Congregational & General AWOL - Terrible service

cottlad

I have B&C insurance with Congregational & General which was taken out via Kwik Fit. Recently i've had cause to claim and after speaking with Cong&Gen they agreed a claim was fine and sent me a form and asked for 2 quotes. I sent this back last week.
On Monday i tried calling them to chase up the claim and ensure they received said docs.... the following emails to them resulted after an annoying time trying to contact them by phone.... Yes maybe i started getting a little facetious but what am i supposed to do now? They are uncontactable
Any ideas what my next move should be? In anger i mentioned solicitor/ombudsman in final email but really don't want the hassle tbh.

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Email 1 14/12/10 am:
Dear Sirs,
I started calling your company at 16:00 yesterday (Dec 13th.). I probably called 3 times every minute until 16:45 hrs before i got anything other than an engaged tone. When i eventually got through i was told to hold for an agent which i did until 16:59. At that point somebody quite deliberately took the call and immediately put the receiver down. Of course, when i called back i was told the office is now closed. Must be nice working in such a customer friendly office. Please log this as a customer complaint.

The point of my call was to enquire about a current claim with yourselves. My insurance is through KwikFit. I was asked to submit 2 x quotes for guttering replacement damaged during stormy weather. I posted this last week and would like to make sure you received the quotes along with the claim form? I also need confirmation ASAP that i can go ahead and arrange for the work to be carried out. The quotes were for £740 and £610. Please could somebody call or email ASAP to confirm the above as i've tried calling your office again for over an hour to be met with nothing but an engaged tone.

My details as follows:

KwikFit ref:
Name: Address:
Tel:
Email:

Many thanks in advance

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Email 2 14/12/10 after office closed:

Dear sirs,
I've still had no response.

Your company is looking like a very unprofessional outfit.
I would be grateful if you would look into the below email immediately.

Thank you,

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Email 3 15/12/10 am
Please could somebody take the time to bother answering my below emails. This is getting ridiculous. It's rare these days i have to deal with such an unprofessional company.

Regards

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Email 4 15/12/10 pm
Is there actually anybody there?

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Email 5 16/12/10
In an effort to actually get a reply from anyone i've emailed all email addresses i could find on the website. Your non existent customer service can't surely be spread among all departments as well as claims? Surely someone will send me a reply other than the automated emails telling me that this will be passed to the appropriate person? Is there actually an 'appropriate person' working there?
Details of my claim can be found below in the original email. I've now been trying to contact Congregational and laughable for 4 days without a reply. Your phone number is constantly engaged.
This will be my last email requesting your attention. Further correspondence will be forwarded through a solicitor and relevant ombudsman.
I would like this logging as a customer complaint.
Regards

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cottlad

Doctor doctor, i feel like people are ignoring me.......

ian_h

C&G Claims service is notoriously poor and emails can take weeks to answer.

Send everything recorded delivery and only call the switchboard 01274 700700 - and DO follow through with a complaint for "maladministration" they have to report these to FSA and if enough people do it to show a trend something will be done.

Also don't forget Kwik Fit are paid as YOUR agent - let them have the hassle its one of the benefits of having an agent working for you.

Ddraig

Oh god no.Im trying to get through now.Just had a very snotty operator tell me a lot of people are on hold for claims and am now on hold,only 10 minutes up to now.Am I going to be in a foul mood after this?
My coping tiles all came off after the snow.Phoned Budget last week and they said id hear something in 5 days max.Nadda up to yet.

Ddraig

Got though for all good it is.

Ddraig

Thankyou Ian.I thought the contact would be Budget as suggested to this gentleman about Kwikfit.I have contacted Budget.After getting passed between Customer service and Claims about 5 times.I got a very helpful guy who has taken the complain.Given me his Supervisors number and said She will contact me today or tomorrow.
I was always taught it was the responsibility of point of purchase.
Cant believe C&G just said they would send a claim form and it was down to me to get 2 quotes.After 7 days.When I was told Id be contacted.So all they wil have done is set up a claim number.If they have even got that far.

kiemo

Ddraig, sorry I can't be much help but I am having similar problems with C&G.

Sent my claim form in with quotes, no response so far in writing but I have managed to get through a couple of times.

Was told this afternoon that my laptop (I was broken in to and this was stolen) was not covered as I could use it for work related duties. I am an IT manager by trade and despite having proofs of purchase etc they are already giving me the run around.

The guy I spoke to on the phone was down right rude. Very upset by the way I was spoken to and treated.

You are not alone!

John

Ddraig

I am trying to go via the route of point of purchase direction.Budget took my money.They can help.The supervisor at Budget is meant to be giving me a callback tomorrow and the csa said she will likely contact the manager of C&G.I then got told that having a gap in the tiles is classed as urgent.Id hate to see them when it is not.
Even their switchboard lady is rude. Definitely not an individual experience .This company needs sorting.Hope the FSA do something about them.
Good luck about your laptop.

kiemo

Interesting turn of events this morning. Missed a call from them and checked my voicemail to hear a message saying they were going to pay out in full less the excess and a cheque would be in the post today/tomorrow.

While I am obviously very pleased about this it does not excuse the way I was treated on the phone yesterday.

Hopefully the payment will turn up soon.

cottlad

I eventually got an apologetic email on Monday. They told me to go ahead and they'd send me a cheque for the lesser quote but who knows when that may arrive. Hopefully i'm all sorted but the whole experience with C&G has left a sour taste in my mouth. Right from the 1st moment i spoke to them and reported the claim they insisted i wasn't covered...... am sure they must try this with every customer. Told me like 4 times 'you're definitely not covered' until i asked to speak to his manager. He went to check 1 more time then came back and said 'oh, yes, you are covered for this afterall!' lol..... How many people just take no for an answer? Anyways..... sweepstake on how long cheque may take?

Ddraig

End of Feb Cottlad?!? Hope earlier.I am still awaiting a phonecall.