“They just kept passing me around”: How a minor car park scrape turned into a long battle with an insurer

A routine trip to the supermarket, a tight manoeuvre in the car park results in a clipped bollard. The kind of minor accident most drivers brush off as one of those things.

For Dave, the damage was cosmetic. The car still ran fine, it should have been a straightforward insurance claim, pay the compulsory excess, get it sorted and move on.

But when he checked his policy, something stood out.

“I looked at the insurance schedule and expected to pay the compulsory excess, but not the voluntary one.”

Based on the wording in his documents. His voluntary excess applied only in specific situations:

“loss or damage… caused by fire, lightning, explosion, theft or attempted theft.”

This was none of those. It was accidental damage in a car park.

So when the claim came back with the voluntary excess applied anyway, Dave assumed it was a simple mistake.

But it wasn’t…

A slow, frustrating loop

What followed was a familiar kind of stalemate.

“Sainsbury’s and AXA initially ignored us, then delayed before redirecting us between each company, they were blaming each other.”

Instead of a clear answer, Dave found himself stuck between two organisations – Sainsbury’s, who sold the policy, and AXA, who underwrote it, and each interaction seemed to move things sideways rather than forward.

When he tried to pin things down by quoting the actual policy wording, it didn’t cut through.

“If I did talk to them on the phone and quote their own wording at them then they just gaslit me.”

Rather than acknowledging the discrepancy, the responses made it feel like the issue was his misunderstanding, not theirs.

The moment you’re expected to give up

This is the point where most people stop. It’s “only” £250, you’ve already got the hassle of dealing with car damage. The process is dragging on, you’re being passed around. It becomes easier to just pay and move on.

But Dave didn’t.

“If I feel I’m being treated unfairly I dig my heels in, not gonna be pushed around.”

Instead of backing off, he escalated.

Bringing in outside pressure

After getting nowhere through the usual routes, Dave took it further, contacting his local MP.

And that’s when things shifted.

“Eventually [it] was only resolved after our MP got involved!”

The outcome was clear:

The voluntary excess was waived
AXA acknowledged the wording “can be interpreted” differently
Sainsbury’s admitted there had been an error

After weeks of delay and deflection, the issue was suddenly recognised.

The unanswered questions

But for Dave, that wasn’t the end of it, now the error had been admitted, the obvious next question is: how many other drivers were affected?

“We are still trying to clarify… are Sainsbury’s contacting other customers who may have been incorrectly charged voluntary excess?”

So far, he says, there hasn’t been a proper answer, because if the policy wording led to one incorrect charge, it’s unlikely to be a one-off.

“I’m surely not the only one who’s been affected.”

Why this matters

The key detail in Dave’s story isn’t just the wording, it’s the situation.

“Luckily the car was still driveable… but if you needed the car repaired quickly then they’ve got you over a barrel.”

That’s when people are most likely to accept charges without question. When you need your car back on the road, speed matters more than principle, and that’s exactly when errors can slip through unnoticed.

“If, when I originally contacted them, they’d said ‘we’re sorry there is a mistake’ and put it right then that would be the end of the matter – they didn’t.”

Instead, what followed was, in his words, “a pattern of ignorance, delay and redirection”.

So he kept pushing, not just for himself, but for anyone else who might have been caught out.

“I’m taking them to task over this, not least if it helps other customers.”

If this happens to you, here’s how to handle it

Dave’s experience gives you a clear steps to follow:

Read your policy wording, don’t just assume
Look at the exact terms. Insurers often rely on people not doing this. Don’t assume the insurer is right—check the wording yourself. Policies are often complex, but the detail matters. In this case, everything hinged on a single endorsement.
Challenge anything that doesn’t match
If the charge doesn’t align with the wording, question it, clearly and repeatedly. Use their own documents. Quoting exact wording puts you on much stronger ground than arguing in general terms.
Keep everything in writing
Phone calls can be brushed off. Written records are more difficult to ignore.
Don’t accept being bounced between companies
If two firms are involved, make them explain who is responsible, don’t do the legwork for them. Expect resistance, and don’t let it derail you. Being ignored, delayed, or passed between departments is common, it doesn’t mean you’re wrong.
Escalate sooner than you think
Formal complaints, regulators, and even your MP can make a real difference when standard channels fail. If you’re being ignored or delayed:

File a formal complaint
Take it to the Financial Ombudsman if needed
Contact your MP

“If you have also been charged incorrectly I suggest you also contact your MP to help.”

It worked here, and it can work for you.

Push past the point most people give up
This is often the difference between losing and winning. The system often relies on people giving up. Simply continuing, calmly, consistently can be what tips things in your favour.

“If they’d just said sorry and fixed it at the start, that would’ve been the end of it… they didn’t.”

Dave’s story started with a minor scrape, but it ended with something more significant in an admission of error from a major insurer, and not because the system worked smoothly, but because he refused to accept an outcome that didn’t match the facts in front of him.

And importantly, ask the bigger question; Are other customers being impacted too?

You may not get a straight answer, but asking it puts pressure on the company to look beyond your individual case. As Dave’s experience shows, sometimes the issue isn’t just what happened to you, it’s how many others never realised the same thing happened to them.

With Resolver Stories you can read real experiences of people fighting for fairness and share your own. Whether you scored a big win or are stuck in a never-ending nightmare, we want to hear from you!

Resolver Stories are based on individual consumer experiences and reflect the account of the person involved. Businesses mentioned have not necessarily responded to the claims described.

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