PSA: Chaucer Direct

[Steveb]

These guys seem to feature high on the insurance price comparison sites, and they're an old name that you'd think have their act together, but they don't.

This is just warning to others, if your thinking of going with these people for insurance be aware, they're pretty much incompetent.

They seem to have no ability to keep hold of documents you send them, like NCD's, even after you've sent them 3 times. They cancel your policy with no warning and for no reason, their staff don't seem to be able to dial phone numbers correctly, they fail to actually make alterations to your policy even though the girl on the phone says "yep, that's all changed now" and they don't seem to keep any records of phonecalls at all.

Absolute shower of incompetent fools.

I just pray I don't have to make a claim for the remainder of my policy with them, cus if they can feck up simple things like recording my NCD and changing the use from SD&P to business use christ knows what they'll be capable off when presented with something that might be a bit complicated.

[suspectmonkey]

I've started paying a bit extra on my insurance to make sure I get a company that have local offices in Northern Ireland. Currently with Hughes who have been excellent, and I always have piece of mind that if something goes wrong I can be on the doorstep in 5 minutes ;)

I learnt the hard way when I had to deal with an equally incompetent insurance company who were meant to be helping me when I was the innocent party in a motorbike accident... ahem eBike Insurance ahem... An experience I'd rather not repeat!

[thetrailbuilder]

has there been a rather large price rise for car insurance? because mine was due renewal recently so shoped about, all double my renewal quote, plus my renewal was only a few quid cheaper than last years

[Steveb]

I've full protected no claims on one of my policies, renewal went from £400 to £700. Asked them why, they couldn't give any sensible reasons, just the usual bollox. I shopped around and got it cheaper, but not much.

I suspect all insurance companies ultimately are owned by the banks, or the people who own the banks, and they're now hammering the things we can't do without (car insurance is compulsory by law) to claw in as much money as poss.

You constantly hear insurance spokespersons say that insurance companies don't make a profit, that the premiums they charge only just cover the payouts, but we all know that's crap. We all know the only people who run businesses for no profit are bike shop owners ;-)

The government make it a legal requirement to have minimum TPF&F insurance and say that market forces will stop the consumers being screwed, but as usual they're wrong. The insurance companies all work together to set prices and we're forced to pay them.

In the last ten years I've made one claim, when someone kindly removed the bumper of the Terrano with their car whilst I was out shopping one day. Total cost to the insurance company: £750. In those ten years I've paid what must be a minimum of £10k to insure our two cars. So someone is certainly making a profit on me. And a very healthy profit. Yet still my premiums nearly double for no reason.

If Dick Turpin lived today, he wouldn't hold up stage coaches. Or even bother robbing banks. He's get into the car insurance racket.