Admiral - don't change details within 14 days of renewal

toasterman

Just a warning for anyone with Admiral. My insurance was renewed end of February, but I'm changing cars near the end of March.

Today I phone up to tell them all about it, and got through to the usual helpful staff in Cardiff. However, when I explained I was changing vehicles, and she saw it had been less than 14 days since I renewed, I had to hold and get transferred to another department who deal exclusively with 'people changing details on policies renewed less than 14 days ago'. Seems mad to me.

Now, being charged 7.5p a minute all the way for this on their 0870 number, I don't really mind. Their customer service is normally excellent, and I'd rather pay 40p for a call, get it all done in 5minutes, than have a freephone number and spend 30mins going through every tiny detail.
Plus they're cheaper than any other quote I've had for any car I've ran past them.

The new department I got transferred to wasn't staffed by people in Wales. Nor India.
Canada, was where I got sent.
No problem there then?
Except that they're completely useless!

It's very simple.. got car currently, selling current car, want new policy to start on new car, 20th March. To make it even easier, I have the reg number of the new car, and they've already quoted me for it several days ago.

Despite this, and me offering them the registration number, I get asked for the make/model of car.
Me: "it's a Clio"
Her: "ok sir - is that spelt c-l-e-a?"
Me: "no - it' spelt c-l-i-o"
Her: "ok and I've got lots of "clio"s here - is there a particular one?"
Me: "I've got the registration number, which will give you all the details for it..."

Several moments of convincing, and me explaining I really can't remember all the individual specs of the car (in other words I don't want to go through all of them while being charged for the call) she agrees to take the registration number. I spell it phonetically.. "Z as in zulu"..
Her: Is that W as in William?
Me: No - it's not.. it's Z.. as in zulu

Despite me explaining I was changing cars and selling my current model, and the new car is mine on the 20th March, she stops to chcek she's got all my details right, and has somehow got confused.. she now has me down as keeping my current car, and insuring an additional car, starting the 30th March.
I correct her, we carry on.

We for some reason have to go through the colour, modifications, immobiliser type questions despite them already quoting me for this very car recently...and the stops to check she has all my details correct.
Nope. She's still got it down as the 30th March.

After 3-4 times more of correcting her with the date, she does a final check to see if she has my details right. She doesn't.

I'll call back tomorrow, when it will then be more than 14 days since my current policy was renewed.. and speak to someone in Cardiff who has a clue.
I came very close to laughing when the girl in Canada told me they'd be sending a customer satisfaction form with my updated details...which they'd like me to fill in. I don't think they really DO want me to fill that in, somehow.

raskazz

I can see your point on several aspects but think you're being somewhat harsh on others. For example, the registration can generate vehicle specs but often the spec is incorrect so it's certainly appropriate for the adviser to check the full details. Same for immobiliser and modifcation details - they may have given you a quote previously but this information could well have changed between then and now.

toasterman

I guess. But to have to correct her 4 times on the same thing and still not have it right. How hard is it to get the date right?
At the end of the call, I *think* that's all she still had wrong, but I was losing the will to live.

The reason I knew the spec was right was because like I say - I'd been through all this before, very recently. Fair enough it may have changed, so to ask if there's any modifications...fair enough I suppose.

She had to put me on hold several times though, and I'm not sure how you can think I'm adding an additional car if I've explained several times that I'm not.
Being there's now a recorded message at the start of the call telling you how much you're paying to call them and give them more money, I was probably more reluctant to sit on the phone and repeat the same things over and over.

Before Cardiff transferred me over though, they explained exactly how what I'm doing worked, and everything was very simple - they only had to transfer me because it was less than 14 days since I renewed.
If I'd have known this internal company policy existed, I'd have phoned tomorrow instead....because if nothing else, sitting on hold for a couple of mins between offices is worth saving.

I've got Admiral's Indian call centre before and that was poor too. It's almost like the offices are all completely separate companies.

Last time I phoned Cardiff I was on the phone about 8mins and I got payment details changed, agreed new renewal, got a load of insurance questions answered, and got three quotes done for different cars. The Cardiff office is always a lot more on-the-ball than the others.

Steve1981

Have a read of the foreign call centre post - might just be a bad experience - all call centres have a village idiot