are the insurance co ripping us off?

caris

Hi

We originally went through Compare the Market for our car insurance, it came back as Bulleye was the cheapest for us and we went with that, although it actually goes through Swintons.

A few months ago our old car (BMW) had to be replaced and my husband got a Volvo instead, he informed the insurance and he had to pay an extra £5.00 to cover the cost of changing the policy, he said he was told on the phone that his payments would drop down to £19 and some odd pence, however his payments have sayed exactly the same as for the old car which is £33.02 a month, he phoned back after 2 payments and was told that these payments were correct and that the only differnce in the payment was £25.00, hence he only had to pay the one off payment of £5.00. We dont think this is right, surely ther must be more of a difference in price between these 2 cars especially when the BMW was a sports car model. My husband thinks that he is being ripped off by Swintons, could anyone please give any advice.

thanks
caris

vikingaero

Depends on the models of the 2 cars. Repair costs of Volvo seem high due to expensive parts and limited supply compared to the Beemer which are ten a penny.

vaio

They might well be ripping you off but I don’t think there’s much you can do. It’s a competitive market come re-newel time but mid policy they are the only one quoting.

If you can get a cheaper quote from elsewhere you could look into cancelling (but watch any charges & ncb) or even ring and see if they’ll price match. I wouldn’t hold out much hope as customer retention is not a high priority these days

Volcano

I think you've got off quite lightly.

A friend paid around £250 for their insurance, 3 months into the policy they changed their car for a similar insurance group one and was told they'd have to pay an additional £250!

As vaio said, mid-policy they have you by the short and curlies. It's fairly unscrupulous behaviour but then they are an insurance company!

Crosspatch_2

Hi - was looking for a replacement car for a Volvo now scrapped. Searched Go Compare for comp cover on a used 2003 vehicle and the premium was shown as £168 with Saga. So I bought the next car, rang Saga to change the car, and was appalled when the girl said "Oh Go Compare are quoting on New Customer rates, 25% discount, but as you have been with us for years, you don't get 25% off and your premium is £280!"

Beware Go Compare!

dacouch

Bear in mind that the older a car is the cheaper the Insurance is as the Insurers offer increasing discounts the older a car is. Often when you change to a new car that is a lower group than your previous car any reduction for the car being a lower group is eaten up by the reduction or loss of the "Age of car discount"

Gordon861

Only £5 to change vehicle? I got caught with a £25 changeover fee from Motorcycle direct, part of OneQuoteDirect, to change my bike over.

Really liked the compnay up to this point.