hi all just a quick description of an experiance i had with chris knott who i will never be using again!!

it started out i got a very decent quote of £375 for my vrs but wanted £120 deposit which left £255 to pay via direct debit which is all well and good, then they sent out an envelope asking for me to send copies of mine and my wifes driving licence????? and proof that esure had offered me the same quote and my proof of no claims bonus from my previous insurer and also a direct debit mandate (who does these nowadays).

so i rather reluctantly send the copies of the driving licences and everything else of only to get a letter after 4 weeks of having my insurance and a week later than what the date was on the letter stating they hadnt receieved my documents and my insurance would be cancelled on that day so i rang them up and proceded to tell me i had to pay the in full or it would be cancelled!!

so after a heated discussions i told them i couldnt pay upfront so they cancelled with immediate effect and then had the cheek to say i owed them MORE money for admin!!

it turned out all in all a months insurance would cost me around £!60 which was scandalous so i managed to get £40 back off the original £120 so that made £80 for a month when it only costs 93p a day to insure me!!

fuming was not the word and i will never use them again! i was penalised for either them losing it or the royal mail losing it and i have copies of driving licenes floating around somewhere

in the end i went with esure and i didnt have to provide copies of driving licences and a much pleasent experience!!

rant over lol

You didnt send them recorded delivery?

My wife posted them and stupidly just used a pre paid envelope and posted in a letter box!! Lesson learned we will not be as naive next time!!

I don't really see why you have an issue with the documents they requested. I can appreciate your annoyance if the docs did not arrive where they should but with important docs you are always wise to use Special Delivery which guarantees delivery whereas recorded only guarantees a signature IF it gets there. You can always get "proof of posting" with standard mail at no extra charge which is useful in some cases.

"Heated" discussion is of no use if you want to resolve an issue.

Best way would be to email scanned copies of docs.

My issue is I've sent copies of two driving licences which are now floating about and could be cloned etc!! I wasn't happy about sending them in the first place! Regarding postage every other insurance we have had has arrived without the need to be out of pocket sending special delivery so why change that for this one? Don't worry I will send everything recorded from now on and email docs to them wasn't an option!

Wouldn't you be annoyed that a months insurance has cost £80 when it's not your fault???

I don't understand why the need copies of driving licenses or proof of other quote? I've never had to send these things. I take it this is just a small two bit firm as I have never heard of them?

A call to them the other day to try and find out the excess on a policy resulted in them deciding now was a good time to ask a questionaire while not answering the question. Followed by a how did you get this number, a you need to speak to your insurer direct and finally a very rude we can't tell you that to the question of what the excess was.

That was enough to mean they'll never get used again, regardless of price.

There is no excuse for poor or rude service from a broker. Any insurance broker has no value beyond making the experience easier than just going to a comparison site and doing the legwork yourself. If they can't do that bit and the customer service right, then they are IMHO totally pointless.

Edited 25 July, 201213 yr by cheezemonkhai

Shame, they used to be very good :(

Unusual that, i was with them a few years ago and were very helpful.

I never use pre paid envolopes, i'd rather pay the few quid and know its going to get there safely.

and i will do that now with every other thing i have to send the most annoying thing was that they were trying to charge me £160 for one months insurance due to admin fees which i find disgusting for the fact that i had sent the documents and i was being penalised for not having sent them???

Shame, they used to be very good :(

Another site insurance broke did similar a few years ago, but alas for us, the brokers have now had it and we'll just go direct or via the comparison sites (brokers too).

Edited 25 July, 201213 yr by cheezemonkhai

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience Jebby80. I would say this wouldn't I but it is an unusual occurrence.

I'm not sure how we can be blamed for not receiving things you've sent in the post but your other issues are valid. If you can PM me your name and postcode (and roughly when you called) I'll happily look into this for you.

The reason we ask for copy driving licences is that it easily verifies when you passed your test, your address, date of birth and the dates of any convictions. We can compete well with online quotes but, according to insurers, one in 5 online quotes are based on incorrect info and are then used to knock down the price of an existing renewal or alternative quote to an artificially low amount.

I'm glad your quote was competitive:

i got a very decent quote of £375 for my vrs

and I'm happy to look into whether there is anything we can do to reduce the amount you have been charged for cancellation - we are restricted somewhat by the insurer's own charges.

As I said, complaints are not the norm for us and we do take them seriously.

I don't see why anyone needs proof of a quote from someone else. If you can do it that price with proof then anything after that is obviously bad value?

'we can do it cheaper than £xxx but only if someone else is. If no one else does it cheaper then you're paying more than our best price'.

Cut a long story short, insurers charge what they can get away with. Not what's a good price.

If we've got the evidence to bash the insurer over the head with we have grounds for getting them to reduce their rate. We won't be successful every time and there are some risks that insurers just won't be convinced to take on but on the whole this method works to get customer the best rate. Car club & forum business is better than general so the insurers are more prepared to reduce their margin to pick up safer drivers. It's our job to negotiate that with them on your behalf.

To be fair, for my home insurance I pulled a figure from the air and they matched it.

It does prove that "best quotes" are meaningless if the underwriters are able to match a lesser quote.

On the whole, enthusiasts are a safer bet than regular drivers, but there are a few enthusiasts that probably cost the companies more...

Ive been driving 25 years and had 2 claims one of which was my fault. The hoops you have to jump through and constant lies insurance companies spin. I have yet to find a decent insurance company or hear of a decent experience. Admiral was my last and what a load of crap they are. Only one winner where insurance companies are concerned. I love the " You must take it to our approved repair agent bull not the main dealer" and we will stich you up with hire cars etc. Enough said.

I've often lied in the past about my best quote and its saved me loads lol. Often do it for parts and tires, saved me 50 quid once

Sent from my Galaxy S2 not a Crapple!

I've often lied in the past about my best quote and its saved me loads lol. Often do it for parts and tires, saved me 50 quid once

Sent from my Galaxy S2 not a Crapple!

Which is why more and more insurers and other firms are starting to say 'prove it'.

They're being squeezed just like the rest of us, and with big bills for recent floods etc they'll be battening the hatches.

We'll let you take your car to the repairer of your choice so you're not tied to the insurer's own. The only downside is that you lose the insurer's guarantee of a hire car and it becomes 'subject to availability'. However, if you've got a good relationship with your local garage or you want to take it to a main dealer you can request that they be used.