hastings direct

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi all,
Well it's that time again car insurance due

Iv'e been looking around to change this year as the premium has risen once more,
what strikes me is the similar quotes that keep comming up that is exept for Hastings who have quoted a premium half that of the opposion with better cover and zero exess

sounds to good to be true, or is it?? anyone insured with them any good ect,
would like to know. comments either way welcomed,
thanks,

 

[Dustydog]

Nothing surprises me today Colin.
Ask them to confirm in black and white they cover the RTA risks for the caravan whilst being towed. You may recall this was an issue with some Insurers a few years ago.
I have no first hand knowledge of them other than to say if you have thoroughly checked all the small print and are happy with the extent of cover then fine.

However just remember the Independent Insurance Company ten years or so ago. They offfered great covers, dirt cheap rates, and went bust. Their CEO is currently detained at HM's Pleasure.

I think you will find they are an Insurance Intermediary, an Insurance Broker if you like. So ask them precisely which Insurance Company will be involved in all aspects of your cover.
It's worth saying an intermediary can be good for the customer. The CC Insurance policies are of course all arranged via an Insurance Broker and consistently deliver quality products.

 

[mealsonwheels]

Hi Colin - before you do anything else, get a quote from Liverpool Victoria. They were recommended by members of this forum and we have both got very good quotes recently for our cars and are now with them. By the way, LV also give a discount to anyone who is a Unison member, which applies to their family as well.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi all,
thanks for the replies,
Done some digging today as well as phoning them to confirm the quote and ask a few questions,
yes the quote is correct, yes the van is insured for 3rd party risks (but only while it is attached to the car) yes there are no exess on the policy either volutary or compulsory exept for the windscreen and that is £65, in case of replacement, and yes the policy has protected NCB, car recovery, unisured loss, and personal injury insurance,
all policies are underwritten by AIC and they have been trading since 1997 so everything seems above board,
I am with LV at the moment and this would have been the 3rd renewal but over £400 with 78% NCD does seem a little steep even if they are a good company,
I will give it a few more days to see if anyone has used them before deciding but at the moment feel like a change is comming.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Colin

This link may help you. I don't see Hastings there but whether that means anything I don't know.
http://www.which.co.uk/money/insurance/reviews-ns/car-insurance/whichrecommended-providers/
Do you mean AIC or AIG?

Fo r the last two years the CC motor insurance scheme has been offering " a price match and less" . Is this deal still available?
LV are still up the top too.

Good luck mate.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi DD,
Thanks for the link, yes they are there in 26th place, below Direct line and Aviva, but above Churchill Admiral and More than, all of which are good insurance providers, so I might just have a punt and give them a try.
I did get a quote from the "CC" but the reaction was "HOW MUCH!!!" is that with new for old cover included it must be at that price!!

interestingly I have called LV to tell them I am not renewing, The very polite girl on the other end was sorry I was leaving and asked if there was anything they could do to change my mind!.
lower premiums would help "I said" she put me on hold for a few minutes then came back "well we can't price match but could offer a reduction of £80, AH I said thats good but would it not have been better to offer the reduction in the first place,
at this point the phone went dead, poor girl must have got all flushed and cut me off by mistake

.

 

[JonnyG]

2 of our cars are up for renewal nearer the end of the month, drives me mad all the hassle and double checking like for like, last year we went with swinton for everything 3 cars, the motorbike and both types of house insurance. most renewing in feb.. been having phone calls since chrismass eve! first about the bike then the home and cars!
this year Endsliegh seem to be the best for my car and esure/hasting direct for the wife. next problem? always occurs when you speak to them as these online systems are decent enough but dont cover everything. we assumed from past experience that our fully comp insurance meant we were fully comp abroad too, but it transpired in the past that this was not always automatic! so we have to check for this and remember to do so every year. also no claims! we both seem to have 9 years! but having never claimed it seems one has to be carefull here too, as some insurers only go to 6 or 7 years and actually having played around on a compare site found 6 years to be £40 dearer than 9 years quotes! £173 against £212! and of course if you are not carefull and go to the wrong insurer you could find that by next year you have lost some of your no claims, which means arguing and getting a letter from your previous insurer to show continum of a highe number of years ofr no claims... It gonna be a long weekend!!! and possibly next weekend too...!

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi, my sympathies I have only one car to insure and still have brain ache, plus about 147 emails from all the quotes I looked at but did not follow up on,
the trouble with comparison sites is they give you the cheapest quotes but ignore the criteria you want so you have to go way down the list to find comparable cover for like for like similar to what you have already, by this time you are in monopoly money territory by the same insurance companies on every site,
better deals seem to be had by going direct the offer from hastings direct was not available on any of the comparison sites I went on, although some were a bit cheaper, with less cover,
its funny though when you think of it, all these years earning NCB 46 up to press and only the last 6 or 7 count plus all the money handed over in premiums, when you could have got away with just 3rd party or RTA insurance.
I suppose it's time to stop moaning get the cheque book out and pay up again, at least this year I will save a few quid and that will go towards a few nights away in the van.