Quinn Direct Car Insurance Disgrace - Help!

stressed out

I am with Quinn Direct and recently bought a new car (not new about 5 years old) and when I was changing my details on the phone the Agent offered me an upgrade of Fully Comp for X amount. I declined as TBH it was too expensive and I was happy with 3rd party.

About a week later I got a letter in the post saying I had upgraded to Fully Comp and there was a bill for this. A Credit Control person from Quinn Direct rang me looking for this money. I told her there had been a mistake that I didnt want Fully Comp and I wished to be changed back to 3rd party. So she referred me to a Customer Agent and she tried to change me back to 3rd party but her 'system' told her I had gotten a free upgrade and the money was for the changeover of the car. I told her this must be rubbish - an insurance co. doesnt give away free upgrades. Besides the amount was way too much for the car changeover. I told her I wasnt informed of the car changeover fee and she told me I got a letter stating this and she began to read out the letter stating it was for the car changeover. I didnt have the letter in front of me so I couldnt disagree but I was almost sure it didnt say this.

Anyway I asked for a supervisor to call me back later that day.
When I got home I found the letter and it DIDN'T say this at all. The Agent blatantly lied to me. Later on that day she called me back (no supervisor) saying the fee had been sent to the underwriting dept and they were trying to clear it. So I left it at that.

About 1 week later I got a letter from Quinn Direct looking for the money again. So I called them and told them this whole sorry story. The agent said a supervisor would call me back later that day. She also said a supervisor had called me back on the 10th and left a voicemail (but when I checked my fone there was no missed call or voicemail for that day). Lo and behold I didnt get the call from the supervisor so I rang them back asking where it was and another agent said I shoukd get it - I also told them I never received the phantom voicemail from the supervisor 5 days ago. He didnt know what to say.

Anyway I received a call this morning from an agent saying I had to pay this money - she said it was for the upgrade. I said absolutely not. Quinn Direct made a mistake and I was not paying for it. I told her I shouldn't even be calling in trying to sort this out when it was their problem. So I asked for a supervisor to call be back (not holding my breath!).

Surely this is illegal - asking me to pay for an upgrade when I didnt even consent to it?


(BTW I only bought this car cos my old car was turning into a money trap and it was costing more to run than a newer one. I really cannot afford to pay for this upgrade)

Fallenleaves

Insurance companies record all calls for 'quality and training' purposes so demand that they find and review your original call wherein you refused the change to a comprehensive policy. This should (hopefully) sort the whole sorry mess out... I used to be with that company but am happy to pay a little extra these days to use a company who I know aren't out to hoodwink me!

stressed out

Fallenleaves wrote: »

Insurance companies record all calls for 'quality and training' purposes so demand that they find and review your original call wherein you refused the change to a comprehensive policy. This should (hopefully) sort the whole sorry mess out... I used to be with that company but am happy to pay a little extra these days to use a company who I know aren't out to hoodwink me!

Hi thanks for the reply. I used to work in a call centre and trying to get hold of a particular call is a nightmare. I think they only record the calls when they're checking for quality.
I have 10 days to pay this and then they will cancel my insurance. So I am stuck for time

jor el

You could contact the Insurance Federation, they can give advice on how to deal with this. I had to get on to them once before, and the rang me back within a day of me emailing them.

You don't have to pay for something you didn't ask for. They're trying to make you pay for comp when you didn't ask for that. If you're talking to them again, tell them to sort it out, send you the 3rd party quote, or you'll report them to the Financial Regulator as well as the Insurance Federation.

leeroybrown

You'll need to get this sorted out soon. I know one person who had problems with their billing department and ended up getting a letter saying that their policy was being cancelled and that they had been driving around uninsured for the previous month because of it.

Also, never task anything an insurance agent says over the phone at face value. I've dealt with Quinn Direct in the past and have been told things by their agents that contradict insurance legislation on top of their own policy terms.

stressed out

Hi thanks for the replies. I've contacted the Financial Ombudsman and hopefully something can be done. Needless to say Quinn Direct have lost a customer (plus whoever I tell)

Cabaal

stressed out wrote: »

Hi thanks for the reply. I used to work in a call centre and trying to get hold of a particular call is a nightmare. I think they only record the calls when they're checking for quality.
I have 10 days to pay this and then they will cancel my insurance. So I am stuck for time

True however they should have decent systems in place to allow them to locate a call, in fairness if you want a copy of the call make a claim under the data protection act...your legally entitled to it

peanuthead

TBH I think Quinn Direct have a shower of really ignorant so-and-so's working for them. This is not the first time that I have heard of this kind of thing. I personally had a massive argument with them once over a matter.

The boyfriend was going to buy a van, and wanted to insure it first as he had to go out of dublin to get it (long drive home) He called up and asked if he could insure it with no reg no. The reason there was no reg is because we were waiting for the guy who sold it to us to call us back, he was taking ages, and we agreed that we would see if we could insure it without the reg. The manager on the phone said that of course he could insure it without a reg, because as it was my boyfriends name going down on the policy, it would mean that he is insured, and it didnt matter what vehicle he was driving, so long as it was also a commercial. The bf explained that the van wasnt insured by anyone else at the moment, and the guy went on to say that was ok, so long as he called up with the reg no. when he had it.

Needless to say we got pulled on way home by gardai, and he was asked to produce his insurance cert within 10 days. We went into quinn the next day to get the cert and the manager we were talking to argued with us that he wasnt insured!!!!!!

Now I wont go on about it anymore than I already have, but it seems to me that there is a massive grey area where their insurance is concerned and there shouldnt be. You're either insured or youre not. Its really that simple.

darc

stressed out wrote: »

Hi thanks for the replies. I've contacted the Financial Ombudsman and hopefully something can be done. Needless to say Quinn Direct have lost a customer (plus whoever I tell)

I've never had a problem with them and do all my changes online. Have health, home & 2 motor policies with them. They are consistently the lowest price by 20 - 30% and had no issue when I had a small claim last year.

What you should do, is go online enter slightly changed name & date of birth and get a quote for the same car, similar address and see what the difference is. If you new car has a higher value than your old car there will be a higher premium, similarly if it is more powerful.

Ranting & raving to a call centre person will get you feck all response - try talking to them with a bit of civility & humour, you'll find the problem sorted in 2 minutes!

eth0_

stressed out wrote: »

Hi thanks for the reply. I used to work in a call centre and trying to get hold of a particular call is a nightmare. I think they only record the calls when they're checking for quality.
I have 10 days to pay this and then they will cancel my insurance. So I am stuck for time

In an insurance company I would imagine they record EVERY call.

OP - request a copy of the recording.

antoinolachtnai

It's really up to them to find the calls, if you make a data protection request.

You can also complain about this to the financial services ombudsman, I think.

castie

peanuthead wrote: »

TBH I think Quinn Direct have a shower of really ignorant so-and-so's working for them. This is not the first time that I have heard of this kind of thing. I personally had a massive argument with them once over a matter.

The boyfriend was going to buy a van, and wanted to insure it first as he had to go out of dublin to get it (long drive home) He called up and asked if he could insure it with no reg no. The reason there was no reg is because we were waiting for the guy who sold it to us to call us back, he was taking ages, and we agreed that we would see if we could insure it without the reg. The manager on the phone said that of course he could insure it without a reg, because as it was my boyfriends name going down on the policy, it would mean that he is insured, and it didnt matter what vehicle he was driving, so long as it was also a commercial. The bf explained that the van wasnt insured by anyone else at the moment, and the guy went on to say that was ok, so long as he called up with the reg no. when he had it.

Needless to say we got pulled on way home by gardai, and he was asked to produce his insurance cert within 10 days. We went into quinn the next day to get the cert and the manager we were talking to argued with us that he wasnt insured!!!!!!

Now I wont go on about it anymore than I already have, but it seems to me that there is a massive grey area where their insurance is concerned and there shouldnt be. You're either insured or youre not. Its really that simple.

From what you have said, you never rang up with the Reg No. like you were told to. So you wouldn't be insured.

mixer101

castie wrote: »

From what you have said, you never rang up with the Reg No. like you were told to. So you wouldn't be insured.

Castie, I think if you read through her post again you'll notice that while technically they might not have telephoned with the reg, they did physically call in to Quinn's offices next day. I would hazard a guess that one of the details they discussed was the confirmed reg number.

castie

They went in AFTER they were stopped. Insurance was never issued. The Manager said give us the reg No when you have it. At that point it would have been confirmed.

It would be like ringing for a quote and then getting stopped by the cops, then going to an insurance company and saying "well i got a quote and im here to pay it now but i got pulled over yesterday". Insurance cannot be issued without a Reg so driving a car and supplying the reg afterward is not acceptable.

Nody

Cabaal wrote: »

True however they should have decent systems in place to allow them to locate a call, in fairness if you want a copy of the call make a claim under the data protection act...your legally entitled to it

The fatal flaw in your argument is the assumption every call is recorded and stored and hence fall under the data protection act. What they are doing is saying that they MAY record the call (usually done for quality purposes) but it would be very unsual to record ALL calls (you'd be talking 40+ calls per person and day).

antoinolachtnai

It depends. In a regulated environment where contractual arrangements are made by telephone it would not be unusual to record all calls. It is not at all impractical to do this, although I can imagine it might be a pain to actually retrieve a particular call.

If they have the recording, they must find it and give it to you. If they don't have the recording, then its your word against theirs and that puts them in a weak position.

derry

Recording every call come on guys what planet are you on

The only people recording every calls are major players in the stock markey buy 10 million sell 20 million problems refer to recording

Plebs like us for 500 euro policies not a chance
Only training calls are recorded probably 1 call for 1000 at best

Insurance isnt insurance until you have a insurance certificate in your hands and even then it can be cancelled if you dont pay the agreed premuim

Only Insurace regulator can be any use in disputs

Minor bit player sales reps or call center staff no matter how nice you are to them often have no power to alter records where issues exist or they often humour you and say its done otherwise they can be on your call for ten plus minutes while they try to get a supervisor down to them and have thier call stats screwed up just for your call

Call centers is stats so having worked there I can say I have seen and heard most every trick that exists to get troblesome costumers off the line as often sales agents are given only three minutes per call and get fired if to many calls take 5 minutes

Planet sucks but thats the way it works so Insurance regulator and similar who know where the buttons are to fire the missiles at these profit at any price Insurance outfits are is your only man

Derry

donaghs

Reading back on these old posts makes me regret ever having gotten insured with Quinn. I've decided to switch insurer as I wasn't happy with their renewal quote. Quinn keep promising to send on details, but my policy is about to lapse and I can't get a new one without Quinns ending me to info to pass onto new insurer. Very frustrating.:mad:

MunsterCycling

They must by law send you a notice of no claims discount 14 days IIRC before the end of your contract.


MC

corkandproud

Under the Consumer Protection Code of the FR, all authorised insurers must log/record all contacts with customers.

Cunning Alias

Just thought I would throw in my own rant about quinn from a different thread.

"Im not going to go into all the details but over 2 years my family had 3 issues with them all over the person on the other end of the phone either omitting details or not knowing what they were talking about.

We would ring to confirm details and ask a question, get an answer and then a week or two later they would deny what they said.

The last issue was when I rang up to renue my policy and they wouldnt honour quote and instead said I had to pay almost double. I had rang the week before to confirm that it would be valid when I rang (needed to transfer money into the credit card) and I was told there would be no problem.

The person on the phone was adamant that there was nothing that she could do and she wouldnt let me speak to a manager. I could only wait to be called back the next day. She also claimed that there was no record of me calling the week before.

Luckily I called around other companies and found one that would match my original quote +50euro, with a better policy and it was with a reputable company.

After informing quinn that I wouldnt be renuing the policy I got a very quick call back from them saying it was all a big mistake and they would honour the original quote. I quite happily told them I wasn't interested.

The rest of my family have also decided to move companies, even if it is more expensive, as we have had enough. "

Cabaal

Fallenleaves wrote: »

Insurance companies record all calls for 'quality and training' purposes so demand that they find and review your original call wherein you refused the change to a comprehensive policy. This should (hopefully) sort the whole sorry mess out... I used to be with that company but am happy to pay a little extra these days to use a company who I know aren't out to hoodwink me!

If you work in a call centre then you'll understand that under the DPA you can request this info and if they have it by law they must give it to you

Cabaal

derry wrote: »

Recording every call come on guys what planet are you on

The only people recording every calls are major players in the stock markey buy 10 million sell 20 million problems refer to recording

Plebs like us for 500 euro policies not a chance
Only training calls are recorded probably 1 call for 1000 at best

and your basing this on what now?, having worked in the industry including quality control at one stage I can certainly tell you its a sight more then 1 in 1000 calls and companys like quinn, meteor, o2 etc must record calls (perhaps not all but much much more then you suggest)

sofia11

Yes we had a negative experience with Quinn motorbike insurance and ended up contacting the Financial Ombudsman to sort it. I've read about an insurance actuary who stated they were the worst ins company he dealt with on home insurance, will use every excuse not to pay out. I think I heard a programme on the radio recently where they were not insuring people who had a claim previously. We would never use them again even if they are cheaper, you are either covered or not, no peace of mind with them.

Kensington

derry wrote: »

Recording every call come on guys what planet are you on

The only people recording every calls are major players in the stock markey buy 10 million sell 20 million problems refer to recording

Plebs like us for 500 euro policies not a chance
Only training calls are recorded probably 1 call for 1000 at best

Derry

Oh you bet they do. In banks and insurance companies, every call is recorded to prevent or help resolve cases exactly like what happened to the OP. In the OPs case though, it will work in their favour.

If he/she contacts Quinn, and states they did not request the policy change, it's up to Quinn to prove the customer did request the upgrade to Fully Comp. If Quinn cannot prove this by producing the recorded call with the customer requesting the upgrade, then the upgrade was unauthorised, and subsequently void.

wmpdd3

derry wrote: »

Recording every call come on guys what planet are you on

The only people recording every calls are major players in the stock markey buy 10 million sell 20 million problems refer to recording

Plebs like us for 500 euro policies not a chance
Only training calls are recorded probably 1 call for 1000 at best

Insurance isnt insurance until you have a insurance certificate in your hands and even then it can be cancelled if you dont pay the agreed premuim

Only Insurace regulator can be any use in disputs

Minor bit player sales reps or call center staff no matter how nice you are to them often have no power to alter records where issues exist or they often humour you and say its done otherwise they can be on your call for ten plus minutes while they try to get a supervisor down to them and have thier call stats screwed up just for your call

Call centers is stats so having worked there I can say I have seen and heard most every trick that exists to get troblesome costumers off the line as often sales agents are given only three minutes per call and get fired if to many calls take 5 minutes

Planet sucks but thats the way it works so Insurance regulator and similar who know where the buttons are to fire the missiles at these profit at any price Insurance outfits are is your only man

Derry

The exact same thing happened with my sister in June, laughable company.