Hastings Direct and Advantage Insurance Company

Hastings_Direct_company_representative

Hi Spiderman72,

Thank you for taking the time to post about your experience, I am sorry to hear you you are unhappy with the service you have received. I would like to offer my assistance in getting this matter resolved. If you could contact me at the below email address with some details about your policy I would be happy to help.

Many Thanks,
Jamie Wicks,
[EMAIL="socialmedia@hastingsdirect.com"]socialmedia@hastingsdirect.com[/EMAIL]

jaydeeuk1

I'm with hastings and tbh I found them pretty good when some chump reversed in to me. It was a clear and cut case, but they sorted out repair and hire car within 24 hours. As with any company, you get idiots in CS who haven't a clue or doesn't give a sh*t. I thought I employed them mainly in my company, but looks like I missed a few.

Martyn_H

Be very careful if you insure with Hastings Essentials as it is a basic policy. For example, there's no cover for windscreen damage.

Dollardog

I changed tro Hastings when mine came up for renewal last year. From reading what's been said, I'll probably be best to start looking around for my next renewal.

Thanks for the warnings.

a67543210

Hastings Direct is the worst insurance and here is why;

My car was hit by a black horse recovery agent on steroids. I had never met them before, so they choose the wrong way to collect the car, by causing an accident.

1: During the course, Hastings direct, NEVER EVER called for updates, even after nearly two months now, but are keen to call, ONLY when you default on any payment.

2: I paid for a courtesy car + comprehensive insurance, but they refused to supply me with one, saying that I was only entitled to a courtesy car in the event that my car was a total loss.

Due to the unreasonable time my car stayed unrepaired, the extra cost endured by my family for commuting, and the non communication of their part, I reported them to the financial ombudsman.

3: After nearly two months now without a car and having a hard time moving my family to the GP or to school, I called again and they told me
-We are still awaiting the other party`s response
-We are also awaiting the police report.

I reminded that this was the same answer they had given me 3 weeks ago. The man`s reply was 'Yeah, some of these things take time'.

I then informed him that I had reported them to the financial ombudsman, then he suddenly said 'wait a minute'. After a few minute, he came back and said, 'we won`t be repairing your car again because there is a conflict of car ownership between you defaulted on your finance repayment.' I questioned him as to if everyone on the street were on point with their finance. He said it is written in my finance agreement letter..............

>>What else, apart from being irresponsible is this? Telling me that they are waiting for a police report, just to quickly instantly throw out my case, relinquishing their obligations, just a few minutes after having been informed that they were reported to the financial ombudsman?<<

They even refused to return my car to me, so I had to pay for a truck to collect my car from their garage, because they intended to start charging me £15/day, even after having had the car unrepaired for close to 2 months now, on a comprehensive insurance.

If you want to try Hastings Direct, because you want a cheap insurance, you will surely have the equivalent in service.

Oliver

Hastings_Direct_company_representative

Hi Oliver,

Thanks for posting about your experience, I am sorry to hear you are unhappy. I would like to offer my assistance to get this matter resolved. Can you please email me your policy details so that I can investigate this on your behalf. [EMAIL="socialmedia&#64;hastingsdirect.com"]socialmedia@hastingsdirect.com[/EMAIL]

Many Thanks,
Jamie

markyboy11

Everyone says Hastings Direct are great - until you have to claim ! Lets just say you get what you pay for - terrible service !! After my no-fault accident in September I got told "your excess (£300 !!!) is not our concern. You'll have to get that back " !!!??????
I had to remind them twice that it is an agreed no-fault claim and i have had to do ALL the running round between solicitors and Hastings AND the underwriters !!
It wasnt particularly cheap insurance either so - you have been warned !!
After 4 calls today I have finally got the solicitors to chase it.
If you have to claim - GOOD LUCK !

thor

Well, I certainly don't need to worry about Hasting's customer support or claiming from them as their quote was double the renewal price of my current insurer. Nevermind their bad rep for customer service why the hell are they known for being cheap?

unhappy_harry

I wish Id seen this thread before opting to go with Hastings Direct (underwritten by their Gibraltar subsidiary Advantage ICL).
the prologue...a clean licence for over 35 years, max no claims, and a squeaky clean claims history,
It had to happen sooner or later, but I fell foul of the law and ended up with a 28 day ban for a SP30 offence. As a courtesy, I informed Hastings direct of the ban and was informed I had 7 days to find alternative insurance as they were cancelling my policy with them!
Considering that having insurance refused bumps up ones premium elsewhere, this action by Hastings smacks of profiteering of the worst kind.
We are over the proverbial barrel, as to legally drive our cars on a public road, we HAVE to be insured. Now I admit I did wrong by getting caught, but why should one slip in an otherwise faultless driving career attract such actions from insurers?
I'm going to be paying more for insurance anyway without the added tag of having been refused or had a policy cancelled adding to that cost.
The worst I was expecting was to have to pay a surcharge to cover any perceived additional risk the insurers felt I now posed...but to straight out cancel the policy is to my mind grossly unfair and should be just as illegal as the act that spoiled my driving record!

BeenThroughItAll

unhappy_harry wrote: »

I wish Id seen this thread before opting to go with Hastings Direct (underwritten by their Gibraltar subsidiary Advantage ICL).
the prologue...a clean licence for over 35 years, max no claims, and a squeaky clean claims history,
It had to happen sooner or later but I fell foul of the law and ended up with a 28 day ban for a SP30 offence. As a courtesy I informed Hastings direct of the ban and was informed I had 7 days to find alternative insurance as they were cancelling my policy with them!
Considering that having insurance refused bumps up ones premium elsewhere this action by Hastings smacks of profiteering of the worst kind.
We are over the proverbial barrel as to legally drive our cars on a public road we HAVE to be insured. Now I admit I did wrong by getting caught but why should one slip in an otherwise faultless driving career attract such actions from insurers?
I'm going to be paying more for insurance anyway without the added tag of having been refused or had a policy cancelled adding to that cost.
The worst I was expecting was to have to pay a surcharge to cover any perceived additional risk the insurers felt I now posed...but to straight out cancel the policy is to my mind grossly unfair and should be just as illegal as the act that spoiled my driving record!

You may consider it unfair, but to get banned for an SP30 offence suggests you either had a lot of points already, or were doing significantly more than the prescribed limit. Although you say "It had to happen sooner or later" it really didn't. You chose to speed, and now you're seeing the consequences.


Sorry if that's not the sympathy you're looking for but you made your bed, now you need to lie in it. I don't think Hastings will be that different to a lot of other insurers in that respect - insuring banned drivers is not something many of them are interested in and it will say in your policy documents (you did read them, right?) that you run the risk of cancellation under certain circumstances, and a significant change in your risk profile (such as that represented by a ban) is absolutely grounds for cancellation.