Tesco insurance - OK until you claim (Tesco Car Insurance)

Member Name: sb1957

Product:	Tesco Car Insurance
Date:	30/04/06 (1288 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Price (at the time I bought the policy, but no longer)

Disadvantages: Quality of 14-day courtesy car, lack of courtesy car thereafter, lethargy in dealing with claim

I went to Tesco on price. Having not had a claim for 20 years I wasn't too bothered about their reputation for unanswered phones or their terms and conditions - my mistake.

I paid £1300 a year to insure a £30k car. Fine until it was stolen and found with minor damage 3 days later.

Tesco will provide "a quality replacement vehicle" for up to 14 days (for which I paid an extra premium). It came as some surprise to discover that this "quality" replacement vehicle was a basic 1 litre hatchback (to some extent my fault since this was clear in the small print, but to some extent Tesco being misleading since these precise words were used in their renewal offer). Given I have a small family I had to pay for an upgrade.

It took Tesco a week to get the car from the police compound, and another week to get it checked by an inspector before they would approve repairs. So the two weeks were up even before work started.

Tesco would not allow the approved repairer to provide me with a courtesy car (I saw their instructions - in capitals "DO NOT PROVIDE THIS CUSTOMER WITH A COURTESY CAR") so I had to rent one. Now, six weeks after the vehicle was recovered, I still don't have it back. Tesco's promises (in writing) to keep me updated with progress have not been met; Tesco have not contacted me once since work began.

Tesco's website says you can extend the courtesy car "from only £9.95 a day". True (for the 1 litre hatchback), provided you don't need to insure it (ha ha). Tesco wanted to charge me £85 (yes, eighty five pounds) to add the rental car (a Ford Focus) to my policy temporarily for another two weeks; actually more expensive than taking out the rental company's own insurance!

The good news; I have renewed my policy with another insurer who have agreed to insure a courtesy car (for free) so the repairer can now provide me with one; at least I now have a free courtesy car with free insurance for however long the work takes, no thanks to Tesco.

The other good news; other insurers are now comparable in price to Tesco, with better terms should I actually have a claim. So there's no need to trouble Tesco with my money again.

My summary; go to Tesco only if you're planning not to have a claim, or don't need a car (or can afford to rent one indefinitely) if you do have one.

Summary: Don't go to Tesco if you need a courtesy car if you have a claim