Are Quinn Direct really that bad?

FrankGrimes

I’m a 25 yr old male in Dublin with full license and named driving experience since Dec 2004. No other driving experience.

I’m looking to get fully comprehensive insurance in my own name for my 1999 Opel Astra G 1.4Litre 16V. I also want to have my girlfriend on the cover as a named driver: she’s 25, provisional license and no driving experience.

Have done a lot of shopping round and only really FBD, Quinn Direct, and AXA were in the running.

FBD: €2042 fully comp with girlfriend on cover, €1471 without
AXA: €1990 fully comp with or without girlfriend
Quinn Direct: €1570 fully comp with girlfriend.

Others came in at around the €1950 mark but wanted me to do the Ignition course to get that price – yeh good luck with that lads, hardly gonna take a day off work when you’re more expensive than the opposition anyway am I?

At €1570 that’s a good quote from Quinn Direct as some companies were looking for 2.5k – 3k and I had to laugh when they said ‘that price is killing us we can’t afford to compete with that’ and then I refer to their recently revealed monster profits and they still say theres nothing they can do.

Anyways, I’ve heard horror stories about Quinn Direct – are they really that bad? They offer the same benefits as the other quotes above and as far as I’m concerned they’re legally obliged to cover me if I have a legitimate claim. Other than that I don’t wanna talk to them till this time next year when I’m shopping around again. But I’d really appreciated any insight on this people might have – is the price hiding something?

Either way I’ll try get FBD to match the quote as they were the only company that had a big difference between having the girlfriend on it and not having her on it, but we’ll see.

Oh Boy!

I work for them, and while there are errors made (We're only humans after all!!) the vast majority of the policyholders are happy campers!! As for problems with claims, up until around 4 years ago we did have a reputation for not paying claims very quickly, but that has changed a lot!! In fact if you have a claim, someone will be out to discuss it with you within 24hrs as part of QDI's "Fast-track" claims process. And the international standards organisation have accredited the company for quality. And the plain english crew in the UK have also acccredited the company for using....well plain english, i suppose, in dealing with clients!!!

There are complaints about the way we deal with claims, but they come mostly from the law society as they don't get a lot of business from us because of it! Thats one of the main reasons your quote is so cheap, we have a lower claims cost than other companies. Legal fees used to cost up to 46% of the total cost of a claim. And guess who had to pay up for that...............

Also it might have something to do with the fact that Sean Quinn wants QDI to be the largest insurance company in Ireland!! We're not far off at the minute (No 3 if my memory serves me right). And now he's trying the same thing in th UK. And he usually gets what he wants so...............

Squirrel

It's great that we have somebody who works for a main insurance company among us here, but as you say they are legally obliged to pay out if you have a legitimate claim, so I don't see much problems, the way I see it there'll always be horror stories

Oh Boy!

Squirrel wrote:

but as you say they are legally obliged to pay out if you have a legitimate claim, so I don't see much problems, the way I see it there'll always be horror stories

Thats right, all companies gotta pay if it's a legit claim. Its the law. Quinn Direct (and as far as i know, most other companies) will fight a claim if it sounds a bit fishy. You're not supposed to profit from insurance. It's called the principle of indemnity (Thats to leave a policyholder in the same financial position after an accident, as they were in before the accident occurred).

If you're still in doubt as to Quinn Directs bona fides, just call and ask them to send you out a policy booklet. That details whats covered under the policy and also how we deal with claims. If we don't match up to whats stated in the document, you would have a case against us. Its a legally binding document.

gaui3d0pnbz86o

i have to say i have been with them for a few years, they were always cheaper then other would quote me, i am very happy with their service and i do recommend them, as they have always be polite and honest and taken the time to explain different things to me, and so forth

however, i have never had to claim off them so i do not know how quickly they pay out (hopefully i will never have to find out)

as ohboy said, ask them for a policy booklet or call them about the policy and make sure it covers you for all you need!

best of luck
tom

conor-mr2

Ty Deep Pantsuit wrote:

i have to say i have been with them for a few years, they were always cheaper then other would quote me, i am very happy with their service and i do recommend them, as they have always be polite and honest and taken the time to explain different things to me, and so forth

however, i have never had to claim off them so i do not know how quickly they pay out (hopefully i will never have to find out)

as ohboy said, ask them for a policy booklet or call them about the policy and make sure it covers you for all you need!

best of luck
tom

Im in the exact same position as Tom here.
Im with them years but have never had a claim. Touch wood.

MrPudding

Oh Boy! wrote:

You're not supposed to profit from insurance. It's called the principle of indemnity (Thats to leave a policyholder in the same financial position after an accident, as they were in before the accident occurred).

Thats interesting. Has anyone ever managed to get what their car was worth off any insurance company?

I phone a company for a quote. I give them my details and the value of my car. Based on my details and the value of my car they provide me with a quote. I accept the quote and we both sign an agreement. I write my car off but they will not give me the amount of money we agreed at the beginning. How does that work?

MrP

vector

Oh Boy! wrote:

...the vast majority of the policyholders are happy campers!! ...

the vast majority of policyholders don't make claims
everyone is happy until a claim is made

vector

MrPudding wrote:

Thats interesting. Has anyone ever managed to get what their car was worth off any insurance company?

I phone a company for a quote. I give them my details and the value of my car. Based on my details and the value of my car they provide me with a quote. I accept the quote and we both sign an agreement. I write my car off but they will not give me the amount of money we agreed at the beginning. How does that work?

MrP

agreed value vs market value

in other countries you can say which you want, agreed value is usually for special cars like vintage

Guy:Incognito

FrankGrimes wrote:

Others came in at around the €1950 mark but wanted me to do the Ignition course to get that price – yeh good luck with that lads, hardly gonna take a day off work when you’re more expensive than the opposition anyway am I?
.

Hibernian do a Partner/Spouse discount. mpmium was €2100 on my own. When I put my ex down as my partner it dropped to €1533. If I put her down as anything other than partner or spouse it goes up from €2100 to around €2500.

FrankGrimes wrote:

At €1570 that’s a good quote from Quinn Direct as some companies were looking for 2.5k – 3k and I had to laugh when they said ‘that price is killing us we can’t afford to compete with that’ and then I refer to their recently revealed monster profits and they still say theres nothing they can do..

Considering all its costing them is a letter and a disc I dont see how it would be killing them.

theShire

I couldn't get a quote from them- I've got 5 years Full Clean licence and 2 years NCB(22yearold male)! They wouldn't quote me on an imported Levin 1.6 but with Hibernian, which is who I have all my experience under, I'm paying 850euro fully comp.

Quinn Direct said I'd have to be over 25 to get quoted on a 1.6

With Hibernian, I did the Ignition course and payed 1700euro first year third party fire and theft, 2nd year it was 950 TPF&T, both on a 1.4 Astra! Then changed to the Levin- I'm delighted!!!

Oh Boy!

MrPudding wrote:

Thats interesting. Has anyone ever managed to get what their car was worth off any insurance company?

I phone a company for a quote. I give them my details and the value of my car. Based on my details and the value of my car they provide me with a quote. I accept the quote and we both sign an agreement. I write my car off but they will not give me the amount of money we agreed at the beginning. How does that work?

MrP

You get what the car is worth at the time of the claim. That leaves you in the financial position you were in before the accident happened. It doesn't help when most people would way over value their car! Depreciation kills all car owners, unless its a rare or vintage car.

theShire wrote:

Quinn Direct said I'd have to be over 25 to get quoted on a 1.6

It's not that its a 1.6, QDI dont quote under 25's on a car with 110bhp or more. To cut a long story short, we try to limit young drivers on "boy racer" cars.

By the way theShire, i'm not accusing you of being a boy racer!!

Our man in Havana

Just a bit of contrast and objectivity here.

I had a bad run in QD a few years ago. I rang up for a quote and they quoted me €x for insurance. When I went to take them up on the offer they took my money and then they said they wanted more money. Apparently their quote meant nothing.

Ended up in the courts and QD lost. I would avoid.

PaddyFagan

Oh Boy! wrote:

<snip> As for problems with claims, up until around 4 years ago we did have a reputation for not paying claims very quickly, <snip>

Certainly my experience, my wife had a claim about 5 years ago when she was insured with them and had a really hard time getting them to pay up. Nothing too complex, she was insured fully comp and rear ended someone - about 2k damage to both cars - all agreed and inspected, then they took weeks to issue a cheque, won't pick up when she called or put her "on hold" and then dropped the call.

Things may well have changed, but I wouldn't touch them with a barge-pole.

Paddy

MrPudding

Oh Boy! wrote:

You get what the car is worth at the time of the claim. That leaves you in the financial position you were in before the accident happened. It doesn't help when most people would way over value their car! Depreciation kills all car owners, unless its a rare or vintage car.

I take issue with the fact that they ask you for what you think the car is worth and give you a quotation based on that. I understand what you are saying but both parties enter into an agreement. The insurance company gives you a quotation based, amongst other things, on the value of the car. They then refuse to give you this should you right the car off. Would it be acceptable to the insurance company for me reduce by premium on the basis that they are not going to hold up their side of the agreement?

MrP

Bluetonic

I notice you don't mention anything about the actual policies with each company. No mention of excess, no claims protection etc..,

You wouldn't say I'm looking to buy a car and I've seen three different cars, one garage wants €2042, one wants €1990 and one wants €1570, which car should I go for?

It beggers belief how many people compare insurance policies only on their cash cost.

Anyhow it's all aside from your Quinn Direct question but I thought it was worth mentioning.

FrankGrimes wrote:

I’m a 25 yr old male in Dublin with full license and named driving experience since Dec 2004. No other driving experience.

I’m looking to get fully comprehensive insurance in my own name for my 1999 Opel Astra G 1.4Litre 16V. I also want to have my girlfriend on the cover as a named driver: she’s 25, provisional license and no driving experience.

Have done a lot of shopping round and only really FBD, Quinn Direct, and AXA were in the running.

FBD: €2042 fully comp with girlfriend on cover, €1471 without
AXA: €1990 fully comp with or without girlfriend
Quinn Direct: €1570 fully comp with girlfriend.

Others came in at around the €1950 mark but wanted me to do the Ignition course to get that price – yeh good luck with that lads, hardly gonna take a day off work when you’re more expensive than the opposition anyway am I?

At €1570 that’s a good quote from Quinn Direct as some companies were looking for 2.5k – 3k and I had to laugh when they said ‘that price is killing us we can’t afford to compete with that’ and then I refer to their recently revealed monster profits and they still say theres nothing they can do.

Anyways, I’ve heard horror stories about Quinn Direct – are they really that bad? They offer the same benefits as the other quotes above and as far as I’m concerned they’re legally obliged to cover me if I have a legitimate claim. Other than that I don’t wanna talk to them till this time next year when I’m shopping around again. But I’d really appreciated any insight on this people might have – is the price hiding something?

Either way I’ll try get FBD to match the quote as they were the only company that had a big difference between having the girlfriend on it and not having her on it, but we’ll see.

Macy

MrPudding wrote:

I take issue with the fact that they ask you for what you think the car is worth and give you a quotation based on that. I understand what you are saying but both parties enter into an agreement. The insurance company gives you a quotation based, amongst other things, on the value of the car. They then refuse to give you this should you right the car off. Would it be acceptable to the insurance company for me reduce by premium on the basis that they are not going to hold up their side of the agreement?

MrP

Yeah, they don't give you the replacement value. It's a massive con imo, after watching the brother in law have to make a claim. They were coming in several grand under what he could get a replacement for.

My only other experience was with CIS in the UK when my car was nicked (and used in a ram raid!), I got the full replacement value of the car (after meeting with their loss assessor).

Just another way of the insurance companies ripping off it's customers here...

seamus

Oh Boy! wrote:

It's not that its a 1.6, QDI dont quote under 25's on a car with 110bhp or more. To cut a long story short, we try to limit young drivers on "boy racer" cars.

It's another way of being able to reduce the cost of insurance, since you don't have to cover the higher risk groups. Although the problem there is that it then encourages (indirectly) more uninsured driving. The amount of boy racers driving around who are paying insurance, but are functionally uninsured is staggering. Small omissions, such as a "TDi" in the model name, or insuring Skylines under farming policies, are rife. In theory, this kind of thing should be cracked down on more. I'd like to see insurance companies insisting on examining the vehicles of certain high risk groups.

Quinn-Direct are, as far as I'm concerned, the Ryanair of the insurance market. They give you the basics that every other company give you, at a slightly lower price, but are just generally not a nice company to deal with.

Dades

I've always found them efficient and courteous.
Of course I've never had a claim...

Ryanair is a good analogy - you may have extra hassle in the event of a claim (or a loss of cabin pressure ) but you'll save a bunch as long as you don't crash.

gibo_ie

Hi all,
this link was provided by PaddyFagan in a post of mine, it outlines just exactly what you get for fully comp with different companies. Its quite amazing actually!!!
QD penalise you for everything!!! follow the link and check it out. Iw as with them for years but from yesterday i am now with FBD (with no claims protection!!!)

IFSRA

Oh Boy!

seamus wrote:

Quinn-Direct are, as far as I'm concerned, the Ryanair of the insurance market. They give you the basics that every other company give you, at a slightly lower price, but are just generally not a nice company to deal with.

Yes, agree there. But then the market QDI goes for tends not to care whether breakdown assistance etc is offered. Its been called "get you past the Gards" insurance. And it's been a successful strategy so far. But the one thing i can say bout working here is that change happens very fast. So what we dont offer today may be offered tomorrow.

Also agreed, as with most companies, there are some people here who would not be the nicest to deal with, but they are a dwindling minority. They are being rooted out.

MrPudding wrote:

I take issue with the fact that they ask you for what you think the car is worth and give you a quotation based on that. I understand what you are saying but both parties enter into an agreement. The insurance company gives you a quotation based, amongst other things, on the value of the car. They then refuse to give you this should you right the car off. Would it be acceptable to the insurance company for me reduce by premium on the basis that they are not going to hold up their side of the agreement?

You're right, but this is explained in the policy booklet sent to policyholders (Which no one reads!!). It is, i suppose a win win situation for insurers. To limit this happening, it might be a good idea if everyone found out what the trade value of their car is, for insurance purposes. It would certainly limit the impact of a clause like that one.

gibo_ie wrote:

Its quite amazing actually!!!
QD penalise you for everything!!! follow the link and check it out. Iw as with them for years but from yesterday i am now with FBD (with no claims protection!!!)

We have NCB protection if you have a full NCB. But remember, we don't hide the fact that our policy is a bit basic, if fact we base our adverts on that. Remember, you pays your money, you takes your choice!! I'm insured with Hibernian myself (Oh the treachery!!), i wanted the extra covers provided. But it cost me more than the quote from QDI

blastman

Oh boy, can you give me any advice on insuring a second car in my name? PM me if you want.....

Eurorunner

How could an assessors evaluation (of the value of your carO) be chalenged? Is it possible to get an independent assessment that would have as much (or more) credibility and if so where?

Have any of you ever stood your ground on this one?

DirkVoodoo

Im with Quinn, have been for many years.

I used to be a named driver on my sisters policy but two years ago I got my own policy. Can't remember what it started out as, i think it was high enough. I got my renewal and wow! it had dropped considerably.

22 Year Old male, living in Dublin, Full Licence for 2 years, No Claims.

1.2 Fiat Punto Sporting

Cant remember if its TPFT or fully comp, im pretty sure its fully comp

was 1500 last year, got my renewal in the mail and its dropped down to 1000!!! Great. Meanwhile my mum who is with AXA got a few hundred euro slapped on because she changed car (different make, similar car). Now if that aint loyalty, i dont know what is!

Quinn reward loyalty, and I like them because they give young drivers a chance rather than the "guilty till proven innocent" mentality of the other insurance companies

vector

>How could an assessors evaluation (of the value of your carO) be >chalenged? Is it possible to get an independent assessment that would have >as much (or more) credibility and if so where?..

a quick search brought back this sort of thing
http://homepage.eircom.net/~jkane/frontpage.htm

>1000
how funny that you have been conditioned to think that 1000 is a good figure

slade_x

Can anyone tell me if a second quote from QDI would be more expensive

For example just over a month ago i was quoted for €2500 on a 1.2L Corsa and was told the quote would last a month

I planned on taking that quote as soon as i had more lessons taken, but with between waiting for the lessons and such the quote would now be expired

I only ask as i was told by a friend that it may very well be.. but i honestly wouldnt believe that getting a second quote after leaving the first expire would result in a higher priced quote..

have there been any instances where this happened?

Eurorunner

vector wrote:

a quick search brought back this sort of thing
http://homepage.eircom.net/~jkane/frontpage.htm

Thanks for that Vector.

Ann Elk

I work for an insurance company myself (we only sell to the uk market) and we review our rating criteria on an ongoing basis, henec the reason that the quotes are valid for a set period. If costs rise in that 30 day period, your new quote could rise, and vice versa - it may be wort calling to alter a minor detai (eg middle initial) and so refresh the 30 day period.

opus

I've been with Quinn for the last four years, haven't had any problems. Nobody even came close to their quote for me, €523 for TPFT on a 9 year old 328. In fact, I was able to add someone on as a named driver for free this year!

slade_x

One more question for Oh Boy!

how many driving lessons are required before you can proceed on a quote with QDI?

I was told that if i had 25 lessons they would deduct 19% off my quote but what would be the minimum they would ask of a client?

Thanks

MadsL

Question for Oh Boy!

Why do Quinn Direct operate a nationality based loading? One of the questions in their script is "Where were you born?" I can provide multiple examples of where a person born outside of Ireland with exactly the same Full Irish licence and driving history have been quoted often 1000's of euros more than someone born in Ireland.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=192883

Oh Boy!

MadsL wrote:

Question for Oh Boy!

Why do Quinn Direct operate a nationality based loading? One of the questions in their script is "Where were you born?" I can provide multiple examples of where a person born outside of Ireland with exactly the same Full Irish licence and driving history have been quoted often 1000's of euros more than someone born in Ireland.

Apparently it's to do with the real or percieved view of what driving standards are in the clients country of origin. We would view things like the driving test as being a very important start to your driving career, and in some countries (including places like the US) the driving test would not be considered good enough. Hence we rate on that. Once someone is here for a year or 2 there would be no loading attached as they should then have a good knowledge of the rules of the road here. And its not racist, someone from Ireland who has been abroad for years would be similarly affected.

Oh, as an aside, it would not be thousands extra, thats a bit of an exaggeration. The article in the link you attached was because of an error in our computer based rates. Nothing more! Rates often go wrong, and it has to be said the most often go wrong in a downward direction! To our detriment. That thread accuses us of being racist. THAT IS THE GREATEST PILE OF RUBBISH I HAVE HEARD. As you should be aware, underwriters set insurance rates. Are you accusing our underwriters from India of being racist?????

slade_x wrote:

how many driving lessons are required before you can proceed on a quote with QDI?

I was told that if i had 25 lessons they would deduct 19% off my quote but what would be the minimum they would ask of a client?

What you're talking bout there slade_x is called a DIR discount. If you do 25 driving lessons with an instructor registered with the Driving Instructors Register (DIR) you get a certificate which entitles you to 1yr NCB. Which is a 19% discount with us. You don't need any driving lessons to take out a policy with us. And there's no limit to the amount of quotes you can get. I've seen people ringing in here and getting 25 quotes at the one time!!!

blastman wrote:

Oh boy, can you give me any advice on insuring a second car in my name? PM me if you want.....

You can insure a second car in you're name, but it would be like taking out a first time policy. In other words, you're NCB can only be used on one vehicle at any time with QDI.

Alun

Once someone is here for a year or 2 there would be no loading attached as they should then have a good knowledge of the rules of the road here. And its not racist, someone from Ireland who has been abroad for years would be similarly affected.

That has to be one of the funniest things I've read in ages, thanks! To even dare to suggest that experiencing driving in another country will actually increase your risk of having an accident when you return to Ireland is verging on the insane. And to have the gall to suggest that someone who has passed their test in, say, Germany is a less skilled driver than one who has gone through what is laughingly called driver education here, borders on the ridiculous.

Dades

Alun wrote:

That has to be one of the funniest things I've read in ages, thanks! To even dare to suggest that experiencing driving in another country will actually increase your risk of having an accident when you return to Ireland is verging on the insane. And to have the gall to suggest that someone who has passed their test in, say, Germany is a less skilled driver than one who has gone through what is laughingly called driver education here, borders on the ridiculous.

I think you're misreading the funniest thing you read in ages.

Experiencing driving in other countries won't increase your risk, but learning to drive in another country might - if you haven't driven here before.

There's nothing strange about this I can see. Every country has it's driving style. And don't forget most other nations drive on the right-hand side of the road. Therefore the most people will be new to driving on the wrong side of the road, and possibly using a LHD car. It's to do with familiarity rather than skill I would imagine.

The example given of a US driving test is a good one. The standard required to be allowed on the streets is far below what it is here.

Oh Boy!

The Atheist wrote:

I think you're misreading the funniest thing you read in ages.

Experiencing driving in other countries won't increase your risk, but learning to drive in another country might - if you haven't driven here before.

There's nothing strange about this I can see. Every country has it's driving style. And don't forget most other nations drive on the right-hand side of the road. Therefore the most people will be new to driving on the wrong side of the road, and possibly using a LHD car. It's to do with familiarity rather than skill I would imagine.

The example given of a US driving test is a good one. The standard required to be allowed on the streets is far below what it is here.

Yes, you're right. And the rates would vary from country to country. People from countries who drive on the same side of the road as ourselves would carry little if any loading on their premium. It's all about risk, not race. After all we are one of the very few companies who quote new immigrants into the country at all, so theres not a lot of companies you can compare our rates with! In fact, the government commitee on insurance congratulated us on our policy towards first time drivers, both Irish and foreign. So we must be doing something right.

Ann Elk

Working for a motor insurer myself, with regards foriegn experience, especially in the US, the heavy focus on automatics there, coupled with the disrinct lack of roundabouts makes them a higher risk. Underwriters also make allowances for an adjustment period from right to left hand drive. Not that i'm defending them mind - at the end of the day a companies prime interest is the generation of profits, not giving us a free run unfortunately.

Alun

The Atheist wrote:

I think you're misreading the funniest thing you read in ages.

No I'm not.

Experiencing driving in other countries won't increase your risk, but learning to drive in another country might - if you haven't driven here before.

I was referring to this bit ... "someone from Ireland who has been abroad for years would be similarly affected".

There's nothing strange about this I can see. Every country has it's driving style. And don't forget most other nations drive on the right-hand side of the road. Therefore the most people will be new to driving on the wrong side of the road, and possibly using a LHD car. It's to do with familiarity rather than skill I would imagine.

I'm well aware of this having lived in mainland Europe for 21 years before moving here The LHD to RHD thing is a very minor adjustment, and certainly doesn't take 2 years to get out of your system, more like a month or so. When I moved here I was told (by some insurers) that having a Dutch driving licence would increase my premiums, but that if I swapped it for an Irish one I'd be OK, even after I pointed out that I had actually passed my test in the UK. How silly is that? (This was before penalty points came in which is now used as an excuse). Others were happy with any EU licence. Guess who I went with?

The example given of a US driving test is a good one. The standard required to be allowed on the streets is far below what it is here.

That depends a lot on the state in question. Some states are better than others.

alias no.9

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Quinn reward loyalty, and I like them because they give young drivers a chance rather than the "guilty till proven innocent" mentality of the other insurance companies

If quinn reward loyalty, why then was my renewal priced at ~€480, when by putting the exact same details into their website, right down to name address and registration number of the damn car, was I given an quote of ~€375? The renewal quote was a whopping 28% more expensive than what they were prepared to offer me as a punter walking straight in off the street. After much remonstration, they agreed to match the quote from the website.

Oh Boy!

alias no.9 wrote:

If quinn reward loyalty, why then was my renewal priced at ~€480, when by putting the exact same details into their website, right down to name address and registration number of the damn car, was I given an quote of ~€375? The renewal quote was a whopping 28% more expensive than what they were prepared to offer me as a punter walking straight in off the street. After much remonstration, they agreed to match the quote from the website.

As i mentioned in an earlier reply "Rates often go wrong, and it has to be said the most often go wrong in a downward direction! To our detriment." But we do honour them.......................

MadsL

Apparently it's to do with the real or percieved view of what driving standards are in the clients country of origin.

Is it real or percieved?? If it is perceived then it is clearly based on prejudice and not empirical fact. Presumably reputable insurance companies deal with accurate data in order to complile insurance risk. So my question would be is where is the empirical data to show that someone from say, India as in this case, who is driving in Ireland, is a greater risk than an Irish driver with the same class of licence? I have asked Quinn Direct to publish a summary of their findings on the insurance risk of non-nationals compared to Irish nationals and they have refused to do so.

To take another case my wife was quoted €660 more, because she was American, despite holding a Full Irish driving licence (in other words having satified all requirements of the Government as to her competancy to drive)

I was intriged by this so I rang back and pretended that she was my Korean friend and the quote was 3000 euro higher - again with a full Irish licence

Oh, as an aside, it would not be thousands extra, thats a bit of an exaggeration. The article in the link you attached was because of an error in our computer based rates.

Was it also an error when I rang back giving Korean details???
Note that the revised quote after correcting 'the error' from Quinn Direct for Thangasamy Bagavathya is €3,958, still some way short of his lowest quote from FBD.

That thread accuses us of being racist.

Yes, it does. And the reason is that QD is the

only

insurance co. in the country that asks the questions it does about 'place of birth' (they changed from nationality after I complained)

If this is such a vital piece of information for insurance, then why does no other company ask this question??

Now I can assume one of a number of things;
1. QD are cherry picking clients and using the 'place of birth' question to screen out 'perceived' risk. A racist approach to profit maximization.

2. QD have a tiny sample size of risk to extrapolate to savagely load premiums, again based on irrelevant data - ie nationality. They are applying their own method in this, this is not industry standard, but peculiar to QD. Why? I have yet to have a satisfactory answer to this, despite many conversations with QD.

Note that the Equality Commission also agreed that this was unacceptable, but due to the backlog of cases have not yet had opportunity to pursue this, yet they feel there would be a case to answer.

THAT IS THE GREATEST PILE OF RUBBISH I HAVE HEARD. As you should be aware, underwriters set insurance rates. Are you accusing our underwriters from India of being racist?????

Can you think of a single justifiable reason for loading someone with exactly the same driving qualifications and experience purely based on nationality? Is a Korean 4.5 times the risk of an American?? If so why don't allcompanies do this. The federation of Motor Insurers said that they had never heard of such a loading based on nationality in the industry.

What relevance is it that your underwriters are in India? Are they less likely to be racist somehow?

People from countries who drive on the same side of the road as ourselves would carry little if any loading on their premium.

India drive on the left. This guy got a HUGE loading.

It's all about risk, not race. After all we are one of the very few companies who quote new immigrants into the country at all, so theres not a lot of companies you can compare our rates with!

You are the only company that determines if they are immmigrants by asking directly.

In fact, the government commitee on insurance congratulated us on our policy towards first time drivers, both Irish and foreign. So we must be doing something right.

Point me to the link where they mentioned foreign drivers.

A stopped clock is right twice a day.

BnA

I was with Quinn Direct for 6 years.

About 3 years ago I had a bad run in with them. Basically I noticed that they hadn't taken their direct debit for 4 months. I rang them up and told them. They then demanded all the money together straight away. I didn't have it. They cancelled my insurance. I had to park my car for 2 weeks while I got the Insurance Omnibudsman (orhoweveryouspellit) to sort it out.

The following year I vowed I wouldn't go near them again... But they were a couple of hundred quid cheaper than the next best quote so I stuck with them again. I can't remember what exectly happened that year, but I ended up having to park my car again for a few days because they forgot to renew it or something like that. But again they were still the cheapest so I stuck with them.

Finally a few weeks ago when my insurance was up I got a better quote from Allianz. Even still though Quinn Direct managed to feck it up. I rang them up and told them I wouldn't be renewing and yet 5 days later they took the first installment of my insurance out by direct debit. Now I rang them up and they promised to sort it out but it will take a week or two. I wouldn't want to be stuck for the money.

Basically, Quinn Direct are fine until something goes wrong. Be it a claim, a mistake in your policy (either by you or by QD themselves) anything like that... then you're in a world of sh1t.

That said though... next year when my insurance is up again, I'll ring them again and if they're the cheapest..... I'll go back to them. I'd take my chances for a couple of bucks in my pocket...

FrankGrimes

Pity but I don't have the time to write on this at any length but have to say I'm astonished at the quote the Indian guy was given. I spent Monday ringing round for quotes and to be honest its all a blur but for some reason I'm not 100% sure that QD were the only ones that asked me my place of birth and have I lived in Ireland all my life, though I could be wrong.

Can anyone confirm that they are the only ones that ask it?

MadsL - just to say if I had the time I'd be taking your line of questioning so keep it up!

30-6shooter

Quinn reward loyalty, and I like them because they give young drivers a chance rather than the "guilty till proven innocent" mentality of the other insurance companies

Exactly, im a young driver and naturally cant afford fully comp, so as ill only be going for 3rd party F+T anyway, it doesnt really bother me what extra crap they offer or dont offer as the case may be, with Fully comp insurance. All i want is a reasonable priced insurance and they`re the only ones to offer it. And their policy on foreigners is perfectly correct in my opinion, how many feckin nigerians have you seen trying to drive on our roads, would you insure tham???? :rolleyes:

I found them grand top deal with over the fone, they seem to be on the ball even when i was sorting out awkward **** like switching my policy to a commercial one.

Shane Smith

to the OP, no they are not "that bad".

Oh Boy!

MadsL, have to go to a few meetings now, am not trying to dodge your questions. Will answer them when i eventually get home this evening.

But i will say just one thing, its a free country, if anyone doesn't like QDI or what we do, then just go to another company. ALL insurance companies operate different procedures regarding what questions are asked, and why they're asked. It's all to do with money at the end of the day, like any business! There's 1500 people of a lot of different nationalities working here and around 300,000 policyholders to think of. If we quoted everyone at the same level, regardless of the risk, we'd end up like PMPA in the 80's. Bankrupt. I know we're making huge profits now but just 4yrs ago we were losing money hand over fist.

As i said earlier, i'm not insured here even though i work here, and i won't be insured here!! The policy just does not suit me!! But as i work here, i understand why we do things the way we do. Which someone who doesn't work here wouldn't understand. And i'm not related to Sean Quinn or some PR person sent to defend our honour here on Boards. I'm just someone who enjoys my job and gets paid a wage for doing it...

Ann Elk

Re: 30-6shooter
Exactly, im a young driver and naturally cant afford fully comp, so as ill only be going for 3rd party F+T anyway, it doesnt really bother me what extra crap they offer or dont offer as the case may be, with Fully comp insurance. All i want is a reasonable priced insurance and they`re the only ones to offer it. And their policy on foreigners is perfectly correct in my opinion, how many feckin nigerians have you seen trying to drive on our roads, would you insure tham????

How very broad minded of you m'dear - of course i presume that all the people in question are driving around draped in their national flags, or is it your supernatural spider sense thats telling you that all coloured peole are from nigeria?????

MadsL

Oh Boy! I appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions, and be assured that this is not a personal attack, rather my concern at the possible unfair treatment of immigrants to this country.

To answer your last point;

ALL insurance companies operate different procedures regarding what questions are asked, and why they're asked.

And the Data Protection Act has rules that state they should be;
adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which it is obtained and held. QD maintain that nationality is relevant for the purposes of insurance risk calculations, again I would ask that they actually publish an abstract of their findings to demonstrate the calculations and loadings that are made based on nationality and the added risk to them of drivers from various countries. If that cannot be demonstrated through lack of sample size or simply because there is no additional risk, then this questioning of nationality should be stopped under the terms of the data protection act.

I have had representives of QD say to me that NO loading is made on the basis of nationality. If this is the case then the questions aked about nationality are irrelevant under the Data Protection Act. It is also strange then that a quotation rate would change so dramatically where the only difference is the nationality of the person being quoted.

Quinn Direct have yet to get back to me on a request that I made under the Data Protection Act to see my details held on file with them over 9 months ago. This is a legal obligation. I failed to even get an acknowledgement for my registered letter.

Insurance companies used to ask marital status, they no longer do this (although Allianz seem to be holding out) the data protection comissioner has this to say in 2001;

I considered that details of a person's marital status is irrelevant to the question of motor insurance and requested that this question be deleted from questions asked of prospective customers. Of course, if a person wishes to include a named driver on the policy, it is reasonable and relevant that the relationship be indicated.

Surely nationality is as irrelevant as marital status when it comes to the capacity to drive safely.

I would suggest that anyone who feels that QD are not doing this to do as this journalist did and ask a foreign friend to call Quinn Direct and compare that quote with the one you get as an Irish National on the website entering the same details. Alternatively, why not ring them and ask why they ask the questions they do, and what the relevance is to driving.

It seems odd that QD feel that non-national drivers with a long driving history who have passed the standard laid down by the Government for driving competence and actually passed the driving test here are often being asked to pay more than Irish people with only a provisional driving licence.

MrPudding

The Atheist wrote:

The example given of a US driving test is a good one. The standard required to be allowed on the streets is far below what it is here.

You are fcuking joking right? What is the required standard here? You need a fcuking provo license, thats it. No requirement for training of any kind. Wait for 2 years get a second provo license and you can drive having taken no lessons and never having had anyone in the car with you. Add this to the fact that a bunch of people got licenses simply for being on a waiting list. Are you just trolling or what?

MrP

poppers

BnA wrote:

.

Basically, Quinn Direct are fine until something goes wrong. Be it a claim, a mistake in your policy (either by you or by QD themselves) anything like that... then you're in a world of sh1t.

have to agree here i was wi QD for 5 yrs then decided to move to axa when i went to get my proof of no claims they would only give me four yrs as due to a fault with their system my insurance was cancelled but when i got it sorted i was given a new policy number when i expained what happened they checked it out and said i only had four full yrs no claims and asked me if i knew who i was talking to four yrs ago..

ROVER

From my experience QDI specialise in the young driver which is great.
I am over 30 with a full NCB driving a 1.6 and they are not even near the quotes I can get from other companies. The QDI excess is always much higher, no breakdown assistance no windscreen cover no bonus protection or driving other cars.

But if you are young starting out driving and want a basic cheap quote they might be the best.

DirkVoodoo

MrPudding wrote:

You are fcuking joking right? What is the required standard here? You need a fcuking provo license, thats it. No requirement for training of any kind. Wait for 2 years get a second provo license and you can drive having taken no lessons and never having had anyone in the car with you. Add this to the fact that a bunch of people got licenses simply for being on a waiting list. Are you just trolling or what?

MrP

While the issue of obtaining a license in this country is questionable, the test is still of a fairly decent standard. The american one is a joke! Im in New York at the mo and have been told by several irish ex-pats that the test is a piece of cake. Most of the american driving i have seen in my time here has been shocking.

Honestly, i didnt believe anyone could be worse than us when it came to driving, but ive found it in new york to be true. For chrissake, they cant even use roundabouts! Was driving up to connecticut, a 4 way junction, all cars stop and wait for some chap to go first. Ive seen a few near misses at these when ppl hesitate then decide to floor it, simultaneously. I asked my boss, "wouldnt a roundabout (rotary) be easier?" he said "sure, but americans arent big on them. theres one near the office (in rye) and you see more accidents there than anywhere else".

Tailgating on the highways is the norm, goin at 60/70 mph and they swerve in and out of lanes, hugging the bumper of the car in front. Plus the yanks dont seem too keen on rear wheel drive. All the mercs ive seen here are "4matic", and the number of times ive heard tires squeel is crazy! I think learning to drive in an automatic is a big negative, it detatched you from the car and as a result you dont get the same understanding for how a car works that you do with a stick-shift.

But i digress...this is all personal opinion from what i have observed in my time here, im not stating it as fact. However, fact: the licensing system is somewhat similar to our own, except due to cheaper cars/insurance, they can drive around in v8s and v6s at 16...somewhat more frightening than a 30 year old nigerian (african-irish?) driving a 1.0 litre micra.

P.S. That whole license hand out thing was crazy! great way to clear the list though:)

P.P.S. If you are REALLY interested, have a crack at the NY theory test