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Brightside: Car insurance (discontinued) reviews

Name: Brightside Car insurance (discontinued)
Brand: Brightside
Rating: 2.54 (196 reviews)

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4.51

Based on 1,385 reviews, last reviewed 5th Sep 2024

No new 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

No new 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

78%

13%

Latest highest rating:

5

Great customer service and helpful. Great customer service and helpful. Reviewed on: 5th September 2024

Latest lowest rating:

1

Absolute Ripoff Absolute ripoff, cancelled a policy and it cost 25% of the whole years premium. Wouldn't use Brightside ever again, not even if they were the cheapest... Read more Reviewed on: 23rd June 2023

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About this product

Brightside no longer offer new standard car or van insurance policies.

Review Brightside: Car insurance (discontinued) now

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Brightside Car insurance (discontinued) reviews (1385)

WORSE EVER - PLEASE BEWARE

They have hardly any staff and the ones they do have are untrained. They take your money, ask you to ring them BEFORE the insurance is valid and then don't answer the phone. It tool three days to contact them ( three days without use of my vehicle ) totaling nearly four hours of phone calls. The final call I was on hold for 68 minutes before being told that they had to transfer me to customer service but they were closed. I gave up - they now have my money and I have no insurance. Please Please avoid at all costs. Reviewed on: 8th May 2019

Use this number

Their usual customer service number is useless To speak to Customer Relations call 01454 636940, they picked up straight away when I called. Staff were actually quite helpful. Reviewed on: 12th April 2019

I have been scammed

I purchased a vehicle and used a well known price comparison website. Found Brighside and was happy with the quote. When i attempted to purchase the insurance, at the point of payment i received an error. "Please try later". I gave it 2 hours for document to be sent, i received my login information that didn't work. Stuck in the middle of nowhere i was forced to buy insurance from elsewhere, i just didn't know if i was insured and i couldn't call them because they were closed over the weekend. The following monday i tried ot call them for hours on end and nobody answered. I tried again the next day over and over. In the end i ended up contacting close brother finance and cancelling with them (as i had received the esigner document but still no cover). Having checked online if the vehicle was insured, it wasn't. I emailed all of this to them and eventuality somebody replied. They want £78 from to to cancel a policy that went wrong during setup. Disgusting. They took the deposit too of £63. Their phone lines are premium rate too. Stay away from these people and be careful when using price comparison websites. Reviewed on: 10th April 2019

Completely a waste of time

My experience with Brightside has thrown my anxiety through the roof, it should have been easy but Brightside required headed paper of NO CLAIMS PROOF even when it was sent by a company that had forwarded my no claims proof, they declined to accept it!! The insurance company is a legally registered British Car insurance company but Brightside gave me 7 days to prove that I was not a criminal trying to defraud them!! I sent the original email from my last insurance company but because of their abysmal email replying I was left in 'no man's land' to confirm my no claims to them... My original insurers do not insure for private leasing so I had to look elsewhere. Adding to this and the fact that I had to act on their threat of cancellation of my policy, I have successfully gained another insurer for the same price without having to give them proof of my licence from the DVLA and my ability to drive plus the protected No claims I have had, this insurer has asked no questions and has already given me a policy. Through Brightsides inability to accept an honest approach I am now in debt having paid for two insurance policies. DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS COMPANY AS THEY WILL CAUSE YOU PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE!! I was worried that through their stance on receiving a headed letter that if I ever had the misfortune to require a claim from them I would have to go through the same timewasting proceedures.. Leave them alone..... Reviewed on: 6th April 2019

Terrible - confusing

They keep requesting information for the underwriter, which I provide. I then get repeated letters cancelling my insurance in 7 days. I ring them up; they answer after about 20 minutes. They say I can ignore these letters, as the underwriter is still considering it. I have repeatedly sent them what they asked for, and then have received another cancellation notice. I have rung them about 6 times, as each time they ask for different information. They are absolutely appalling - stay well clear. Reviewed on: 23rd November 2018

APPALLING SERVICE. IN FACT NO SERVICE.

It is a con. They use a premium phone number and leave you hanging on in order to enhance income. Tried for 2 days to get them to answer. e.mailing did not help as they did not reply. Never again. A victim. Reviewed on: 12th October 2018

Unwilling to communicate until they have extorted their clients

I have now sent required information (Proof of No Claims) to 7 different e-mail addresses all of which retrun undelivered; their 'online service system' doesn't even accept my e-mail address never mind try to login; And I've spent 6 days calling their premium rate telpehone numbers to listen to 'on-hold music' for 10 minutes each time before I give up. This is not SERVICE - it is EXTORTION. Had I chosen a better and more expensive supplier I would still have paid less than I have paid between my premium and premium rate telephone calls to Brightside Insurance. Quite positively the worst experience I have ever had with an insurance company. I would urge anyone else who has had a similar experience to get in touch with me as I am now considering legal action for breach of contract. These monkeys are failing to provide adequate service or avenues to allow clients to communicate with them which is unacceptable. Reviewed on: 11th October 2018

Don't use them -

You cannot get hold of them, if you ring, you get transferred around 5 different departments and no-one can help. They do not answer emails. They completely ripped my off - would not touch them with a barge pole. My previous insurance company sent me a letter confirming 9 years no claims bonus, Brightside would not accept it. Kept informing me by no-reply email that needed no claims certificate, we kept up-loading details and the DVLA licence, but still got emails saying would cancel policy if not received. You couldn't speak to anyone, they would not deal with all the emails I sent, and in the end I cancelled the policy and went back to previous insurance company. After more emails and phone calls, Brightside said they would not refund my money as there was a fee of £68.00 just to change policy + fees for cancellation. DO NOT TOUCH THIS COMPANY Reviewed on: 25th September 2018

Tried there luck to rip me off even after NCB!!

After a no claim year, they decided to charged me more for the second year. It really gets under my skin when companies try to rip you off but not only by £100 but by £400-600!! Called to complain and they couldn’t bring the price down. Advise against them. There is a lot cheaper insurance out there! Disappointed!! Reviewed on: 11th September 2018

Confusing, contradictory, unhelpful

Frustrating, irritating and dilatory. The no reply e mail system combined with a ten minute wait on the phone still unanswered with no feed back sums up a rubbish service. Reviewed on: 29th August 2018

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