 for missing a physio appointment like I was I'd be asking the insurance company to at least pay that…

But of course the insurance company will tell you their system IS up to date and it was plod's fault.

A pain, but best just forget it and move on I reckon – it won't be worth the time and effort.

This happened to my brother a couple of years back, just after he'd got a Porsche … coming out of one of the Mersey tunnels, was pulled, and similar story ensued. It turned out that his insurance company (- can't remember which one, but can find out if you want) is known for not updating details as often as they should.

The police get their insurance details for ANPR from a national insurance database, so any discrepancies tend to be from the insurer's end for not updating details as often as they should. Unfortunately, the system is only as good as the information it has. I'd have a word with the insurance company if you are out of pocket.

Surely every so often mistakes do happen. Better the Police are catching more (even by accident) than not even getting off the ground.

I've never been pulled but if I was and it was a mistake I wouldn't give the situation a second thought to be honest.

Did you call your physio to explain the curcumstances and try to make a short notice cancellation/postponement?

I wouldnt be surprised if your insurance company asked this question and if you failed to recover the situation yourself they might take the stance that you could've rescheduled but made no attempt so why should they be liable to cough up?

PNC and ANPR are linked, if it pings up No Insurance then there would nothing gained from pnc'ing the vehicle. PNC would then be used for Person or Driving license checks.

Problem with insurance companies depending where you bought it from and the size of the company it's often an oversight on there part to click a ticky box. As a member of the public, I'd be grateful that technology like this is in place and that police are acting upon it

He'll be unlikely to prove that it was the Ins Co's mistake Shirley.

Not really, I missed my physio appointment because of the delay.

How long did they hold you for? 30mins?

Did you call your physio to explain the curcumstances and try to make a short notice cancellation/postponement?

I wouldnt be surprised if your insurance company asked this question and if you failed to recover the situation yourself they might take the stance that you could've rescheduled but made no attempt so why should they be liable to cough up?

Most places that take appointments require a minimum of 24 hours notice, and with good reason.

I was coming at it from the cynical puplic sector useless twunts

So that would be the private sector useless twunts causing the problems instead then? Makes me laugh how some people think that laziness, stupidity and inefficiency only exist in the public sector – you've clearly never worked for a big company.

They see me rollin', they hatin'

So that would be the private sector useless twunts causing the problems instead then? Makes me laugh how some people think that laziness, stupidity and inefficiency only exist in the public sector – you've clearly never worked for a big company.

Aye but the percentage is far far lower in private companies. You tend to get people 'performance managed out' in the private sector.

Aye but the percentage is far far lower in private companies

Not in my experience!

In small companies, yes. Not big ones.

OP why didn't you make a run for it? Test out their driver, see if he could keep up with you?

you've clearly never worked for a big company.

800 folk is that big? Oh hang on though, it's public sector 😉

vario99 – PNC is more up to date than ANPR. The ANPR data in the cars is only as accurate as when it was last uploaded, PNC is updated constantly. PNC checks also give insurance info which comes from the Motor Insurers Bureau database. That is why you would still PNC a car after an ANPR hit.

No
I used to have my three cars insured through one company, all three policies started the same time. I'b been with them for years and they just renewed my policy each year. Only one year they missed a vehicle out, they sent me the documents but didn't take a premium for one.
That was the one I was driving when they stopped me. 6 points £200 fine and vehicle towed away, ££££'s to get it back and me and my lad left stranded.
They had been insured every year through my business and I'd had continuous insurance for 32 years.
Lucky I didn't hit anyone I guess, was annoyed though.