“Hastings incorrectly collated my information from Compare the Market.com and then charged me £40 for cancelling when I noticed this mistake. Have asked for a refund but this has not been given. Went with another company for my car insurance as Hastings lost my trust.”
Hello Megan, I'm sorry to read about this and to see that you had such a poor experience with us. Looking at the policy, the refund due back to you was sent on the 14th of March 2024. Please contact us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com if this hasn't arrived.
We do all we can to make our fees clear before you buy a policy from us, and they’re stated in our terms and conditions. We apologise if you weren't aware of this. I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Awful awful awful. Doubled my insurance at renewal even though no claims or points. Tried to cancel from renewal spent over 4 hours waiting in phone queues before they eventually hung up as said they didn`t believe i was the policy holder. Emailed them direct to complain and cancel but heard nothing. Eventually received email to confirm my policy was being cancelled at renewal and guess what...automatically renewed. Went straight back on to webchat who eventually said I had to speak to renewals team so now waiting probably another 4 hours to speak to them only to be told they don`t believe I`m me. If you want to keep your money in your account then best not insure through Hastings Direct. Awful. -20 out of 10.”
Hello Sam, I'm very sorry for the poor experience you've had throughout your renewal with us and if you have not heard back concerning your complaint. 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 hope that you have since been able to get the help you need. If not, you can email us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com as an alternative to the phone. Our advisors there would be happy to help you. I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo. 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
Hello, I can appreciate the confusion this can cause. To work out the price of our policies or if cover can be provided, we consider your vehicle, address, drivers and personal details against the underwriter's acceptance criteria. Please note the criteria and the risk that can be accepted is subject to change. In this case, it seems we can’t offer cover based on a combination of the above, and I’m sorry this is the case. I hope that you are able to find suitable cover for your vehicle soon. ~Theo. Customer Care
Hello, thank you for leaving a review with us. 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. Thanks again, ~Theo. Customer Care
“Don't use this company if you are considering using telematics. If there are any issues with the technology and they can't find the problem - you risk having your insurance cancelled. Try explaining that to future insurers. It may turn out out to be a very expensive mistake”
Hello, I'm sorry that you've had a poor experience while insured on your telematics policy. We cancel a policy when a term or condition for your insurance hasn’t been met. If you are having any issues with the device, please contact the team, especially if you receive a document to say the policy runs the risk of being cancelled. You can speak to them on 0333 999 8911 and they would be happy to help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Worse insurance company i have ever come across!
1. They don’t listen
2.They make up the rules as they go along
3.Customer service is TERRIBLE they put the phone down on you
4. They take random payments out…I have paid over £200 in one month
5.Im suprised they don’t charge customers for breathing..they charge for everything else!!!”
Hello, I'm very sorry to see that you have had such a poor experience with us. If you need any help with your policy, please let us know. You can email us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com, ~Theo. Customer Care
“Avoid this company. I took out a policy and then about 2 months later they claimed that the information I provided around my no claims discount was incorrect and they’d be putting my premium up by over £400!
So I had to rush around getting my no claims information from previous insurers. When I called to enquire about this, the call handler was stating what was on her screen about my history, so already had the information!
This seems to be an exploitative move by Hastings Direct. There will be people out there who maybe are away or the email went to their junk folder who will get a price increase.
I’m waiting for my complaint to be resolved.
I would not recommend that anyone uses them.”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy we checked 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 sometimes need the information to make sure an insurance policy is valid and fit for purpose. Also, if you need more time to send us the documents we’ve asked for, it’s not a problem – just call us about this or any other question you have on 0333 321 9757. Thanks again, ~Nicole. Customer Care
“Absolute money making machine. They renewed my insurance even though I didn't want it renewed. Then after I had to ring to cancel (driving for over 25 years and always if a policy ends they say it wont be renewed) be told I still owed £50 for less than a week.
Talk about growing money. Would NEVER insure with these again as they put people on the phones you cant understand then get you with we did tell you this.
POOR customer service. 1 star is overrated.”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy that your policy has automatically renewed. 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 – that’s unless customers tell us not to renew. 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. If you’d like to talk about this, please call our Renewals team on 0333 321 9790. Thanks again, ~Nicole. Customer Care
“Absolutely shocking..keep transferring from 1 department to another to another to another..very very rude..my son wanted to put in a complaint and woman hung up on him..Absolutely disgusting person..looking into how we might take them to small claims court now..and how to get copies of telephone recordings..hope karma gets the people that work for them, big time!!”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy with our service. To make a complaint, go to www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 321 9801. 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. You’ll find more information at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. Thanks again, ~Nicole. 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
“Car needed replacing 8 months into the Policy but when I tried to transfer the new vehicle via the App it said I would have to call Hastings! When I did they tried to do the transfer with a like for like vehicle but said sorry, computer says No! They were not prepared to find out why or contact the underwriter! I was forced to cancel the policy, loose my 8 months of NCD and take another full year policy out with a different company. I’d have hated to try & deal with them for an actual claim!”
Hello, I'm very sorry to see that we were unable to provide you with cover for your new car. When we work out the price of our policies, we consider various things, including your vehicle, address, drivers and personal details. In your case, it seems we can’t offer cover based on a combination of the above. I can appreciate the frustration and I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo. Customer Care
Hello Janetta, I'm sorry to read about the damage to your home and to see that we were unable to provide you with the cover for this. I hope that repairs can be made soon. If you need to discuss this further, you can speak to our Home Customer Service team on 0333 321 9682. ~Theo, Customer Care
Hello, I'm sorry to see this and it sounds like an error on the policy. If you contact our Customer Service team on 0333 321 9801 they can take a look at this and can help to resolve the issue. ~Theo, Customer Care
Hello, I'm sorry if you've struggled to reach us on the phone. If you still need help with your policy, you can email as an alternative at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com. We'll do all we can to help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Horrible insurer, I do not recommend them at all. Don't be fooled by the relatively low premiums - they will charge you with administrative costs at any occasion, whack you with unjustified charges or hiked premium if you need to make any changes, or even cancel your insurance without notice. If you try to get in touch with them, you will find their customer service is unprofessional and unhelpful. Especially if you predict there will be a change in your circumstances (job change, move, start a business etc.) it's best to look to other insurance companies which show some regard to their customers.”
Hello, we're very sorry if any of the administrative costs caused some frustration. The £20 non-refundable fee in particular, covers our various business costs, including customer service, maintaining systems, updating databases and sending documents. We make our fees clear before you buy a policy from us, and they’re stated in our terms and conditions. We apologise if you weren't aware of this. If you need any further help, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“I spoke to Priscilla in the New Business Team and she was understanding and patient with me. She explained all the terms and was helpful in helping me sort out my car insurance.
Thank-you Priscilla :-)”
Hello Azmina, 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. Thank you very much for choosing to insure with us this year. ~Theo, Customer Care
Hello, it's really good to see that you got the customer service you deserve. Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us. ~Theo, Customer Care
“I had policy with them 6 days, and paid 65 pounds, when cancelled they return 10p, so you paying 11 pounds for 1 day, imagine if you stay with them longer for example 14 days, you pocket them 150 pounds it's clear theft, and additionally checking you even speeding with their box.”
Hello Piotr. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy about your cancelled policy. To understand our charges, it’s important to note we don't charge your insurance per month. Instead, we charge you for the exact dates you were insured – so you don't pay any less or any more. The only additional charges are for any non-refundable fees (for example, the arrangement fee or any Direct Debit default fees) and a cancellation fee, when it applies. You’ll find a breakdown of the costs of your cancellation in your documents. If you’d like us to explain the costs in more detail, you can call us on 0333 321 9801 or find more ways to contact us at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
Hello Clifton, I'm sorry you’re unhappy with the service you’ve received and to see that you've struggled to reach us and arrange for the policy to be cancelled. If you still need help with this, please 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. ~Theo. Customer Care
