“I contacted the team to send me the receipt for the payment I made for the home and car insurance policies I have with them. While the team members I spoke to were very friendly, I never received the receipts or invoices. How is it possible that two members in two different departments forget to do exactly the same thing? Now I have to chase them over the phone as there is no email address to communicate. Not nice!”
Hello,
Thanks for your review, we’re really sorry about the poor service you received.
At Hastings Direct, we pride ourselves in delivering great customer service, and it seems we may have fallen short on this occasion. If this still hasn't arrived, you can email us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com and the advisors there can arrange for this to be sent to you. ~Theo, Social Media Team
“Been with them for 5 years, suddenly they “can’t” renew my insurance but will not tell me why. “It’s not on the system” there’s no explanation whatsoever why they can’t renew. Changed my car last month and they asked for an additional £45 to cover the last 2 months, I paid it with no problem. But now they can’t renew me, quick to take £45 but can’t renew. Why didn’t they tell me 1 month ago we can’t do it? Weird. Had no convictions, no accidents etc but still can’t give me an explanation. I go on comparisons sites and they are happy to offer new a new policy but again can’t renew my current one. Loyalty means nothing these days, all a scam.”
Hi Carolina,
Thanks for your review, we’re really sorry we couldn't offer you a renewal quote. We consider all your policy details when working out a price and on this occasion we’re unable to offer you one. Also, this doesn’t mean you’ve been refused insurance, so when you shop around, make sure you answer ‘No’ to that question.
We hope we can offer you a price in the future. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Hi Penny!
Thanks for your review, we’re really sorry about the poor service you received.
At Hastings Direct, we pride ourselves in delivering great customer service, and it seems we may have fallen short on this occasion. We’d like to look into this and, as long as you’re happy, pass on any feedback to their department.
To do this, please send us a message via Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) and we can discuss this in more detail.
Thanks,
Brendon, Social Media Team
“Typically, the account set up and the actual services were fine but gosh forbid you try and cancel your policy and then you have a million hoops to jump through. They want you to acuire specific papers that you need to pay fees for anyway and they won't accept time stamped email receipts or proof of sale from your car logbook. All so they can get their precious £20 for cancelling your account which really should just be a button you can cancel your policy yourself on their app. As far as I am concerned their customer service and understanding is severely lacking where perfectly acceptable documents that would hold up in a court of law aren't enough to prove you no longer have possession of the vehicle. A process that should just be a button push, persisted for days and finally FINALLY I had enough and just had them cancel even though that meant they got to steal a further £20 from me.
Know what you're getting into before you sign on with them.”
Hi,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with the cost of cancelling.
When a policy is cancelled, we make sure to only charge for the exact numbers of days the policy has been opened for, and for any fees that apply.
Also, if you pay by Direct Debit, these aren’t pay-as-you-go payments - they’re a repayment schedule to pay back the credit agreement that began when you first bought your policy.
You can find a breakdown of the costs of your cancellation (how much you’ve been charged compared to how much you’ve paid) in your documents.
We appreciate no one wants to be charged fees but, like most other insurers, these cover some of our business costs - like the costs of staffing our contact centres, managing your policy, creating and sending documents and maintaining and developing our systems.
We try to keep these in line with everyone else and make it as clear as possible how much these fees are and that they’re non-refundable.
Thanks,
Nicole, Social Media Team
Hi Lewis,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re having trouble with your driving score.
Please remember, the Telematics team does take into account that you will have to adapt to the road ahead and that this as well as other road users can cause you to take actions such as hard braking that may impact your score. As a result they acknowledge that your driving score won't always at 100. For the sake of the policy, it just needs to be above 30. If you have any questions, please call our YouDrive team on 0333 999 8911. ~Theo, Social Media Team
“Renewed my car insurance with the agent, who clearly said I could put in my husband's driving licence number on my app. When I tried it blocked me saying I had to call them. I did and they said it would cost me £47 to add my husband driving licence, I said no then they said it's mandatory or they will cancel my insurance. Been with them for 5 years no customer loyalty at all. Went with the AA who do not charge you at all for any updates or changes to your insurance plus they were cheaper and offered more cover.”
Hi Gabriella,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with the price we offered and the fees you incur to make these changes.
Our quotes for changing your details and getting a quote for a new policy are valid until midnight the same day.
When we offer a quote, we always try to give you the best price we can, based on the information you give us. However, this price may change even if your details stay the same, because your insurer may adjust the risk level of your policy.
We appreciate no one wants to be charged fees but, like most other insurers, these cover some of our business costs - like the costs of staffing our contact centres, managing your policy, creating and sending documents and maintaining and developing our systems.
We try to keep these in line with everyone else and make it as clear as possible how much these fees are and that they’re non-refundable. ~Theo, Social Media Team
“It took me a total time of four and a half hours to take out a straight forward motor vehicle policy on line. Totally ridiculous !
Website just kept bouncing me around and found asking me to renew my password after nine attempts j gave up and had to leave it ax my blood pressure was off the scale and I was at risk of having a stroke !
I deal with insurance on line on a regular basis and have to say yours is in a league of its own. Even when I called that was just an bad with one person calling me rude when I hadn't even spoken !! J was actually listening intently because I couldn't hear her because of all the background noise and I can only assume she must have thought I had said something.
So overall I wasn't impressed and found the whole thing pretty poor to be honest and not something I will do again.
Apologies for any misspelt words
As I am typing on my phone wh
ilst on a train that is bouncing around”
Hello Melisande,
Thanks for your review, we’re really sorry about the poor service you received and that you were unable to complete the purchase of your policy. At Hastings Direct, we pride ourselves in delivering great customer service, and it seems we may have fallen short on this occasion.
I regret that online experience was so poor and thank you for trying to contact us and discuss this when you were able to purchase the policy there. We'll pass this feedback on and I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo, Social Media Team
“What a poor excuse for a company. Ombudsman it is They are thieves trying to reduce our stolen car payout for a simple error. We've put a complaint in and they have told us it will take 2 weeks. 2 weeks with no car for school or work
I doubt you are going to pay my billls. I want a.senior advisor to contact me ASAP.”
Hi,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry you weren’t happy with our service.
We always aim to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. When it comes to a claim being made, this is even more important.
If you’d like to discuss this further, make a complaint or have any questions, please call our Claims team on 0333 321 9800 or send us a message via Facebook or X (formerly Twitter).
Thanks,
Nicole, Social Media Team
“Hastings home insurance is fine - unfortunately i cannot give that opinion on the Lloyds Underwriters to make a claim or the local business used to find a leak in my home. The business used says i have no leak, my tiles & flooring tells me completely different. Next to that is a loo, the skirting is rotting, but i have no leak, which they have made a void claim. I've been waiting to receive the report, alas they don't send a copy to the customer nor do they inform the customer of any findings, so it's just left up in the sir.
i've tried explaining to them, they jump onto my every word, like a detective interviewing a murder suspect. I've not had a claim in donkey years.
I find them really bad at CS very disrespectful.”
Hi Yvonne,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry you weren’t happy with our service.
We always aim to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. When it comes to a claim being made, this is even more important.
If you believe that this has been poorly or incorrectly handled and you want want to make a complaint, please give us a call (on 0333 321 9801), send us a letter or fill out our online form found on our website here:(https://www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints/). Once we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. ~Theo, Social Media Team
“I have no particular moans about the insurance itself, but tried to access my account to notify a change of address. The phone app just does not work, and trying to log in on line results in a message saying "We do not recognise this email address" - which is stupid, because it is the email address mat which you have been sending me emails. And your phone service is an utter disaster. Waited over half an hour to get through and eventually gave up/”
Hello Graham, Thanks for your review about the issues you’re facing and we’re sorry you’re still experiencing problems. Please send us an email to customersupport@hastingsdirect.com or call us on 0333 321 9801 so we can help you further. ~Naomi
“Wanted to change my policy to start 3 days earlier. Was told this could not be done and that my policy had to be renewed at £200 more. How can this be justified when the policy had not even started. Outrageous. I expect administration charges. but for my policy to be cancelled and renewed at higher price. Ridiculous.”
Hello Kim, I'm very sorry to read about the increase in price. I can appreciate the frustration this would have caused. I'm afraid that the date the policy begins is a factor that can affect the price and that seems to have a factor that contributed to this significant increase. Once more I am sorry to see this and thank you for choosing to insure with us despite the increase in cost. ~Theo, Customer Care
“I went with Hastings Direct, from ONE CALL Insurance, one call lied when i had a non fault claim, instead of putting my claim through my policy for personal injury, they used OCL solicitors who are a no win no fee only solicitors, Stay away from them, Hastings wanted £518-00 renewal when on line the package was £451-00, Tesco same package £388-00. It pays to look around”
Hello Sidney, I'm sorry that we were unable to offer you a more competitive price for your new policy. Thank you for having considered us as your insurer and I'm glad you were able to find a better price for your in the end. I hope you have the best possible year with your new provider. ~Theo, Customer Care
“i recently took out car insurance with Hastings which was due to start on 4th June
i tried to add on no claims protection which is normally around £40 but was told i had to cancel policy and take out a new one which the wanted to charge me an additional £276 for how can they justify this , i have cancelled the policy”
Hello Mr J Jamieson, I am sorry to hear that you were not happy with our process for protecting the no claims. We are a broker team, and have to work off the insurers instructions, and in regards to no claims, we cannot protect them is a policy is live or pending start, it has to be done at the quote stage. Nicole, Customer Care.
“I took a policy and cancelled within 14 days of the policy, when discussed by phone with customer service, was advised, that no cancelation fees, and will be refunded (£54.00) from total paid of £100.00 for the 2 weeks period, the refund was (£14.18)
send several messages to customer service to give breakdown of their charges, no reply!! send complain, still no reply.”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about the experience you've had. A breakdown of the cancellation would have been emailed to your online account, however if this hasn't arrived, you can request a copy by emailing customersupport@hastingsdirect.com. If you have already sent an email, please expect a response in 3 working days. I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo, Customer Care
“First of all I have reapetedly asked for my email to be changed so I can read my new policy. You HAVE NOT DONE THIS. HOW DAM DIFFICULT IS IT FOR AN EMAIL ADDRESS TO BE CHANGED? I HAVE RECIEVED NO NOTICE OF PAYMENT AND EACH TIME I TRY TO LOG ON TO READ THE POLICY - YOU DO NOT RECOGNISE ME!!! YOU TOOK MY MONEY......SO SOMEWHERE OUT THERE IS MY POLICY”
Hello Dione, I'm very sorry to see that you struggled to have your email address changed and I hope that you've since been able to arrange this. If you still need help with this change, please email us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com. We'll do all we can to help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Hasting Direct declined to change my policy to a new car, which was the same make just the newest model. They cited difficulty in getting parts. This seemed crazy to me as the dealership and servicing was available in my city. This meant I had to quickly arrange new insurance.
I had been with Hastings Direct for many years. I will not be using their services again or any kind of insurance.
They did waver the cancellation policy....I should think so !!!”
Hello. I'm sorry that we were unable to offer you cover for your vehicle and for any inconvenience this caused. When we work out the price of our policies, we consider various things, including your vehicle, address, drivers and personal details. On this occasion, it seems we can’t offer cover based on a combination of the above. I appreciate that this can be frustrating and I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Have had two cars insured for several years and been very happy so thought I would get a quote for buildings insurance on a small property we rent out.
Well what a USELESS site, totally impossible. The questions such as ‘who owns the property ‘ and ‘who lives in the property’ have ridiculous options which are completely irrelevant!!
Difficult to find any method to contact, I have wasted enough time and so looking elsewhere!”
Hello, I'm very sorry to see that you struggled to get a home insurance quote with us and I appreciate the frustration this can cause. If you still need help with this, you can speak to the Home Sales team on 0333 321 9675. I hope that you can find suitable cover for your property soon. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Put my premium up by £73 to £522 even though I haven’t made a claim found a cheaper deal at £388 with a different provider., offering key protection and more cover on different policy points.
I received an email saying payment would be taken from my credit card.
I tried to stop the renewal on the app all it would say was to phone. This is not the first time I’ve had problems with the app. I tried 3 times to phone eventually got through after 31 minutes. In total what with fiddling about in the app and phone calls it took over two hours to stop the renewal. When I took out the policy I was told I would be able to cancel the next automatic payment on the app. This is not the case.”
Hello, I'm sorry that we were unable to offer you a more competitive renewal price this year. There are many reasons your policy’s price may have increased, and you can find further information here: https://www.hastingsdirect.com/renewal-prices/.
You can read about automatic renewal in your terms and conditions – you’ll also find it mentioned in your renewal documents, along with the steps you can take to stop automatically renewing. Please note that these documents would show that the auto-renewal can be removed at any point during the 1st months of the policy. I'm sorry if this information wasn't seen. I am sorry you struggled to reach the call centre quickly to discuss this and I hope that you have since been able to get suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo, Customer Care
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy with the service you’ve received. We always aim to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers, so if you’d like us to look into this for you, please call 0333 321 9801 or send us a direct message on X (formerly Twitter) @HastingsDirect or on Facebook. You can also find more ways to contact us at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. Thanks again, ~Nicole. Customer Care
“I have never made a claim.in my 65 years of driving never had a accident also I was a coach driver for. 22,years and I was a police community road watch officer
I have just been told my insurance is going up by double.i think it's disgusting.i class this as daylight robbery.my son in law drives a honda crv and his has gone down.£535 he pays.”
Hello Roy, I'm very sorry to see that we were unable to offer you a competitive price this year. There are many reasons your policy’s price may have increased, and you can find further information here: https://www.hastingsdirect.com/renewal-prices/. We’re happy to look into this for you in case changes need to be made or you were able to find this cheaper elsewhere. If you’d like us to help you further, please call our Renewals team on 0333 321 9790. ~Theo. Customer Care
