Beware of Octagon Car Insurance

LouiseF_2

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This is a fairly new company so I thought I'd share my recent experience by way of a warning.

I found Octagon via comparethemarket.com. Due to a couple of recent claims I have zero NCB so I was shopping around for the best deal and Octagon came in as the cheapest. I telephoned them and confirmed that my details were correct (they are automatically transferred from the comparison site) and paid my premium in full.

The documents then took two weeks to arrive - I had to phone for a second set to be sent as I never received the first. Anyway, once I'd received them I noticed that the value of my car had dropped by £500 (it's only worth about £2k anyway so this is quite significant), the dates of my claims were incorrect and one of my two 'fault' claims had been recorded as 'no fault'.

This then gave me two options - to correct the details with Octogan and generate a higher premium, or cancel the policy and pay the £25 cancellation fee.

I'm afraid the cynic in me is wondering if this is how Octagon manages to generate the cheapest quotes - by deliberately altering policy information. I have spoken to their less-than-helpful Customer Services team who insisted that I had in fact filled in the information incorrectly in to the compariosn web site. This was definitely not the case.

I'd just like to warn other consumers to make sure you go through your policy details with a fine tooth comb with an Octagon representative before buying the policy. Don't just assume that by confirming that all your details are correct that they are! I'm afraid I've wasted £25. :mad:

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

mighty-scoob

Hi there,

I just want to second peoples warning about Octagon.

I wish that I’d never opted to use them. You get what you pay for as the saying goes.

I took insurance with these cowboys in July last year. I sent them all the relevant documentation and the first payment after my initial Direct Debit had been collected (as expected).

However, I received no official documentation after making the deposit payment. Only a request for documents such as my no claims proof etc.

To start with my monthly premium come collection day was wrong, it was about £7-£8 a month higher than confirmed, they agreed to credit me this back (but only after a very long conversation with them). I then received a letter on the 21th of August stating that as my no claims proof had not been received, and so as of the 18th my policy has been cancelled. The letter was dated the 18th and they then sent it by 2nd class post. Bravo, well done…

I effectively drove for about half a week with no insurance, and I had no idea!!

When I called the “customer servicing” team, I was simply informed that it is their right to cancel a policy, and that it’s my own fault for not forwarding the documents required.

On challenging this and advising that the documents have been misplaced at their end (they got all the other documents I sent in the same pack), I was effectively blanked and told that I hadn’t sent the document and this is why the policy had been cancelled. There was no acknowledgment about my driving with no insurance due to this, or the letter advising me as such having been sent by only 2nd class post.

I was also advised of a nice £50 cancellation fee that they would take from my refund.

I then spent about 2 months trying to complain. I was told that I needed to talk to a manger to do this, however there wasn’t one available and so I would have to settle for a call back.

This never came. You wouldn’t believe the amount of times this happened.

When I tried to complain about the lack of call back to register my complaint, I was told that this was also my fault. They had attempted to call me on several occasions but id simply not answered.

This is nonsense; I had no missed calls and no messages on my mobile. No call back had been attempted. When I asked for dates and times the agent glossed over this and moved on with the conversation.

I ended up leaving my complaint for several months due to a new bourn, however I sent them an email last week marked for the attention of the complaints team. I’ve had no acknowledgment at all, nor have I have any refund what so ever.

If I don’t get an answer in the next week or so I will be passing this to the ombudsman to deal with on my behalf.

Never in 16 years of driving have I ever experienced such a fiasco with an insurance company.

I will be sticking to the big names from now on; I implore you to do the same.

Do not under any circumstances user Octagon car insurance!! You will regret it!!

Even if taking the insurance is a smooth process, I wouldn’t like to think about what would happen if you tried to actually make a claim from them.

jillymoo

Well Mighty-scoob I am at that very stage! - Trying to make a claim at the moment and currently 1 stage away from heading to the ombudsman. I have a comprehensive policy and had an accident which was my fault - car was declaired cat c due to expense of repairs by authorised garage.

Octagon have only offered me 2 choices to settle the claim. 1) To take pre-accident value of the car less excess and octagon take ownership of the car for salvage. Or 2) to drop the claim and have the work done privately - which I have priced and is worth doing.

There is no option to retain the car and recieve the pre-accident value less excess and less salvage- a common procedure for cat c vehicles. Octagon have stated (rudely) over the phone that it is company policy not to put ANY cat c vehicle back on the road, even though there is no wording to this effect in my policy. I was also informed by one of their (again rude) advisers that it was 'irrelevant' what was stated in the policy document as this was over-ridden by company policy- this cannot be right!!

Ultimately what difference does it make to them if they recieve the salvage costs from me OR a salvage company- unless as I suspect, the cars are not scraped but sold on for a profit. Cat c has no bearing on a cars roadworthy-ness (damage to paintwork alone can write a car off) so I don't buy their arguement for keeping unsafe cars off the road.

All in all, a very unpleasent company to deal with. Based close to me in Birkenhead, from dealing with the aggressive scallys at their call centre I get the impression their wages are paid with the retained cars from accidents like mine and cash from the underhanded methods above.

The good news is I have a friend who just happens to be an insurance expert and thinks I have a very good arguement to take to the ombudsman. I will post the final verdict once it's in!

wilkesneil2

hi took a policy out with these clowns in January and always pay monthly incase a company messes me about i can walk away with my money.
on 25th Jan i paid £153.39 deposit and 15th Feb i paid £47.49 for my policy.
as the company requested my NCB I sent it from swiftcover to octagon but apparently they never received it, also they never received a second copy of it.
now on 23rd Feb they cancelled my policy and i got notifyed by letter on 2march that was dated 29th feb. 6 days after cancelling.

jaustin

I am insured with Octagon insurance and have been involved in an accident (3rd August 2012) i have sent several emails but to date (30/10/2012) nobody has contacted me to ask for details of the accident, however i have found out from a third party (a passenger in my vehicle) that i am to be found liable (which i dispute). The only contact i have had in over 3 months are "we have sent this to the relevant dept." Can anyone help? Can they accept liability on my behalf without ever contacting me? who do i complain to?

forgotmyname

Yes they can decide you were at fault and payout to the 3rd party.

Complain to Octagon. Send them a letter marked FORMAL COMPLAINT
sent recorded delivery.

dory22

i was with them in 2010 when someone smashed into me they were un helpful, didnt pass on the details, photos etc to the solictors who were dealing with the accident through them, it delayed it, 2 years 8 months later i finally get it sorted and money recieved, useless company.

dory22

jaustin wrote: »

I am insured with Octagon insurance and have been involved in an accident (3rd August 2012) i have sent several emails but to date (30/10/2012) nobody has contacted me to ask for details of the accident, however i have found out from a third party (a passenger in my vehicle) that i am to be found liable (which i dispute). The only contact i have had in over 3 months are "we have sent this to the relevant dept." Can anyone help? Can they accept liability on my behalf without ever contacting me? who do i complain to?

i threatened them with their regulator soon got themselves into gear then.

i think iv still got the paperwork and phone numbers etc i can dig out for you if you like.

Zee2

Dory22, it will be a great help if you could forward those telephone numbers you have...my sister and I have both had problems with Octagon...the worst company I have ever had to deal with

azad1980

the worst company in uk i have so many problem with them.

billy_elliot

This all sounds scarry, i have been with them for 2 month and nothing but problems from day one.

First problem was ncb proof wasn't accepted !
Second one dd was taken early and i had to pay £70 to sort it out only for them to take £210.00 and no apology .

Month 3 again payment taken early and the line manager wont speak to me . i offer to pay over the phone and it was refused. apparently i now have to pay quarterly.

i am left thinking that are theses people trading with sharp practice or even within the FSA boundaries. ...... i will find out when i have reported them to both FSA and ombudsman