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A consumer who was new to Canada, purchased a vehicle from a dealership. Prior to the pickup of the vehicle, the dealer advised the consumer he would need to purchase the required mandatory auto insurance and provide proof of that auto insurance. The consumer asked the salesperson if he could recommend an insurance person , and the salesperson provided a name and contact number for a broker in the area. The consumer garnered insurance through the broker, was provided his pink slips and his policy documents. Nine months after the consumer purchased the auto insurance, they received a cancellation notice from the insurer for Misrepresentation.
As part of GIO’s Informal Conciliation, the Investigation Officer contacted the consumer to understand how the consumer purchased the insurance policy. The consumer advised that after contacting the broker by telephone and text and providing all of the relevant rating information, he paid the broker for his services and received his policy.
However, after the consumer received the cancellation notice for misrepresentation from the insurer, he tried to contact the broker to understand why this happened and the broker did not respond. The consumer then researched the broker involved and found that this person had a cease-and-desist notice on the regulator’s website advising that the person who sold the insurance to the consumer was falsely purporting himself to be a broker.
The Investigation Officer reached out to the Insurer with this information and requested that the Insurer reconsider the misrepresentation considering the regulator’s warning on their website.
After discussing the file with the Investigation Officer, the insurer removed the misrepresentation from the consumer’s driver history.
GIO is an independent body set up to help Canadians find a fair resolution to disputes with insurance providers. GIO can provide advice on dealing with your insurance company as a first step. If you are not satisfied with the decision from your provider on your claim, GIO can help resolve your claim.
If you’d like to submit a claim visit here.
