Octagon Car Insurance should I go with them?

Hi
I'm looking to take out new car insurance, and having compared through comparison sites this insurer came far cheaper than others.

I never heard this company before and would like to know other's experience with this company especially when you make a claim, and customer service.

Thanks.
«134

Comments

  • mikey72
    mikey72 Posts: 14,680 Forumite
    I've never heard of them personally.
    http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews-all-249410.html#tabs-menu
    Not stunning reviews though, but then again people normally only leave bad feedback, so 5 are bad, 1 is good.
  • bhav27
    bhav27 Posts: 44 Forumite
    mikey72 wrote: »
    I've never heard of them personally.
    http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews-all-249410.html#tabs-menu
    Not stunning reviews though, but then again people normally only leave bad feedback, so 5 are bad, 1 is good.

    Yes I did look at the link. I'm getting quote of £692 with NCB protected
    However, got £752 without NCB from swiftcover with same excess. Additional £169 for NCB protection.

    Not sure which one to buy. Any suggestions??
  • mikey72
    mikey72 Posts: 14,680 Forumite
    Swiftcover don't get good reviews either, so if it's between the two I would take the lower one if I had to.
    It's all a gamble at the end of the day.
    You pay the insurance company, they gamble they won't pay out.
    The less you pay, the more they will try not to pay out, and increase the hassle to get the money.
    They'll try to get more money where they can, so if you don't plan to speak to them, or move house, or change cars, all you'll have to contend with is if you need to make a claim.
    Any of them will put you on Askmid, so if it's just the piece of paper to make you legal you'll get it.
  • vaio
    vaio Posts: 12,287
    First Post Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    Forumite
    edited 19 September 2010 at 5:03PM
    mikey72 wrote: »
    .......The less you pay, the more they will try not to pay out, and increase the hassle to get the money.
    They'll try to get more money where they can, so if you don't plan to speak to them, or move house, or change cars, all you'll have to contend with is if you need to make a claim.........

    Looking at the threads on here I'm not sure that linkage is a strong as it used to be. It used to be if you paid peanuts you got monkeys, now you can pay gold and still get monkeys.
    mikey72 wrote: »
    .... it's just the piece of paper to make you legal .....

    That's how I look at insurance, with the FOS in the background to make sure they don't take the pi$$ if i do need to make a claim
  • bhav27
    bhav27 Posts: 44 Forumite
    vaio wrote: »
    Looking at the threads on here I'm not sure that linkage is a strong as it used to be. It used to be if you paid peanuts you got monkeys, now you can pay gold and still get monkeys.



    That's how I look at insurance, with the FOS in the background to make sure they don't take the pi$$ if i do need to make a claim

    I've read on other threads FOS takes months to sort out any complaints.
    Also you take out insurance for peace of mind but these days its just a rip off business.
  • FreddieM
    FreddieM Posts: 1,001
    First Post First Anniversary Photogenic
    Forumite
    mikey72 wrote: »
    Swiftcover don't get good reviews either, so if it's between the two I would take the lower one if I had to.
    It's all a gamble at the end of the day.
    You pay the insurance company, they gamble they won't pay out.
    The less you pay, the more they will try not to pay out, and increase the hassle to get the money.
    They'll try to get more money where they can, so if you don't plan to speak to them, or move house, or change cars, all you'll have to contend with is if you need to make a claim.
    Any of them will put you on Askmid, so if it's just the piece of paper to make you legal you'll get it.

    I am just coming up to renewal. I have been with them this last insurance year. I haven't needed to claim but read similar reviews so not sure whether I will renew with them or nit.

    To be fair however they have won a few awards.

    Cheap Car Insurance, Travel Insurance Quotes Online. Awards - Swiftcover
    If youcan lie down at night knowing in your heart that you just made someone’s day just a little bit better,you know you had a good day!!
  • mikey72
    mikey72 Posts: 14,680 Forumite
    I always use a comparison site, and usually go for a name I recognise, within 10% of the cheapest. That's ok when 10% is £20 or so, not good when it £100.
    I rarely, if ever, renew with the same company, as they hike the price up too much, and it's always cheaper online, so I figure they don't deserve the business.
    Cashback sites are good as well, I can usually get £50 or so back.
    But as you have noticed, even well known names appear to be lacking in service now. So maybe just the piece of paper is all you can expect for your money.
  • bhav27
    bhav27 Posts: 44 Forumite
    Having read all reviews of most big brands like Churchill, Privilege, Egg I found them all given same rating as Octagon.

    I agree with mikey72 that buying car insurance is just to get a piece of legal paper. Forget about claiming.
  • 0844 number put me off right away, Why charge a potential customer who may want to give you money?

    Also 0844 for the claims line. Just what you need after an accident a huge mobile phone bill.

    Also.. Registered Office: Suite 945, Europort, Gibraltar

    Are you actually fully covered as with a UK based company?

    Are they on a comparison website? I had a quote that was cheaper than all the rest but registered in Gibraltar put me off.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • bhav27 wrote: »
    Hi
    I'm looking to take out new car insurance, and having compared through comparison sites this insurer came far cheaper than others.

    I never heard this company before and would like to know other's experience with this company especially when you make a claim, and customer service.

    Thanks.

    I got a cheap quote from them and was going to pay monthly, however when I asked for a copy of the credit agreement and they refused I decided to cancel. They had already taken a £100 deposit as soon as I accepted the quote. After cancelling it took weeks of phone calls to get this back - took them minutes to debit my card and weeks to refund. That should say enough. I had also sent them renewal documents from previous insurer to confirm my NCB, and they insisted they had not received them even though I had sent them over a week previous to cancelling. When I finally got them back they had been rubber stamped as received and dated two days after I sent them. So they tell lies as well.

    I'm just glad I never had to make a claim through them because there are many bad reviews on the internet. From my own experience it was difficult getting a refund and my policy never started. The threat of creating a dispute with my credit card company and contacting the FOS seemed to make things happen.

    Avoid them if you don't want hassle...
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 606.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.7K Life & Family
  • 247.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards