Hastings Direct Scam

freshprints

Hi,

I wonder if there are any insurance experts about?

My car insurance was up for renewal back in May, I got some quotes which worked out at between £80 - £95 per month. I contacted my existing insurer (Hastings Direct) so say that I had a better deal elsewhere. They then informed me that I would NOT get insurance with any of those companies that quoted me £80 as there was a claim going through for an accident involving my car in January in Glasgow. I have never been to Glasgow. They advised me that the easiest way to deal with this bogus claim someone was making was to continue my insurance with them (Hastings Direct) and they would sort it out for me as I wouldn't be able to get insurance with anyone else whilst a claim was being processed and once it was sorted, they would reduce my premiums accordingly.

So my new policy with Hastings was £134.85 per month and every other week I ring them to find out what is happening about this bogus claim, nobody knows what is happening.

Then my payments went UP to £202.51 because the claim had been changed from a partial claim to a full claim (the passenger in my car was claiming whiplash), so Hastings increased the price of my policy. I have spoken to them today, they do not know what is happening with the claim, and they have agreed to reduce my premiums to £176.92 from October. They agreed not to charge me £30 admin for the privilege!!

So, my first question is, was this a tactic to get me to sign up for another year?

Second question, if I cancel this policy now and go with one of the original quotes of £80 per month, will I incur any penalties from Hastings to cancel the policy early?

I am in the process of contacting Glasgow police to find out if there even was a claim in the first place, if there wasn't, I am taking Hastings to Court. I have paid £809.57 so far.

Also, complaints procedure and financial ombudsman?

Any advice appreciated

FutureGirl

Some insurers won't insure you if you have an open claim.

I don't think it's a scam that they would pretend a claim has come in against you. However I do think you need to get a handle on the claim. Have you sent them photos of your vehicle? To show you've not been in an accident? Or have they sent an engineer to inspect the vehicle at all?

There may well have been an accident, but it could be that the third party took the reg down wrong, thus giving your reg in accident. If you're saying you weren't involved in the accident, Hastings should be doing all they can to defend the claim (they probably are, as I'm sure they wouldn't want to pay out if they don't have to).

You need to complain to hastings directly. Find their complaints info on their website, or, when you call them, tell them you want to make a complaint that the claim is not correct as you wasn't involved, and that no one knows whats happening with the claim. It could be that they're disputing you were involved (which can take time).

My (very limited) experience with Hastings is that they are not great with handling claims.

freshprints

I have spent an hour on the phone with them today alone and nobody has any more information on the claim other than its my reg (it is a private plate) and the passenger is claiming whiplash. they don't know the make and model of the car, they can't get in touch with the claimants solicitors as there is no answer, yet they have upped my premiums! How can the price of my policy change after 3 months and nobody know why?

superbigal36

I dont follow this thread. If you have not been involved in an accident why did you not just not renew and proceed with your alternative strategy ? You were filling the application out truthfully.
How can you not have been notified in 5 months of a claim against you ?
Your renewal presumably showed the claim in progress ?

freshprints

Hi,


Hastings told me that I had to stay with them so that the bogus claim could be sorted out. They said that just because I had got quotes, that doesn't mean that I would actually get the insurance once the companies found out that there was an existing claim, whether it was actually bogus or not. The accident was supposed to have happened in January in Glasgow (I was working at the other end of the UK at the time) and Hastings didn't inform me that a claim was underway until it was time for renewal, 5 months later. I have since provided proof that it couldn't have been me or my car.


Hastings said if I stayed with them, once they had cleared the bogus claim up they would reduce my premiums to match the quotes I had got (between £80 to £90 per month). They dont seem too interested in proving this claim wasn't my car! I gave them proof of where I was in the UK back in June and then my premiums went UP to £202.

freshprints

Can I request the solicitors information and contact them myself to clear this up? I dont even know how they have found out who my insurers are..... usually this information is swapped at the time of the accident? If I wasn't there, how do they know who my insurers even are?

paddyandstumpy

The MID records who underwrites the insurance for each vehicle reg.
All Insurers subscribe to it and will trace insurance policies that way.

freshprints

Ok, so should I get in touch with the MID to get information? Because at the moment, I am paying £100 a month over the odds for insurance because nobody seems to give a crap about whether I was in this accident or not, least of all Hastings.


Can I cancel the Hastings policy after 5 months and start a new policy with someone else? Do I declare the bogus claim? I have no idea where to go from here and I can't afford to pay any more. The money i have paid in the last 5 payments should have been the same amount to cover the entire year.

FutureGirl

Your insurers represent you. The solitons represent the third party. You can't go directly to the solicitors.

The solicitors got your information by searching for your vehicle reg on an online insurance database.

Your premiums will go up when there is an open claim against you. You won't get a refund until the claim is closed off. It can take time with these claims, especially if the solicitors don't take calls from third parties (some don't), or don't respond to emails (again some don't due to the amount of claims they have to deal with). A partial claim affects you less than a full claim does. Now that there is an injury claim, the value of the claim becomes much higher.


Your insurers will be fighting your corner by telling the solicitors you weren't involved. Again I ask you, have you sent them images of your vehicle, or had an engineer to inspect to confirm there is no damage to your vehicle?

It's likely that your insures are just waiting on confirmation from the solicitor that they have re-directed the claim to the correct insurers. The claim will be closed when this has been done, and the passenger claim has been settled and costs recovered from the correct insurer.

freshprints

Hastings have said that the claimants solicitors do not reply to phone calls or letters, so this claim is just sat on my policy and I have to pay for it. I have not been asked to provide any evidence that my car has not been in a crash and no engineer has been to inspect or has been offered to inspect my car. Is this something that I should be arranging? I have provided evidence that I was nowhere near Glasgow at the time as i was at work on an Armed Forces Base.


They haven't even confirmed what type/colour etc of car was involved, just the reg.


Once you have bought an insurance policy, and are quoted a price, why do the premiums increase with no notice? I thought that was against the Direct Debit guarantee besides anything else. I never received notice of this increase to £202, nor would I have agreed to it. I have provided proof that I couldn't have been involved.

losgiganteskid

IF you were not involved with this incident (having never been to Glasgow - like you say or haven't lent your car to anyone who may have been there) merely instruct Hastings that you do not wish them to handle the claim on your behalf. This should have the effect of your premium reverting to what they would have been. You can then deal with the third party solicitors yourself - as you indicate they do not seem to be responding to letters or phone calls so you may not hear any more about this. If you do - deny it was you - which is the truth ! it will be up to them to prove it was you that was driving at the time in Glasgow