Is a insurance company allowed to do this to you?

my insurance company sent me a cancelation notice for april 3 due to lack of payment on april 2 i went to a new insurance company to have me covered starting april 3 a month goes by with the new insurance company and they give me a call saying we cant insure you becuase you are still insured y old company. i call my old insurance broker and they said that i was canceled then they call main company and say that they reinstated me. i ask him why and he says he doesnt no. I didnt want to be reinstated by this old company the quote was way way to high. they now say that i have to pay them the begining of the year up to now cause they are covering me. I have letters of cancelation i was never sent any reinstatement letters they did it without me knowing and when i try to cancel with them they tell me i am going to have problems with the dmv. All i want is to have my policy canceled which is should of been since the 3rd of april and be with new company when i call them tommorrow what should i say