The letter from John Hanscomb (July 29) hit the nail on the head and mirrors my own thoughts.
Having been in this game for over 30 years I can only agree that NCD is and always has been the biggest pain in the backside ever devised. If he wasn't already dead, the man who devised it should be shot.
However, help is at hand! The insurers have come up with a new system which will ensure that everyone will have a maximum discount straight away and keep it forever. It's called EDI. Insurers allow us to input details and issue documents on their behalf, and we don't send any papers to them.
Ah, but what about the audits which insurers carry outNULL What auditsNULL Insurers are forever nagging and cutting staff levels. They haven't the time or resources to police the system and that will allow unscrupulous intermediaries to flout it. Although the car owner will be asked how much NCD is being earned, if it is less than maximum there is the obvious potential for error and, oh dear, an extra year or two can be given to ensure that a lower quote can be given.
This isn't fantasy and I won't be the first person to have thought of it. I and my colleagues (in a small provincial intermediary) do not stoop to such tricks but I can quote examples of lost clients having almost certainly benefited from less-than-honest practices.
Perhaps insurers should take a long, hard look at the system. I don't believe the system is favoured on the Continent and perhaps this is one area where we shouldn't object to falling in line.
Graham Jeffs
21 Mansfield Road
Underwood
Notts
