Advice on online signatures

[mint]

Help, please!

I need to sign a couple of documents online for car insurance.  Which of the numerous sites do I need?  Must be quick, easy and free?[:)]

Thanks

[fittersmate]

Hi mint. Last time I had to do sign an online document I printed the document out, signed it, then scanned it and emailed them a copy. Would that work for you in this instance?

[suein56]

Fitter's reply will work with no problem. The advantage is that you have a ready made copy for yourself.

The downside is the amount of ink you use.

Otherwise you can sign using online virtual reality.

The forms are interactive in that you read each page and then click to move on to the next page .. so each time you click to proceed that registers with them that you have read it.

At the end .. so usually on the last page .. you click to say that you agree with what you have read and are happy to click to show that you agree.

If you don't then no problem .. you don't click to proceed and are free to 'pause'.

I did this last year .. and had some doubts as to a few phrases (even after using deepl translate and google) .. so I paused and gave the insurers a ring. All was explained to my satisfaction so then I clicked to proceed.

Some people don't read the small print .. or even the medium size print .. good luck with that if or when you want to make a claim.

[nomoss]

Fortunately my insurers (Groupama) have an office literally just across the road, so I always go in there to peruse or take home to study, or sign any documents.

That particular organisation has local offices all over France, so no-one can be too far away from one.

I personally don't think it's a good idea to deal with anyone purely in cyberspace, however much it appears that I may save.

All the cheap insurance companies I dealt with in the past went t*ts up eventually.

EDIT: I have never worried about the amount of ink my printer uses. It costs me around 30€ a year.

[suein56]

nomoss wrote : Fortunately my insurers (Groupama) have an office literally just across the road, so I always go in there to peruse or take home to study, or sign any documents.

We're with Groupama too .. but mint asked about an online signature.

Go figure.

[mint]

Thanks for all your replies.  In the end, I decided to stick with my present company because the saving does not merit having to do all the uploading and online signing and so on.

Having said that I have actually done all this stuff before with our other car, only I can't bloody remember what I did to transmit all the documentation needed.  I do remember nomoss explaining to me how to get a relevé from the previous insurer.

The memory is not what it was, alas, but I do remember the kind deeds which you generous folk so willingly do for me.

[nomoss]

[quote user="suein56"]nomoss wrote : Fortunately my insurers (Groupama) have an office literally just across the road, so I always go in there to peruse or take home to study, or sign any documents.

We're with Groupama too .. but mint asked about an online signature.

Go figure.[/quote]

I really don't know what "go figure" is supposed to mean, but it sounds pretty rude, so I assume it's some sort of clever retort.

I was merely suggesting that insuring a car with an unknown, on line, possibly fly-by-night, at best dubious, entity might not be a good idea when there are very competitive alternatives very easily and locally accessible, who will still be there when one wants to make a claim.

[suein56]

nomoss : mint asked a specific question and I answered.

There was no rudeness to you intended.

I have helped mint in the past .. as I have learnt that you have.

That's it, nothing more.

[mint]

I don't know why I allow myself to get into these situations.  Let me explain as I need somebody's help even more now!

I filled in the contract to start on 15 Feb (when my present one runs out) but, as you all know, I didn't know how to sign it online.  Also, I only had 2 out of 4 pieces of information to upload.  Not yet cancelled my old contract and not yet demanded un relevé.

As there wasn't enough time for the company to set up a direct debit for the first premium, I went ahead and paid by credit card for the year.  It was only about an hour later when I emailed to say I didn't want to take out the contract after all. I thought all would be OK.

 

I rang my credit card company to see if the money had left my account.  It hadn't left but had been authorised.  I explained to the advisor about my changing my mind and said I was ringing to alert them of a potential problem.  They said they couldn't stop payment but if it does go through, then I could contest it following the usual route.

Blow me if I didn't receive an email from the insurance company to say I couldn't cancel because it didn't comply with the conditions set out for cancellation.  I was flabberghasted.  I wrote back tonight to say the contract hadn't even started and to ask whether they did not have a cooling off period (une periode de réfection) especially as they are an on-line company.

So does anyone know more about this area of consumer law?  If the contract hasn' event started and as I hadn't signed it and had notified them of my intention not to go ahead within the hour, could they really make me go ahead with it?  My other car is already insured with them (incidentally I didn't pluck this company out of the air) a French friend had recommended them.

Come, all your heads must definitely be better than my one head! Help me with your knowledge and advice, svp.....

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