Lauren James's community profile page

Write a review

Viewing profile for,

Lauren James

Total reviews written

Helpful marks given to their reviews

Times reviews seen

All reviews (1)

Review of the Hastings Direct, Car insurance:

View on product page

Worst company I have had the misfortune of dealing with!

I had problems for the entire year of my policy and would not recommend this company to anyone. I ended up paying £100 more than I was quoted by simply informing them of the number of years my additional driver had held a license. On their website the option was "over 20 years" when they called and asked for a definitive number (25 years) this suddenly increased by £100. No matter how much I argued that 25 years is the same as "over 20 years" they were adamant the quote was no longer valid. Once the box was installed I had multiple issues as the box wasn't registering the correct time of day the car was in use and wasn't picking up the "breaking" data correctly. It took multiple calls and over two weeks for me to be put through to the maintenance team who informed me this was due to the box being a new installation and to give it 6 weeks to settle. During these 6 weeks I received numerous threats from the company regarding policy cancellation. I both emailed and called the Customer Service Team, they confirmed what the maintenance team said regarding the 6 week "settling in" period but still carried on with the cancellation threats. The telephone manner was absolutely disgusting and even after speaking to the manager I ended up placing a formal complaint with the head office. I only had a suitable response when I threatened to report the company to the Ombudsman. During the first two weeks of my policy I decided I would like to cancel my policy and move to a better company. Policy cancellation is supposed to be free in the first two weeks, they imposed £450 worth of charges which they refused to confirm; 1) what they were all for and 2) why this was not free as stated both online and in all the documents I received. I have had further issues since my policy has ended with the company refusing to remove the black box unless I pay £150, I was told upon setting up the policy that this was free after the first year. They have also still not sent out a copy of my No Claims Bonus, it has been almost two weeks since my policy has ended. I have emailed and called and still no certificate. I'm concerned this is going to affect my new policy as I need to provide proof within 28 days and Hastings are no help at all. UPDATE: I have since emailed the email address below along with sending further emails to the team that have been dealing with my NCB certificate issues. Twice I have been sent the certificate, both times with substantial errors. The first document stated the same number of years as when my policy started and also stated I was at fault in an accident a number of years ago. They resent the certificate, this time with the correct number of years but still stating I was at fault. I would like to say it's an error I made but seen as the policy was setup over the phone this is the result of (another) incompetent member of staff incapable of inputting correct data. Multiple emails have been sent and not one person has bothered responding. I have tried calling after work for the last 3 nights between 5pm and 8pm, each time I have spent in excess of 30 minutes on hold (which I'm being charged for!) and then the line seems to give up or my call is being knocked off because someone obviously wants to go home at 8pm on the dot. I will be contacting the FCA again as my new insurer cannot cover me much longer without valid NCB proof. I have never dealt with such an incompetent company. Customer service is non-existent and it's safe to say they would have better service if they employed wild animals. Reviewed on: 23rd September 2016

We are helping 1000s to make smarter financial decisions

We use the power of consumer reviews to help increase trust and transparency in financial services and to deliver industry leading insight and events.