Hastings car insurance - The worst car insurance company ever!!

dug123

Well my car insurance policy runs out in August with Hastings:beer:
Last time I spoke to them I told them to make sure it was not renewed. I never ever wanted to speak to them again. See thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2576473=

So today I received a letter saying my insurance would be renewed and if I did not want to renew I had to phone a number to cancel:eek:

So here we are Saturday morning I have so far yesterday and today spent over 3 hours trying to get someone at Hastings to speak to me.
I am holding on the phone now as I write this and "my call is moving up the queue"
It has now been moving for 53 minutes. This time I have put new batteries in my phone and I am going to hang on all day if needs be.

I have got to cancel this policy and get rid of Hastings forever.

THEY ARE AN ABSOLUTE F***ING NIGHTMARE.

If they have not answered before my batteries run out I am going to have to write to them recorded delivery.

terryw

Why not just use the "contact us" form on the web page?

Here it is:
https://www.hastingsdirect.com/quotehisl/faces/views/common/ContactUsForm.jsp

Inactive

Or send them a recorded delivery letter.;)

Quentin

Even if you do speak to them, you ought to do belt and braces over this and send your cancellation in writing by recorded delivery just in case your verbal instructions aren't carried out!

ukjoel

I think it should be against the law for a company to charge you for something you have not expressly if the renewal or charge is on a period over 11 months.
Think its bad practice

afwone

After just over a week with Hastings Direct, I would agree with OP that this is a disgraceful company.

They have written to tell me that they will add £42 to my car insurance premium on account of a free stone chip repair that was made to my windscreen in a supermarket car park (when I was covered by another insurer).

I have objected to this, but I am told that if I don't pay they will cancel my policy, and I will have to pay their cancellation fee even during the cooling off period.

I get the impression that this company's business model is about extracting what they can from the customers by what ever means possible. Providing good customer service is not something that they care too much about.

magpiecottage

DUG123 - send a letter to Hastings Direct telling them the policy is to lapse. Make sure it is dated, get proof of posting (free from Post Office) and hang onto it. No need for recorded delivery as if push comes to shove the Financial Ombudsman Service will accept that it was received two working days later.

Afwone you should disclose even a "free" repair when you apply for a policy and they can include it in their premium calculation. If it was disclosed and they are changing the premium afterwards then complain.

afwone

magpiecottage wrote: »

Afwone you should disclose even a "free" repair when you apply for a policy and they can include it in their premium calculation. If it was disclosed and they are changing the premium afterwards then complain.

I appreciate your input into this, Magpiecottage. When I completed the online form for Hastings Direct it did not cross my mind that allowing someone to squirt a little fluid into a tiny chip on my windscreen should have been listed as a claim. I was assured at the time that this minor work would have absolutely no effect on my insurance premium, and that insurance companies supported this as a free service as it prevented claims for a full windscreen repair.

A few days after taking out the policy I received a phonecall from someone at Hastings Direct who was trying to sell me further insurance that I did not want, and I mentioned the chip to my windscreen to her. I was then put through to someone who recalculated my premium.

The £42 additional sum they want to collect includes an administration fee of £35. Should I decide not to pay this, I shall have to pay a cancellation fee which I think is £50 or £55 (I can't remember which) or £25 if I am quick enough to cancel during the cooling off period.

I don't know if anyone can see this from Hastings' point of view other than that this is how they do things. For my part I feel that I am being mugged.

Quentin

Who told you a windscreen repair was "free"?

If it was the windscreen company, didn't you think it strange they needed your insurance details to complete the paperwork?

You haven't been mugged, but maybe a little naive! The repair was paid for by your insurer, and clearly a claim against the policy which has to be declared for however long the period is that future insurers ask about.

Be careful about how you deal with this as they have threatened to cancel your policy (due to your non disclosure/failure to pay) - this can have much more problems for you than paying a slight £7/year premium increase, as you may find you are no longer wanted by any other mainstream insurer.

afwone

Quentin wrote: »

Who told you a windscreen repair was "free"?

I am stung by your accusation of naivete. The display in the supermarket car park where someone attended to my stone chip had prominent signs to the effect that the service was free. I was given every assurance also by the person there that there would be no effect on my insurance premium. In a quick check of websites for companies that repair chips, I see the word 'free' figures prominently. I have also come across a thread in these forums where several posters give exactly my understanding of the situation with a stone chip repair.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/432859

Incidentally, my insurance has been fully comp, I have had maximum no claims discount, and I have subscribed to no claims discount protection.

If it was just a £7 pound addition to my premium, I would grumble but probably not bother posting on a thread complaining about Hastings Direct. My complaint is the way this company makes its money by levying fees for every eventuality.

A bill for £42 offends my sense of justice.

Quentin

afwone wrote: »

I was given every assurance also by the person there that there would be no effect on my insurance premium....... If it was just a £7 pound addition to my premium, I would grumble but probably not bother posting on a thread complaining about Hastings Direct. My complaint is the way this company makes its money by levying fees for every eventuality.

A bill for £42 offends my sense of justice.

You need to train your guns on the windscreen repairer - though they are experts in repairing windscreens, not on what happens to an insurance premium when the policyholder makes a claim!

You told us it was a £7 premium alteration - the rest was the admin charge.

You asked us to show how this looks from Hastings pov - which is that you didn't declare the claim, and now are refusing to pay them the bill they have raised after discovering your omission.

As already posted, if you end up with them cancelling the policy, then this will all have been a much more expensive incident than the £7 you should have paid originally, and has already escalated!