Hastings Direct

My first car insurance policy was with Hastings and, despite giving me one of the best premium offers I could find, my overall impression of the company is not very high.
After about six months of being insured with Hastings I was involved in a minor accident which, it was decided, was a fifty fifty claim. I wasn't too pleased about this as I didn't think it was my fault but what really got to me was the fact that after three months I got a letter telling me that the claim had been settled against me - even after I had been told that both insurance companies involved had decided on a fifty-fifty settlement. When I tried to find out why, it turned out that the agency Hastings had employed to look into my case had not responded to a letter from the other insurance company and so Hastings had paid out in full.
Needless to say, I was annoyed, especially as this meant that I didn't get any money towards the repair of my car - it was a 3rd party T&T policy - and when I got my new premium quote six months later, it had nearly trebled.
I realise that the problem was not directly Hastings' fault but they refused to re-open the case and treated me very poorly thereafter. It was essentially their fault for choosing such a poor company to out source the claim to, and as such I feel extremely agreived that I ended up out of pocket ( by nearly £300 as it turned out) as a result.