Generally pleased with the service so far. (Direct Line)

Member Name: CokaCola

Product:	Direct Line
Date:	18/07/09 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to talk to over the phone, not ridiculously expensive

Disadvantages: They failed to put me on the national insurance database, so got pulled over.

As a young male driver, insurance is a complicated issue for me, with most companies charging excessive premium's or refusing to insure me at all. My insurance is with direct line, and I have largely been happy with the service they have provided me. I pay around £900 a year, but being 18 years old and having no no claims discount, that's actually a fairly good price from what I can gather. There is only one issue that I have had with this insurance company and you will read about it below.

Direct line are pretty easy to negotiate with over the phone, and where other companies wouldn't be at all flexible, they really are. Initially (Passed my test at 17) I wasn't allowed to drive for three weeks until I was 18, unless I wanted to take out insurance that was a couple of hundred pounds more. We negotiated with the person on the phone who went and spoke to her team leader, and we were able to secure the insurance as long as I could drive instantly - how good is that? In general communication on the phone was very easy and quite pleasant.

They were very quick to send my insurance policy paperwork by post, and it was get in the car and go, thankfully I have not yet needed to use them for any sort of claim and touchwood, I won't ever have to.

Unfortunately I do have one complaint. Earlier this week I was pulled over by the police and was told that my license plate was coming up uninsured on their national database or whatever. I had to sit in the police car whilst the officer phoned up Direct Line to check, which was a ridiculous inconvienience, and the police man wasn't too friendly either, it was discrimination from the start with questions like "Are you employed?" - why the hell does that matter? Thankfully direct line confirmed that I was insured, and I was allowed on my way, but this isn't an ordeal I would have ideally liked to have gone through, why did they not make sure I was on the database to begin with?

Overall though a good company, and I would recommend them as a good insurance provider. I think in general they are a fairly reputable company as well.

Summary: I would recommend Direct Line based on my experience so far.