Hastings insurance mayhem

frags_2

Hi All,

I hope that someone can advise me on what to do with a problem that I am having with Hastings insurance.

I took out insurance with Hastings at the end of May after going through MSE. I was quoted £175, which I paid immediately online. Two weeks later, I got a letter saying that they had reviewed my policy and because I had stated that I travel to two work destinations, this constituted business use, so they charged me an additional £85 admin charge for change of use. I rang and paid by card immediately.

Today, I have received another demand for £185 because they say that I haven't sent in a copy of my V5 log book. I have called them and asked them what the charge is for, and they have told me that it is another admin charge. When I told them that I had never had to produce my V5 before, and was a little wary of just sending a copy away to an unknown person, they said that it is now standard practice.

As per the letter, if I don't pay within 7 days, my insurance will be nullified. If I cancel, I will be charged £55.

This is getting ridiculous and I am really unhappy about it. This insurance is now costing me double my last years insurance due to the 'admin' that I keep incurring, and I'm really worried that the demands will not stop. Do I have any recourse for this situation.

Any help gratefully recieved.

Thanks

InsideInsurance

Insurers are entitled to make reasonable checks that the information you provided is correct, unfortunately in your case they have already found one element wasnt but have accepted it was a mistake and only charged the £85 admin fee.

You will typically find that those that charge the higher premiums up front do the least checks and those that charge the lowest, particularly those not aimed at the upper ends of the market, tend to do the most checking that every declared fact was correct.

Your policy will state the admin fee in it, that is what they should be charging and so to charge £85 one time and £185 the next doesnt sound right plus that is a VERY high admin fee, most are around £35 or less for amendments.

What you dont want is for them to cancel the policy though as that will hang over you for life and have a massive impact on ALL your insurances going forward.

frags_2

mmmm, so does that mean that I should just pay up and shut up. I provided accurate information on the initial questionnaire to get the quote. Are you saying that it is perfectly legal for them to give me a cheap quote, take my money, then bump up the premium in 'admin' fees? Surely that cannot be right, and makes a mockery of all 'comparison' sites.

Against all of my judgement I used comparison sites for the first time, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I could get my insurance almost £100 cheaper than renewing with my existing provider.........now all of this hassle and bumped up fees has me questioning the whole MSE ethos!

InsideInsurance

It certainly doesnt mean shut up but you need to avoid them cancelling it. That may mean you pay first and try to claim back or cut your losses and cancel before they do.

Which comparison site did you use? None of the mainstream ones that I know of would allow you to enter that you commute to two different sites

Hastings_Direct_company_representative

Hi Frags,

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, it's important that we get the chance to see things from your aspect which helps development.

After reading your post, I can confirm that our New Business Review team will crosscheck the details on your policy with those entered in other quotes we provided online. Where they differ we will write and usually call/text to ask for clarification. However if after a reasonable period of time we don't get a response we'll make a change reflecting your other information and write again. This is to ensure that the premium your insurer would want is collected so as not to negatively impact a future claim. We explain what we changed and how much it affects your premium by. Our own fee is £35.00 so any additional charge is due to your insurer. If we asked for the V5, then possibly the vehicle purchase date as well was diferent. This would explain the additional premium as the car would be newer to you.

Having said this, we only need the correct details and in a large portion of cases proof is provided to show the entered details are correct and no charge is made. This can be done over the phone or by email/post.

If you would like me take a closer look and explain further, just email me at help@hastingsdirect.com with your policy number, full name and date of birth.

Many thanks,

Joe

[Deleted User]

Hastings are notorious for this kind of thing. They may be cheap but are best avoided - it's not worth the hassle.

rs65

Hastings_Direct_company_representative wrote: »

However if after a reasonable period of time we don't get a response we'll make a change reflecting your other information and write again. This is to ensure that the premium your insurer would want is collected so as not to negatively impact a future claim.

Seriously? You assume that the highest rated situation is correct and just change it without your clients consent? You could be choosing to arrange their policy on incorrect details.

Have you ever changed details and given money back?

InsideInsurance

rs65 wrote: »

Seriously? You assume that the highest rated situation is correct and just change it without your clients consent? You could be choosing to arrange their policy on incorrect details.

And given they were asking for the V5c, what is the registered keeper option that would drive up the premium 100%? I cant say I've ever seen register keeper may a difference of a couple of pounds.

Plus, even if that is the reason, that would mean that the call centre staff saying its an admin fee is incorrect, its an additional premium and presumably also an admin fee.