Venting about Saga Insurance......

don9999

I have car insurance with Saga.  Due to expire in 3 weeks.  Annual cost about £250.
Two other cars in household.

I have moved house, so have been contacting insurance companies to update addresses.  Other cars and house insurance all updated for free - car premiums even reduced, so have received £40 refunds.

Saga are charging me £25 for changing the address!  Yes, I just checked and it is included in the T&Cs (though of course, I never expected to change address, so never paid it much attention at the time).  So legally, I have no choice, I understand that.

Am just aggrieved at the cost - 10% of the cost of the annual premium.  And only for 3 weeks!

I even asked to cancel the insurance instead (I reckon I could get it re-insured for less than £25 for 3 weeks).  But they want to charge me £50 for cancelling the insurance.

Thought just occurred to me......could I just NOT change the address.  (Though I 'have' now informed them of the address change - so presumably the insurance is invalid until I pay.)  But can I just 'ignore' that invalid insurance, and take out a new policy elsewhere, starting immediately, with the new address?  Am sure it will cost less than £25 to insure it for 3 weeks.

Alanp

Yup, am the same, just changed jobs meaning I have to use my car now, saga added £75 onto my insurance £25 of that was the admin fee..!,.?, ( I didn’t have commuting on my insurance as neither of us used the car for work) 

AdrianC

A short term policy will cost you a lot more than £25 for three weeks cover...

You agreed to those fees when you took the policy out. They're a flat fee, not a proportion of the premium - they seem a high percentage because you have a low premium.

And, yes, of course you need to ensure they have the correct address for you.

Of course, you may well take the view that it's very unlikely your car will be stolen from or hit outside your home overnight in the remaining three weeks of the policy, so what they don't know won't hurt you. But since you've already told them...

Aylesbury_Duck

It's one of the drawbacks of bargain basement policies.  Get sucked in by the headline premium without really understanding what you've bought, what it covers, what charges are due, etc.  

don9999

Yes, I know.  Of course, I understand they were in the T&Cs I signed up to.  I can't (and am not) arguing about the charge being applied - I agreed (albeit unwittingly) to them up front. 
I can't believe anyone reads through ALL the fine details when they take out a policy, especially the T&C's relating to 'unlikely' events......but....I agree that you can't complain about them afterwards, just because you didn't read them.

Am just venting at the size of the fee.  Other companies are free (my other three insurances were changed for free), or minimal such as £10.

AdrianC, I agree a 'short-term policy' will likely cost more than £25.  But, I have found a new 'annual' policy for around £220 (about £4 per week, or £12 for three weeks).  Am just wondering if I could just take out a NEW annual policy, starting straightaway, rather than waiting till the end of the month for my existing policy to expire.  This would be cheaper that paying £25 for 3 weeks.

Arklight

You signed up to what you signed up to. However, call centre agents are usually able to override admin fees if they want to as a goodwill gesture. If you ask them nicely they might do so for you. Otherwise, it's 25 quid. Hardly worth getting upset about.

EdGasketTheSecond

£25 is not so bad for an 'admin charge'; I've seen far worse.

FlameCloud

don9999 said:.  Am just wondering if I could just take out a NEW annual policy, starting straightaway, rather than waiting till the end of the month for my existing policy to expire.  This would be cheaper that paying £25 for 3 weeks.

youd need to be careful about any NCD that you claim - you can only use it on one policy at a time. 

Korkyb

don9999 said:

AdrianC, I agree a 'short-term policy' will likely cost more than £25.  But, I have found a new 'annual' policy for around £220 (about £4 per week, or £12 for three weeks).  Am just wondering if I could just take out a NEW annual policy, starting straightaway, rather than waiting till the end of the month for my existing policy to expire.  This would be cheaper that paying £25 for 3 weeks.

Changing details mid car insurance policy does incur an admin charge with many insurance companies. 
Unfortunately if you signed up for it you have to suck it up.

Not sure if its worth getting irritated about.

Life's too short to sweat the small stuff.