In a bit of a bind with insurance,hoping someone might have some ideas. I took out car insurance with Allianz 2 years ago on a merc from the uk(it was the only company that would accept my uk no cliams).They were more expensive but I did’nt have much choice. After a year I took out another policy for a morris minor I bought. After 2 years I had enough french no claims to insure the merc with another much cheaper(less than half) company called Direct assurance. After not accepting my uk license and a few emails back and for, everything was finally accepted-Great 200e a year instead of 450e. I also sold the morris so I asked to cancel both of the policies around the same time. Allianz said I owed 70e for the Morris(which I forgot about). Then about a month or so later I get an email from direct insurance saying they are going to cancel my insurance(while I was driving to the uk) in two weeks time. I get back and phone them and they say I have had my insurance canceled with Allianz for non payment of the morris policy (my policy with direct insurance is for the merc).
I phone Allianz to pay and they say that I dont owe them anything- in fact they owe me x amount,which they said they would transfer into my account. I phone direct assurance and they said that I need some proof (obviously) from Allianz stating I dont owe them anything. They even speak to my agent with Allianz and are told that I dont owe anything. So stalemate. I wait a couple of weeks and Allianz send me a accuse reception de reglement.Great I think- No. Direct insurance dont like it. They want a Avis de résiliation. I ask Allianz for this and I am told that I can’t have one because the contract was cancelled by the company( Even though I requested to cancel the contract because it was sold). Now it has been almost two months of this so a big gap of no insurance which is difficult to explain to a new insurer. Any ideas would be great!
There is a Médiateur for insurance disputes but I believe companies normally have one you can and should escalate to internally first too. For me the issue is the incorrect statement that they cancelled not you if that’s now the block.
The small print of the cancelled policy might tell you the escalation steps, I’d ask them to correct their mistake and issue a statement that would be accepted, try not to follow an escalation path but if they’re going to say untrue things you’ll have to gather your evidence and go for it.
I do hope your earlier cancellation was issued in a valid way and not just ignored by them if you didn’t do it by the 3rd-to-last quarter moon of tne previous year etc. Finding ways to ignore anyone who wants to cancel any kind of regular payment seeming to be quite a sport here.
I am not an expert and hope someone who actually knows this stuff will come along later.
Thanks for the reply, I cancelled the Morris policy about 2 months after it renewed. I didn’t receive any notification of it renewing and the price had gone up a fair amount. It feels like the insurance companies have a lot of power here,too much power. I can see this carrying on for months while my car is uninsured.
Correct. And they love it
And this is what they will pick up on now. For some reason - I am sure to line the pockets of said insurers - a car, even knowingly taken off the road for a refurb, must be insured and show continuity of insurance at all times.
…Yes, I know, but there it is 
You need to go to a mediateur asap.
Only if it can be driven. If undrivable, for example undergoing restoration with engine or/and wheels removed, then insurance is not a legal requirement (source: Abeille Assurance).
Yes, but then all the proof required makes it a nonsense.
I had to supply 2 photos - not too onerous!
Each company decides how they go about this-Allianz wanted a certificate of destruction or a proof of sale to cancel the poilcy onthe morris.
Direct insurance asked for a reve d’information today instead of a avis de résiliation.the reve d’information I sent them before which they rejected is now over 3 months “old” so hopefully a new one with the reason for cancelling on it will do. Does anybody know any uk based car insurance compaines that will insure a french registered car?
it is if you have to take 4 wheels off and put the car on blocks to take the 2 photos…
According to the bumpf I’ve read, removing the wheels and putting the car on blocks is for the long-term, one part of making the vehicle undriveable (if one hopes to avoid paying Vehicle Insurance).
check with your Insurer what steps they want you to take in order to avoid paying their Insurance… then do whatever they ask, take the photos/provide the proof… and you can relax…
the car can slumber, waiting to be reawakened and its wheels/whatever refitted once a new Insurance policy is arranged.
Like it or loth it, car insurance rules and practices here are different to th UK. Probably through ignorance it looks like you haven’t played by the French rules, so there is no point whinging about it. 
Allianz wanted certificate of destruction or certificate of succession. They would not accept anything else-
Through ignorance you should reread my post- Allianz did not update their payment schedule. I didn’t owe them anything. In fact they owed me! And they cancelled the insurance for the wrong reason-non payment instead of sale of the vehicle.
This was resolved today thankfully by Allianz sending an updated no claims.
And?
We’re here, their Country, their rules.
Each time we have sold a car… we go straight to our Insurance Agent and give them the photocopy of the Carte Grise (officially cancelled ie, barred/ signed/dated) plus Certificate of Cession.
Never had a problem, the insurance ceases from the moment they receive this documentation.
I’m merely stating that Allianz wouldn’t accept just a photo- I haven’t said anything about being anywhere else or France not belonging to the French.
I don’t know what happened but it’s resolved now thankfully…