... The Insurance Line were significantly cheaper than any of the other quotes I'd received so I paid over the phone by debit card in full.At this point I was a happy little sand-boy.
I asked for the cover to start in a week's time so that I could get the bike MOT'd and taxed the following ... Read review
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A review by drummingbunny on The Insurance Line June 19th, 2001
Author's product rating:
Price
Service
Efficiency
Advantages:
Cheap quote (originally)
Disadvantages:
Extortionate cancellation charges
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
I recently needed to insure my motorbike at short notice (unexpected warm weather, you see, it always catches us Brits out). Being a rather tight-fisted chap when it comes to paying for a service that I don't intend to use (i.e. motor insurance) I did the usual rounds of freephone numbers and playing insurance companies against each other. The Insurance Line were significantly cheaper than any of the other quotes I'd received so I paid over the phone by debit card in full.At this point I was a happy little sand-boy.
I asked for the cover to start in a week's time so that I could get the bike MOT'd and taxed the following weekend. So far so good. Until I got a letter on Saturday morning that was rather ambiguous but which I took to mean that I wasn't insured until I sent them proof of No Claims. They tell me that this is not what it meant, but that's beside the point. They'd got some of my details wrong and when corrected, the premium was not quite so rosy. So I told them so. They told me to pay up or else not be covered.
By this stage I'd had enough - I didn't pay £275 up front, in full to be treated like a shop-lifter. So I called them and said that I would like to cancel the insurance, I'd rather give my money to someone who at least gives me decent service. They said that there was a standard charge of 30% for short notice cancellations! In short they were charging me almost £100 for a week's poor service! I then wrote to them telling them what I thought of this situation and was told that the best they could do was charge me 30% of the previous (lower) premium! I had expected to have to pay some kind of 'handling fee' but this was just ridiculous.
Avoid this company, they are polite and have a good telephone manner but beware of the small print - I'll certainly be more careful in the future
Advantages: No advantages that I am aware of. Disadvantages: Very high hidden charges, unhelpful staff and local agents
...I paid Green Flag over £160 a year for the highest level of recovery service they offer. This turned out to be useless when I had an accident.
They refused to recover my car without taking a £78 payment. This was because the car involved was not my main car, and therefore not insured through Direct Lineinsurance (Direct Line operate the recovery sevice under the name Green Flag). It seems my personal; 'any vehicle' cover does not cover any vehicle.
When the local recovery agent finally arrived they demanded a further £150 to move the car less than a mile down the road to my home. This charge then turned out to be £150 plus 17.5% vat. This fact was deliberately hidden from me by the local recovery agent.
Needless to say, the customer service representatives on the telephone were rude and unhelpful.
Avoid Green Flag and Direct...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Can be cheap Disadvantages: Just wait til you have to claim!
...I was insured with Privilege, (a subsidiary of Direct Line). My car was written off following a collision with a car insured by Direct Line. The other party accepted full and complete liability.
You would think that would make things simple, but it did not. I had to deal with six (6!) different departments, none of whom would talk to each other. None of them were helpful or constructive. They lost letters, (and faxes!) their replies were form letters that failed to cover the points raised.
Even Privilege's 24hr emergency telephone line failed to operate. When I complained they said they could not trace the number!! On the plastic card they gave me! Only the intervention of my breakdown insurers, More Than, saved the day. More Than were wonderful and they helped me even though they were not required to deal with accidents, only break...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: none that I could see Disadvantages: too many to mention
...I have to say that I have only had two accidents in my life and the first went through without any problems. The second is however a different story.
In April of 2003 I was driving back home for the Easter. I had just past through some traffic lights when the traffic in front came to a standstill. Just as the traffic was about to move away again a woman drove in excess of 40 mph into the back of my car.
The police were called and statements were taken. As with the last claim I thought that this one would be straight forward, but I had not counted on the womans insurance comapny being Driect Line!!!
The woman has been issued a formal written warning from the Police for driving without due care and attention so it would be safe to say that the accident was her fault.
Direct Line it is safe to say have not been helpfull...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Moisture On-Line is an excellent moisturiser that will leave your skin feeling really pampered. It provides a protective barrier against cold weather, sun damage etc. and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth. It moisturises very dry skin almost... more
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