Zurich Insurance - My experience

ZurichCustomer

My experience dealing with the Zurich Insurance Indian call center.
It took me 16 calls over a period of four hours spread over three days to log an insurance claim with Zurich Insurance.
This may or may not be representative but is my experience.

Thursday 3rd December 2009
Telephone call 1
19:15 Zurich Insurance representative: Unknown
After waiting on hold for 15 minuets the telephone was answered and
then the call was immediately terminated without warning.

Telephone call 2
19:30 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
This person was difficult to understand. Here use of grammar made the
conversation even more difficult. I noted a few of the phrases that she
used while we attempted to conduct an understandable conversation.
Some of the quotations from the conversation are below.
I do not understand any of them and did not understand the conversation.
"More clear with me?"
"Your make it clear with me?"
"You're going to make me understand"
19:44 She terminated the conversation without warning.

Telephone call 3
20:04 Zurich Insurance representative: Refused to provide a name.
On answering the telephone your representative requested that I call
back. I explained that I was calling back for the third time.
The telephone call was terminated without warning.

Friday 4th December 2009
Telephone call 4
17:28 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
On answering the telephone I was placed on hold for 20 minuets.
17:40 I provided my policy details and we proceeded to go through basic
information such as home address and telephone number at a very slow
pace.
17:52 I was informed that I could not be transferred through to the relevant
department because they were too busy. I was placed on hold again.
17:55 I was informed that the IT system was down.
The telephone call was terminated without warning.

Friday 4th December 2009
Telephone call 5
17:57 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
The call was unable to proceed apparently because your IT system was
being upgraded.Your representative refused to continue the conversation.
18:04 I terminated the telephone call.

Telephone call 6
18:15 Zurich Insurance representative: Unknown
The telephone call was answered promptly and then nothing happened.
I could hear voices in the background but nobody was speaking to me.
18:04 I terminated the telephone call.

Telephone call 7
19:35 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
I was placed on hold.
19:50 The phone was answered.
They did not have access to any information and was just taking
messages.
I asked her why she did not have access to any information but she did
not know. I was placed on hold again.
20:00 The telephone call was terminated without warning.


Friday 5th December 2009
Telephone call 8
09:13 Zurich Insurance representative: Not Known
Call terminated without warning after I gave my address.

Telephone call 9
09:15 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
Full name was refused but the Team name of "Angels and Daemons" was given.
09:29 I was transferred to someone (for reasons unknown) and the line was then cut off
without any warning. I do not know why. Nobody answered.

Telephone call 10
09:30 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
I was requested the date of the accident.
I requested the telephone number of a UK based team.
09:35 The telephone call was terminated without warning after I gave my address.

Telephone call 11
09:30 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
Information on my personal details were requested along with the policy number.
Information on the car insured under the policy number was requested. I questioned why I
was being requested information on the vehicle under the insurance policy because I had a
already provided the policy Number.
I was informed that they did not have access to any information online and that
if I wanted to deal with someone who did have my
policy details available then I would need to be transferred to another team.
09:42 The telephone call was terminated without warning.

Telephone call 12
09:30 Zurich Insurance representative: Unknown
The call was immediately terminated without warning.

Telephone call 13
09:35 Zurich Insurance representative: Unknown
I requested the direct contact details of a UK based representative.
The call was terminated without warning.

Telephone call 14
09:42 Zurich Insurance representative: Refused
I could not understand the person who answered the telephone.
I terminated the telephone call.

Telephone call 15
09:42 Zurich Insurance representative: Refused
I requested the direct contact details of a UK based representative.
I was informed that this was not possible.
I insisted that I be given the direct line telephone number of a UK based
team.
09:50 I was transferred through to a UK based Sales representative who
was very nice but did not deal with insurance claims and did not know of
any UK based telephone numbers.
09:52 I terminated the telephone call.

Telephone call 16
10:02 Zurich Insurance representative: ** censored **
I managed to log the insurance claim without incident.

mazza111

Had similar with Zurich a couple of years ago, complained to them in writing twice, ended up getting £50 in M & S vouchers. But left them after being with them for 10 yrs because of their call centres; it's like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing

Quote

OP - is there something wrong with your phone?

olly300

Quote wrote: »

OP - is there something wrong with your phone?

There is nothing wrong with the OP phone. In fact I would say the OP is too patient.

I've not experienced that with insurance companies because I won't stand for it, however have experienced it with other companies.

Now if they tell me to telephone twice and don't get through for any reason, I sent a complaint letter to the company by recorded or special delivery either threatening them with their regulator or court action.

glider3560

I would think that either the OP's phone wasn't working properly or the OP was being impolite with the staff. To be disconnected 11 times out of 16 almost certainly means one of these two things.

olly300

glider3560 wrote: »

I would think that either the OP's phone wasn't working properly or the OP was being impolite with the staff. To be disconnected 11 times out of 16 almost certainly means one of these two things.

Nope it doesn't.

Unfortunately some call centres employ staff who don't give a damn, and know they can get away with disconnecting callers at certain times who they think have difficult problems. I've worked in call centres in the past and in one I was shocked about what some of the staff tried to get a away with. Strangely they were always recruiting new staff.

I've been given the run around by two companies because they thought I had a difficult problem. Subsequently I put in a written complaint that got it sorted. Which is why I only phone twice before putting things in writing now.

glider3560

olly300 wrote: »

Unfortunately some call centres employ staff who don't give a damn, and know they can get away with disconnecting callers at certain times who they think have difficult problems. I've worked in call centres in the past and in one I was shocked about what some of the staff tried to get a away with. Strangely they were always recruiting new staff.

I've worked in Zurich's call centre and there is absolutely no way you would get away with disconnecting customers for no reason. This was specifically highlighted in the training they gave us. In my time there I only ever disconnected 2 people - both were being very abusive and threatening (they used language I wouldn't dare repeat here).

mazza111

Seriously, I've had the same problems with Zurich, as soon as it changed it's name to Zurich, from.Eagle Star. Never had any problems when I managed to get through to a uk call centre, even when the assistant was called an indian name, but anytime I got through to the call centres in Asia it was a complete nightmare

Maybe things work different in the uk centres to what they do in the indian call centres, cause i had nothing but problems with them. At the end of the day it cost them a customer who was insuring 2 cars with them and had been with them for around 10 years.

olly300

glider3560 wrote: »

I've worked in Zurich's call centre and there is absolutely no way you would get away with disconnecting customers for no reason. This was specifically highlighted in the training they gave us. In my time there I only ever disconnected 2 people - both were being very abusive and threatening (they used language I wouldn't dare repeat here).

You have mentioned nothing about the computer system disconnecting people or dealing with them when they are redirected to another queue.

ZurichCustomer

In reply. There is nothing wrong with my telephone - or to put it more scientifically - I have not experienced similar problems on other telephone calls.
My opinion is that this is just down to the call center staff.

What I do not like is that prior to taking out the insurance with Zurich I asked the Zurich sales person on the phone if they used Indian call centers. No was the reply.

I have detailed the above in a letter to their complaints department. I do have the names of the staff that were dealing with me but I've removed them from the contents that I posted on this website in order to protect the guilty. In addition, I informed them that any letter from any legal department or representative will also be posted up in full.

Interestingly, I spoke to the same staff member twice who cut me off previously.
I asked him why he cut me off and his reply was that he did not cut me off but was transferring me to another department.

The above telephone exchanges are on a few more websites.

In my complaint letter I am requesting the below within 14 days:
[FONT=&quot]Apology
Explanation as to why their salesman lied on informing me that they do not use Indian call centers.
[/FONT]Cancellation of my Zurich home insurance
Cancellation of my car insurance
Payment of £25 for my letter.
Payment of £10 for the telephone calls
50% refund payment on the cost of my motor insurance - about £150 odd

or
[FONT=&quot]Financial Ombudsman[/FONT]

I will post here on how I get on.
My opinion of Zurich is that they are pants, but that's just my opinion. Yours may be different.

Cheers and thanks for reading

ZurichCustomer

glider3560 wrote: »

I would think that either the OP's phone wasn't working properly or the OP was being impolite with the staff. To be disconnected 11 times out of 16 almost certainly means one of these two things.

I was impolite with a couple of the staff or maybe three at the most. Sometimes you are dealing with such an idiot that it is difficult not to be - and I mean real idiot's here - the ones that can not manage to form an understandable sentence.
This would account for at most three of the terminated calls but does not account for the others.