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Hastings Direct Smart Miles Reviews

3.3 Rating 1,956 Reviews

57 %

of reviewers recommend Hastings Direct Smart Miles

Company Reviews

Product Reviews

3.3

Based on 1,956 reviews


Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
On-time Delivery	Greater than 72%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour

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Hastings Direct Smart Miles 5 star review on 29th September 2023

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“The smart miles box is very frustrating for a young driver as penalises them very quickly and harshly but the score is very slow to go up , if at all when they are driving properly . If it goes in the red it’s very hard to get out and stay out so they will Inevitably cancel your policy , collecting £200 for doing so !!!!! If you even touch the brake the score goes down , time of day is quick to go down but rarely goes up ! Have had a shocking experience and they won’t help you out .”

Posted 3 years ago

Hello there, I'm sorry if you were unhappy with your SmartMiles policy experience. If you would like to discuss your driving score and how to improve this please call our SmartMiles customer service team on 01733 308 380. ~Freddy

Posted 3 years ago

“I am with Hastings Direct now, and have a Fiat 500. I am a new driver and am due to renew come October 2020. I check my scores religiously , and my score for speed as remained at 40 for some time now. Every other score is green so am happy with that. I have read that if my score drops below 40, my policy will be cancelled & I will struggle getting a policy elsewhere ? Is this true? Can someone let me know please.”

Posted 3 years ago

Hello there, Sorry for any confusion regarding your driving score. If you would like to discuss this and find out how we measure this please call our call centre on 01733 308 380. ~Freddy

Posted 3 years ago

“HORRENDOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE! Not to mention being ripped off money because the blackbox does not work! They will charge you a big cancellation fee through no fault of your own.”

Posted 3 years ago

Hello Baxter, I'm very sorry you feel this way. If you would like to discuss the black box or anything relating to your SmartMiles policy please call 01733 308 380. ~Freddy

Posted 3 years ago

“Their Black box is a con. Even when driving within the speed limits and driving within the designated times. My scores have continued to drop at a slow rate over the past 6 months bringing it below 40. I have requested driving data twice because of suspicions with my driving scores and to their convenience I have been promised the data but have never actually been sent it. It’s only now my score has dropped below 40 that I’ve heard from them. Due to my score I was told about a speeding incident of me apparently going 45mph in a 30mph zone, this never occurred. This is what had took my score below 40. I was then informed where this occurred and I was driving on a national speed limit road. A so called “gps drift” had caused the blackbox to position me on the road that runs next to it which is a 30mph speed limit. This was then removed off my score which should have brought my score back up. However, to their convenience it didn’t affect my score at all and stayed below 40 which makes no sense, the threats to cancel my insurance have just continued despite their own mistake. Don’t go with Hastings direct. They’re cheap but it’s obvious to see why. I’d recommend spending more money to avoid the possibility of this happening to you.”

Posted 3 years ago

Hi Nathan, I apologise for any frustration caused. We have a team dedicated to helping you improve your score, you can reach the on 0333 999 8452. ~Melissa

Posted 3 years ago

“Good service and good options for younger drivers. Would recommend as a first time insurance company.”

Posted 3 years ago

“This was a great choice for my daughters first insurance and by far the cheapest quote. We are coming up to a year now and her score is 98 out of 100. Most of the bad reviews for this product are by young men or their mothers claiming their driving is being wrongly represented. Let me assure you, when mummy is not there, those boys are trying to race me at traffic lights, breaking the speed limits, taking corners and braking too fast and driving too much after 10 pm. When mummy asks them about why their insurance is cancelled or their renewal is higher “ It wasn’t me mum, the black box is recording it wrong “ Anyway, just to recap..... if you are a genuinely compliant driver, this insurance is top notch !”

Posted 3 years ago

“Great insurance company. Helped me increase my miles for as little as 79 pence.”

Posted 3 years ago

Hi Laura, Thank you so much for your 5* review, we appreciate it! ~Lillie

Posted 3 years ago

“If you're looking for accurate information reflecting your driving and a lower premium as a result of good behaviour, DO NOT - I REPEAT - DO NOT use this company. When I first bought the policy and had an appointment booked to fit the box I was then threatened with cancellation a few days later because apparently I hadn't set an appointment date, which they were able to later verify I had. I have always driven respectfully and within the parameters the box (excluding when the car is driven admittedly, but that's unfortunately related to work as with many others) and yet, when I went to look at my renewal quote it had all but doubled with it set for AUTOMATIC renewal. I then looked into the dashboard to see that much of the information is inaccurate. I have already previously phoned to notify them I don't wish to renew my policy and whilst the customer service was polite and respectful, it seemed as though my leaving wasn't a concern of theirs at all. My Time of Day score sat at 30, but 84% of my driving had been done during the day according to the dashboard so how can it fall so low? My braking score also sat at a marvellous 1! I was never once notified of this fact and I would uphold it to be a completely unfair and inaccurate representation of my braking. I'm a young, male driver who has worked hard to keep his premiums as low as possible against the prevailing tide of insurance companies scalping my age group and this last year has been an absolute waste of time because of faulty information on their end. When I spoke to customer services I was told that it wasn't possible to tell me how my driving is rated, nor am I able to know why this affected my premium so greatly. It feels to me, and clearly many others, that this company is geared to either using faulty technology or trying to drive up insurance premiums for younger, more vulnerable drivers. I WOULD IMPLORE YOU NOT TO EVER USE THIS COMPANY, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S INSURANCE. YOU WILL NOT BE VALUED AND YOU WILL NOT BENEFIT FROM THEIR SERVICE.”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Adam, I apologise if you were unhappy with the use of your telematics box. We have a team dedicated to helping you improve your score and you can reach them by calling 0333 999 8372. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“If you're looking for accurate information reflecting your driving and a lower premium as a result of good behaviour, DO NOT - I REPEAT - DO NOT use this company. When I first bought the policy and had an appointment booked to fit the box I was then threatened with cancellation a few days later because apparently I hadn't set an appointment date, which they were able to later verify I had. I have always driven respectfully and within the parameters the box (excluding when the car is driven admittedly, but that's unfortunately related to work as with many others) and yet, when I went to look at my renewal quote it had all but doubled with it set for AUTOMATIC renewal. I then looked into the dashboard to see that much of the information is inaccurate. I have already previously phoned to notify them I don't wish to renew my policy and whilst the customer service was polite and respectful, it seemed as though my leaving wasn't a concern of theirs at all. My Time of Day score sat at 30, but 84% of my driving had been done during the day according to the dashboard so how can it fall so low? My braking score also sat at a marvellous 1! I was never once notified of this fact and I would uphold it to be a completely unfair and inaccurate representation of my braking. I'm a young, male driver who has worked hard to keep his premiums as low as possible against the prevailing tide of insurance companies scalping my age group and this last year has been an absolute waste of time because of faulty information on their end. When I spoke to customer services I was told that it wasn't possible to tell me how my driving is rated, nor am I able to know why this affected my premium so greatly. It feels to me, and clearly many others, that this company is geared to either using faulty technology or trying to drive up insurance premiums for younger, more vulnerable drivers. I WOULD IMPLORE YOU NOT TO EVER USE THIS COMPANY, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S INSURANCE. YOU WILL NOT BE VALUED AND YOU WILL NOT BENEFIT FROM THEIR SERVICE.”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Adam, I apologise if you were unhappy with the use of your telematics box. We have a team dedicated to helping you improve your score and you can reach them by calling 0333 999 8372. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“Been with smart miles for just over 6 months and honestly think it’s great value for your money. I’m seeing all these negative reviews on here but everything’s been fine with me, I was in contact with them last week and the customer service was great and friendly. Only thing I do have to agree on is that acceleration score is low for me even though I’m very careful. Overall great value for money especially for a first time driver who can’t afford 2k for insurance. I’m excited to see my quote for next year.”

Posted 4 years ago

Hello Charlie, This is really good to hear. It's good to see that you're having such a positive experience and I hope this continues to be the case. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review with us and I hope that you'll be offered a competitive renewal to reflect your careful driving. ~Theo

Posted 4 years ago

“My son has exactly the same issue with acceleration scores lowering for no reason. Apparently no issue with telematics box! I am waiting for a report to see where the issue is being triggered. I’ll reserve full judgment for now”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi, I'm sorry if you were unhappy with the service. Please call us on 0333 999 8372 and we can look into this for you. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“I have not been with this company long and I already hate it everything apart from the acceleration scores accurate but I have been driving very carefully in my car making my parents drive it who have perfect driving records and over 20 years driving experience and the acceleration scores still went down I'm sitting currently on 19/100 for acceleration and it will not move up it just keeps going down, does anyone else have this problem?”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, I'm sorry if you were having difficulties with your telematics box. We have a team dedicated to helping you improve your score and you can reach them on 0333 999 8372. I hope you manage to make some positive progress soon. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT GO WITH THIS COMPANY!!! Worst insurance company I have ever experienced. Rude customer service. I was involved in a car accident that wasn't my fault yet it has taken over 2 months to sort this claim out (Still not sorted). One month of which I was left WITHOUT a courtesy car!! I am still waiting for my car to be repaired due to them waiting for a canister of spare wheel foam... when called I told the garage they could fix the car without the canister and I can pick up the canister of foam another day to which they answered "oh okay, I guess we will START fixing your car then' THEY SHOULD HAVE STARTED FIXING IT A MONTH PRIOR TO ME EVEN TELLING THEM?! The solicitors you are passed onto by this insurance are terrible as well. They do not explain anything, just bombard you with emails and texts. Hastings also admitted to forgetting to pass me through to their solicitors as soon as the crash took place. I was put in contact with them after asking them a month after the crash due to someone trying to scam me. This resulted in me getting physio a month too late. You'd think they would offer you physio as soon as you first call saying YOU CANNOT EVEN WALK due to the injuries. Ridiculous. This company has caused me more stress than help which is the opposite of what you pay for. Smart miles is meant to make your insurance cheaper yet I have found insurances WITHOUT a telematics box and WITH my crash details on that come out a few hundred pounds cheaper which baffles me but I'm definitely aborting my annually paid insurance to go to someone cheaper and better and I suggest you do the same!!”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, I do apologise if you were unhappy with the service when making a claim with us. I hope you've since managed to make some positive progress. If you do need further assistance, please call our Claims team on 0333 321 9800 and they'll do their best to help you. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“I have only given 1 star because it was,mt possible to give none. Horrendous experience, my advice is dont get black box insurance with these!! You get what you pay for and there is a reason they are cheaper!”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Joe, I'm sorry if you were unhappy with the service. If you require any further assistance, please call us on 01733 308 370 and we'll do our best to help. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“Used for 3 years, although a few hiccups on their side about blackbox readings, everything was rectified and helped save a lot of money on insurance.”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Chris, Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. I'm glad we were able to offer you a competitive deal! ~Lillie

Posted 4 years ago

“1st year renewal really good and halved the policy. My driving has remained the same and this year the policy is £300 more! I'm now looking elsewhere. In 3 years I have NEVER had an accident or claim either...………..Ludicrous!!”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, I'm sorry if you were unhappy with the renewal. We send this out based on last year's details, if you do find a cheaper price online then our Renewals team would be happy to check the price for you. Please call them on 01733 308 380, I hope you manage to make some positive progress soon. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“I really dont feel like driving no more due to the score. Its ridiculous, ive come do a point where im trying not to use my breaks to a point where it’s dangerous. The score never seems to go up only down. If i dont press my gas my car will stall but if i do my score goes down. I tried calling the numbers listed below for help however its always busy. Im not happy.”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, I'm sorry if you've had some difficulties using your telematics box. We have a team dedicated to help you improve your score and you can reach them by calling 0333 999 8372 and they'll be happy to assist. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“I have been with this company since age 16, i am now 22. all was fine until i decided to take out a car on finance to celebrate moving out and getting my first proper job. Of course ,this required a new box, which i offered to fit myself. i followed their instructions to the letter and the box was fitted on roughly the 14th of january. I then heard nothing until this morning , where i got multiple texts and voicemails insisting i call them. When i did , i found out they wanted me to pay £40 . i had no idea what they were on about and it was literally only then i found out it was a cancellation fee. When i got put through to the customer services team i then found out that not only were they trying to charge me , but that my policy had been cancelled since the 19th of january (its now the 3rd of feb) without me having any clue . when i asked why , i found out they hadnt gotten a signal from my box and so they insisted it wasnt installed . When i said it had been , and either i must have installed it wrong (though i followed the instructions to the letter) or the box must be faulty , i had 2 employees insist i must be lying. When i tried to suggest ways to recify what was obviously an honest mistake, such as me sending a picture of the box as proof ,having an engineer come out at my cost to check the box is installed correctly and functioning and/or having an engineer talk me through the box installation incase i made a mistake -i was shut down with nothing but 'you need to pay the fee and then take out a new policy with us ' (at a massively increased cost, of course) . when i expressed annoyance that my policy had been cancelled out of the blue without my knowledge, i was informed they had sent 2 emails roughly a week ago . 2 emails! 2 emails to cancel my policy after 6 years , but they can ring me multiple times in a few hours to get the cancellation fee out of me ?! this is appalling ! I now have a cancellation on my record for life ! i literally cried from the stress because i dont have allot of money as a trainee and im dreading how much my insurance is going to increase. Im now terrified waiting for what my new insurance is going to say. all because i wanted to treat myself to my first self-brought car. Do not go with this company , they do not care about you . they just want to con you out of more money.”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, I do apologise if you've had a negative experience. I hope you've since managed to resolve this, however if you do wish to raise a complaint due to the service, you can do so by calling 01733 308 370, or emailing contact@smartmiles.com and they'll be happy to assist with this. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“I have been with this company since age 16, i am now 22. I brought myself a new car to celebrate moving out and getting my first real job . This required a new box to be installed , which i installed exactly to their written instructions around the 14th of jan. I think nothing of it until today , where i go to lunch to find multiple phone calls from them. When i ring them back they say they cant take £40 out of my account , at first i thought this was from my monthly payments so i was confused , but only then do i find out that this is actually a cancellation fee due to them not getting any signal from the box . the woman then puts me through to the customer service team and its only THEN that i discover my insurance has been cancelled since the 29th of january (its now the 3rd of feb) without me having any clue! When i insisted that i had installed the box exactly as they said and i didnt know what else they wanted me to do , 3 of their workers implied i was a liar. when i said i was upset that my policy had been cancelled on me without any warning , they said theyd sent 2 emails around a week ago -2 emails!! ive certainly never saw them, but sending 2 emails before cancelling the policy ive had with them for 6 years (not to mention they were quick enough to phone me multiple times in a few hours to try and get the cancellation fee out of me) is appalling! when i tried to suggest ways to rectify the honest mistake (such as sending a photo of the box as proof , getting an engineer to come out and check the box incase it was installed incorrectly or defective etc) they told me absolutely nothing could be done and my only option was to pay the fee and take out an entirely new policy with them (with increased payments a very large upfront cost, of course) . Now i have to declare a cancellation on my record for the rest of my life . I was literally nearly in tears from the stress earlier , considering insurance is expensive enough for a 22 yr old and money is not exactly flowing in my graduate placement. all because i wanted to buy myself my first car from my own money . never go with these people! i thought they were great for 6 years and then they dropped this on me .”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Chloe, I do apologise if you've had a negative experience. I hope you've since managed to resolve this, however if you do wish to raise a complaint due to the service, you can do so by calling 01733 308 370, or emailing contact@smartmiles.com and they'll be happy to assist with this. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

“All in all, it's just overly harsh. I have an overall score of 83, but my acceleration and braking have been rated in the 50s - 60s, which is frankly ridiculous. I don't accelerate harshly whatsoever, and if I brake any less I would probably stall. Unfortunately, it seems like Hastings has rigged their system in order to gather as much money from young drivers as possible, luring them in initially by undercutting competitors, but at a significant unknown cost to the policyholders. Definitely will be going elsewhere when my insurance comes to renewal.”

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Jake, I apologise if you've had a negative experience. We do have a team dedicated to helping you improve your score and you can reach them by calling 0333 999 8372, they'll be happy to look into this. ~Elle

Posted 4 years ago

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Hastings Direct Smart Miles is rated 3.3 based on 1,956 reviews