“Received a renewal for an increase of 42 percent. Decided to get rid of vehicle. So rang them and informed them a week before the renewal date that I would not be renewing. Explained that I wasn't happy with price but had decided to get rid of vehicle before the renewal date. So they cancelled the policy immediately and charged me a cancellation fee. I never made a claim off them but I will now never use them again. Conning people out of more money when they simply tell them your not renewing”
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. Please email us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com and we’ll then look into this issue for you. You can also find more ways to contact us at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. Thanks again, ~Tamera. Customer Care
“Worst car cover insurance company ever had covered by….
After received a renewal letter with stupid increase price for no reason, I called renewal department to stop. Lady on another end insisted to stop automatic renewal by mistake cancelled my existing policy (3 weeks left ). After of hours discussion and excuses she said we can’t reinstate you policy because you had multiple cover. When I asked for solutions to keep my car covered for remaining 3 weeks, they said we don’t do temporary covers.
Finally they offered an £15 compensation for " hi value customer " to keep me happy …)
Quick online quote from other companies for my car shows £229
I haven’t accepted £15 and will see how complain department will get situation sorted…
Unbelievable !!!
HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE”
Hello Eduard, I'm very sorry to read about the poor experience you've had and to see that you had to raise a complaint concerning this. If you haven't received an update about your complaint within the promised timeframe, please give the team a call on 0333 999 8904. You can also find more ways to contact us at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. I hope you receive a satisfactory resolution to your complaint. ~Theo. Customer Care
“I bought car insurance (I paid for the whole year on February 5th). Today, February 24, I changed my mind. I canceled the policy before it started (the policy starts on March 1). I had to pay a penalty because I changed my mind about the price offer, explaining that they had started the process....
ps. It means they used my money for 18 days (for free)... and now they are charging me a fee because I changed my mind about their product..
Shame... this is very inappropriate and dishonorable.”
Hello Andrzej. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy we charged you a fee. This £20 non-refundable arrangement fee 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. Thanks again, ~Theo. Customer Care
“Hastings Direct were competitive last year but have increased our house insurance quote by £127. They claim "we’re committed to offering competitive renewal prices. That’s why, based on the same details, the price of your renewal quote from us will never be more than a quote we offer to a new customer." That's not true. The comparison site we used last year, using our unaltered retained details, gave us their quote as £158 LESS than the renewal letter! I can't be bothered to ring them to haggle, as I'd rather deal with a more honest company.”
Hello, I'm sorry to see that we were not able to offer you a more 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/. With online quotes, your information is usually more up to date – this is often the reason for the more competitive price. If you’d like to talk about this, please call our Renewals team on 0333 321 9790. They would be happy to take a look at this for you. ~Theo. Customer Care
“They do not stick to agreed payment dates, and take money from direct debit account well over a week in advance, without any notification and then decide its your fault if the payment is declined”
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
“Hastings Direct were competitive for my renewal last year, but premium jumped from £377 to £571 for renewal this year, which is excessive despite the BS regarding increasing costs yada yada yada; the reality is they are trying to take advantage by automatically renewing the policy. There is no option to opt out of auto renewal without calling the call centre. I got a much better quote for renewal elsewhere, but then couldnt cancel my renewal without calling the call centre and having to spend 10minutes on my time on the phone cancelling a renewal that I never agreed to. To add injury to insult, they then advised that they could significantly reduce the renewal cost if I stayed; why did they not offer their best renewal price in the first place! When challenged, I got the same BS about market price at the time of quoting renewal blah blah blah. TBF, they are all the same in terms of trying to take advantage by putting a CPA (Continuous Payment Authorisation) on your account once you sign up and then just taking the money for the renewal, but at least most give you the option to opt out of auto renewal online. My advice is that as soon as you set up your insurance, cancel the CPA with the insurance company, and if they dont cancel it, cancel it with your bank who are obliged to cancel it upon request.”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy with our price for renewing your policy. Just so you know, the price we offer is based on the current details on the policy. We’re happy to look into this for you in case changes need to be made.
If you’d like us to help you further, please call our Renewals team on 0333 321 9790. Thanks again, ~ Nicole. Customer Care
“The first year was expensive, but this year was better. That is, your installation was good for these increases and I was satisfied with the insurance, thanks 🤩”
Hello Mohamed, 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. ~ Tamera, Customer Care.
“Your customer service is a disgrace.my daughter car caught on fire and was given a car to use so it was insured shevhad it fir 2 months now been passed on to a debt agency. I put a complaint in as policy in my name with my daughter the driver when she cancelled it they say it has to be paid in full.when she rang again the man said as you don't have a car you don't have to pay and said a supervisor would call NEVER got a call.she purchased a car with another company had it 2 months that company cancelled policy and no more to pay I have the e mail on that. I have sent at least 30 e mails asking for this to be looked into and to send me a letter as there app cannot be updated as no car is insured I am still waiting for the letter.the debt agency have e mailed them asking for them to send me a letter.next step is ombudsman disgusting company.my daughter was six months pregnant and her partner died then the car caught fire and was written off the stress this company has caused is a total disgrase”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry to hear you weren’t happy with our service. We always aim to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. If you’d like to discuss this, we’d be happy to talk about your claim with you. To get in touch either call 0333 321 9800 or email motorclaims@hastingsdirect.com with your claim reference in the subject line. Thanks again, ~Beth, Customer Care
“Cancelled my policy due to not pairing my tab to my phone. I had explained multiple times that I was travelling in the US when the tab arrived and had tried to contact them while I was away to make them aware of this and found no clear way that would address the issue and as I was out of the country travelling my options were limited (the only thing I found was to make a claim). I was then able to get a family member to pair it while I was away, or so we thought. There was very little information on what was needed and the instructions we were given were incredibly vague and clearly not helpful as the pairing was unsuccessful. I told multiple customer services representatives this and was met with a lack of understanding and zero sympathy for the situation. None of my points were addressed or fully regarded. I didn’t drive the car once since I started the insurance due to being out of the country, and was still charged a large sum of money even though they cancelled my insurance. So disappointed and frustrated. I would not recommend.”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy your policy was cancelled. We cancel a policy when a term or condition for your insurance hasn’t been met. You should have received an email from us that explained why we were cancelling your policy and included the date we’d cancel it from. We apologise if you didn’t get this email. If you think your policy was cancelled incorrectly, please call our YouDrive team on 0333 999 8911. Thanks again, ~Beth. Customer Care
“Useless customer service, expensive premiums.. and if you get a claim then good luck! Wish I could give 0 stars.. also, paid my insurance off for sum of £650, just for them to cancel for ____ reason?? And then saying I'm not eligible for a refund.. customer service hung phone up on me many times too, so helpful and amazing, can't imagine having such amazing support and help. I'm paying your wages, FFS.”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy about your cancelled policy. We always let our customers know in advance why we need to cancel a policy and the date we’ll cancel it from if the situation doesn’t change. We do apologise if you didn’t get an email or letter that told you about this. Please let us know if you’d like us to investigate what happened. You can call us on 0333 321 9801 or find more ways to contact us at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. Thanks again, ~Beth. Customer Care
“Avoid avoid avoid - hidden charges , we got insurance with Hastings last week. Since then we have been hassled for more and more Info with threats of cancellation. We provided the information.
We put my licence held 16 years as I got my licence Feb 2008 now Feb 2024
There was no option for actual date.
Police started on 1st Feb my licence on 5th Feb. They are now trying to charge £60 to change this as they're saying it should be 15 years
Their math =2008 to 2024 is 15 years
Please avoid, put of principal we cancelled but that cost £90”
Hello Smith. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy we checked your policy and the fee. 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. Our fees are written in your policy documents and displayed on our website – again, we’re sorry if you weren’t aware of this before you bought your policy. If you need any further help, please call us on 0333 321 9757. Thanks again, ~ Tamera. Customer Care
“Very bad and poor experience.
Unfortunately someone hit and run my car while parked.
Vehicle has been recovered to an approved garage the insurance then ask the garage to do not carry out any checks/access has the car will be written off.
Insurance then contacted Copart to collect the car.
So basically since the incident there was no contact with the car, there was no contact from them to us to inform about nothing.
Personal belongings still inside of the car and we can't get it back as per them poor service.”
Hello, we're very sorry to read about the poor experience you've had during your claim as we always aim to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. If you’d like to discuss this, we’d be happy to talk about your claim with you. To get in touch either call 0333 321 9800 or email motorclaims@hastingsdirect.com with your claim reference in the subject line. ~Theo. Customer Care
“I would give this a zero star rating but that option is not available.
After passing her driving test, my daughter was given a quote yesterday and she took out an insurance policy, forfeiting the previous offer she had which she has now been lost. When she received the documentation today she noticed the advisor had made a mistake and had issued the policy aligning to her provisional license not her full driving license. When she called to have it corrected, Hastings would not honor the quote, cancelled the policy and put the phone down on her.
Before completing the call with the advisor yesterday, she confirmed with the advisor that the policy would cover her fully comp, with legal advice and aligned to a full driving license to which he confirmed 'YES'. This would have been recorded and Hastings should listen to that conversation and honor the previous quote she had or even the cost of the policy that was activated.
It should be noted, because of this policy being activated, my daughter drove her car all day WITHOUT sufficient cover and this company should accept liability for the error made rather than putting the phone down on her!
Disgusting service and a complaint will be filed with the FCA.”
Hello Heather, I'm very sorry to read about the poor experience you daughter has and I further apologise if an advisor's error led to this situation.
You would need to raise a formal complaint internally before referring to the ombudsman. If you wish to do so, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints. 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. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Very bad experience with them. My Car was insured (Hastings Premier Online Policy) with them, a week ago (after a lapse of 5 to 6 months) they asked me to provide my DL and Log Book which I have provided to them, and confirmed the same by calling them. Everything was fine but they just canceled my policy on the plea that there is a month difference in car purchasing time (on the logbook it was July 2021 whereas on insurance it was mentioned as June 2021). They were supposed to amend my policy as every curial information was accurate, but they just canceled it not accommodating me at all.”
Hello, we're sorry to see that the validation checks caused some frustration and to see 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 sometimes need the information to make sure an insurance policy is valid and fit for purpose.
I can appreciate the frustration the cancellation would have caused and I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. If you need to discuss this further, please give the team a call on 0333 321 9757. ~Theo. Customer Care
“0 stars if I could!! Never take home insurance out with this sorry mistake for a company. I had 2 floods at my house in September 2022. I was eventually put into alternative accommodation which they failed to keep extending out, making me and my two very young children homeless and forced to return to a house that is infested with sewage water. It’s now February 2024 and the work has never been finished. I could get into many more things they did wrong, but this is the extremely short version. I’ve never witness such a shambles and for such an extended period of time.”
Hello Kaiden. 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, ~Tamera. Customer Care
“Got a quote from compare the market.
When going through the quote on there site to buy my bike insurance the price kept changing and going up.
Told them and they didnt care told me that was the price”
Hello. Thanks for letting us know about this and we're sorry you're unhappy with the premium we quoted. Just so you know, the costs of claims are rising for all insurers and our prices are in line with inflation. The Financial Conduct Authority has also approved our approach to pricing. If you need any further help, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/help. Thanks again, ~Tamera. Customer Care
“They consistently offer the most affordable quotes for young drivers. I've used their services for three consecutive years, and they've always been easy to work with. As a large company, they have the infrastructure to handle all requests efficiently.”
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. If there’s anything else you need assistance with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Thanks. ~ Beth, Customer Care.
“car insurance renewal was nearly £200 dearer than the previous year, cannot find the cancel automatic renewal on line so after 40 minutes on line decided to phone after a wait and was put through to the house insurance line who then tried to get me to stay with them, back on hold again, gave up in the end waiting, very difficult to cancel on line or by phone.”
Hello Phil. Thanks for letting us know about this and we’re sorry you’re unhappy with our price for renewing your policy. Just so you know, the price we offer is based on the current details on the policy. We’re happy to look into this for you in case changes need to be made.
If you’d like us to help you further, please call our Renewals team on 0333 321 9674. Or you can email us on customersupport@hastingsdirect.com if you would like your renewal cancelled. Thanks again, ~Tamera. Customer Care
