“The insurance policy stated if your vehicle is involved in an incident you must inform Hastings Direct, hence when my empty and parked car was hit by a bus, I duly informed the insurance company, as the bus company had admitted fault and had informed me that they would repair my vehicle at their expense I informed Hasting Direct that this was a compliance with their policy requirements and I Was Not Making A Claim. When my renewal quote arrived I found that my premium had more than doubled, on contacting Hastings I was informed this was because I made a claim, long story short, I had to chase Hastings to alter the industries data base to remove the claim from their records and they offered me compensation of £100. They updated the insurance data base to read that I had made a notification, sadly this was at a cost to myself when I renewed my insurance with another company as you have to admit a no fault when asked if you have been involved in an accident in the last five years, the moral of the story is to beware of companies reporting wrong facts if you need to contact them.”
Hello, I am sorry to hear that you were not happy about the pricing of the renewal. A claim, even a notification can affect the renewal pricing. We are seeing higher than usual renewal pricing this year, as well as anything else that may affect your renewal that has happened. Nicole, Customer Care
“My policy was coming up for renewal at a dearer price - Spoke to a man called Jay who was extremely helpful, kind and a pleasure to speak with. Jay managed to lower my renewal price by a significant amount and I am pleased to say that I will be staying with Hastings Direct! I couldn't rate Jay and his customer service enough! Very happy customer.”
Hello Luct, we really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us and it’s fantastic to hear you received such a great level of service. If there’s anything else you need assistance with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Thanks again, ~Nicole. Customer Care
“Why can't I talk to someone.!I cannot hear the lady on the help page,.she goes too fast.I cannot manage this app thingI have been trying to contact SOMEONE all day...HELP,!”
Hello, I am sorry to hear that you have been having trouble with the help page. Please contact us through email at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com, or you can contact through Facebook or X, and we shall be happy to assist you. ~ Nicole, Customer Care
“They renewed my multicar policy even though I phoned them and told them I don't want to renew before the renewal date. Got an email after midnight saying that policy has renewed. To make matters worse, the car insurance company I went with could not insure me because they cannot set up insurance if already insured. lot less than Hastings. This is the second day I have tried to reach the multicar department. Instead I got put through to single car insurance, home insurance and they all say they can't help. I was on the phone for over 55 minutes today. Yesterday was on the phone for over 40 minutes, same thing happened. This is so frustrating. I expect them to compensate me financially. I've sent a written complaint. Choose another insurer. They increased my premium over £500. The other insurer gave a quote that was even less than what I paid with Hastings last year for this year.”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about your report and your experience during your policy's renewal period. I can appreciate the frustration that the poor customer service, wait on the phone and price increase would have caused. I hope that you get a satisfactory resolution to the complaint that you have raised. Please contact the Customer Care team on 0333 999 8904 if you need to add anything to the complaint, discuss it further or check on how it is progressing. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Moved 10 miles down the road and correctly contacted them to advise the address change for my wife's policy. They then demanded an extra £790 for three months remaining on a policy that only cost £168 to start with! As we had only moved to a respectable city suburb and not a war zone this seemed crazy (my own change of address cost me £24 with my insurer). Laughingly, they said I could start a new policy for nearly £2700, more than three times the value of the car. Just bought an alternative policy for £134 and then they had the unabashed cheek to take £2.53 off me for cancelling the policy. Absolutely unbelievable experience..”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about the significant increase in price for this change. The postcode is a heavy rating factor that can affect the premium, however I appreciate that this was a large increase in cost especially given the amount of time left on the policy. We appreciate your wife having been insured with us and it's good to hear that she was able to find competitive cover for her vehicle. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Will not be using Hastings direct ever again, due to having issues with my black box and then being charged an added fee to cancel my policy even though in my email I got it told me I wouldn’t be charged a fee. Absolutely disgusting customer service would not recommend.”
Hello Isabella, I'm very sorry to read about the cancellation of your policy and if you were mis-informed about the fee involved. We would like to take a look at this for you. So if you can, please forward the email to us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com so this can be investigated. We'll do all we can to help you there. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Awful FRAUDULENT company! took a policy out with them to have them call me a couple of days later accusing me that I had given false details and had down that I was a district nurse and I had put a rear spoiler on my car. I have no idea where they got this information from as even my original policy documents where correct, which means this is FRAUD on their behalf. Because of these accusations they demanded photos of the entire car and decided to then cancel my policy over a rusty air filter that was apparently a performance part and didn't let me amend it. I was completely un aware of it due to the car not being mine and being my fathers as I was using it to learn to drive. Never will I go back to this company as will be paying the price for this for the rest of my life!”
Hello, I can appreciate the frustration that can be caused by the validations process. I'm sorry that you had such a poor experience during these checks and that this led to the cancellation of your policy. Our New Business Review team pick a handful of policies at random, checking all details and updating them when necessary. This is our standard business practice and we apologise if you weren't aware of this. We need the information to make sure an insurance policy is valid, fit for purpose and that there is no chance that you are not covered in the case of an accident or claim. This check can be done at any point in the policy.
If you believe that this was incorrectly handled and if you wish to raise a complaint concerning this, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. Our regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, says we have up to eight weeks to settle your complaint, however the vast majority are resolved well within that time. You’ll find more information at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Completely incompetent as an insurance company. Customer service is woeful, anytime you have a query or want to make the slightest change you will be forced to sit through at the very least an hour of hold music, which is almost as bad as dealing with their operators whom are so unprofessional and obviously reading every single word from a script. If you choose to go with Hastings, be prepared for unexpected charges, completely different to that of which they quote you or say they will charge. The Hastings Direct app appears to have been produced by a child, which really is an insult to children.”
Hello, I'm very sorry that you struggled to reach us and get the help that you needed. If you need to discuss your policy, the app or need any help with this, please send us an email at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com as an alternative to the phone. We'll do all we can to help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
Hello, I'm very sorry if you didn't receive the level of customer service that you deserved. If there’s anything specific we can help you with, please let us know. You can find all the different ways to contact us at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Great company. Nifty app that keeps all documents in once place. Very each to get in touch with an actual human as opposed to automated machine.
Amazing customer service. Special shoutout to Kaley and Cyril for their fantastic customer service.
Prices are becoming steeper compared to other competitors... something to consider to keep your customers moving forward.”
Hello, we really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us and it’s fantastic to hear you received such a great level of service from the advisors you spoke to. We appreciate that prices are increasing and we're working to ensure that we remain competitive. If there’s anything else you need assistance with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. ~Theo, Customer Care
“I had an on-line policy with this company, I am changing my vehicle so I needed to change my insurance, I rang them only to be told they couldn't do anything about it as I had an on-line policy and I have to do everything through my on-line account, even though it states on their web site to PHONE them to see if they can better a quote from another company. All I could do was what they said so I decided to use another company who are over £120 cheaper. Hastings obviously don't want my business, they don't honour what is written on their own web site so don't bother using them”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about this. We should still strive to assist you even if you have an online policy. I can appreciate the frustration this would have caused and I understand looking elsewhere for your cover. Going forward, we do have a number of platforms you can contact us as an alternative to the phone. You can email us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com or send us a direct message on X (formerly Twitter) @HastingsDirect or on Facebook. We'll do all we can to help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Hastings Reviews has still not repaired my vehicle, which their customer drove into, despite five months passing by! They claim I have not been contactable but I have kept all the emails, which prove I have been emailing regularly - eight times in fact between the 11th March and the 25th April! Most of the time, I was asking when my van would be fixed as it was a long wait! I have even made an official compliant to Hastings and forwarded these emails and they have denied my complaint and said they would do the same again! Financial Ombudsman it is then!!!”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about the delay concerning your repair and to see that you didn't receive the outcome you were expecting concerning your complaint. You are of course entitled to escalate this further to the Financial Ombudsman and I hope that you get the outcome you are hoping for there. I hope that you have also received contact from the complaint handler following your latest email. If not, please send us a direct message on X (formerly Twitter) @HastingsDirect or on Facebook so we can help you further. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Their youdrive policy looked good at the start. Great price and good idea in principle.
But my driving data showed spikes of harsh braking. I live in a busy city, people pull out on me all the time...I have to brake to prevent an accident.
Then, I get an email to say my data had stopped and to check my phone settings.
Emailed back, settings all correct, 10 emails later, I suspect their 'tab' faulty. No light when pressing the link button.
No bluetooth on the tab. Asked about 4 times to order a replacement tab, even if that meant a charge for a new tab. But no, they refuse. So, I'm driving around with no data sharing. I'm now being told, due to lack of data my insurance will be cancled.
Finding insurance at this stage is costing me over 4000 pounds. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY.
I can't afford this mess!!
Going back to bymiles.”
Hello Tom, I'm very sorry to read about the poor experience you've had while insured with us on your Youdrive policy and to see that this has resulted in the policy's cancellation. If you wish to raise complaint concerning this, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. You can find further information about this process here: www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Insultingly high car insurance renewal quote. More than £800 increase from the previous with extra year no claims. Went and got quoted less than half what Hastings offered me. Say you can manage everything in the app but you can't cancel your autorenewal from there, have to ring them and wait half an hour to connect. Waste of time.”
Hello George, 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/.
Please note, You can read about automatic renewal in your terms and conditions, as well as find this in the very first document that is sent to you during the policy’s cooling off period. This document will inform you how to remove the auto-renewal and this can be done by the customer online at any point during the first eleven months of the policy. This means you wouldn’t need to call in the final month to arrange this.
If you would like to discuss this further or need any help with your policy, please contact us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com so we can help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
“The worst car insurance company I have ever been with. Just received my renewal quote and it’s gone up by over £1000. I have now been on hold to them for over an hour to cancel my renewal as I have found insurance £1500 less. They take money from you for the slightest thing and don’t even tell you. They are a rip off. Don’t insure with them. You will regret it.”
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/.
I appreciate also that the wait to speak to the advisor can be frustrating, especially on the weekend when there are a reduced amount of advisors available. Going forward, you can send us a direct message on X (formerly Twitter) @HastingsDirect or on Facebook as an alternative to the phone.
Thank you for having been insured with us and I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Took our money then demanded proof of drivers licenses, no claims etc. this went on as our ‘evidence’ wasn’t good enough. Wouldn’t confirm that we were insured until the images were to their liking.
Tried to add a temporary driver for one week and got told they couldn’t do it and wouldn’t tell us why.
Won’t be insuring with them again upon renewal.”
Hello, I can appreciate the frustration that can be caused by the validations process. I'm sorry that you had such a poor experience during these checks. Our New Business Review team pick a handful of policies at random, checking all details and updating them when necessary. This is our standard business practice and we apologise if you weren't aware of this. We need the information to make sure an insurance policy is valid, fit for purpose and that there is no chance that you are not covered in the case of an accident or claim. This check can be done at any point in the policy.
If you believe that this was incorrectly handled and if you wish to raise a complaint concerning this, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. ~Theo. Customer Care
“I spent an hour filling in website forms to compare to my current quotation for multi level cover. I then had a message telling me I couldn't be provided with a quote on line so to call a number. After 15 minutes on hold I was told I had to be transferred to another department, another 20 minutes later on hold I was told one of my cars wouldn't be accepted - I have no idea why, 13 years no claims, other quotations provided and no motoring convictions. That is about 1 hour and 40 minutes of my life I am not getting back!”
Hello, I can appreciate the frustration this would have caused, especially to feel that the time spent trying to get a quote was wasted. I'm sorry that we were unable to offer you cover this year and I hope that you were able to find suitable cover for your vehicle in the end. ~Theo, Customer Care
“In essence there was a communications breakdown - Hastings have auto renewed even though we have another policy in place. Having realised that Hastings have now taken our monies contact was made to get a refund. They won't refund all of keeping £20 as auto renewal fee..... really ??? I don't automatically agree to the auto renewal for that very reason - yet because we haven't spoken to them direct - they have taken it anyway. no goodwill whats so ever .......”
Hello Nick, I can appreciate the frustration that this can cause. The law says any car on the road must be insured. To be certain our customers stay insured on their renewal date, we automatically renew their policies unless we're informed not to do so.
You can read about automatic renewal in your terms and conditions, as well as find this in the very first document that is sent to you during the policy’s cooling off period. This document will inform you how to remove the auto-renewal and this can be done by the customer online at any point during the first eleven months of the policy. This means you wouldn’t need to call in the final month to arrange this.
If you would like to discuss this or need any help with your policy, please contact us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com so we can help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
Hello, I am sorry to hear that you are not happy about the renewal pricing. If you call our renewals team on 0333 321 9790, they can look into the pricing for you, and if you have a price elsewhere, you can let them know, and we shall do the best that we can. ~ Nicole, Customer Care
“I had a renewal notice. I phoned because it had gone up by 28%. Customer service checking if they can do anything. Went through property details. Asked how many rooms, I queried what do they count,
' It's anything with a door'
So my empty porch, my spare toilet, my conservatory and my hall they all have doors?
'We don't count the toilet if it's just a toilet'
So are you you counting the empty porch, and the hall?'
'I don't know, I'm not advisory you have to tell me'.
'Just tell me which rooms you count, it's a lounge diner, 2 beds I bath, a spare toilet and a conservatory.'
'Do you accomodate anybody in the conservatory?'
'Eh? It's a conservatory, you know, a sun room. You sit in it.'
'I can't tell you what we count, you have to tell us how many rooms'.
'It's a two bed bungalow with a lounge diner, a spare toilet and a conservatory - you are the insurer, you tell me what you count.'
And round and round we go.
Forget it, you are setting me up to have problems before we start.
I ring complaints dept - all she will do is put me back to customer service to get another agent. No thanks.
More than 9 years with no claims, always buy the most inclusions I can get, you do not deserve my business if you cannot answer a simple question relating to my given and legally binding information.”
Hello, I am sorry to hear this has happened to you. We count every room in a house, including bathrooms and conservatory's, we just do not add a toilet only as a bathroom on the room count. You can look at raising a complaint in regards to this if you wish, and it will be investigated for you. You do not have to ring to log a complaint, you can do this on our website using a form, or contact is through Facebook or X (formally Twitter). Nicole, Customer Care.
