Beware of Octagon Car Insurance

Mickey_B

The worst company I have ever dealt with!!

Had a no fault accident and reported claim 8th Jan. Heard nothing from company since and have tried repeatedly by phone (for hours and hours) and emails to customer services and claims departments to make contact without success.

Repeatedly end up in phone queues only to be eventually disconnected.

I cannot find out anything from anybody about the claim. Just keep hitting a brick wall!!

How can I progress this, short of physically walking into their offices and demanding action?

minibus1978

Hi all - I feel the need to reply. I have used Octagon for several years. In that time I have had 1 issue (to do with a cancelled DD instruction) which was entirely my fault - whilst it caused a problem they did everything they could and allowed me to reset up my insurance once anything owing was cleared.
I'll agree that they are definitely not a bells and whistles company but they are very good value and do what they say on the tin.
As far as posts about claiming that they have lost the no-claims letters sent in surely the simple answer to this is to send it recorded - whilst you may well have posted the items there is no guarantee that Royal Mail delivered it!! An extra £ and assurance is guaranteed - I have to do the same with the student loans company and tend to send anything that is so important via the same method.

Lastly - regarding all the moaning about the dates on letters of cancellation - the Law states that the DRIVER has responsibility to be sure that he / she has required insurance for every given journey. I know because I fell foul of this several years ago when a letter turned up saying as I had not posted my no claims proof my insurance had been cancelled (Not with Octagon) - sadly I already knew this because I was pulled the night before receiving the letter and was fully prosecuted. (quite rightly) - so, lesson learnt - if you have sent your no claims letter off and have not had confirmation then check before driving anywhere. Preferably send it registered post and make sure it has been signed for!

Having had experience of several insurance companies I find Octagon no different in service to anyone else .... I do, however, find them cheaper!

Just thought I would add some balance )

chanz4

I have been with them this past year, been fine although wouldnt beat the quote by £20 from somewhere else

Hard_Saver

Just read the whole of the above thread on Octagon.

It's that time of year again for me. Just got the reminder. The usual automatic 30-40% premium increase apropos of nothing in particular other than what they they can screw me for.

Been driver since 1967. Never known car insurance market as bad as now. Octagon sounds truly dire, but various claim experiences of family and friends, recent TV documentaries etc, have not convinced me that the 'big' names smell of roses either.

DaCouch - thank you so much for going to the trouble of sharing your insights into this industry and its many scams.

And thanks too to those whose dreadful experiences serve as a warning to the likes of myself as I scour the screens yet again for a half decent quote for another year's car insurance. My heart goes out to you guys.

I have had a few claims over the years. All of them no-faults, all a waste of time claiming for, all of them wish I hadn't bothered, because I just became a rich picking yet again for assessors, body-shops, courtesy car providers and transporters, all taking their rake-off and jacking premiums up yet more for everybody as they struggle to trample over each other in the gold rush that is car insurance these days.

Seems like the problem is that car insurance is mandatory. Sure, I know it has to be. But it provides a platinum opportunity for over-exploitation of the consumer over which there seem very few controls.

It pains me that, without any real trust in the value of any car insurance product, I am being held to ransom every time I hand over another premium. It seems like the only real "insurance" motorists get these days is a piece of paper to prove they are within the law.

mystic_bertie

avoid like the plague :mad::mad::mad:

i had an accident last weekend which was caused by third party, reported it on monday to octagon, they answered quick, told me a claim handler would get back to me within 48 hours.

no call from them, i have phoned many times over the last 3 days and still not getting anywhere, they try and transfer me, existing claims do not answer the phone, customer services eventually answer but tell you they will send an email to the claims team, new claims dept answer right away but they are unable to do anything and just email the claims team or transfer you.

I have a new job starting soon and i need my car and its driving me crazy this, im getting nowhere no matter how much i complain. Im worried as this is how bad it is at the start of the claim procedure so i fear how long it will take to get any money out them for my car.

just avoid this mob, full stop.

snorkybingo

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?

Hi, sorry to hear this as this happened to me around 2004 with Direct Line insurance. The accident was definitely not my fault, driver driving at night without lights, also very old with very poor eyesight and hearing. I was wrongly blamed for the accident as he was travelling in a company vehicle with a passenger (lying witness?) he worked for a large local company and it's my guess insurance companies look after clients with large insurance policies. I lost half of my 5 years no claims and when I protested to DL they didn't want to know, I will never use them or their associated companies again.

Up until 2 weeks ago I was insured with Octagon. I didn't have business use and was asked by my new company to upgrade my policy to have business use. I was told by my companyt it's usually free and they'd never had anyone who had been refused in 10 years. Not until now as Octagon refused. As a result I had to cancel my insurance at a cost of £50 and I would receive a £50 refund with still 5 months on my policy. They also told me that I couldn't continue my breakdown cover which I took out 3 months after the start my Octagon Insurance policy. I decided to cancel 2 weeks later, just to keep the breakdown cover a little longer and the refund reduced by £12 in 2 weeks leaving me with £38. The proof of no claims that took me 2 phone calls and an email to get wasn't accepted by my new insurance company who said they couldn't accept it due to it not being on headed paper. I had to make another phone call to their costly 0844 number. I've found Octagon to be the worst insurance company I've used in 25 years. They are just out to make as much money as they can from their customers after they have signed up. I must have spent nearly £10 in phone calls to their customer services department just in order to cancel and put their mistakes right. They may be initially cheap but they really do know how to make it back. Good riddance!

annaspanna

We have been experiencing recent problems with Octagon, basically a long story but they are refusing to confirm insurance and we cannot locate the original certificate of insurance, which we thought we overlooked, now am thinking may never have been sent (by the posts below).
Anyway they are stating that they dont think the insurance was ever valid so I have cancelled future payments and want to write and complain and advise why we have done so.
The only contact details on their site are phone and email and I am searching for a business directory, but wondered if anyone had any address. I have the name of the CEO so will write direct to him.

snorkybingo

annaspanna wrote: »

The only contact details on their site are phone and email and I am searching for a business directory, but wondered if anyone had any address. I have the name of the CEO so will write direct to him.

Hi, sorry to hear about your bad news with Octagon, not a surprise really but here's their address and phone number.

Octagon Insurance
Europa House
Midland Way
Thornbury
Bristol
BS35 2JX

Tel: 0844 561 4615

Good luck!

jellytot61

Both me and my husband were insured with octagon when a third party driver drove into my husbands parked car which then caused his to bump into mine.

We contacted octagon immediately turning down the option for the third party insurers to take care of everything for us thinking our own insurance company would be more our side. How wrong could we have been we have had nothing but issues ever since.

This accident was in nov 2012 and its still not been settled now nearly a year later. All hire costs and excesses have been paid by the third party And there was never any dispute over fault as we weren't even in the vehicles and the other company (rsa) have told us several times they are just waiting for the bill to be sent over. However, Most recently my husbands insurance is now up for renewal and octagon have sent his certificate with only 4 years no claims when this should be 7 and they have highlighted that he had had an at fault accident. When we contacted octagon they told us this was because the claim was still ongoing... Clearly there fault and not ours!!!

You spend hours and I mean hours on the phone in a queue often to be cut off. We have been lied to on more than one occasion. We are currently being told my husbands certificate is to be amended and will be sent another updated one but I can honestly say I will not hold my breath. There's a reason they are so cheap and that's because they are cowboys and certainly DO NOT DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN as someone said earlier. Yes they are cheap and are fine if you don't ever need to contact them. God help u if u do!!!!

vman2000

Octagon is on all comparison sites and therefore everyone is a potential victim..

These large comparison sites must be informed of this else they face the risk of loss of reputation.

So if anyone has horror stories, please inform the comparison sites so that they are fully aware of the poor practice of companies such as Octagon.

Hopefully this will encourage sites not to advertise these predator-esk companies.

In addition, make sure you tell all Standards Agencies (i.e. Trading Standards) and Watchdog /Ombudsmen.

As companies such as Octagon deal with the public, this information is of public interest.

Maybe just maybe, these companies can be prevented from trading in such an irreputable manner.

Hope the revloution for the good of consumers being victims of disgraceful customer service, small-print and exclusion clauses, begins! :O)