Mixed feelings about Diamond (Diamond Car Insurance)

Member Name: karlsm93

Product:	Diamond Car Insurance
Date:	13/01/09 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: legal cover and price

Disadvantages: claiming and customer service issues

I have mixed feelings towards Diamond.

As I'm sure like a lot of people, my only reason for changing to diamond for my car insurance was the price. Looking for reasonable priced car insurance when you have had an accident (in which the car was written off during blizzard like conditions) on your records is obviously more taxing and having trawled through comparison sights Diamond were by far the cheapest.

Five months into the policy and the unfortunate occurred - thankfully not my fault but a rather careless lorry drive with an unsecure load. Being stranded on the side of a lonely road in pouring rain I phoned diamond, since my car wasn't going anywhere by the shape of it. I had to listen to an automated message until I got talking to someone. I was pleased to find them very understanding, very helpful and advised that they would ring me back and arrange to have the car recovered by a local agency after I explained where I was ,giving them the name of the road and location. Four hours later (still standing by my lonesome self on a country road) the recovering vehicle arrived after being told by diamond to go to an area at least 60 miles away. I don't know who was more fed up - the recovery driver or me. I certainly was the colder of the two.

I have to give credit to diamond for the fact that come Monday morning however I was given a courtesy car, but be warned, although it was clearly not my fault, Diamond cancelled my insurance. I had never heard of this before, but upon buying a new car I had to take out a brand new policy, having lost the remaining 7 months on my original insurance. When I queried this on one of their 0870 numbers I was told that they used the rest as a payment for my then written off car. Surely there is something unfair about that.

Anyhow over the course of the next 8 months, I (yes, nearly always me) phoned diamond on their expensive numbers to speak to the advisor who was dealing with my claim. Numerous times I was told that they were still waiting to hear from the other party's insurance. Eventually and only because of my pushing (primariily done because I had temporarily lost my NCB as well as my excess) I was told that they other party were denying any responsibility. Diamond assured me they would commence legal procedings. When I continued to phone this was the line I was given until one day out of the blue 8 months later I got a letter to say the matter had been resolved.


So as already said, I have mixed feelings about Diamond. Their customer service, particularly their claim advisors could do with major training in communication. However their free legal cover was useful and as I said they did off the best deal at the time. In saying that I was not impressed that they cancelled my insurance and took the 7 months remaining on it as payment for my car, which surely they should have claimed from the other side. All in all I probably wouldn't go near them again unless there was a vast difference in price.

Summary: Probably best to avoid if possible.