Car Insurance, does anyone know this company?

LittleMissMPB

Looking around for car insurance, and the cheapest quotes I've been getting are between £1000 and £1200. I tried gocompare for the first time today, and a new insurance company I've not seen before comes up offering me insurance for £650.

At first I thought, great, but it's the only company who will take the insurance that low. Has anyone heard of the company before? It's Chaucer Direct. How can they afford to offer insurance so cheap?

I did notice that legal expenses is an extra £25, but it does say it covers windscreen, courtesy car etc. However, under the legal expenses explanation, it says you need this if you want to recover the excess from the other party in the event of a claim - I have 2 claims on my insurance, neither of which were my fault, but I have had to go through the process of claiming back the excess but I was under the impression that you didn't necessarily need legal cover to do so?

I would really love to get my car insurance this cheap, but I'm a bit wary having never heard of the company before, and they are the only ones willing to go under £1k (next cheapest is admiral at £1082).

whizzing

Sorry can't help you, accept to say we are in the same position. Did Go Compare and one company is coming back with £600 and something and all the rest are over £1000. We have never heard of the £600+ company, although it is not the same as the one you mentioned. I believe if something looks too good to be true then it probably is !!!

adamc260

Chaucer used to operate through brokers mainly and now they've made Chaucer Direct so that they can have the best of both worlds... still operate through Brokers but also operate directly with customers to cut the middle man out

I'd say read reviews on them but seems every company gets a slating on the internet

http://www.chaucer-insurance.co.uk/chpinsurance/en/home is their main companies page. They've been around since 1922

Their website even says

"ChaucerDirect is a trading name of Chaucer Insurance Services Limited (an FSA registered insurance intermediary) and a wholly owned subsidiary of Chaucer Syndicates Limited – part of Chaucer Holdings PLC, a publicly listed company - which trades at Lloyd’s of London. The Chaucer group is long-established with roots tracing back to 1922 and has been providing motor insurance through brokers since 1964."

It's like anything, if your their target market... they're going to offer you the best deal :-)

You don't HAVE to take legal expenses cover to get your excess back, just means you'll have to chase it up from the third parties insurer instead of getting the legal expenses company to do it for you.

BenL

We used to sell Motor Insurance through Chaucer when I worked at Abbey/Santander. They were one of a panel of insurance that were checked for the best price.

This was 5+ years ago so they are not a really new company.

Ben

dacouch

Chaucer = Run for the hills

vaio

dacouch wrote: »

Chaucer = Run for the hills

Is one view but there is also the view that insurance is just another motoring tax and some people just go for the cheapest so they have the bit of paper to make them legal and if the service is a bit crap then use the complaints/FOS procedures to get what you are entitled to.

I have used them in the past but only to be legal, I have no experience of the claims service.

At the end of the day you pays your money and makes your choice, but I can see the attraction of half price insurance/saving £500 and if I was in your position I'd go for it

bodonicated

Hi. I was just wondering whether this company were OK as they are still generating cheap quotes and in these times it looks tempting. Were you satisfied in the end (if you went for it)?

forgotmyname

Only read reviews that left doubt in my mind.

Fail to tell you all the info and send you a bill later for extra costs. Offer silly low offers if
your car is written off, And tell you to do the legwork to prove its worth more.

As above, If you need them to payout promptly and a fair price them maybe not for you. If its to get
you legal and not worth claiming for your own car then why not.

dacouch

forgotmyname wrote: »

Fail to tell you all the info and send you a bill later for extra costs. Offer silly low offers if
your car is written off, And tell you to do the legwork to prove its worth more.

When you arrange cover they check the info you supply against CUE (Claims etc), they also check the DVLA for undisclosed convictions

HandimanPaul

This year Green Insurance quoted me £928.63 through Chaucer. Chaucer have quoted me £372.24. Guess I'll cut the middle man out

Chaucer appear to only offer insurance to lower risk drivers, that's why they're so cheap. I'm guessing anyone who has had a quote is probably over 30 and has good no claims history?

BertTheRaccoon

Chaucer are alright (certainly not the worst) unlike some Gibraltar based outfits like Markerstudy