I hate to say

"24. We have found that most of our customers choose to renew with us each year. To make renewing easier for you, unless you have told us not to, we will renew your policy automatically using the payment details you have already given. If you do not want to renew your policy, you must call us before the renewal date to let us know. It is not possible to offer automatic renewal with all payment methods, so please check your renewal invite when it arrives for further details."

Is indeed correct. Whether a continuous payment authority has been established or not (if debit card payment was used) or a direct debit was set up does not matter.

What matters is Green flag have established in their T&Cs an automatic renewal process for any method thats likely to facilitate it, namely direct debit or a debit card.

The process of gather an "approval code" for a debit card does not matter. If so, they could use stored debit card data to manually rekey the transaction if need be, as the wording of their terms and conditions would facilitate this.

However in this case....

If you do not want to renew your policy, you must call us before the renewal date to let us know

A company which ONLY allows you to call them to cancel a renewal is making an "unneccesary post sale barrier". Under outcome 6 of "treating customers fairly" (something financial services industry must adhere to under FSA regulations) you would have a cause for complaint as

1. Its unreasonable to force a customer into one method of contact. What if they have a speech disability, what if they only have a mobile and not a land line (forcing a high phone charge).

2. As a consequence of having a speech difficulty it was un reasonable to expect you to communicate with green flag in that channel anyway, and it could be counted as discrimination against people with impaired speech not to make themselves available for something as vital (as it is vital) as cancelling an automatic renewal. Basically in other words you have been discrimated against and because of a disability have not been able to contact them.

Such phrases as "posting an unreasonable post sale barrier" due to required telephone communication and "this is not adhering to the FSA requirement of "treating customers fairly" and discrimination against those "with speech disabilities" and "questionable human rights" in a written complaint will see you a refund of your policy and hopefully some additional compensation.

I'd find out how to contact Green Flags complaints department if I were you.

I have had issues with companies who implicitly renew. I sent a letter to my MP about this and suggested legislation or regulation that forces all companies to contact their clients to offer renewal and not just renew without telling anyone.

I now send companies MY T+C which state that all contracts are renewed each year only with my express consent at the time that renewal is due - and that the onus is on them to contact me to renew. If they just renew without contacting me then I phone to cancel and get a refund of any charges taken. I have done so by threatening them with a complaint to the Trading Standards people and by threatening to go public via the press (at least one of those works). I also now have a note in my diary about 10 months into any contract to review it before the annual anniversary is due.

Hope you succeed in saving money by going elsewhere.

Further to this - according to the T&C on Greenflags website

"24. We have found that most of our customers choose to renew with us each year. To make renewing easier for you, unless you have told us not to, we will renew your policy automatically using the payment details you have already given. If you do not want to renew your policy, you must call us before the renewal date to let us know. It is not possible to offer automatic renewal with all payment methods, so please check your renewal invite when it arrives for further details."

This "agreement" - is mandatory (You are given no options for payment, other than paying by Continuous payment) - when paying by debit card !!

I have always prefered the AA and so have family. They are pretty reliable when you need them. Even stuck down a country lane in the middle of knowhere, they came within about 30 minutes.

I have read a few postive reviews for the ASDA Breakdown cover provided by Britannia Rescue. They provide a roadside, rescue and home cover policy for £70. Don't know whether you can get cashback.

I finally received an email from green flag - some 5 days after my first email

It said " I have stopped the renewal as requested. Thanks."

So - I am now looking for alternative cover - either with or without cashback

Any Suggestions ?

I believe that when a continuous payment authority is arranged, the company holding such an authority does confirm this to the relevant bank/credit card company. This is all done electronically at the time the first payment is presented and is in the form of a code. Whether the bank then keeps record of this for further payments I don't know. So Jalexa you may be correct that only the originator of the payment keeps a record that such an authority exists.

I am sure that someone who works with account enquiries in a bank, can confirm what information a bank holds. I know you can get a list of DD's and SO's.

Twee:

I never agreed to any continuous payment - I have been on to my bank, and they confirm that no continual payment has been set up

If the arangement was Continuous Payment Authority or CPA (using the 16 digit long number) then even if it had been properly set up the bank would have no knowledge of the arrangemnet - as (unlike Direct Debit) it is not a party to the CPA, so "no bank knowledge" is not relevent to the Green Flag's conduct.

The bank will pay out like it would any request for funds quoting the 16 digit number and certain card details. The likely defence if you protest is that Green Flag had your number, and that is quite difficult to contest.

You say you never agreed to continuous payment but perhaps you mean that you weren't aware (and have implicitly consented). In that case you would need to fight this on the clarity of the information.

Though they should only speak with the account holder on the phone, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility to set a trap by getting somone else in your presence to call them. That can also be turned into a disability discrimination trap.

I think Greenflag are still part of RBS Insurance. You would think they would know about banking rules i.e informing customers providing debit/credit card details, that they are agreeing to a continuous payment authority and that automatic renewal will be offered. If they did this and you refused this, then they have keyed the information incorrectly into their systems or produced the wrong letter.

If I were you, I would send the letter back, with a complaints query in a covering letter, advising that you did not agree to a continuous payment authority which your bank have confirmed and therefore you do not want automatic renewal i.e you want the policy to lapse, so you are free to take up cover again as you wish each year. I have a feeling that if you don't send as a complaint using the complaints address in your policy, it could be sent onto India. I have read recently that RBS Insurance has outsourced some work to India.

My car breakdown cover is due in 2 weeks time - I have been covered by Green Flag for the last 12 months and WAS willing to continue with them - but I discovered a way of cutting my costs - using Quidco, my renewal costs would have halved - to less than £35...

The problem is that Green Flag informed me that my "auto renewal" is due - I never agreed to any continuous payment - I have been on to my bank, and they confirm that no continual payment has been set up

I have been in contact with Green Flag by email and snail mail - they refuse to reply to me (my speech is not 100% - so I cannot phone them)

Hence - I am now looking for alternative breakdown cover.....