Tesco shows it's ugly side (Tesco Car Insurance)

Member Name: equidem

Product:	Tesco Car Insurance
Date:	03/04/05 (1680 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheapish - I've since found a LOT cheaper, though!

Disadvantages: Dreadful customer service, Lack of respect, Malicious

Everyone's favourite supermarket. Tesco should stick to what it does best, and sell food. It really should not be allowed to sell car insurance.

Oh yes, they may seem cheap and cheerful when you visit their website to insure your car, but when something happens to you and you phone them up, they really don't want to know. I'm going to now document how Tesco's really screwed me over...

Last summer, my car was parked outside my house on a moderately busy main road. My (soon-to-be ex) girlfriend and I had just got into the car and before I could start the engine, a 7 ton lorry smashes into us from behind. The car was an instant write-off, and the driver of the lorry had the audacity to say it was "knock-for-knock", because of where I was parked.

I was understandably livid at this, and called the Police. The policeman came along and agreed with the lorry driver that it was "knock-for-knock". I couldn't believe it.

I let the matter drop, as the car was only worth about a grand. Two months later I received a letter from Tesco's motor insurance saying that they have agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of damages to my ex-girlfriend who claimed on my insurance for alleged whiplash injuries. Seeing as I escaped any injury whatsoever, I thought that she may have been lying to extort money from my insurance policy. I had no prior knowledge of her plans to claim, the first I heard of it was when Tesco sent me a rather generic letter explaining what they had done. At this point, I phoned them up, only to be treated like a piece of dirt.

I was spoken to incredibly rudely and insulted twice by the supervisor at their call centre for no reason. I phoned them up, merely to enquire why they had not bothered to inform me sooner, and more importantly why they had not bothered to contest my ex-girlfriends claim.

They told me that the Police report had blamed me for the incident, and I then asked them for a copy of the Police report on the incident. They said "We are not obliged to provide you or anyone else with a copy of the Police report into your accident". After I repeatedly asked them, they gave in and said they would send me a copy, but they were VERY reluctant to do so. When it did arrive, the actual report was extremely vague, and did not blame either party.

On the occasions I spoke to Tesco Car Insurance on the phone, I was left completely exasperated by their complete lack of customer service, and what's more I paid them close to a grand for my motor insurance with them, and at the drop of a hat they seem to let anyone claim against me without so much as a raised eyebrow! The way they treated me was disgraceful and shocking.

I would strongly advise anyone looking for motor insurance to go elsewhere. If you are involved in an accident, even if it's not your fault and someone claims against you, you will them become scum in the eyes of Tesco.

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