Insurethebox

Pincher

Car insurance renewal coming up.

Insurethebox was launched in June 2010, and somehow tied into an exclusive deal with Moneysupermarket. I can't seem to find any reviews.

It's similar to the Aviva (Norwich Union) Pay As You Drive policy,
where they fit a tracker device (for free) to your car. You get 6000 miles for the initial premium, and then you can top up in 250 miles increments. Since I do about 4000 miles a year, it's a reasonable deal.

They insist on automatically renewing you by keeping your credit card details, which is nasty. Obviously I simply use a card with an early expiry date. I also cannot find details on what happens if I leave after one year. Do I keep the tracking device,
or do I have to pay for it to be removed?

Aviva discontinued the Pay As You Drive scheme three years go, citing lack of interest, possibly due to the invasion of privacy issue.
I checked it out at the time, and it was simply too expensive, even for low milage drivers. One good thing about this is, you effectively get a Tracker service for free.

Anyway, just looking for some feedback before going for it.

forgotmyname

Naughty posting on behalf of a company without permission.

NOT the OP by the way, Looks like the 2nd post got removed.

spacekatey

Have you made any progress?

I stumbled upon this company and it sounds interesting but like you I'm struggling to find reviews/independent info - I found one very positive review on the moneysupermarket website from July but that's all. I can't post links on here but if you google insurethebox review it should be up there.

It says if you change cars they just switch the old box off and fit you a new one unless specifically requested to remove it which they will do for free. Perhaps this is the same if you don't renew?

When I clicked through to test the application there was an option to opt-out of saving card details for automatic top-ups and renewal - not sure how this ties in with their t&c's?

It also says they will send a renewal notice regardless and you can contact them to cancel it which is a pain but I think other companies do have similar methods and "assume" you're renewing if you pay by direct debit say so you have to explicitly cancel before the renewal date.

Pincher wrote: »

Car insurance renewal coming up.

Insurethebox was launched in June 2010, and somehow tied into an exclusive deal with Moneysupermarket. I can't seem to find any reviews.

It's similar to the Aviva (Norwich Union) Pay As You Drive policy,
where they fit a tracker device (for free) to your car. You get 6000 miles for the initial premium, and then you can top up in 250 miles increments. Since I do about 4000 miles a year, it's a reasonable deal.

They insist on automatically renewing you by keeping your credit card details, which is nasty. Obviously I simply use a card with an early expiry date. I also cannot find details on what happens if I leave after one year. Do I keep the tracking device,
or do I have to pay for it to be removed?

Aviva discontinued the Pay As You Drive scheme three years go, citing lack of interest, possibly due to the invasion of privacy issue.
I checked it out at the time, and it was simply too expensive, even for low milage drivers. One good thing about this is, you effectively get a Tracker service for free.

Anyway, just looking for some feedback before going for it.

Gene_Hunt_2

Lets all press spam.

Pincher

Tried to arrange a Clearbox install before going away for Christmas by phoning the install number. Called every day for a week, somebody always pickup, but the person who deals with my post code is never available, and no one ever calls back.

Finally, the correct person picks up, makes the appointment for Saturday the 18th December, and I repeated for the fourth time that if they miss this appointment, then it will be January. Somebody calls on the 18th to cancel the appointment, snow stops play (true). How about Monday the 20th? :eek:

Anyway, rescheduled for 5th January, and the engineer parked in front of my drive around 10:15, and THEN called me.

The install was OK. He opened up the passenger door frame trim, cut three wires and soldered in the connections. Solder joints were taped with electrical tape (cheapo, might fall off), as opposed to heat shrink.

He says it's LIVE, EARTH and IGNITION. Ignition tells the ClearBox that you have started the car, but it has power all the time. I had previously left the car for a whole month and the battery was OK. With continuous draw on the battery, I fully expect the next time to come back to a flat battery. If this happened at an airport car park, a Breakdown service would be vital.

The actual Clearbox was behind the glovebox, with an aerial hidden higher up inside. The actual positions depends on what car you have. The aerial can send and receive through glass, but not metal, so it has to be near the windscreen. He says it's done through satellites.

The cover period is about to start. I have had no pro-active communication from insurethebox, other than ONE e-mail when I paid, telling me it's an online DIY setup, so I have to print my own Certificate.

They claim that they will analyse my driving style,
and this will be reflected in the premium next year.
This is a conflict of interest, as insurance companies want to bump up your insurance renewal premium, so it is not in their interest to say I'm a good driver. In principle, I can simply switch insurer next year if they play that game. If they play fair, then hopefully I will have reduced premium next year.

One good thing about this setup is, I am getting a Tracker for free. Because you only get 6000 miles, high milage drivers won't really benefit, as the extra miles you have to buy nullifies the free Tracker benefit.

If I have a bump, they say they will call me on my mobile to offer assistance, but there is no breakdown cover included! I wish they would include a Bluetooth capability in the ClearBox, so that if I broke down in the middle of nowhere, I can make a satellite call through the ClearBox for help. I have a Bluetooth Handsfree in the car.

forgotmyname

Did you ask who they sell your info into?

Must be a sideline /backhander somewhere in there.

sally_baylis

My younger son chose insure the box and has found them incredibly helpful as well as cheap. He has also clocked up bonus miles for good driving (as his mum, I find this hard to believe!), which he says is equivalent to at least a 10% additional saving. Like him I am a low-mileage driver and will definitely give them a go when my existing policy expires. Sally

forgotmyname wrote: »

Did you ask who they sell your info into?

Must be a sideline /backhander somewhere in there.

Pincher

forgotmyname wrote: »

Did you ask who they sell your info into?

Must be a sideline /backhander somewhere in there.

No, but I did tick or unticked the usual declarations.
Why should there be a backhander more than usual?

Pincher

sally_baylis wrote: »

My younger son chose insure the box and has found them incredibly helpful as well as cheap. He has also clocked up bonus miles for good driving (as his mum, I find this hard to believe!), which he says is equivalent to at least a 10% additional saving. Like him I am a low-mileage driver and will definitely give them a go when my existing policy expires. Sally

I don't actually need the Bonus Miles, as I do 4,000 miles a year.

I'm just hoping the driver scoring will bring down my renewal premium: fat chance! They are bound to reward me with miles I won't use instead.

I did record the milage on the first day of the policy, in case the Clearbox is not accurate. The Clearbox hasn't drained the battery, which was my main concern. As it takes several months before the driving stats come out, I suppose it's just wait and see now.

forgotmyname

Keeping costs down by selling the data onto 3rd parties?

Kilty_2

Are they really that cheap?

Quoted me £700 more than Admiral did despire being mileage limited to 6k and not "up to 8k".