Marks and Spencer Car insurance - useless

sav_c

I took out an insurance policy with M&S last September. The policy was fully comp, 10 years no claims, protected.

About 2 weeks later I had a minor accident where I bumped into a parked motorbike and made it fall over. There was minor damage to the bike nothing to my car, so admitted fault and left it to the insurance.

At the end of December I bought a new car and called M&S to insure it. They told me it wasn't on their database yet as it was a new model (released 7th December 2006). They would call me back that day to let me know the deal. No one called. I followed up the next day and they said they'd call me back. No one called.

About a week later I still hadn't heard from them and called back again. I was then told that the claim from September was still open and I couldn't insure my new car until it was cleared. I enquired when it would be cleared and was told that they didn't know, maybe I should call the underwriter - Fortis.

So I started a correspondence with Fortis. I was told that there was one piece of paperwork that needed to be collected before the claim was cleared - but this shouldn't be preventing me from getting cover on the new car. I told M&S and they did the usual - we'll call you back.

I called Fortis for the next couple of weeks to get progress on the claim. It then transpired that they were waiting for invoices from the 3rd party's insurance company. These eventually arrived - but still no progress as the muppets had let the other guy drive around in a hire car for over 100 days while his bike was awaiting a part!!!!!! Again they reitterated that they were not blocking me from covering my new car.

I fed this back to M&S and their story changed again to 'we need the post claims dept to clear it from the system before you can change your policy'. They apparently left a message for post claims and they would call me back. After a week, there was no response from post claims. I called again, they'd call me back etc. Another week went by, no response from post claims.

I have asked to speak to post claims myself - they don't have a phone number, only an internal email address! I have tried to complain only to be told that there is nothing they can do until post claims clears it from the system.

I then took out a new policy with ESure for the new car with the intention of cancelling the old policy - I was willing to forfeit the remainder of my cover period (no money gets returned if you make a claim). I asked to cancel - and was told that I can't do that until post claims clears the claim from the system! Meanwhile ESure is asking for proof of no claims - which I can't provide as I can't cancel the policy!!!!!!!!!!!

I've never heard of a more 'computer said no' case in my life. It's been 2 months that the incompetent f**kwits have carried this on for. It's cost me about £40 in phone calls!

I have now written to Stuart Rose in the vain hope that someone might get it fixed!

Heinz

Go via Quidco and and get £120 cashback on car insurance (I think Zurich, Screentrade and Lloyds TSB and are now offering that much).

I got fully comp for self and spouse for £43.80!

sav_c

I called the M&S muppets for the umpteenth time this afternoon and found that the post claims people finally cleared the claim off the system - but guess what? No one bothered to call me and let me know.

Then they told me that the currently underwriter still won't insure my new car and that I would have to cancel the existing policy (and forfeit my full annual payment) and take out a new one with a different underwriter. So I asked to cancel the existing policy and NOT take out a new one through them. The woman on the phone was genuinely shocked! After pointing out that it's taken them 2 months to sort this mess out why would I want to give them any more money! She then had to get a supervisor to authorise a cancellation.

I had already bought a new policy with ESure and just needed to transfer my no claims bonus. Amazingly they did it over the phone, while I held, and the whole process took 3 minutes!

Look and learn M&S, stick to selling underwear and leave insurance to people who actually know something about it!

sav_c

Heinz wrote:

Go via Quidco and and get £120 cashback on car insurance (I think Zurich, Screentrade and Lloyds TSB and are now offering that much).

I got fully comp for self and spouse for £43.80!

Unfortunately I'd already bought the policy otherwise I would have done this. Thanks, I'll remember for next time.