I had an accident of my Honda civic and Hastings told me that a salvage company called CoParts will take my car and keep it in the storage until it gets assessed by Hastings Direct engineer who will estimate the damage on the car. I received a call last week from Hastings informing me that the car will be written off as Cat C and they will not be repairing it. I have a sentimental value towards my car and I know it can be fixed at very less cost (also confirmed by local garage) Plus it has only done 60k so it has a lot more life left as I have kept it well maintained and serviced regularly. Hastings direct has told me they don't do buy back so car will go to the salvage company and i will have to bid on my car to buy it back (which can be very expensive). Or I can cancel the claim and get the car repaired from my own pocket! I really want my car back and repaired because that's what I paid my insurance company for I feel cheated and if I knew my insurance company would do this to me I would have never insured my car with Hastings Direct. I am stuck in the middle and cant make a decision. Has anyone else come across similar situation? Any advice regarding this matter will be highly appreciated...

if you happen to have a claim, they will use Davies Group Loss adjusters to rubbish your claim, appoint your own FREE LOSS ASSESSORS to assist you, WHEN we had water damage recently, they trawled through 5 years of Insurers cover, if we had made a claim or not been covered they would have rejected the claim - THEY DONT TELL YOU THIS WHEN YOU TAKE THE POLICY - WHAT A RIP OFF TO REJECT A CLAIM - ours is Valid as we had full cover and never claimed in 5 years - DAVIES GROUP BY BAD INSURERS AS LOSS ADJUSTERS TO RUBBISH VALID CLAIMS. CHECK YOUR POLICY AN DECLARE EVERYTHING, AS IF YOU HAVE A CLAIM THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING TO REJECT IT!!!!!!

Hi there. I appreciate this is a bit of a unique set of circumstances, if it was straight forward there'd be no need to post here, but I wanted some clarification and advice. I'll try and keep it simple. At 20 years old, I got my first car in October last year, Smartmiles was the cheapest insurance because of the box, however I still wanted to pay monthly due to my working circumstances and financial situation. In June, with only 2 payments to go, my direct debit bounced due to negligence on my part. I became aware of this, and went on to Creation's website (who manage my policy's finance) and paid the money that I was in arrears on there. Unbeknownst to me, paying through the website didn't stop the direct debit from being repeated a few days later, once again putting my account into "arrears" even though I actually only owed the final month, which shouldn't be due until the end of July. Then, due to the direct having bounced twice in a row, I apparently got hit with a £25 charge. However I was not told about said charge, and as such did not pay it. I got the usual letter from Hastings saying my policy would be cancelled in so many days due to my account being in arrears, however when this has happened previously I have called them, paid what I owe, and everything has been fine. Naturally, as I knew I had already paid for June's payment, and July wasn't due yet, I knew my account should not actually be in arrears anymore, and could disregard the letter. Except for the hidden £25 charge that had appeared. That ensured my account was still in arrears, and as such when I hadn't paid it by the 22nd July, my policy was cancelled. First phone call to Hastings, was told they'd ring back the next morning, I never had a phone call but they told me they could not get through to me. Fair enough. Second phone call, spoke to someone who basically told me that the £25 charge being unpaid was the reason my policy was cancelled, and they wouldn't reinstate it. Third phone call, spoke to a lovely lady, and she actually looked upon my situation, my finance account, transaction history, and saw that it was simply a case of computer automation, for example if I had phoned the company to pay, they would know it was paid before the 2nd direct debit went out, therefore I would have had no charge. Human intervention, in other words. She said she's going to have a look at it today, and call me back, which I appreciate, I shall see what she says and go from there. However I still want some advice. I completely understand that it is my responsibility to make sure my DD payments are going through. I get that. What I'm stumped about is being hit with a £25 charge, which I had no notification of, and cannot find any information about on Creation's website. If I had known that it was due, I would have paid it straight away and this would never have happened. As such now, with only 1 month's payment left (£155) I have lost the no claims of my first year, and, for the foreseeable future, whenever I try to get a new quote, I have to declare that I have had a policy cancelled, and so most insurers won't go near me, and the ones that do are easily charging north of £3000 for a 1.0 Saxo at 21 years old. Any advice? If this was a simple case of me missing a DD payment, and it being cancelled for that, I would accept it as my mistake, however the way I see it, it is not completely my fault at all. Thanks folks, apologies for being a bit long winded, it's just slightly complicated.

On 8th November 2013 Hastings debited an unauthorised £93.61 from my account. It was finally refunded with the help of this forum. I have recently received a renewal notice for the same policy for which Hastings will debit my account automatically unless I contact them to cancel the renewal. Here is the problem: today I called their 0844 number on three occasions for over 15 minutes each time with a 'you are in a queue' voice over music (15p connection and 7.62p per minute from my TalkTalk line). The Hastings website does not show an email address for cancellation. It does not show a postal address other than the complaints department. Can anyone please help me to cancel my automatic renewal.

Hastings have raided my bank account with an unauthorised debit of £93.61 on 8th November without any reason or prior communication. I purchased a new motorcycle policy from Hastings in June 2013. It does not expire until June 2014 and the premium of £83.92 was paid in full on commencement. Upon emailing Hastings about the anomaly, their response email was a PDF copy of their complaints procedure. My follow up email requested a return of the full amount within 24 hours along with the removal of my debit card details from their system. Hastings has stopped all communication with me. In simple terms, Hastings have retained my debit card details from June 2013 to pick-pocket my account at will. It would appear that maximum publicity of this matter, Ombudsman and County Court action may be my only recourse. All advice appreciated please.

i have currently been insured with hastings direct,i am in my second year with them and up until now never had a problem.... my issue has now come from me adding my partner to my insurance as a named driver,i did this in november last year. anyway on friday the 4th april,her car wouldnt start so she used mine,i must stipulate that it is very rare she uses mine,its only for emergencys,so on the m62/m60 to manchester in the smog/fog pollution that was around she lightly bumped a van in front in the fast lane but in very slow moving traffic,the highways agency came to move the car to the hard shoulder but said she couldnt drive it due to the sides of the bumper sticking out over 2 inch. my car was then taken to bury,not sure where and by who, my partner tried dealing with the issue the best she could but she was stuck 50miles from home so a tad upset. later that day i got a call from hastings total loss who told my my car was a write off,i told them it wasnt and at most would need a new bumper and very most a slam panel,no airbags had gone off,no damage to lights or bonnet or suspension. anyway the weekend passes and im thinking its fine,il just get the car back from hastings and fit a new bumper,i am a mk4 golf enthusiast and a member of all the forums,so i could prob get the parts free yesterday morning tuesday i call the number to see whats happening,i get told the car is now at a salvage place in wigan,even further from where i live,i tell them i havnt even taken my stuff from the car and they tell me to contact the salvage place directly,i do,so am now going over to collect my stuff. what bothers me is the car hasnt been assesed so dont know what cat it is or there class of damage,if when i get there to remove my stuff, there is stuff missing i will be getting the police involved as the car is legally still mine. i also asked about getting my car back from them,it is a mk4 golf gt tdi pd130,it has high milage but i also know these cars will do 2 to 3 times round the clock,1 owner from new and full service history,i just know when they have deducted my excess and the rest of the years premium i will be lucky to get £100!!!!!!! i want my car back,i am happy to pay the excess and not have hastings deal with my car,just give me it back, it concerns me they told me it was a total loss before even anybody had seen the damage,they obviously know how much money can be made from these cars in parts. i am not going to send in any documents as they will just sell the car with all my personal stuff in it. i have read other peoples dealings with them but untill you have an accident with hastings you really dont know how bad they are,i also need an explanation why the car didnt go to nationwide to see about repairs.. help needed before i contact the insurance ombudsman.. regards justin

I purchased Hastings direct cover a year ago and made it clear that they are not to auto-renew my policy because I always compare quotes. I had this confirmed by a telephone call so I was happy. I have noticed that without any prior correspondance in any form whatsoever, Hastings direct withdrew a very substantial amount (way over the going rate) from my account and have sent a token email after the event to an old email address I no longer use regularly. I have now sent them 5 emails asking for an explanation as to why they went against my specific instructions never to take money from my account automatically and then did so anyway without any prior warning whatsoever. I have also called them 6 times and am waiting for an "available" manager to call me back. I don't even need insurance for that vehicle anymore! I am extremely perplexed by their actions as they have actually been very helpfull on previous years and matched or beat any other insurance quotes i received elsewhere. I have a meeting with citizens advice on Monday who have said that from what i have said, the company has no excuse for this behaviour. I suspect thats why they refuse to respond to me in a timely fashion. Its been a week already...

I am totally fed up with Hastings Direct. I had an accident at the begining of Nov which was not my fault. It took until Feb to get my car fixed, after numerous phone calls. I was told that I had to pay my excess and that I would get it back when the other company admitted liability. My car came back fine and to be fair Nationwide was fine and helpful. My main problem is Hastings NEVER call you back, and when you do get someone in the right dept they just use delay tactics. The latest is that after 2 months they still haven't paid for my car to be fixed so they can't chase the claim!!!!!!! Will I ever get my money back......???

My car is insured with Hastings Direct. It was damaged in storms at Christmas whilst parked overnight and then bodge repaired on my insurance by Hastings approved repairer RGM Bodyworks of Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire. The repairs were so bad that Hastings had to send out their own independent engineer form AIA Independant Assesors who agreed with another bodyshop that RGM have caused £3000 worth of damage to my car which has actually written my car off as I only paid £4100 for it a few months ago. Now Hastings claims dept and the repair agent Fleet Accident Repair Group ( FARG as they like to be known) are doing everything to delay and bully me from getting justice and my car repaired. The bodywork and paintwork is so badly repaired that their engineer states it in his report which I have managed out get out of them. We have a disabled child and our car is now useless to us, we have to depend on friends to get our child to hospital and appointments etc now. I recommend that you stay well clear of Hastings Direct and their agents FARG as they are totally useless and a rip off. You get treated like you are something they have trod in on the street.

On 28th January 2014 I was hit in the rear whilst stationary by another vehicle and subsequently contacted my insurance company Hastings Direct to process a claim through the insurance company of the person that hit me. I've since experienced a catalogue of errors and miscommunications. I was firstly advised once my car was collected to go for an assessment of damage I would receive a 'hire car' (not a courtesy car - but I would not be liable for the cost of this vehicle) only to later be told that this is not the case and I shouldn't have been advised this. I asked that the recording of the conversation be listened too and that someone should call me back. No-one called and so a couple of days later I followed up and asked again. This time the call was listened too and I was issued a 'hire car' for one week despite the fact that I was indeed misinformed. So, my own car although deemed it would be a total loss was collected to go to a garage for repair assessment and I was informed by Hastings Direct that if I were to want my car back then that would be no problem. I followed up to be told it was a total loss and at this point I did mention that I may want the car returned at some point. I received a call a few days later from the 3rd party valuations assessor who informed me that the valuation of my car was £600. I then called Hastings Direct a couple of days later as I had heard nothing from them and informed them that since I was hit in the rear whilst stationary I didn't feel I should be liable for my £200 excess and the person that hit me should therefore be liable for this. I was told that once his insurance had accepted liability they would waiver this. NB. Why did he have to accept liability when every insurance company would automatically see this as a non-fault claim??? To add to this I have text messages from the person that hit my car admitting liability! Also I have photographs taken at the time of the accident. I then had to chase Hastings to have the hire car collected or I would have been liable for the costs after one week! At this point they decided that it was time to issue my final payment. I was then advised it would be £250(!!) as I needed to pay my policy off in full and pay my excess. Naturally I didn't want to do this as I had my car from brand new for 14 years and it was reliable with under 60,000 miles on the clock and most of damages were cosmetic. I asked for my car back to then be informed it was with a salvage yard and I would need to pay £99 to have it returned!!! This is the first I'd heard of this. At no point was this communicated to me and I was lead to believe my car could be returned no problems straight from the garage. The conversations went from bad to worse and I reluctantly accepted the £250 cheque as I was getting nowhere fast and told the situation of waiting for liability with the other persons insurance could go on for a long time, months if I didn't accept. Then the case would go to the Recovery team so that Hastings could try to reclaim their costs from the third party's insurance. I then asked if Hastings would send me my £200 once admission of liability was in and was told no that they need it before the cheque is issued. I was then advised by Hastings that they would instruct Carpenters (solicitors) to contact me to try and reclaim my £200 excess from the third party's insurer and that they operate on a 'no win, no fee basis'! A fee to reclaim my £200!?! WHY AM I PAYING INSURANCE!!? Being forced to pay an excess on this is a joke. Being left without my car and a £250 cheque is a joke....albeit not a funny one (unless your Hastings Direct). I've done nothing but have to chase Hastings Direct constantly and the outcome is a far cry from satisfactory. Avoid Hastings Direct at all costs.

When providing an offer for my car (deemed a total loss by Hastings Direct), I enquired about buying the car back(which has or will be category d) as I'm aware that many car insurance companies offer this to customers. However, I was told that I would not be able to - this is something which I'd need to discuss with the salvage company. Surely as the other person has admitted liability, Hastings Direct are just trying to make money out of me, when I'm not costing them a penny - it's the other's party's insurance ultimately paying. I don't understand how my car insurance company has the right to tell me I can't buy the car back. I pay my car insurance with the expectation that in a claim where I'm not at fault, my insurance company will offer me the best service. Has anyone had any similar experiences? Really not happy

This is my first post on the CAG forums – sorry it is so long and complicated. I suffer from very poor health and I am registered disabled. I bought a deluxe static caravan on Park Holidays (UK) Beauport Holiday Park in Hastings two years ago for £37,000 (cash). When I purchased my van (a 40 foot model), there was only one plot on the park which I liked as it was secluded with a nice outlook. I had been treated for a prostate tumor for the previous six months and needed a quiet and relaxing place to go and recover. I carefully explained my requirements regarding the site to the sales staff, and I was shown the official site plan and given maps of the same, clearly showing that if any new vans were installed opposite my own, my views/outlook would not be spoiled. I only went ahead with the purchase because of the information I had been given. 11 months later, a new van was installed directly opposite my own. Both vans (mine and the new one) have fully glazed 'front' ends, so the new van looks straight into my own van, and I lost all of my privacy. I complained to the site manager who stated that the maps and plans I had been given 'were for reference only' and didn't mean anything. And that it was his job to 'fit as many vans into the available space as possible'. I tried to explain to him that I had purchased the van in good faith (because of the information I had been given) to which he replied 'do you have anything in writing?'. After having been given site plans and maps, I hadn't even thought about the need to have it written into the contract. As there were no other suitable plots available for my van, I gave 3 months notice and told the manager that I wanted to sell my van back to Park Holidays. My site fees had been paid up until the end of 2011 so I thought there would be ample time to sell my van. However, four months later I was still waiting for an offer (despite numerous phone calls, emails and letters on my part). I eventually managed to speak to the sales manager who offered me £11,000. (This was 15 months since I had purchased my van). I told him that this was unacceptable. I went to see my local CAB but they admitted that they had no experience in such matters as there was no legislation regarding holiday homes, and suggested that I take legal advice. By this time the site fees for 2012 were due (but my contract was cancelled). I then went to a local solicitor (£200 plus VAT per hour), got nowhere so paid for a Barrister's Opinion (£1,500). Basically, the Barrister didn't feel my case was guaranteed (misrepresented sale act) and estimated that my costs would be circa £20,000 to go ahead - with no guarantee of winning and if I lost, I would have to pay Park Holidays fees. This was too 'rich' for me unfortunately. My legal fees so far are for £3,000. My van had been unoccupied for a year, and as I had given notice and cancelled my contract, any money Park Holidays say was owed was in dispute because of misrepresentations made at the time of purchase. They had kept me waiting for months - ignoring letters, not returning phone calls, telling me that they had written to me, or emailed me when nothing arrived etc etc etc. I received a barrage of threatening letters from Park Holidays insisting that I pay my site fees, council and water rates, late payment penalties for 2012 (totalling £3,800). I refused to pay the site fees as my contract was terminated. They told me that I must pay their fees and remove my van from their park within 14 days or it would be re-possessed (which is exactly what happened). I simply wasn't well enough to try to have the van moved to another site. My solicitor contacted Park Holidays but their solicitor said that they had already repossessed and sold my van, (as they say I was in default?) and I was sent a cheque for £8,100 (being the balance left after deducting site fees, Council rates, water rates for the last year even though my contract was cancelled). An identical van to my own is being sold on one of their other sites for £39,950 - which is £30,000 more than they have sent to me. I have full photographic evidence and the two maps/plans I was given at time of purchase. During my dispute, Park Holidays changed their map/plan to show the revised layout and the new van opposite my own. Fortunately I have a .pdf copy of the old plan. I believe that I was totally misled by the sales staff, who I trusted (I had no reason not to believe them foolishly). I feel so stupid for being taken in and trusting them. After the legal fees I have already paid, I have lost £32,000+, most of my life savings. I just don’t know what to do next. Any help or advice from any members of the CAG would be very much appreciated. I don't have the energy to keep fighting for much longer, my health is worse than ever with all the stress and anxiety over the past year. Thank you for taking the time to read through this. I hope someone can suggest something I can do. Tony G

I am hoping someone can advise me on this forum, not sure if I am in the correct place. Hastings Direct has refused to pay the storage costs for their clients car being held in our garage whilst they sorted out the claim. It has been with us for 1290 days at a cost of £10 per day when the assessor eventually came out to assess the damage. The car was written off. As a gesture we agreed to freeze the charges at £1290. The car is still with us today. Because there were complications with the customers claim it wasn't sorted for months and the customer had to involve a solicitor in order to fight his claim. The date of the accident was 11th March 2013 and the client was settled on the 16th October 2013 We periodically contacted Hastings to remind them that their charges were increasing and at no point within the corresponding did they inform us that they were not going to pay the fee. The claim has been sorted and they have refused to pay the fee. After several emails they told us we could keep the car towards the cost but as we aren't breakers we declined their offer as the car is of no value now. They then offered to pay £500 less than half of the fee. We then asked if we could keep the car to scrap at a value of £160 which would at least replace some of the shortfall. They refused to let us keep the car. So we have an offer of £500. Can anyone tell me if we have a case and what would be the best course of action to take.

I insured with Hastings Direct which I am now really, really regretting. Whatever you do DON'T insure with them. Unless you want a truly bad experience if you ever have to claim. I recently had an accident on the inner ring road in Leeds, a dangerous place at the best of times. There was a stopped lorry and the car in front panicked (maybe) and did an emergency stop for no reason. It was a low speed impact. I called Hastings and was recovered to Nationwide Crash Repair Centre. I was told on the phone that NCRC would provide a courtesy car. When we got there they informed me that there were no courtesy cars available and there wouldn't be until the following week. this was Friday. I rang them every day after that, until the assessor had deemed the car a total loss. At which point they wouldn't give me a courtesy car anyway. I've had to hire cars for the last three weeks. I received a letter from Hastings telling me what would happen during the claim. One of the items was that the car would be taken to secure storage and I need to take out any personal belongings before it is moved. The letter was dated on the day of the accident, but I didn't receive it until a week and half later, by which time my car had been taken to Copart in York. Copart sent me the tax disc back the next day. Last week, I received a letter from the Total Loss Team at Hastings asking fro my documents and referring to the Policy about how an estimate is made. I never received any documents from Hastings Direct in the post - no certificate, no terms and conditions. I've called three times asking for copies of the policy. The first time I was emailed a copy of the certificate, which I din't ask for. The second time, I was told that they don't really do this, then after speaking to her "senior" for several minutes was told it would be emailed to me. The third time I was told that the t&cs can't be emailed but that a paper copy would be posted to me. That was several days ago, so not holding out much hope. I've also been told that I can't buy the car back once an settlement is reached. They said to phone Copart and ask them. A very nice lady at Copart informed me that they don't sell privately, but only via auction. She said she didn't know why Hastings don't sell back to the owner, and that they are the ONLY insurer in the UK who don't do this. The policy was a bit cheaper than others, but no surprise because it is a nightmare. To buy the car back via auction, this would mean driving to York, removing all the handsfree and audio equipment behind the dash, transferring my number plate, joining Copart, bidding on the car, reinstalling all the equipment and re-transferring my plate back to the car! The car is a rare one. It took me ages to find this car with this exact spec. I'll never find another one like it, and the parts will go for a fortune at auction! Is there anything I can do? Should I see a solicitor? I have access to a low loader, a mechanic, all the parts needed and a paint shop. I can get the car repaired for a third of what the assessor has said. Not worried about Cat C, as I never want to sell it.

I am hoping someone can advise me on this forum, not sure if I am in the correct place. Hastings Direct has refused to pay the storage costs for their clients car being held in our garage whilst they sorted out the claim. It has been with us for 1290 days at a cost of £10 per day when the assessor eventually came out to assess the damage. The car was written off. As a gesture we agreed to freeze the charges at £1290. The car is still with us today. Because there were complications with the customers claim it wasn't sorted for months and the customer had to involve a solicitor in order to fight his claim. The date of the accident was 11th March 2013 and the client was settled on the 16th October 2013 We periodically contacted Hastings to remind them that their charges were increasing and at no point within the corresponding did they inform us that they were not going to pay the fee. The claim has been sorted and they have refused to pay the fee. After several emails they told us we could keep the car towards the cost but as we aren't breakers we declined their offer as the car is of no value now. They then offered to pay £500 less than half of the fee. We then asked if we could keep the car to scrap at a value of £160 which would at least replace some of the shortfall. They refused to let us keep the car. So we have an offer of £500. Can anyone tell me if we have a case and what would be the best course of action to take.

Hastings Direct took a full years policy renewal, without my permission, knowledge or authorisation. I rang them as soon as I could and after an extremely unpleasant call they agreed to refund. I was advised that as I hadn't contacted them to advise I wanted to cancel they automatically took the money even though we had never recieved any documentation from us, I queried as to why, if they had not heard from us they had assumed that we wanted to go ahead, they advised me that this is the way it is done, I have NEVER automatically renewed as it is too expensive. I had previously emailed for a copy of my No Claims Discount (this should have been a clue that I was not staying with them?) and according to the site they will respond in 3 working days, now at day 4 no response,just called them and after waiting over half an hour to get through was advised, eventually, by one the rudest customer advisors it has been my displeasure to deal with that she would arrange for it to be emailed but it will take 24 hours, TWENTY FOUR HOURS to send an email !!! In every contact with this company I have come up against a brick wall, their advisors must have special training to be as obstructive as possible. Be warned they also charge for everything, change of address for example they want £35 !!! for changing an address on a computer? When I queried how they could justify this, they couldn't.

Hi, I really wish I'd read this forum before going with Hastings. Yes they're cheap but I'm not having a good experience now that I'm having to claim. Story so far - Day 1 - Friday 28/06/13 Had a crash, wet roads, skidded into the path of oncoming traffic but managed to swing it back before hitting anyone else but skidded 180 degrees and the car went over onto it's side. The kerb has buckled one of the back wheels and that apparently means total loss for a 55 plate Vauxhall Agila. No injuries thankfully. The police arranged for it to be recovered. Day 2. Rang Hastings Direct to start a claim - I've got fully comp with them. Went through some info and was told it would need to be looked at by an underwriter which, I was told, would be "Monday or Tuesday at the latest". Day 4. Rang to see if there was any news as I really could have done with a courtesy car for work. Told that it would take a lot longer for the underwriters to look at it and that I'd probably got "one of the weekend staff who doesn't know anything" - which fills you with confidence. They said they'd get a supervisor to see if they could get my case prioritised. Day 5. Rang again to see if it had been prioritised. It hadn't been. No-one can tell me anything, and no-one can give me any idea when this will be looked at. Day 6. Received a letter from the recovery people saying they would be charging £250 for the recovery and £20 a day for storage. Rang Hastings to make sure they would be covering this but they can't confirm this until the underwriters had looked at the case. Day 7 (today) Rang Hasting again - actually got someone who seemed willing to have a look at things in a little more detail at least. They arranged for the car to be moved from the recovery company to stop that bill clocking up. They looked and told me it was a total loss (RIP old friend) but it would be sometime next week that it would be looked into. In summary, this is sooo frustrating. I was hit by a neighbour a while back and the claiming process was incredibly slick. I never had to chase anyone and was given a courtesy car immediately and all parties involved knew exactly what was going on, when things would be happening next and, get this, all the information was accurate. A complete contrast to the "erm sometime in the next so many days, possibly" attitude I'm getting at the minute. Swinton Insurance tried to get my business back last renewal by price matching and I wish I'd gone back. When I told Hastings they updated some details (they still had my old occupation - even though I'd told them previously - and put on protected no claims as Swinton were offering me that) and it came out significantly cheaper so I decided to renew. Lesson learned, I suppose. Has anyone had any similar experiences? I'd like to know how long the total loss cheque is likely to be? Anyone had to end up paying for the recovery costs? Cheers, DSr

hi wanted to take out a car insurance with hastings direct filed in online form were it said no claims bonus i put in the years from my other cars policy which i still drive and was told i basically had no claims bonus for new car as it relates to old car so then they came up with a huge increase in premium £1100 which i told the advisor i would have to cancel because of this now they have taken £108.00 in admin fees out of my account have since got a insurance quote for £400 for same car they are a load of [edited] and they shouldnt be allowed to get away with it

Hastings Direct - misleading web site and they don't deal with telephone or written complaints - to makes matter worse after they ignored my letters etc the FOS fined them just £20 - which is in my view is a disgrace. Ed

I've read the previous entries about Hastings' so-called admin fees with interest. I have motorbike insurance with them and last year after coming off my bike called them to enquire about making a claim. After being told that because of the age of my Yamaha, they would write it off and taking into account the excess, I decided not to proceed. On renewal this year, I am told that because I reported an incident that was 'closed, non fault' I have to pay an admin fee of £35. This charge seems unecessary, as I've only received two emails and spoke to someone for about 3-4 mins on the phone. Anyone have any advice on how to proceed? I took out a renewal with them which was not by any means the cheapest at £140 (I am over 50 and the bike is 15yrs old) so I rather resent their high fee for doing very little.

last year in October i had a total loss on a vehicle due to fire 26 weeks and 1 day later or 183 days have passed and nothing of a offer of pay out Having sent in to them all the documents and key to vehicle i have had to SORN the vehicle as got a last chance reminder from the DVLA Just proves how professorial Hastings direct are not I wonder what they would of done had i not paid my premium send it on to a debt collector? They have had the whole premium there is no excuses They are now in receipt of my letter before action sent recorded delivery Just a warning to all that Hastings direct are not good when it comes to settling a claim

terrible, terrible company. I phoned to cancel my car insurance on 16th January 2012, they told me it would cost me £55.00 and I thought that as the policy finished on 31st March I would leave it. I then moved house and worked abroad for most of the year. Went to get new car insurance this year and when I called Hastings for proof of my no claims, they said that I was insured with them. They had taken nearly £700.00 from my bank account last year on April 1st. I hadn't received any renewal documents, nothing! When I called them, they said it was my fault and was the car SORN, it was but not until May and now they're arguing about whether I should have my money back. Can't believe this company, I 've been on many forums and it seems that there is an awful lot of people out there who have had problems with them.

Hi, Hastings have cancelled my insurance policy for my car due to non payment. Problem is, payment was taken, in full, after a total loss claim around 8 months ago. They are awaiting to see if they can reinstate, but I am not insured at the moment. Can they do this and should they reinstate my policy? Regards Matt

after a non fault accident my car has been classed as a total loss by hastings direct ,should i send them my vehicle registration papers they have asked for,even though i have not recieved or accepted any offers for my car....why do they want them before i get an offer

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here knew the best way to make a formal complaint to Hastings Direct? I have attempted to make a complaint by telephone on two separate occasions, but I just get fobbed off with promises but no investigations as to why the problem keeps persisting. In January 2012, I took out a car insurance policy with Hastings Direct. I deliberately ticked the various boxes that would ensure that I would not be subjected to marketing calls. However, shortly after the policy kicked in, I was being telephoned by Hastings Direct in relation to being offered additional products on my policy. Although I never answered these calls (busy at work and all that), dialling the number resulted in hearing an automated "you have been called by Hastings Direct..." stating it was to offer additional products. There was an option to press buttons to opt out, but it would cost money from my pay-as-you-go mobile (the number was 0845 286 6351) plus seeing as I was already opted out, I felt that Hastings Direct should sort the problem out. I spoke to Hastings several times last year. On each occasion, the customer service rep would confirm that I was opted out of marketing calls and could not explain why it was happening. They kept on leaving notes on my account for the marketing team to stop calling me, but calls persisted. I attempted to make a complaint via the telephone, however I was asked that if I received a letter promising it would stop, that I would agree not to take it further. I agreed, letter was received and calls admittedly stopped for a period of about nine months. It was at this point I found out that Hastings gave everyone's details to a third party and it was up to the third party to filter out those who did not want the calls. In January 2013, I renewed my policy with Hastings Direct. Lo and behold, shortly after the renewed policy starts, the calls start up again. I have spoken to Hastings, who continue to insist I should be opted out. On 23rd January 2013, I attempted to make another telephone complaint. Again, I have been fobbed off with excuses. Apparently, third party contact is out of their control, but they fail to realise this is happening because they gave my details to the third party. They stated that sometimes they ring to check details with the policy, but I pointed out if it was important, that an actual person would leave a voicemail and leave a number which leads to a call centre rather than an automated message. I was also told to using the opting-out facilities, but why should I do the work for them when I'm clearly already opted out? They are going to speak to the third party company again and send another lovely letter promising it will stop, but I just feel like speaking on the phone is a waste of time and that they will do anything to bring the number of complaints down. I was wondering if anyone had had better luck using a different method? I want to know why they keep on failing to listen to my requests to remove my details for marketing purposes. I know my issues are not as bad as some, but the calls happen regularly and are an absolute nuisance! In fact, I don't even have the marketing number stored on my mobile, but I know it better than my own number the amount of times it has called. Many thanks for your help in advance.