Car Insurance Quotes ?

[marsh man]

Just interested weather you get your insurance on line or from a broker .

I have  just got my new insurance from Swinton which I thought was fairly expensive , my car is valued at 4k , no claim for the maximum years and kept in my driveway .

I went in the Lowertoft branch yesterday to get it sorted and after the lady fiddled about on her computer she came down from £445 to £ 329 for the exactly same policy , now today I looked online at compare the market .com just to see if my charge was about right and there were several companies that were a lot cheaper .

I know what your thinking , I should have looked online first but I have always just gone into a branch and paid up , now if I canceled it ,the fees would be nearly as much as I would save , so for this year it will be insured with Swinton .

So , do you insure online with the same insurers each year , or do you shop around ?

THANKS again for your time 

[PPP]

You have a 14 day cooling off period,  no charge to cancel

[marsh man]

2 minutes ago, PPP said:

You have a 14 day cooling off period,  no charge to cancel

Looking at Swintons terms and conditions , there is a charge for canceling the insurance within the 14 days ( £25 ) from Swintons, and it look like the insurers charge a fee , although I might be wrong but that is how I read it .

[PPP]

Insurers won’t charge a fee in cooling off period, or they shouldn’t.  Tell Swinton you are unhappy with their marketing and that you don’t feel they have treated you fairly and acted in your best interest and having been a longstanding client you expect the cancellation change to be waived as you feel they have unfairly profited from you in the past and see what happens...

[Jaymo]

8 hours ago, PPP said:

Insurers won’t charge a fee in cooling off period, or they shouldn’t.  Tell Swinton you are unhappy with their marketing and that you don’t feel they have treated you fairly and acted in your best interest and having been a longstanding client you expect the cancellation change to be waived as you feel they have unfairly profited from you in the past and see what happens...

I believe they are entitled to still charge a ‘Document Fee’ along with any premium for the days coverage that you may have benefitted from, the same sort of wording is also used on mobile phone contracts.

Here is the T&C’s extract

Your right to cancel your policy and your 'cooling off' period
You have the following rights to cancel any policy you buy through us:
• You have a cancellation right which is set out in the policy document.
• You are also entitled to a 'cooling off' period, which ends 14 days after you receive your policy documents.
You can cancel at any time by contacting us.
What you will be charged if you cancel your insurance
1) Prior to the commencement date of your policy.
If you cancel your policy prior to this date a full refund of any monies paid will be provided.
2) Within the 'cooling off' period
If you cancel your policy, before the end of the 'cooling off' period, you will be charged by the insurer for the service they have provided up to the point of cancellation. We will also make a cancellation charge of £25.
3) After the 'cooling off' period
In some circumstances a refund may not be possible after your cooling off period e.g. if you have made a claim. Your policy wording will set out your insurer's terms in this respect and any applicable cancellation charges made by your insurer. We will also make a cancellation charge as per the table below. Our new policy inception or policy renewal service charge made for arranging your policy will not be refunded.
Whenever your policy is cancelled, if we have given you a discount off your premium at inception this will be deducted on a pro rata basis from any refund due to you on cancellation. Where a cancellation or other transaction results in a premium refund being due to you, that refund will be reduced by any service charge and any other sums you owe in respect of the policy.

Edited October 4, 2018 by Jaymo

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Sounds like you need to return to the Swinton Office and see what they might do to sort this out. 

They (Swinton's) certainly don't appear to have done you any favours, see if you can speak to someone in a more senior position.

Then gently remind them that in these modern days of social media you will be making anyone and everyone aware of their sharp practice.

Good luck.

[bruno22rf]

You must be mad not to shop around every year - some comparison sites will even remind you just before your insurance is due. There is little doubt that some companies offer lower premiums in the first year to tempt you - they then sting you the following year so shop around and whoever you insure with should be informed that you do not agree to Auto Renewal. On a slightly different note - if you ask Adrian Flux for a quote they have a habit of simply posting you your completed insurance documents even if you turn down their policy .  

[marsh man]

THANKS for your continuing help and advice.

Looking at the comparison site there were some which seemed dirt cheap but I am a firm believer that the cheapest is not always the best , so I looked down the list to some that I had heard of , the one that I would had been interested in was the R A C , the basic insurance was nearly £100 cheaper and with the built in roadside recovery which was about £60 still made the combined cost cheaper than Swintons .

So I am now debating weather it is worth cancelling the one I have just paid for which don't start till the 15th Oct and grin and bear the loss and take the new one out .

THANKS  

[squirrel shooter]

I found it is best to shop around when your renewal is due, Aviva and Adrian Flux have always been very competatively priced and the fact there well known. Be sure to inform them of any modifications as well if your vehichle has any, as they could dispute this if you ever have a claim. 

[Dave-G]

Aviva have been very good for me, and they have an online notification facility where you can change your car details if you replace it without them needing to have any input so you don't get charged a service fee, and get the new price of it as soon as its done. 

Their online quote system has advice as to what extras should be declared, they didn't charge me any more for tinted windows behind the driver. Be sure to list ANYthing that is non standard - so wheels (even if you only paint them) go faster stickers etc. Tow bars sometimes get a discount because you 'tend' to be a slower driver. Raising or lowering suspension etc too.

Surprisingly, you also get a cheaper quote if you have access to another vehicle insured by someone else at your address.