Reply With QuoteI'm surprised you lasted that long on the phone.
I'd been with Swift for a decade. Theirs was never the cheapest insurance but not the dearest either. But this year the renewal was over a £100 more. It was automatically renewed, but as I'm within the fourteen day cooling off period I rang to see if they could be more flexible. Got through to a nice chap 'Dave' after hearing my case he sighed ...sorry sir nothing I can do, but I can put you through to my senior 'Joe'. An awfully nice chap who bigged me up thanking me for the 10 years of business. Why do you want to cancel sir? Because you have put my premium up over a £100! I've never made a claim!! My bank (Santander) are offering the same insurance at £200 cheaper.
Ah sir he states in a confident tone. I see you recently moved. Yes I did I answer. From a rented flat where the car was left in the road. To a house I own, in an quiet estate in a much nicer area, where my car is sitting on my drive.
That's the issue sir, we have had more claims in that post code. Well a lot of the home owners have nicer cars here I exclaim, maybe there more expensive to replace? Silence at the end of the phone? He then asks are you still going to cancel?
Sorry Joe your a nice chap but it's a no brainier of course I'm going to cancel.
I wonder if this phone conversation will be used in a Swift training seminar on how to lose our loyal customers?
I might be getting on a bit but I still have a few marbles left
Sent from my iPad using TZ-UK mobile app
I'm surprised you lasted that long on the phone.
Did you check the new customer price online? That's always a fun one when companies will not give you, a long serving customer, the same price as a new customer.
I was with AXA since 2001 with no claims except for the odd windscreen repair. This year they increased my premium by 20%. I managed to get several quotes much lower. I went back to AXA and asked them would they reduce the premium down considering the length of time I had been with them and the other quotes I had been given. They didn't give a monkeys about any of that and we said an unemotional goodbye. Insurance companies don't take loyalty into account. They have probably been told by an algorithm that loyalty is an economically irrelevant parameter. When it comes to all insurance companies I will become much more promiscuous. They are all sc*mbags to be honest.
I have been caught out when changing insurance companies in the past, due to having a windscreen repair claim, not a full replacement - just a chip repair.
All of the TV advertising bumf tells you that the 'its free', 'nothing to pay' etc, but it still goes on your insurance record as a claim. My insurance went up by around £100 and to add insult to injury, they also charged me a £30 admin charge to update my policy documents as I had lied about my claims history.
Its a minefield out there which unfortunately we are forced to endure every year as there is no loyalty for long service at all.
There was another thread on this subject recently. The basic thing now is that even with your existing insurer you have to get quoted as a new customer to get any meaningful discount.
I use to work in a call centre for these places before I got on a graduate scheme after uni. It's usually angry customer after angry company complaining about the price. I didn't really get it me, it's just like anything, shop around if you want it cheaper. Discount codes are applied and they usually come off on renewal. Sometimes you can phone up and get them put back on. Other times you can't.
Let's be right. We rarely are loyal customers. We've stuck with one firm for a few years because they were cheaper if there or there abouts.
The best thing would be how annoyed people would get with the auto renewal. You get 14-28 days to cancel with no charges.
I can remember one case where someone had had an accident 2 days after his insurance expired but he had phoned up the year before stating he does not want auto renewal on his account. Notes stated something like, customer very angry that his insurance had auto renewed without his permission and not to renew automatically in the future.
I use Go Compare and Compare the market every year. I save loads on the renewal quote every year.
I am with Swift Cover and my renewal is due on the 18th of July...I got an email to say the annual premium has gone up from £570 to £650 for no reason whatsoever...Same car, same address, same people driving...They can jolly well do one...I 'Swiftly' called them to make sure that the auto renew was switched off...I tell all insurers right from the get go that I do not want the automatic renewal and I want it in an email or in writing to say it has been done.
I move all of my insurance every year - the whole industry is based on the majority of people being too lazy to do that and just allowing auto-renewal.
You are dead right.Originally Posted by Alansmithee
I've stayed with Tesco for years now, as they were cheaper than the comparison site quotes. Still had a 10% increase last year though :(
It's just a matter of time...
Any insurance policy now whether it has gone up or not I phone up and ask whether that is their best available price I would say 75% of the time a reduction is given and sometimes a big one. I don't trust any of them any more to give a fair price on renewal.
The discount rate used for long term claims has recently changed massively, adding approx £100 to the average policy for this year.
Look up the Ogden rate on the off chance your interested.
I don't believe there is any such thing as customer loyalty for big business. It is only in the heads of customers who remember the concept, and what it used to mean to be able to trust a company for having good service, and who would go out of their way to look after you, as an actual 'valued customer ' .
Those days have gone. Especially for insurance.
I have my annual game with churchill strating soon, I go on their website and get a new quote, this year it's £60 cheaper, I will phone them up and they
will match it, and include free breakdown cover , it get's boring after a while but £60 quid is £60 quid!!
Car insurance AKA government sponsored extortion.
Never ever have auto renewals and start your campaign as soon as you get your notice. Lie like they do. Always tell them that you can get same cover for less, you don't even need to ring around, make up a reasonable number and a popular company.
Money saved is money earned
I had the same with Direct Line. Premium went up by £200, to about £600 (for a Mark 1 MX5!) went on Confused.com and found the same cover with the AA for £130!
Phoned Direct Line as they were all ready to "auto-renew" and asked what they could do. Would they be willing to reduce their quote. "No Sir"
Bear in mind I had been with them for over 20 years and have over 20 years no claims.
Not interested in the slightest and didn't seem to care that I had been with them so long.
Make sure you shop around before committing
Mark
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