Direct Line Car Insurance NOT going down

cassie75

For the past 2 years, despite ML saying car insurance was going down, my car insurance with Direct Line has stayed the same.

I have rung them to haggle, as i always do and normally get it cheaper, but they say that £172 is the lowest they can go. They actually state they do not do any car insurance lower, that is the lowest they are allowed to charge.

On comparison sites i can get it as low as £142 with Zenith, but to be quite honest, i like Direct Line as i get business car insurance as standard and have been with DL for many, many years plus we have 2 other cars with them too (yes i have the multi car discount, my vol excess is now 0 and i have protected no claims).

I guess my questions are, has anyone else heard this?

Is it true or am i being taken for a mug?

Why do they do this?

jimjames

£172 sounds like a very good price and I doubt you'll get much lower than that. You have found that another insurer will offer a slightly lower premium but if you're happy with the service then I'd stay. If they were charging £800 and elsewhere was £150 then you'd be a mug but not the numbers posted

JJ_Egan

Dont know the reality of price drops  .

My recent comparisons  showed no price drops and stayed with DL at + £35 , and much cheaper than next best . But that's not a business insurance .

note ML is not always right and sometimes its just generic .

Taken for a mug , get other quotes to say yes or no .

NSG666

I've been with Aviva for several years (also has business use thrown in) but the price levelled off for the past couple of years.

Ebe_Scrooge

I'd say if you're happy with the service you've had so far, and the level of cover, then stick with them for the sake of a few quid.  Remember, all insurance companies are the same, until you need to make a claim.

When comparing prices, make sure it's for the same level of cover.  Business use, for example - included as standard with DL, it's extra with many insurers.  Check things like the excess, windscreen cover, courtesy car, etc.  Very often you'll find that a cheaper quote means lots of hidden extras.

For what it's worth, I'm also with DL, have been for years.  I shop around every year, but they are always very competitive for me - plus I have to say their customer service staff are great if you need to talk to them.  If I found somewhere offering the same cover for half the price I might switch, but usually the best quote I can find is only £10 or £15 cheaper, with someone I've never heard of.

You pays your money and you makes your choice.  Also bear in mind that insurance costs will tend to go up year on year, if for no other reason than standard inflation.  So if your premium stayed the same this year compared to last, that's actually a reduction in real terms.

Sandtree

Pricing engines do often have a floor as a minimum price they will quote no matter what the circumstances as below that it just isnt worth their effort selling the policy.

Every insurance company has its own pricing policy and it may well be that other insurers are willing to go below the floor of Direct Line

Thrugelmir

cassie75 said:

On comparison sites i can get it as low as £142 with Zenith

Is the cover offered exactly the same? 

[Deleted User]

My renewed with DL was £530. Comparison site Gocompare got my cover for £320 with Darwin insurance which is owned by the same company that own DL. 

It’s all a con!

Sandtree

Deleted_User said:

It’s all a con!

Why's it a con? Plenty of companies sell products under many different brands aimed at different segments, price points etc. Given the brand is only 18 months old they are probably writing at a loss to gain market share, a common trick for new entrants. 

You know that you can buy a car from Skoda or Bugatti and there will be a subtle price difference and yet they are both owned by VW... is that therefore also a con?

BOWFER

I've been dealing with direct line over a change of car this week and, TBH, I've already decided I'm not staying with them come renewal in September.

What a PITA they have been

1. Go on line to change car - fill in lots of stuff online to make the change, only to be told I have to speak to an advisor
2. Get that sorted, eventually, but go online today to allocate my private plate to the new car - same as above.

I don't mind speaking to someone, but not after filling out loads of stuff online!!
It's not like filling out all the stuff online means I don't have to tell the person, I have to do it all twice.

Contrast this with privilege who let me change my daughter's car and numberplate online with no need for human involvement at all.

DIRECT LINE (if you're reading this) don't make people think they can change stuff online if it's going to flop every time and need a call anyway.

Sandtree

BOWFER said:

Contrast this with privilege who let me change my daughter's car and numberplate online with no need for human involvement at all.

Which is ironic given 1) Direct Line is the same company as Privilege and 2) at least up until a few years ago both websites ran on the identical system as DL inherited Privilege when RBS bought Natwest in 2000 and initially not really being part of its strategic plan so just moved it across onto a shared instance of their platform.