Before picking up the phone to us please consider the urgency of your query and whether it can be resolved by visiting our FAQS
Most of our policyholders can save time and money by making changes online such as adding a driver or changing your vehicle by visiting My Portal
NHS Volunteer Responders – if you are using your private car as an NHS Volunteer Responder your cover will not be affected, and you are not required to contact us to notify us. We thank you for supporting the NHS.
Updated COVID-19 FAQ’S
Can I still call and if so what are you opening hours?
Yes are open for business and many our teams are now working from home so we can continue to support our customers and colleagues. This may mean you experience some background noise on our calls but please be assured we are doing everything necessary to maintain a secure and quality of service for our customers.
Our opening hours are:
Monday – Friday 9.00am to 7.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Do I need to tell you if I get Coronavirus?
No, but you should keep up-to-date with the Government’s advice and make sure you’re doing everything you can to stay safe.
I need to change my policy. How do I do that?
If you do need to make a change to your policy you can do this online:
- If you have a car policy, you can make changes online by visiting My Portal.
If we haven’t covered your Coronavirus-related change in these FAQs or you can’t find help by calling us.
I’m worried I might not be able to pay for my insurance, what should I do?
We’ll do everything we can to support you if you’ve been affected by the Coronavirus – either financially or otherwise, so please contact us as soon as possible if you’re worried. All conversations are confidential and, if it’s easier, we can talk to a relative, friend o about your account – we’ll just need your authorisation to do this.
Please don’t cancel any payments or direct debits without speaking to us first. Missing payments means you run the risk of your policy being cancelled and we don’t want you to be left uninsured.
We have a number of options to help you. We can look at things like:
- Your level of cover – changing your mileage, occupation, how you use your vehicle or the level of cover you have for your home can sometimes bring your price down. You can do this online by visiting My Portal.
- Changing payment dates – if it will help, we can change the date your direct debit comes out.
To help you further, you won’t be charged a fee to make certain changes to your policy, amend your payment dates or if you decide you need to cancel.
You can find lots more impartial advice online with Money Advice Service, National Debtline, StepChange Debt Charity and the Citizens Advice Bureau.
If I have to self-isolate for months can I suspend my cover, or get a refund on my insurance?
Unfortunately, you can’t suspend an insurance policy but you can cancel it (see below for how to do this). If you decide you want to cancel outside of your cooling off period, you’ll be charged for the length of time you were insured for, plus any applicable fees. If you haven’t made a claim during your policy, any money owed to you will then be refunded.
Remember, it’s a legal requirement to have insurance (unless you declare your vehicle as SORN). Even if you aren’t driving your car it is important to protect against other events such as fire and theft, and some mortgage companies stipulate you must have your home insured. If you keep your policy you’ll also be able to earn this year’s no claims discount.
I’m driving less. Can I get a refund?
If your annual mileage is going to be lower than usual, you can easily reduce it by visiting My Portal by selecting ‘Manage my vehicle’ and then ‘Edit my current vehicle’.
The size of any decrease will depend on many factors and will vary from policy to policy.
Don’t worry if you’re not sure how much to reduce your mileage by. You can change it now and change it again once the situation is clearer.
Make sure you remember to review your mileage once you go back to driving normally, otherwise you may not be fully covered.
I’ve been asked to send you some documents, I can’t get this to you right now. What will happen
If you’re struggling to send this into us, please email us at talk2us@vavista.com with your policy number and the best number for us to contact you on, so we can help.
Can I use my vehicle as a NHS volunteer?
Yes, the Association of British insurers states that the cover of anyone using their private car as an NHS volunteer responder will not be affected and you are not required to contact us to notify us.
Can I still send you correspondence through the post?
You can but we would encourage you to send any documentation or correspondence by email to talk2us@vavista.com. In the event you can only send things by post please note our post is only dealt with on a Tuesday and Thursday due to our agents working from home. We can also confirm any letters we send to you via post are always sent to you via email too, and in the current situation you may be experiencing delays with receiving post. So, please ensure you check our emails regularly, and also check your junk folder too.
We will continue to keep you updated by email, our social media accounts and website, and for more information on steps you can take to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, please visit the Department of Health & Social Care website.
Thank you for all your support in keeping one another safe.
The Vavista Team
