Warning to forum! QuoteMeHappy. Please be careful!!

Azimuth99

Just wanted to warn people of QuoteMeHappy Car Insurance. Please be careful. Just had the worst experience bar-none. The bottom line is, YOU end up doing ALL the work of the insurance company yourself, chasing all the problems and sub-contractors. QuoteMeHappy have NO idea what their contractors are doing, and don't care.

I got rear shunted and started the claim process some two weeks ago. Other driver was to blame.

QuoteMeHappy nominted a local repair center. Initial phone calls were brisk. Car was assessed and a date for repair was confirmed.

After this, everything falls apart quite quickly.

I paid extra for cover car whilst under repair/inconvenience - so expected a cover car.

Repair shop, Nationwide said they would provide a run-around for the two days my car would be having work done.

All seemed well.

Then I (unexpectedly) get a phone call from CCL car rentals. After a lengthy interview, and doubts they could not loan a car for two days (minimum loan period), a manager at CCL assured me a car would be available.

Come yesterday (30th), as instructed, I drive my car to the repair center and hand over the keys. Nationwide have no standby car, and seem clueless. CCL are a no show.

I have to walk home (4km), which isn't much fun when you have a walking disability. I didn't order a cab, as I thought I'd never get the money back from QuoteMeHappy, and I'm unemployed. A £6 taxi is a lot of money.

I get home in agony and phone CCL. They've forgotten all about me. Promises of call backs (handlers) - but nothing happens. Repeated phone calls to them reveal they will NOT now supply a car for under a two day loan (we can't get the money back from other party, they say).

I'm stuck.

Phone QuoteMeHappy.

First problem. Phoning QuoteMeAHappy. Every time I phone their hotline, after several menus, I get thrown out with a dead telephone line, or engaged tone. This happens five times.

Eventually, after lengthy waits, QuoteMeHappy agree the problem, and say they will hassle CCL and Nationwide.

Nothing happens.

CCL then phone (via SMS message only) and tell me that they will not be supplying a car. Full stop.

Back to QuoteMeHAppy. Again, four calls end with engaged tone or dead line. They eventually say 'My computer says they've agreed.'. No use to me.

I file an e-mail complaint to QuoteMeHappy. Sadly, this takes 24 hours. So no help there. No reply. No confirmation.

Phone QuoteMeHappy again, who now say (after another investigation and call back), that I will get a replacement car, the next day. They promise this, and that it will be delivered to my home address. They are adamant.

Next day, it gets to 10am, and no-one has shown. So QuoteMeHappy lied. I have to borrow my father's car to get to a meeting. I have no choice.

When I get back (afternoon), Nationwide phone to tell me my car is ready. Car is delivered in the afternoon. I pay £50 excess.

I register another complaint with QuiteMEHappy, asking for a partial refund. No confirmation. No reply.

I study (today) the bill from the repair center. They've charged for a hire car which I never got. So now, I'm partially implicated in fraud.

Fantastic.


Please be careful people. QuoteMeHappy don't respond to complaints, don't fix problems, and are blind to sub-contractor problems. I doubt I'll get any recompense either. Their web based approach is seriously flawed and broken, and doesn't help fix any problems encountered, because they never respond. Call center is almost unreachable.

Watch out!

PS Contrary to denials, QuoteMeHappy are actually Aviva. There seems to be some confusion.

dacouch

CCL are a credit hire company who make money by charging the other (Not your) Insurer daily rates well above the average.

http://www.carcrash.co.uk/

I'm guessing the accident you had was not your fault.

Assuming you did pay extra for a car to be provided during an accident then you may find this useful.

"15. loss of use and courtesy cars

Usually the policyholder is entitled to a courtesy car only where the policy specifically provides for it. Even where the policy does provide for a courtesy car, this will usually be in limited circumstances (for example, whilst repairs are carried out by a repairer approved by the insurer) that do not apply where a vehicle is "written-off". This often comes as a surprise and disappointment to the policyholder.

Usually we only award the policyholder compensation for loss of use of the vehicle where the insurer unreasonably delays, or wrongly declines, the claim. Exceptionally, we may say that the insurer should compensate the policyholder for loss of use where:

the insurer’s overall presentation of the policy gave the consumer a legitimate expectation that a courtesy car (or compensation for loss of use) would be provided; or
the claim was badly administered (for example, the insurer initially took the car to be repaired, delayed several weeks and then decided it was a "write-off" after all).
Where we consider it fair for the insurer to compensate the policyholder for loss of use:

If the policyholder hired a car for this period, we might require the insurer to refund the hire-car charges (plus interest).
If the policyholder did not hire a car, we might require the insurer to pay compensation for other reasonable transport expenses incurred plus inconvenience caused by lack of a car.
If we award compensation for inconvenience caused by lack of a car, we tend to award around £10 per day, if it had a material effect on the policyholder, and depending on the individual circumstances – for example, whether the policyholder had "free" access to another vehicle, availability of public transport etc."

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html

Can you give us more details so we can advise you how to complain

InsideInsurance

Azimuth99 wrote: »

PS Contrary to denials, QuoteMeHappy are actually Aviva. There seems to be some confusion.

Not sure how there is confusion, its stated at the bottom of every webpage on their site. They may however be run as a separate operation on separate systems and "Aviva" staff may be totally unable to assist with a QMH query and visa versa

I assume you did pay the extra for the hire car option rather than just having courtesy car which is the standard?

The law gives insurers up to 8 weeks to respond to a complaint, I 100% agree that this is highly frustrating when you have an immediate issue (been there myself enough times) but ultimately they are evidently well within their time limits for responding.

Azimuth99

@InsideInsurance & @dacouch

Thanks for replies. That was quick.

I'll try and answer your queries (not in logical order)

1). Accident was not my fault.

2). Aviva confusion. There are multiple threads (some on this site), and Hexus and CompareTheMarket that I read, where people were not sure. I admit I didn't know either.

3). Policy was bought via MoneySuperMarket.com. I ticked box for legal cover. The site (QMH), then specifically had a 'replacement car' clause.

4). Nationwide original verbally said they would provide a 'courtesy car' at the first inspection. I was told it would be a run-around 1litre job. I was very happy with this.

5). CCL intervention came next day. They phoned and said they would provide a 'higher powered' car, more like the one being repaired. I asked if they were sent by QMH. They said no, they had been sent by Nationwide. Interview was lengthy. Asked about accident, disabilities, DVLA registrations. Asked how long my car was in for. I said two days. Then they stumbled. The caller had to ask a manager for the OK (two day minimum loan thing). Manager said verbally, all OK. I was verbally promised a car. I trusted them, and they rang off. I assumed they would talk to Nationwide and synchronize dates.

6). When the situation collapsed, and I finally got to CCL, they denied ever having promised anything. Said offer had been made falsely, incorrectly. All this after multiple calls and no promised return calls by 'handlers'. They kept saying my 'handler' would be in touch. They never did. Anyway, long story short, they finally said they would not be providing a car as promised. They clarified that they could NOT claw back the costs of a loan car if under two days ( so why call me then if Nationwide sent them?)

7). QMH seemed in total confusion. According to their computers, they were adamant that CCL and Nationwide were committed to supplying a car, and of my entitlement. It took two sessions of calls to convince them otherwise. They were clueless. They apologised, and made strong verbal promises that a car would appear the next day from Nationwide, to my doorstep. Obviously, that never happened.

8). QMH seemed of the opinion that the 'minimum two day' loan clause from CCL was the problem, and that policy changes should be followed up. The man said he had never heard of it before. None of which helped me. By then CCL were just sending me text messages to call them, all at my expense.

9). Nationwide bill says 'Replacement Cars <newline> -Sub Contract £32.50". That's not true. On a second separate page, I find they washed and valeted the car, and this is the sub-contract. However, I specifically remember, when asked, that I told them NOT to valet and wash the car. Groan.

Does that help?

InsideInsurance

Your insurance only provides a 1l car irrespective of if it is a courtesy car or a hire car.

If CCL were offering a larger car then this would have been a credit hire car which is not provided under the terms of your policy and ultimately would be billed directly to the at fault party

Azimuth99

Thankyou @InsideInsurance.

That makes some good sense but doesn't nail the point.

QMH knew about the Nationwide and CCL deal already. It was on their system. I didn't tell them. They knew and excepted the situation as a done deal (with assurances). They even knew the CCL case number allocated.

Even if CCL were not nominated by my insurance company directly, they were nominated (brought in), by Nationwide, who in turn are nominated by QMH. That's a supposed 'chain of trust'.

Either way you look at the equation (from either end) - the chain of trust was broken. All three companies promised me verbally (multiple times) a standby car (regardless of engine capacity). All three failed to deliver.

That's pretty awful for anyone to have to endure.

I've registered my complaint on-line, and as clarified above, they have 8 weeks to reply - so we'll see.

I have to say though, for a web based company that makes a great sell of replies to e-mails within 24 hours - and then doesn't (twice), I'm not holding out much hope.

I'm staggered that they ask for a reply e-mail address, and then never send out acknowledgments to submitted e-mails and complaints. That's not best practise in my book and definitely not a valid web based approach.

Something is definitely not right here.

Az99

InsideInsurance

Not saying that it excuses anything and undoubtably your insurers will respond to the complaint but matters are different when you are talking about something that is being provided under the terms of your policy -v- something being provided outside of your policy.

For example CCLs statement that they only do hire for 2+ days may well be true on Credit Hire where the hire car option under the policy (if you have it) doesnt have a minimum number of days

eddddy

Hi Azimuth

This is obviously too late for you now - but assuming the person that rear shunted you admitted liability to his/her insurers, I would have contacted their insurers directly to arrange the hire car, repairs etc.

I've needed to do this on 3 occasions, and I've always found the 3rd party insurers fall over themselves to be helpful. I assume it's because they don't want me to go to claims management firm instead who will charge them inflated prices.

I've always ended up with better hire cars than my own car. And I always choose my own repairer - in my experience, the ones that insurance cos use are diabolically bad.

Azimuth99

Thanks @InsideInsurance. That's another valid point, well made. However, if they were in 'refusal mode', QMH should have been told, alongside Nationwide, in order to open another process to help me. Guess we'll see, I suppose.

Many thanks @edddy. Interesting points there. I often wondered if I could choose my own car hire and repairer. If so, I know who I would have gone to as well. I was under the impression insurers can 'void' you if you go else where not on their 'preferred list'. Not sure to be honest.

If I'd had the choice, I would have gone to my local Toyota dealer instead. They've always been diligent with services and standby cars. No qualms or quibbles. Ho hum.

I'll come back and report if something happens with my complaint.

Cheers

Az99

InsideInsurance

Azimuth99 wrote: »

Many thanks @edddy. Interesting points there. I often wondered if I could choose my own car hire and repairer. If so, I know who I would have gone to as well. I was under the impression insurers can 'void' you if you go else where not on their 'preferred list'. Not sure to be honest.

Most insurers you can chose your own repair garage even if they try and encourage you to go to one of their preferred ones. There is a small number of insurers that charge an additional excess for this option but given it is a non-fault accident and the excess is recoverable from the TP then this wouldnt have been a long term problem.

IF you have the hire car option on your policy then you wouldnt be able to instruct your own hire car company under those terms. You could of cause simply have your private hire car and then include it in the uninsured loss claim against the TP.

As you didnt have any alternative transport you will be able to claim loss of use of your vehicle from the TP. In my day it was £10 a day but I suspect it has probably nearly doubled by now (certainly seen people saying £15 a day and that was a few years ago)

Azimuth99

UPDATE 28/02/2013

Out of the blue, a cheque arrived from Quote Me Happy for £50.

No explanation or accompanying letter, but the cheque header says 'Excess Refund' - so I guess my complaint/circumstances were vindicated..

It's more than I was expecting, but I still find the lack of communication from QMH very unnerving. They did not enter into any discourse with me, and did not acknowledge my e-complaint with reciprocating e-mails.

All very strange behaviour - but at least my car was repaired at zero net cost to me now.

Hope the above helps others coming up behind.

Az99