Direct Line Fudging Complaints Procedure

ComeTheRevolution

My sympathy is with the call centre staff as they clearly have a number of steps to work through in order to keep a customer away from making an official complaint.

This involves offering financial resolution for inconvenience that must be accepted during that conversation and will result in the complaint being 'shut down'.

Once this is refused as you don't have all the facts yet and may be entitled to a full refund, you are told that you must speak to someone else to take things further. I was told there is no address/office to put anything in writing to.

The someone else called me the next day - a Friday evening. They had more facts and could pin full blame on me. Fair dos but as they had been able to listen to an old phone conversation to decide that, it is appropriate that I should also. This was agreed and a transcript would be sent out.

The complaint will now be shut down unless I speak to someone else on Monday. Pointless until I have more information as I may not wish to proceed with a complaint or I may be asking for a refund. There was no recourse to have things left open.

Eventually by mentioning the FSA I extracted an address to put my complaint in writing.

However, I was told that as I was refusing a third telephone conversation, my complaint (regarding the original matter of which I had yet to decide) would be passed to the newly appeared complaints team and THEY would be writing to ME. Intimidating. Also futile as I still don't know what, if anything, I want to complain about. This is an attempt to make my complaint official when it can only be a half-cocked attempt and in their words not mine.

People not aware of the FSA's guidelines will be getting blind-sided by their rules of keeping to the telephone.

I also found this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088448/Direct-Line-Churchill-insurance-fined-2million-falsifying-complaint-files.html

rs65

ComeTheRevolution wrote: »

I have written a complaint about their complaint procedure and will report back as people not aware of the FSA's guidelines will be getting blind-sided.

Which FSA guideline are you referring to?

ComeTheRevolution

I don't need to quote relevant paragraphs and appendices, it's their job to know those, not mine. Any member of the FSA is duty-bound to be open about their complaints procedure and being obstructive to something being put in writing prevents remit to the Ombudsman.

rs65

Direct Line's complaints procedure is in their policy document.

ComeTheRevolution

That does not excuse being told that there was no method of making a complaint in writing.

dacouch

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4627541

Try writing a polite and concise complaint letter, they will probably send you between £50 and £100 compensation.

They will not refund your premiums as you would have been covered and you would rightly have expected them to pay any genuine claims

ComeTheRevolution

It's looking highly likely that the original matter was my fault although I am interested in the transcript of my conversation when arranging the policy. I don't wish to be compensated if it was all down to me.

What's alarmed me is the way the call centre staff have to deny their own complaints policy and intimidate with threats of shutting down the complaint if you don't comply with being tied-up with phone calls.

chanz4

so whats your actual complaint

dunstonh

People not aware of the FSA's guidelines will be getting blind-sided by their rules of keeping to the telephone.

Direct Line are mainly a telephone based service. They price their products on such direct methods of communication. So, telephone will be their primary contact method.

Firms are allowed to try and deal with issues with you directly without resorting to the formal complaints process unless you tell them you want it done that way or it becomes clear that it cannot be resolved quickly and efficiently or in a manner you will be happy with.

olly300

ComeTheRevolution wrote: »

That does not excuse being told that there was no method of making a complaint in writing.

You can definitely complain to them in writing I did when I was a customer of theirs. Though only a threat to take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service got it resolved.

Like with other companies they did try and pretend they didn't get my letter. I pointed out RM's recorded delivery service indicated otherwise...

huckster

Most companies will try to resolve as many complaints as possible by phone to avoid large numbers of written complaints. This is because they want to resolve them as quick as possible and not have to employ a load of staff in a separate complaints department.