Get a grip Tesco! (Tesco Car Insurance)

Member Name: marieloona

Product:	Tesco Car Insurance
Date:	26/01/04 (1485 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Local rate customer service numbers

Disadvantages: Poorly trained staff, Lame excuses, Unprofessional

One year ago yesterday, my boyf and I received a quote from Tesco that beat all the others hands down!

We both have European driving licenses and when asked if we had any no claims bonus we explained the situation and they said that it was fine and they would accept that as 4 years no claim bonus (as did all the other insurance companies we had contacted).

So, with such a terrific quote we signed up with tesco car insurance. Four months later, we received a letter from them saying that they could not accept our no claims bonus and that they were putting the price up by £580 for the remainder of the year!! SHOCK, HORROR! Why didn't they bother checking whether our no claims could be accpeted from the beginning? Why did they just take the authority to say that all was okay when it wasn't? Surely this is misleading the customer?

Anyway, after many battles we decided to stay put as we could not afford to pay for a lawyer or offcial translations etc.

My boyfriend speaks little English so he asked Tescos to set up a password for me so that they would be able to speak to me about the policy. This they did and they ensured us we wouldn't have any problems.

1 week before our renewal date we still hadn't received a quote for the next years insurance.

I rang Tesco's who accepted the password and then said the insurance wasn't being renwed. I was like, WHAT? Why? We have not had any accidents, or not not paid or anything I could see that would give them a valid reason to not renew our policy. In the end, the girl checked with her supervisor and it turned out it was a mistake. They then enabled the policy and gave me a quote for the next year. It was £200 more expensive than Norwich Union!

I was so shocked as just ne year before Tesco had been so much cheaper, but in that one year they had caused so much grief through their incompetence that I did not hesitate in cancelling the policy. r>
Whilst on the telephone to the same girl, I asked if there was anything I should do so that the policy will not be renewed on the renewal date. She replied no, it will stop automatically. Cool, I thought and then rang up Norwich Union to take out the policy iwth them.

On the day the policy was due to expire I felt the need to ring Tesco and double check as past experiences had proved I could not trust them.

I again, rang, gave my password and spoke to someone with regards to our policy. This time they said I had to ring to ensure that the policy would not renew itself and that I would have to ring again the next day.

Annoyed, yet pleased I had rung to double check, I waited until the next day (today) and rang yet again. This time, the lady I spoke to would not listen to a word I had to say and said she was only able to speak with my partner due to the data protection act!!!! She didn't believe I had a password or anything and kept saying that it would be against the data protection act to speak with me about not renewing the policy.

Isn't this a pretty original way to stop customers from not renewing their policies?

One thing is for sure, we will be glad once we have left them for once and for all - however long it takes!