So I just received an email back from Hasting Direct having complained about there customer service and 'fees'. I've attached the emails below if you fancy a read. Made my day anyway 
Date: 14 August 2012 11:41:33 GMT+01:00
To: [email protected]
Subject: Complaint
Dear Sir / Madam,
In January 2012 I purchased car insurance through Hastings Direct. I
was aware of additional costs such a cancellation fee's and so called
'admin fees'. - When I asked what the admin fee was actually for I was
told it was to cover the costs of re-printing documents. Bare in mind
all my documentation was emailed to me... We'll get back to this bit
later.
So I decided that I would like to buy a new car, as people do. I
called up Hastings fully aware of the admin fee to make amendments to
my policy and was more than happy to pay. I spent about half an hour
on the phone giving all the car details etc only to be rudely told "We
can't insure you on that car with your current policy." Ok, so I asked
for a quotation on a new policy which came back at some astrophysical figure, £1200
more expensive than my current offer. On top of which I would lose my
6 or so months of NCB towards my 6th year in total.
So just to recap, I would have to cancel my policy, start a new policy and pay
£1600...So I decided to take my custom elsewhere as any 'sane'
individual would do.
I later sold my existing car which had the Hastings direct Insurance
cover so called up to cancel the insurance. I explained the situation
that Hastings Direct was unable to insure me on my current policy and
I would have to change and lose all my benefits etc. I suggested that
Hastings Direct had failed to provide me with cover and therefore why
should I pay the cancellation fee?! After speaking to the
representative on the phone for at least half an hour I was left
feeling numb. I was given no definitive reasoning as to why I must pay
the cancellation fee or why Hastings shouldn't refund me. Frankly I am
appalled by the level of customer service. After giving up and paying
the Cancellation fee I was told I must post my insurance certificate
back to Hastings Direct. This actually made me laugh as I said at the
beginning of the email... Hastings Direct EMAILED me the policy
documentation, I could of made millions of copies of my certificate.
I'm pretty sure this was an error by the customer services
representative... Lack of training maybe?
Anyway, I'm hoping this email finds it's way to someone who can
actually look at my situation and explain to me why I had to pay the
Cancellation fee and when can I get it refunded?
ref number -----------------
Regards,
T.... b...
Dear Mr B....,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us recently about your concerns with the service you have received. I understand from your email that you are unhappy with both the cancellation fee for cancelling your policy and also the service you have received whist trying to do so. I have had the opportunity to look into the issues you have raised and would like to respond.
Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of service you have received when cancelling your policy. I would like to assure you this is not the excellent level of service we strive to deliver as a business and I will ensure that the sufficient training issues are passed on to the relevant department.
After reviewing your policy I can see that you usually receive your documents by email therefore would not have had a hard copy of your Certificate from us. Our usual process would be after cancellation to send you a link via email asking you to respond within 7 days to confirm cancellation of your policy. Again I apologise that this was not done in this case. I also understand that one of our Sales agents offered you a quotation as we were unable to accommodate your new car, however this was uncompetitive quoting at £1642.68 which prompted you to seek alternative insurance. The reason the cancellation fee would apply in your case is simply because we were able to offer you another policy. If we were not able to do this the cancellation fee would not apply. However in this case, due to the service you have received I am able to refund the £55.00 cancellation fee as a gesture of goodwill and to resolve this matter, this will be returned to you by cheque. Please expect this within the next 7-10 days.
I am sorry for any inconvenience caused and hope that you find my explanation helpful. If you wish to discuss your complaint in more details then do not hesitate to contact me directly on the number below. If you do remain dissatisfied with our actual handling of your complaint or indeed the outcome, you are entitled to refer your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Should you wish to do this, you must do so within 6 months from the date of this letter. I have enclosed a leaflet that provides you with some further details about the Financial Ombudsman Service and their contact details in case you do decide to contact them.
Finally, thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience. We are very grateful for the feedback you have already given us and I can assure you this will be put to good use in helping us to improve our service.
Yours sincerely
S.....
Quality Assurance Representative
Hastings Direct
Hastings Insurance Services Ltd
Mod Edit to remove names from post.
Date: 14 August 2012 11:41:33 GMT+01:00
To: [email protected]
Subject: Complaint
Dear Sir / Madam,
In January 2012 I purchased car insurance through Hastings Direct. I
was aware of additional costs such a cancellation fee's and so called
'admin fees'. - When I asked what the admin fee was actually for I was
told it was to cover the costs of re-printing documents. Bare in mind
all my documentation was emailed to me... We'll get back to this bit
later.
So I decided that I would like to buy a new car, as people do. I
called up Hastings fully aware of the admin fee to make amendments to
my policy and was more than happy to pay. I spent about half an hour
on the phone giving all the car details etc only to be rudely told "We
can't insure you on that car with your current policy." Ok, so I asked
for a quotation on a new policy which came back at some astrophysical figure, £1200
more expensive than my current offer. On top of which I would lose my
6 or so months of NCB towards my 6th year in total.
So just to recap, I would have to cancel my policy, start a new policy and pay
£1600...So I decided to take my custom elsewhere as any 'sane'
individual would do.
I later sold my existing car which had the Hastings direct Insurance
cover so called up to cancel the insurance. I explained the situation
that Hastings Direct was unable to insure me on my current policy and
I would have to change and lose all my benefits etc. I suggested that
Hastings Direct had failed to provide me with cover and therefore why
should I pay the cancellation fee?! After speaking to the
representative on the phone for at least half an hour I was left
feeling numb. I was given no definitive reasoning as to why I must pay
the cancellation fee or why Hastings shouldn't refund me. Frankly I am
appalled by the level of customer service. After giving up and paying
the Cancellation fee I was told I must post my insurance certificate
back to Hastings Direct. This actually made me laugh as I said at the
beginning of the email... Hastings Direct EMAILED me the policy
documentation, I could of made millions of copies of my certificate.
I'm pretty sure this was an error by the customer services
representative... Lack of training maybe?
Anyway, I'm hoping this email finds it's way to someone who can
actually look at my situation and explain to me why I had to pay the
Cancellation fee and when can I get it refunded?
ref number -----------------
Regards,
T.... b...
Dear Mr B....,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us recently about your concerns with the service you have received. I understand from your email that you are unhappy with both the cancellation fee for cancelling your policy and also the service you have received whist trying to do so. I have had the opportunity to look into the issues you have raised and would like to respond.
Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of service you have received when cancelling your policy. I would like to assure you this is not the excellent level of service we strive to deliver as a business and I will ensure that the sufficient training issues are passed on to the relevant department.
After reviewing your policy I can see that you usually receive your documents by email therefore would not have had a hard copy of your Certificate from us. Our usual process would be after cancellation to send you a link via email asking you to respond within 7 days to confirm cancellation of your policy. Again I apologise that this was not done in this case. I also understand that one of our Sales agents offered you a quotation as we were unable to accommodate your new car, however this was uncompetitive quoting at £1642.68 which prompted you to seek alternative insurance. The reason the cancellation fee would apply in your case is simply because we were able to offer you another policy. If we were not able to do this the cancellation fee would not apply. However in this case, due to the service you have received I am able to refund the £55.00 cancellation fee as a gesture of goodwill and to resolve this matter, this will be returned to you by cheque. Please expect this within the next 7-10 days.
I am sorry for any inconvenience caused and hope that you find my explanation helpful. If you wish to discuss your complaint in more details then do not hesitate to contact me directly on the number below. If you do remain dissatisfied with our actual handling of your complaint or indeed the outcome, you are entitled to refer your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Should you wish to do this, you must do so within 6 months from the date of this letter. I have enclosed a leaflet that provides you with some further details about the Financial Ombudsman Service and their contact details in case you do decide to contact them.
Finally, thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience. We are very grateful for the feedback you have already given us and I can assure you this will be put to good use in helping us to improve our service.
Yours sincerely
S.....
Quality Assurance Representative
Hastings Direct
Hastings Insurance Services Ltd
Mod Edit to remove names from post.
