Norwich Union are one of the biggest, if not the biggest home insurers, I have not reviewed an insurance company before, maybe it is because making a review on insurance interesting is nigh on impossible which it probably is, after all insurance is what actuaries do when they need a thrill. ... Read review
Advantages: Simple to arrange and good claims handling Disadvantages: Need to specify your contents amount
Norwich Union are one of the biggest, if not the biggest home insurers, I have not reviewed an insurance company before, maybe it is because making a review on insurance interesting is nigh on impossible which it probably is, after all insurance is what actuaries do when they need a thrill. However it is an important product insurance, as in effect by having a buildings and contents policy with them I am in fact quite literally insuring my assets. ... .../>
I have been with Norwich Union now for two years and I feel it is difficult to fully review an insurance company until you have had reason to make a claim; you also need to have experienced the renewal process and also some contact with their pre and post sale customer services centre.
When I took out my policy it was because my long standing insurer and former employer had messed up so I was looking for someone who could arrange ... more
Norwich Union are one of the biggest, if not the biggest home insurers, I have not reviewed an insurance company before, maybe it is because making a review on insurance interesting is nigh on impossible which it probably is, after all insurance is what actuaries do when they need a thrill. However it is an important product insurance, as in effect by having a buildings and contents policy with them I am in fact quite literally insuring my assets. Yes with Norwich Union I'm able to insure my manhood, not in the literal physical sense, valuable as it is to me in a very personal way and it does open the door for such comments as "They do offer redundancy cover" and "Are you covered for wear and tear?" No what I mean is if something serious happens to my property that requires a physical repair I do not have to admit I have no home improvement skills at all, no I merely say that it is an insurance matter and get the insurance company in. That means professional help arrives to do the job, I can pretend that I know what they are talking about and my psychological manhood is protected and remains intact. Now you do not see that in their advertising but it is a key selling point.
I have been with Norwich Union now for two years and I feel it is difficult to fully review an insurance company until you have had reason to make a claim; you also need to have experienced the renewal process and also some contact with their pre and post sale customer services centre.
When I took out my policy it was because my long standing insurer and former employer had messed up so I was looking for someone who could arrange cover quickly and at a lower cost than I was paying previously. Initially I used a comparison site and NU were reasonable on price however I have found these sites are useful for an initial search but often you can get cheaper premiums by dealing direct and certainly that was the case with NU where I got the same cover £40 cheaper by going to their website direct rather than through the comparison site. At the time this was also £85 cheaper than my old insurer on a like for like basis (with one exception).
The application process was completed online as this also meant a reduction in the premium rather than using the call centre, it was a smooth process however you do have to have a certain amount of information at your finger tips before proceeding such as the insurable value of your property and in the case of contents insurance the amount of cover you require. Once all the data has been input the cost was confirmed and then you can change things around with regards to the optional extras such as accidental cover, legal protection or change the amount of excess you are prepared to have. All of these options enable you to tailor the cover to suit your needs and also to alter the final cost.
Once completed I found the final paperwork to be sent out quickly within a matter of days and although there was a lot of information included the main policy document was well set out and easy to read. It clearly showed the level of cover opted for and more importantly what was not covered. The key levels of cover were included such as the total sum assured for contents with a break down of other areas such as the cover for items in the garden or garage, loss of personal money and the like.
The premium is then broken down for each category. If you pay by direct debit be aware that an additional 6% will be added to the cost if you pay monthly however I was pleased to see that no additional change was made for paying annually with a credit card.
The renewal process was just as easy, as I have had a claim this year I decided not to shop around and I found the premium very similar to the first year with them, one simple call was all that was needed and I found the call centre staff to be very efficient and polite and able to answer the couple of questions that I had. I even got a bottle of wine and box of chocolates for my trouble.
The real test for a company is how they handle a claim and following the heavy rain in the summer some water got through the roof and leaked through the landing ceiling at the highest point above the stairs. No chance that I would be able to repair it so it was a case of claiming especially as the excess was only £100.
Phoning through my claim again was completely hassle free, they even checked the weather reports for that day to confirm that the storm level was sufficient to include cover to the roof as well as the repairs to my ceiling. Within forty eight hours a loss adjuster arrived to survey the property, he took a few pictures and immediately arranged for a roof inspection to take place the following week. He also agreed that the ceiling would be plastered and have two coast of paint. The previous occupant had artexed the ceiling (which I think is naff) and part of the work was to remove that. At the time I was happy with this and thought nothing more of it as there was only a small hole to the ceiling and nothing else was affected.
The following week the tiles were repaired and I had a call from the decorating contractors to arrange times to plaster and paint the ceiling. They were very flexible with regards to dates (I had to fit in with school holidays) and the work dates were set. The workman arrived on time and completed the plastering in the time agreed. When the decorator arrived I had a stroke of luck as he was not happy with the work agreed and felt that actually the walls should also have the paper stripped and decorated otherwise a dark line would remain on the ceiling. At first I was expecting a request for a back hander however no mention of money was made and after a couple of calls suddenly he whole of the landing and hall were going to be decorated. This did mean that I had to arrange another date but I was getting twelve hundred pounds worth of decorating done for the cost of a £100 excess.
Apparently this disagreement often happens between the loss adjuster and the professionals who do the work so it did not feel like a scam. The rest of the work was done to an acceptable standard, personally a friend who is a professional decorator would probably critique some of the work but I was happy with the job and the whole process was hassle free and I now have a nice new looking hall which is significantly brighter than the old style.
Overall I'm quite impressed with Norwich Union, they run an efficient operation based upon my experience and the service is good. My only criticism is the fact that the contents cover is not unlimited and you do have to specify the contents amount which is a bit tricky and important that you do not understate the cover you need otherwise if you had the misfortune to make a large claim due to fire you may run into problems if they find you are under insured. Given that they offer a range of ways to apply, internet, phone or via an agent I would have no problem recommending them.
Advantages: One of the leading home insurers Disadvantages: Refuses to pay up for valid claims
...this policy has been with Norwich Union Direct. I have yet to make a claim, touch wood.
Well, what is covered by the policy?
CONTENTS. This includes the following:
Total valuables, single article, personal money, contents in garden, contents in garage, contents in other outbuildings, replacement locks, food in deep freezer, loss of heating fuel/metered water and cost of alternative accommodation.
LEGAL SERVICES. This covers legal costs and court ... ...a home insurance policy with Norwich Union Direct then you get a small percentage discount towards your car insurance premium.
I am not sure how Norwich Union Direct compares with other home insurers. Many financial articles recommend the use of an insurance broker. Others recommend using the internet for quotes. I did use www.screentrade.co.uk for car insurance quotes but the wide range of quotes given did not impress me. Some organisations such ...
mrpaella 27.04.2001 (13.07.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Norwich Union (CGNU)
Advantages: The cheapest by far, fast, efficient, friendly. Disadvantages: The wait on the claimline.
I am writing this opinion in a state of shock, not at how useless and slow this company is, (which is the usual scenario), but how fast, efficient and friendly they are. I have had my buildings and contents insurance with NU Direct for the past couple of years. I shopped around a little and found them to be the cheapest for the level of cover I need (£32 per month for a 4 bedroomed house). I have had insurance claims in the past which all seem to ... ...theft or loss), request a claim form, fill in with crime number, send off, wait arounds six weeks. Then you will recieve either a replacement or cash value of items claimed. Pretty straightforward, although 6 weeks is not to fast it's a reasonable amount of time to wait. Enter NU Direct and a plonker of a husband who managed to lose his wallet containing £200.00 the other day. After bashing him around the head a few times with a vacuum cleaner, he ...
Cheekychicken 22.10.2001 (29.03.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Norwich Union (CGNU)
Advantages: No more extended warranties. Cheaper. Disadvantages: Doesn't provide replacement husband/children!
...new shiny equipment, I gave Norwich Union a call. (I thought they only did car insurance, but there you go.) The nice lady on the end of the phone told me it would be £8.95 a month to cover all the stuff in the house (apart from the computer unfortunately) and that I could pay by direct debit. Sounds good, I thought, gave her my details and the policy arrived the next day. Like everyone does with important documentation, I put it in a “safe” ... ...to do???” I remembered the Norwich Union Policy, and went to the freezer. You may think I am off my trolley, but they give you a handy fridge magnet with their number no in case you lose your policy documents. Me lose them? Never. Anyway, I called them and they got all the details up from my name and address. The young lady on the end of the phone took a few details about the TV and said an engineer would be with me tomorrow, and he would call ...
inani 11.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Norwich Union (CGNU)
Advantages: Pretty Stationary Disadvantages: Pretty Crap Service
I had a rather sorry tale to tell of my experience with this firm.
I took out Home Contents ins with CGNU when I got my mortgage with Cheltenham & Gloucester. I never realy thought about it as I had never had insureance before.
The premiums were taken and that was it.
We had a full survey done and moved into a problem free house, or so we thought.
The time came to claim, it was about 6 months after moving into our home and was for a blocked toilet ... ...we had to fix asap. it cost us £600 approx with Dyno-Rod (who were very good).
CGNU sent an assesor out to see the damage after repairs had been carried out. It then seemed to stop. I chased CGNU about a month or so later who advised they were waiting for the report from the assessment to come through, they did however give me the number for the assessor.
I chased this guy for approx 2 months, he was apparantly busy with flood claims at the time ...
Charliebuoy 25.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Norwich Union (CGNU)
Advantages: Freephone claims/telephone reporting Disadvantages: Customer Service
...was filled with messages from Norwich Union saying that had called to take details of the claim. However these were all timed during the morning. My requests for manager call backs did nothing to help as these also rang during the day ignoring my specific requests. I eventually managed to speak to an operator on thursday who was very helpful but told me for my replacement £200 bike I would have to pay £75 for the excess and wear and tear. All the ... ...have had to take taxis to work at £12 per day so so far it had cost me £50. I explained this and I was told it would be referred to a manager and someone would call me back friday between 6 and 6.30. At 7 I received an answerphone message saying they had processed a cheque for £129. There was no mention of the payment for the accessories on the bike and no name of the person leaving the message. Suffice to say I am not impressed with their service ...
sallyjbooth 18.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Norwich Union (CGNU)
Competitiveness of APR
Comprehensiveness of ra...
Product package
Efficiency of service
Value for money
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