Insurance companies are gits.

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Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
I'm always puzzled by these sorts of discussions.

So may people seem to buy insurance on the basis of lowest price and then are puzzled when, having paid for a ford fiesta it does not perform like a honda civic.

i hear many folks complain about holiday insurance - having gone for the cheapest

My experience of a major claim was my wife's skiing accident over Xmas a few years ago in France. (Fortunately relatively minor fractures of pelvis, shoulder and thumb)

Our travel insurance is part of a First Direct linked bank account not the cheapest way to have holiday insurance but....- A single phone call and exemplary service kicked in, they contacted hotel and authorized free stay for me and the kids for as long as necessary. Daily taxi rides (£100) to hospital paid for without argument. Teenage kids actually went home as scheduled but i stayed on cost free for nearly a week. We were then collected from the hospital by private ambulance without having to do anything, wheel chair waiting at airport, business class seats on flight home, wheel chair then private ambulance waiting at Heathrow for transport to NHS hospital. ALL bills except taxi settled direct by insurance company.

Why such good service? Their economic driver was to keep our banking business.
Why poor service from "cheapest quote" companies? They have had your money and will get no more, their economic driver is to minimize the amount they pay on your claim.

I've had similar good experiences on house insurance claims (4 bikes stolen from garage - no quibble replacement, Bike written off in accident - no quibble replacement, New kitchen ceiling because of water leak - no quibble replacement. New kitchen floor because of (different) leak - no quibble replacement.

You get what you pay for.

But how did you know before the claim that the company would be so good to you? 'You get what you pay for' does not really apply to insurance, as it is a risk game. For example - house insurance cost can vary massively for exactly the same house because the company quoting already has a high percentage of properties in that street. Therefore they are exposed to a much bigger risk should an environmental situation occur. You will get far better quotes from companies with no properties in that area. As a consumer you cannot see this information.
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
That article tells me 86% of those surveyed are happy with their insurer, but as a purchaser it offers no advice to me on how to make sure I'm not in the other 14%. I have readier access to comparison information buying £20 consumer durables from Amazon than £500 car insurance from any of the major comparison sites.


Pedantry accepted. I'm sure there are many better metrics, but any performance metric at all would be better than googling "companyname +complaints" and hoping similar numbers of ranty people have been exposed to each insurer on the shortlist.
I agree that customer satisfaction comparisons would be useful, but it's not in the interests of the worse firms to agree on a common standard for discussion, and the comparison sites are very very slow indeed to show that sort of information - their interest is genuinely in showing the lowest price possible, because they simply cream off a fixed price per policy taken out.

As for complaints data at firm level, have a look here....
http://www.fca.org.uk/firms/systems-reporting/complaints-data/firm-level
and here for complaints which the firm can't resolve itself...
http://www.ombudsman-complaints-data.org.uk/

There has recently been a consultation paper published to improved complaints handling...
http://www.fca.org.uk/news/cp1430-improving-complaints-handling
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
The other issue with purchasing insurance, is at the time of purchase the customer knows everything and the insurance company knows nothing.
The only time the insurance company can check the facts is at the time of claim.
If they were to go down the line of seeking all medical information, surveying all buildings, inspection all cars, before the policy was purchased then the cost of insurance would be huge, but there would be more certainty on both sides.
But my guess is that no one would be happy to pay the upfront costs.
 

SD1

Guest
That article tells me 86% of those surveyed are happy with their insurer, but as a purchaser it offers no advice to me on how to make sure I'm not in the other 14%. I have readier access to comparison information buying £20 consumer durables from Amazon than £500 car insurance from any of the major comparison sites
As most have little cause to be unhappy with their insurer because they don't claim on their insurance.
I put a claim in on Friday let's see how long it takes to get paid out. Assessor is coming tomorow its only a small claim I am guessing £300 for a carpet. The assessor is the carpet firm who will be replacing my carpet. My insurance company have already offered cash if I want it.
 

SD1

Guest
@PK99 [/USER]
"Our travel insurance is part of a First Direct linked bank account not the cheapest way to have holiday insurance but....- A single phone call and exemplary service kicked in, they contacted hotel and authorized free stay for me and the kids for as long as necessary. Daily taxi rides (£100) to hospital paid for without argument. Teenage kids actually went home as scheduled but i stayed on cost free for nearly a week. We were then collected from the hospital by private ambulance without having to do anything, wheel chair waiting at airport, business class seats on flight home, wheel chair then private ambulance waiting at Heathrow for transport to NHS hospital. ALL bills except taxi settled direct by insurance company."

F*ck sake that is some service. I am with them but just a bog standard account (the 6% savings account is very tasty) I may look at it if I am going on holiday abroad. Top service. Mind they are also the highest rated bank on money saving expert.
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
But how did you know before the claim that the company would be so good to you? '.

Every aspect of the First Direct service is and always has been exemplary -in our experience as customers from about a year into the model. Never have had any cause to complain or grumble about any part of the service. So did i know it would be AS good as it was? No, but i was pretty confident it would be good.
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
First Direct answer the phone as well! Call centre in UK. 2 things I rate a bank on.

With exceptionally well trained real people answering calls - warm, friendly and interactive but thoroughly professional as well.
 
As most have little cause to be unhappy with their insurer because they don't claim on their insurance.
I put a claim in on Friday let's see how long it takes to get paid out. Assessor is coming tomorow its only a small claim I am guessing £300 for a carpet. The assessor is the carpet firm who will be replacing my carpet. My insurance company have already offered cash if I want it.

I'd be interested to know if your premium goes up next time and how much excess you have to pay, if any!
:smile:
 

SD1

Guest
As most have little cause to be unhappy with their insurer because they don't claim on their insurance.
I put a claim in on Friday let's see how long it takes to get paid out. Assessor is coming tomorow its only a small claim I am guessing £300 for a carpet. The assessor is the carpet firm who will be replacing my carpet. My insurance company have already offered cash if I want it.
Took 10 days. Kept saying assessor is not getting back to us. I had his number .....somewhere!
Either way asked if I want a new carpet or money. Choose money as I fancy a wood floor. Expecting £300 - £400 to replace 5 x 3 metre 80% wool carpet. Offered £919 - £25 excess. No idea if that is good, ignoring my expectations which could have been well off. Anyone know?
 

SD1

Guest
I put a claim in on Friday let's see how long it takes to get paid out. Assessor is coming tomorow its only a small claim I am guessing £300 for a carpet. The assessor is the carpet firm who will be replacing my carpet. My insurance company have already offered cash if I want it.

Took 10 days. Kept saying assessor is not getting back to us. I had his number .....somewhere!
Either way asked if I want a new carpet or money. Choose money as I fancy a wood floor. Expecting £300 - £400 to replace 5 x 3 metre 80% wool carpet. Offered £919 - £25 excess. No idea if that is good, ignoring my expectations which could have been well off. Anyone know?
Paid me £919 yesterday after excess. Not particularly quick 21st of June till 9th July. Constantly blamed it on the assessor. The latter is obviously their problem not mine. Is 18 days slow? I have no idea. On the other hand £919 will pay for a top of the range wood floor in the room where the carpet was plus the porch. So cannot complain on amount paid.
 
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SD1

Guest
With exceptionally well trained real people answering calls - warm, friendly and interactive but thoroughly professional as well.
Answered the phone first ring this morning. Dropped it I was so surprised!
 
Admiral sent me a renewal letter yesterday - for both me and the Mrs on the two cars we own was £500, £200 more than last year. So off I went and did a search on the usual web sites and came back with a cheapest quote of just over £300... with Admiral.

That really takes the proverbial.
 
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