Hastings Direct SmartMiles

redpin_2

Hastings are offering me a quote over £100 less than what my current insurers renewal and others (at £730). I was wondering if anyone can en-light me on the negatives of using an insurer with a GPS box. I'm tempted, but i need help to weigh things up.

Gloomendoom

Is that the one that charges you up to an extra 20% of the original quote if they don't like the way you drive? If so, you could end up paying £876.

Bowling_4_Gold

I'm not 100% on Hasting's offering, but have used the Co-Op's version.

Yes the price is cheaper but it can always go up. I found whilst driving that I was constantly watching my speed- which although good on the face of it, meant I perhaps wasn't watching the road as much as I should have.

Also, when you have to religiously stick to sometimes silly speed limits (e.g. a road on the way to work was 40 immediately after the motorway roundabout for around 1/2 a mile- and then NSL) it does annoy the motorist behind you- as I found myself sticking to 40 right up to the signs for the NSL.

I found even mildly-fast cornering would give me a bad score (the Co-Op use a scoring system) which could potentially effect my premium. I couldn't drive after 11pm and before 6am without getting a bad score too- which was frustrating.

It also concerned me about the limitations on mileage. I moved from doing circa 40 miles a week to 350 with a new job. I felt that I had to up my estimated mileage they had on record and a suitable premium increase and fee came along with this.

Therefore yes it does save cash but you must consider whether it is worth it. My renewal came through recently and the Co-Op quoted about £200 cheaper than non-black box companies. I chose to pay the extra £200 due to the reasons above.

forgotmyname

They know exactly where you are and what the speed limits are. You go over and your in trouble.

They tend to be restrictive and costly to make changes mid term.

What if someone else uses your car and drives like a nutter? They dont know who is driving.

Makes you wonder who else will share that data.

Hastings_Direct_company_representative

Thanks for the comments.

Unlike a number of ourcompetitors, the price you pay up front is the price for the full year. The only time we will change your price is if you exceed 10,000 miles duringyour first years insurance. We measure your driving style and providefeedback alongside hints and tips on how to improve and build up big renewaldiscounts and on top of this we provide unlimited mileage at renewal.

We have developed our product,having listened to customers concerns, like those expressed on this site, andhope that our fair policy encourages people to use SmartMiles for their carinsurance needs and benefit from big price savings in the process”

If you have any questions,please feel free to call us on 0800056 3104

Many Thanks,
Jamie

forgotmyname

What about the issues of say someone else having to use my car in an emergency and not quite upto my perfect driving standards?

Would i be penalised?

It still boils down to who decides if my driving style is acceptable.

Still not convinced. Even though one did pop up as being cheapest the other year i chose a dearer option with no box.

Hastings_Direct_company_representative

Hi forgotmyname,

We are not concerned with any specific individuals driving, just the way the car you are insuring is being driven. A one off journey is very unlikely to have any significant impact on your driving score. Remember, it is important to ensure that anyone using your vehicle has the appropriate insurance cover.

Many Thanks,
Jamie

blaque_beauty92

I would suggest you DO NOT use Hastings Direct Smartmiles. They've got terrible customer service & people that DO NOT know their OWN Companies Policy.

I had my Drivers License & V5 in my mothers home address as I've just bought my FIRST car & live in student housing - I did not know it would be OK to use my student housing as an address for Drivers License so i thought nothing of it. I spent 99.9 at university address therefore I took out my policy in that address.

I sent my V5/Drivers license in a email. As they NEED the documents within 28 days or the policy gets cancelled. I had them(V5etc) in my mothers address so took a quick picture & uploaded them - The next day i sent them away to the DVLA to get a change of address. Then i called HastingsDirectSmartmiles, they hadn't receieved them, they could have cancelled it without me knowing. Then only because I called to ask whether they received that's how i found out they had not received & had to email them my documents.

As my V5/Drivers License documents were in my mothers address, they insisted that my premium should INCREASE even though i did not live there & my V5/drivers license was sent off & my current address in Wales would be the new address. They changed it to the Higher Premium address to my mothers home, even though i do not live with my mother or even pay rent there, i visit on occasion.

I was TOLD by MULTIPLE people that work at that company. Once they recieve the V5 etc with the correct address, then they would lower my premium to the original amount & back to my current Welsh address.

A month comes. I receive my new documents with my address from the DVLA, i forward them via email. Call them & ask if they are received - Will they decrease my premium to the lower amount now. The customer service person has said "yes that wont be a problem" half way through - "No we can't reduce the premium, im unsure why" I was on hold for 10/15 minutes, once he got back to me. "As you have two addresses the premium must stay at the higher premium rate"

I was told over & over again, by different customer service people once they received my new documents with my current address then the original premium would be applied. Now apparently they can't do that, they're in the wrong, they advised me incorrectly all this time. But i HAVE to pay this additional premium although I have NO association with other than its my mothers address. This is disgusting, how long that Ive been led on to think that once my documents were in order then it would be decreased to the original premium. Now i have to pay £124 instead of the original £86.

I am a student, pay rent, pay bills, now they've thrown another £30 on top of that a month. I simply cannot afford it. Im annoyed and so frustrated.

When i spoke with the first adviser about my documents being in my mothers address and they said it would increase. I stated "I stay 9 months at my student home and 3 months (summer) at my mothers"

Which was a estimate from me. As i ASSUMED that i would go back home for the summer & work & stay at my mothers. But this is not the case. I am still in my Welsh address, have no plans to go back to my mothers address apart from to visit for birthdays, Christmas etc.

So a month later, my plans have changed. I am not returning to my mothers.

They stated "You're staying there for a long period of time over a month" I said "I AM NOT." During the first phonecall with the lady, i stated the obvious that i spend 9 months in education so therefore my main address is here and for 3 months i might be at my mothers. I said this as at the time it had truth behind it, but now it no longer does. I was stating that i spent the majority of my time in Wales hence why they should keep my current Welsh address and not put it as my mothers and increase it.

They've told me over and over again, that they will change it back. But up until this week Monday, I was told different. Surely they have to honor their word, they told me they would change it back once I sent them evidence of my current Welsh address - What more should I do?

I spoke to someone today & EVERYTHING to do with my policy is related my WELSH student address. But they are insisting my mothers address should apply to my policy premium. They ask my security checks when i phone up - Whats your Postcode? Whats the name of your house? EVERYTHING is referred to my Welsh address. Its crazy that they want my mothers address to stay and increase my policy. I stated "Surely this is false information from yourselves, you cannot put they I live in Wales, My documents are my Welsh address but the premium has to be my mothers!" Its simply absurd!!

HELP?

And please DO NOT TAKE OUT Hastings Directs Smartmiles Car Insurance. They're employees are INCOMPETENT and told my FALSE INFORMATION which they are now attempting to back out of and LEAVE me with a huge bill.

Strider590

redpin wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone can en-light me on the negatives of using an insurer with a GPS box. I'm tempted, but i need help to weigh things up.

Nobody is a perfect driver, if you have an accident and that box says you were speeding 2 weeks earlier, you could find your not covered.

Given the number of morons that drive about doing 42mph on every single road and speed limit, these GPS boxes would render 90% of the population with invalid insurance.

Hastings_Direct_company_representative

Hi blaque_beauty92,

Thank you for taking the time to post, I am sorry that you are not happy with the service you have received so far on your Smartmiles policy. Can you please contact me directly with your policy details so that I can investigate this for you? [EMAIL="help@hastingsdirect.com"]help@hastingsdirect.com[/EMAIL]

Many Thanks,
Jamie

Strider590

Grrrrrrrr, %&$*&%$"*&%" dragging up old threads........