Just had me renewal through from Admiral this morning...no claims, points or anything untoward over the last year.

 

£390 increase on policy!!!

 

I've done a bit shopping about on compare the market, and managed to get it to around what I paid next year, rang Admiral and they can miraculously reduce their price...but they can get stuffed.

 

Surprisingly, the best quote I've got is from Direct Line, and with the added bonus on being protected from uninsured drivers (more commonly known as Tw@ts)

 

Anyway....anyone had an experience with Direct Line - would you recommend them as an insurer if so?

 

Cheers.

 

I was with Direct Line. Never had to claim from them but they were always reasonable to deal with and the phone answer time wasn't bad at all.

I moved to one of the groups "sister" companies this year because the Direct line price went up.

 

The policy / price is identical to what i paid the year before but they wouldn't match it / come down.

Not sure why they do that as it's all going to the same parent company at the end of the day.

 

Not exactly a recommendation because you only know how good they are when stuff goes wrong but they seemed to be on the level.

Edited 7 July, 20169 yr by AlleyCat`

I was with Direct Line. Never had to claim from them but they were always reasonable to deal with and the phone answer time wasn't bad at all.

I moved to one of the groups "sister" companies this year because the Direct line price went up.

 

The policy / price is identical to what i paid the year before but they wouldn't match it / come down.

Not sure why they do that as it's all going to the same parent company at the end of the day.

 

Not exactly a recommendation because you only know how good they are when stuff goes wrong but they seemed to be on the level.

 

Yeah I know...on average it costs a business 6 times as much to acquire a new customer than it does to retain one. Crazy!

 

Think I will end up going with DL...they all just rob us blind in the end!

Don't forget cash back sites. £209 after £60 cash back for me. I'm 29, one non fault accident, 16k miles with business use.

I have found quote me happy to be reasonable price however they are online only unless it's for claim purposes.

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as Sco3ott says, I used topcashback, saved me about £30 I think, getting me to just under £400 with the RAC.  Hastings/esure have always been cheap for me until this year.  Insurance in London is expensive.

Avoid Hastings Direct. I'm not one to moan, but I had a non-fault claim where my neighbour reversed into my car. Not only did they lose the other driver's details that I provided, but they closed the claim as a fault to myself without even contacting me. Total amateurs. They've since re-opened the claim after I complained, but it's been the most painful insurance episode in 21 years of driving.

I've been with Direct Line for a few years. Usually the renewal shows an increase but when I get a quote from them online its usually less than the previous year and they will match it.

 

But this year I changed to my VRS just before the renweal, and it was a lot less than my old Insignia

Another vote for buying via Top Cashback, I got £52.50 back from Direct Line on this year's policy.

Thanks all.

 

So how does the cashback work? Is it a discount from the policy, or do the site physically pay you back?

 

Sorry for the thick question...just never done it before!

Thanks all.

So how does the cashback work? Is it a discount from the policy, or do the site physically pay you back?

Sorry for the thick question...just never done it before!

My experience is with Quidco and I use it frequently.

You just get redirected from their site to the insurers and they trace your purchase. Then, some time later the money is credited to your account. You can then transfer it to your bank account or choose a voucher option of slightly higher value. Amazon I think is what I was offered last time. I took the cash.

I have found quote me happy to be reasonable price however they are online only unless it's for claim purposes.

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+1

Very cheap comprehensive NCB protected under £180 is the good news, the bad news is that you have to be on the wrong side of 50 and live in Lincolnshire! Additionally very easy to use website which costs nothing to alter policy details, registration etc.

I've used Quote me Happy before, but they're 200 squid more than Direct Line for me now!

topcashback works the same way s quidco.

If you've tried Quote me Happy direct rather than through comparison site, try Aviva direct.

Same overall  company I think, but I got better price from one than the other - though they're usually both quite reasonable.

I was with Kwik Fit and their renewal was £140 dearer than what I was paying at that time, did some quotes and got it down to £237. Called kwik fit who said they would "waive their commission" to get the price down for me and dropped the renewal price a whopping £36.

Told them to stick it and went with Zenith's.

£165 fully comp (52 year old, 10+ years NCB) via Brightside Car.

Lol £237 fully comp with 4 years Protected no claims. (34 with 2 kids under 16)

Didn't think that was too bad

Edited 7 July, 20169 yr by Mikek3111

Don't forget to put another named driver on the insurance, preferably someone like your mum or dad as this should help bring down the premium a little- unless they have 12 points and a ban or something

Also try the insurance brokers, a few of which are sponsors on the site.

The likes of Adrian Flux and Chris Knott. You get a sensible person at the end of the phone who knows what they're talking about, and will try to find the best option for you.

Worth covering

Use a cashback site such as Topcashback and Quidco and get a quote through them, it can reap dividends.

 

Last time I got £60 back, this time I wanted to but it said new customers only and when I tried it, it threw out my cashback. So don't try to cheat the system.

 

I feel that it's not all about the price, but who you're with and I think that it's always better to pay just that little bit more and have your insurance with a well known and reputable firm such as Aviva, LV etc rather than go with a relative unknown who could disappear overnight.

 

Also think about whether you've had previous dealings with a company. If like me you had issues with the service of one then discount it, even if it does offer the best price.

 

Watch for hidden charges too, Hastings is one of the worst for this charging whopping fees for the most minor changes.

I've been with direct line for years. They've always been reasonable, they actually insure both our cars, the house and the dog.

The main reason I went with them was how easy the dealt with claims by the Mrs. When she was younger her car was stolen from a house she was visiting in Liverpool which wasn't her normal address and they paid out no problems. When her mother stuffed the girlfriends car up the arse of a mondeo they paid out no hassle.

On the other hand I've had more bother with the top 3 result off go compare kind of companies just trying to get the insurance started!

Having said all that they do the usual inflated renewal but so far I've seen that with ever car or bike or house insurance company I've ever been with!

Thing is with the inflated renewal costs and the fact that most rarely get close to a lower quote for other companies it hardly inspires any sort of loyalty, which you would think companies would look for?

Most insurance companies now focus more on newer customers than keeping their current ones. I for one have no issues changing insurance companies each year as I have the last 5 years but you would think that companies would reward loyalty?

I've been with direct line for years. They've always been reasonable, they actually insure both our cars, the house and the dog.

The main reason I went with them was how easy the dealt with claims by the Mrs. When she was younger her car was stolen from a house she was visiting in Liverpool which wasn't her normal address and they paid out no problems. When her mother stuffed the girlfriends car up the arse of a mondeo they paid out no hassle.

On the other hand I've had more bother with the top 3 result off go compare kind of companies just trying to get the insurance started!

Having said all that they do the usual inflated renewal but so far I've seen that with ever car or bike or house insurance company I've ever been with!

On the other hand I've vowed never to use them again after I had the misfortune to use them twice in a year (2013/14). Both times they were dreadful.

First time was a fault claim and they couldn't sort anything out and their repairer was dreadful (multiple attempts to actually fix the damage and delivered - driven to my work- on a rainy day without working wipers)

Second time was a non-fault thankfully dealt with by Skoda ensure. But they were far more interested in trying to reject responsibility because I hadn't informed them of a previous accident SWMBO had (she wasn't driving and I had told them - it was on the paperwork, they'd just forgotten).

After they worked out they couldn't cancel my insurance they basically refused to try to attribute blame other than 50/50 even though I had a police report stating it at 100% the other party. It was only Axa (the lorry drivers insurance) accepting full responsibility that meant I could take DL completely out of the loop.

Last years insurance on my vRS was just under £370 with Avia but admiral gave me the best deal at ~£200. 31yr old and a 30ish yr old with 3 accidents (2 non-fault, 1fault) between us with 9 year NCD. I just wish Adrin Flux had been cheaper - really fancied their addon for fully comp on all vehicles.

The biggest issue I find now it trying to avoid a group 1 courtesy car.

Edited 7 July, 20169 yr by gullyg

Also I was sat stationary on my motorbike and I was reversed over by a car. Direct line were the cars insurer and they pulled my insurance companies pants right down.