Latest news with #1stCentral
The Guardian
26-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
I tried to sell my car but was told it had been written off
Last summer I took my old Kia to a branch of the car broker webuyanycar to sell, only to discover that its database showed a car with my registration number had been 'written off' and an insurance claim paid out. This came as a shock. I have not been in an accident nor made any claims. I called up my insurer, which confirmed there was nothing on its records, and it told me to call the policy underwriter. Initially the underwriter said it had no record of a claim either. However, after it consulted a national database, it could see that in February 2024 one had been paid out on my car. It gave me the insurer's name – 1st Central – and the claim number. However, when I called up, the company told me it had never insured a car with that registration and did not have any record of the claim. I then contacted Bedfordshire police, who directed me to Action Fraud. However, their emailed reply told me that the matter 'cannot be classified as a police recorded crime' and said I needed to contact the DVLA. The DVLA told me to write them a formal letter and promised to get back to me in six to eight weeks. Obviously that did not happen, so I chased them and was eventually told by someone in the fraud team that my licence plate had been cloned and they were 'looking into it'. This all means that I'm left with a car I can't sell and no end in sight. At best I'll get scrap for it. I can't understand how someone can circumvent me and my insurer to fraudulently claim my car is a write-off and pocket the cash. Can you help? TL, Leighton Buzzard You have been round the houses trying to solve this mystery, and your dealings with the DVLA were frustrating to say the least. Initially I thought I was investigating car cloning (where criminals copy another car's registration plates) but the truth proved more mundane. When I contacted 1st Central, it sprang into action and soon discovered that a typo had resulted in your car being mistakenly consigned to the scrapheap. A 1st Central spokesperson told me that initially it had been unable to help because you had been given the wrong claims reference number. 'We have subsequently investigated and found that human error meant an incorrect vehicle registration number was inputted into the write-off database. This highly rare anomaly occurred because the make, model and registration were almost an exact match for another vehicle. We have now corrected this and offered TL compensation.' You have accepted the £560, which includes £110 to cover depreciation over the nine months it took to resolve this. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
1st Central adopts Clearspeed voice-based technology
1st Central, a UK-based insurer, has integrated Clearspeed's voice-based risk assessment technology into its motor claims processes. This is aimed at expediting the settlement of legitimate claims and enhancing fraud detection capabilities. The technology works by inviting customers, through various channels such as online platforms, text messages, emails or call centre transfers, to answer a set of automated 'yes' or 'no' questions over the phone. Clearspeed's proprietary voice technology then analyses the responses, scoring them to identify vocal characteristics that may indicate risk. For cases deemed low risk, the technology allows 1st Central to speed up the claims process, thereby allocating resources to high-risk cases. This triage system supports 1st Central's customer-centric approach, focusing on swift resolution for 'genuine' claims, the release said. The release also highlighted that the technology does not rely on historical data or predictive models. 1st Central counter fraud director Paul Priestley said: 'At 1st Central we have a proactive approach to fraud prevention and the use of this technology reinforces our stances in protecting honest customers. 'We must constantly innovate and reinvent how we work for efficiency and tackle this massive fraud challenge – but without disrupting the customer experience. Clearspeed is delivering really positive outcomes for our customers. We are seeing great benefits internally because we want to efficiently screen as many claims as possible without impacting on genuine customers, and this is an excellent tool to achieve that balance.' Clearspeed CEO Alex Martin stated: 'This partnership with 1st Central demonstrates how our technology can simultaneously improve customer experience and strengthen fraud prevention. 'Clearspeed creates a more efficient process that allows our partner insurers a real opportunity to build trust, better serve their customers, and drive long-term retention and success.' 1st Central intends to broaden the use of Clearspeed's voice risk assessment to other areas including household insurance claims, policy applications, renewals and liability decision-making. In October 2024, RSA Insurance integrated Clearspeed's voice analytics solution to improve fraud detection capabilities. "1st Central adopts Clearspeed voice-based technology " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
