Back to Direct Line (Direct Line Insurance)

Member Name: helencb

Product:	Direct Line Insurance
Date:	08/11/01 (215 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comprehensive Web Site, Competitive

Disadvantages: Web Site speed

My home insurance is up for renewal once again. I used to be insured with Direct Line, until last year, when I moved to the AA. However the AA have written to me today with my new premium for the coming year. So it seemed appropriate to look at Direct Line again, to see if they could be more competitive this time.

I logged on to their website www.directline.com. I noticed that there had been some changes to the layout and feel of the website, since I last used it in May. The front screen acts as a central point and there are links to all direct line products, including car loans, mortgages, banking and all types of general insurance on offer.

I selected the home insurance section, and was prompted for name detail, Date of birth and postcode, which I provided. This is in order to determine if you have any existing policies, which would mean you qualified for additional discounts. I found the wait rather lengthy, and I had managed a whole 48K connection this morning. However, after a few moments, a new screen appeared, asking me to confirm some basic details of the property.



Once I had completed this page, I pressed enter for my premium. Again there was a long wait, before my premium finally appeared. You have options to change the cover, sums insured (it initially quotes on minimum recommended sums for the size of property). I made amendments to all three areas, increasing my sums insured, decreasing the voluntary excess and including accidental damage. My premium was £60 less than the AA's quote of £387. this included a generous 25% introductory discount, because we have car insurance with them. Great, I thought, I will take it, although I did expect that the premium may rocket up next year, once the discount was reduced.

However, here is where my problems started. The website totally locked, would not allow me to move forward and accept the policy, and eventually threw me off all together, returning me to the in
itial name screen. Frustrating.

I wanted to get this sorted today though, so I patiently rekeyed ALL my information again, and got to the premium page. This time, when I tried to amend my excess,and the minimum cover, the web site locked. Now I am getting annoyed. There was a prompt where you can ask DL to contact you. So I input my details (name address and DOB again), and requested a call back, in their 'normal' timeframes (i.e. not urgent).

The web site accepted my request and said someone would telephone me "Within a Few Working Days". What? I wanted to buy some home insurance from you, and I want to sort it out today. I go on holiday in "A Few Working Days". PAH.

I could get on the phone of course, and just go through the details for the fourth time today, and get the thing sorted out, but I will do that later, when I have worked through my frustration.


All in all, I find the site is comprehensive, and useful, particularly if you are just shopping around, but today speed and subsequent poor service let Direct Line down.

Summary: