To be annoyed about my car insurance renewal letter?

[Hatespiders]

I've been with the same insurers for ages. Same car, nothing's changed except I'm a year older. Their renewal quote arrived and there's an enormous hike in the price. I mean very big. I've been on some comparison sites and found several a bit cheaper, but I thought I'd ring my present company to see what they'd say. A very nice chap said 'he'd see what he could do'. Fiddled about and then came up with my original price and even reduced the excess!
He was lovely but sounded as if he was doing me a big favour 'because I've been their customer for a long time'. I thanked him politely and accepted the new, much smaller payment, which I've always paid. I'm talking about a difference of about £180 per year.
AIBU to be very annoyed that these insurance companies do this? If I'd been daft (well, I may well be, but not that daft!) I'd just have let them renew automatically at this huge increase. I'm not cross with the telephone chap because he's only doing his job, and he was really kind and jolly. But I wonder how many customers they lose like this, as many folk now use comparison websites. I could also have got a little Meerkat toy for our neighbours' young family!

Never accept their first offer. He would probably been able to come down further if he'd spoken to a supervisor.

It's mad. Check your house insurance etc too.

They are cheeky fuckers. Most of the cheapest quotes on comparison sites seem to be sister companies of the big, expensive insurers too.

Yup, my re-quote was over £300 more than I paid last year, I got a new quote with another company for less than I paid last year but with more 'perks'. I rang my existing company to cancel and they said they could match the new quote; I politely told them to shove it up their arse.

When our precious insurers (Direct Twats Line, I'm looking at you) upped ours massively, for no clear reason, I called to try and negotiate a reduction. The rep didn't give anything even resembling a shit. We changed.

I expect your're right Notnaice. But isn't it exhausting to have to haggle like that? I feel quite tired now and need a nice cup of tea and a buttered crumpet to restore myself.
I daren't even think about the house insurance, TarkaTheOtter, I bet they'll do the same. (Note to self; order more packets of crumpets)

Fudgeface How can you phrase such a request politely?

This happens all the time. It's a rip off tactic as many people allow the renewal to happen. It is normal to have to swap every year. My husband's car insurance renewal recently arrived - £436 but on comparison sites the same policy with the same company is £352. But insurance is getting more expensive due to 'injury' claims, the insurance companies encourage these by selling the details to legal firms. If your area is prone to such claims the premium will be higher, this is the case in London which is why my husband is charged so much despite being mid 30s with a clean licence and no claims.

What a cheeky insurance company. I wonder how many of their customers just automatically renew rather than checking out their prices?

I've just been renewed my car insurance and I was amazed as it was nearly £250 cheaper than last year (same company).

I had the same thing with our home insurance, it went up by nearly £100. I found a quote for nearly £200 less (and got a meerkat!).

When I called to cancel I was told they could offer £100 off, and they made it sound like a very magnanimous concession. I still cancelled as it was still more expensive.

They do this a lot, I worked in insurance briefly. I think they get away with it and increase their profit margins on those who accept their renewals in good faith. So to them it makes business sense. There are very few insurance companies, so I expect they think you will come back another year if the price is right.

I really hate that insurers do this, there is no reward for customer loyalty. I now use a comparison site or two every year for all my insurance policies and always find a cheaper quote. Getting quite a nice Meerkat collection too

This happened with DH car insurance and our house insurance, it's a right pain having to shop around each year for insurance and I thing insurance companies are relying on people not bothering

You just need to keep switching every year. Pain in the arse but worth it. Same with utilities.

Our insurance jumped up and do is a real stickler for getting best price available I'm yerrible as can't be bothered he eventually got his original insurer to give him last years price less £100 plus protected ncb. The companies are at it until you vote with your feet.

It also happened with my car insurance.

I went on a comparison site and then, armed with the cheapest comparable quote, rang my existing insurers to cancel.

After some time, during which the man on the end of the phone graciously offered me £20 off the renewal quote, then 'absolutely the best he can do' offer of £40 off, he suddenly found he could go on something he called Live Quote, or somesuch, and managed to match the new quote I'd had.

I accepted only because I couldn't be arsed to go through the whole rigmarole with the new insurers, but I was still a bit annoyed with the existing ones, especially as they make it harder by automatically renewing your insurance unless you phone to cancel (never email, I notice- always a phone call)

DH had always kept the same buildings & content insurance from his mortgage provider because he couldn't be doing with the faff of finding a new one and it falls around the end of the year when busy doing other things. It was £900 per year - for a 2 bed semi in a quiet area!

I've found a new insurance policy with better cover for less than half of that, and that was by no means the cheapest. But was a big name company so DH felt ok moving to them.

Next to work out why he's paying £250 per year to the AA for car recovery when I pay £46 to Green Flag....

They rely on people who are disorganised/busy or don't like 'confrontation' just allowing the charge to go through - or older prospects feeling some sort of loyalty to a company they may have been with for years.

They have no loyalty to us though - not these days at any rate.

I remember spending AGES going through the yellow pages and phoning all the insurance companies i could be bothered to

I'm a year older
I have another years experience
I have another years ncd
My car is a year older and not worth as much

and yet you want to DOUBLE my insurance ?? no thank you

I expect your're right Notnaice. But isn't it exhausting to have to haggle like that?
I don't haggle,
I look for a cheaper deal and move my business if I find it, "the price" is "the price"
if you tell me it's going to cost £600 to provide a service.
then when challenged tell me "oh you caught me it's only £500" then I want nothing to do with you because you tried to rip me off.
(I have no special allegiances to companies, and they sure don't show any allegiances to me!)

I said it in a naice posh voice 5foot5

I shop around every year and will go with the cheapest decent cover from a company I have actually heard of.

I buy the cover from the new one before telling my current insurers that I will not be renewing due to cost. If they offer me a reduction then I refuse on principle as if they could do me that price then I expect it to start with. I always use comparison websites as it raises money via easyfundraising for my Guide unit but generally find I get a better price direct from whichever insurer I end up with.

We had this with Direct Line and our house insurance year on year. And just to add to the insult, the letter always started off by thanking me for my valuable custom for the last 7/8/9 years. Every time I rang up and told them what quote I had got off the internet - often with a company linked to them, they matched it. By year 10 I got fed up and just moved to one of the companies with the cheaper quotes. There just aren't enough hours in the day to be dealing with that level of twattery.

And Churchill tried to sell us Green Flag cover at the weekend (GF is their sister company) They told us they could do it at a special offer price of £51 which was apparently giving us a 50% introductory discount. Shame for them that DH's Green Flag renewal notice was sat on the worktop showing that the supposed 'reduced' price was only a couple of £s off the actual price direct from GF

I ring my current insurer and say that before I ring around to get better quotes, what is the very best price they can do. They always come down. I ask them to check with their supervisor if they can do even better. If it's then really low or I can't be bothered to compare then I accept that. If I think they can come lower then I'll ring round. Tbh on the odd occasion I actually did ring round, I have rarely got lower so I think that by introducing the conversation as I do, then I get their best price. My insurances have hardly changed over the past few years.

They are all as bad as each other so those that don't go with them on principle aren't really achieving anything IMO.

I always shop around and refuse to give repeat custom to a company that has tried to diddle me.

But they will all diddle you. No point in taking a stand when they are all as bad as each other.
Now if anyone can actually name a company that doesn't do this, then I might I admit you are right to do this.