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AIBU?

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Original poster

To find this annoying and pushy

68 replies

pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 15:49

I had a phone call this afternoon from an unidentified number. Person on the other end said he was calling from Churchill insurance regarding my home insurance renewal.

I received the documents a few days ago and the renewal date is in a couple of weeks.

I asked him why he was calling me and he repeated that it's to do with my home insurance, 'yes, but why are you calling me?'

Apparently, 'to see if we can help you in anyway today'. Unless they're lowering the quote, which I very much doubt, no you can't help me. 'And can I confirm the first line of my address'

Now, I don't know if I'm overly suspicious but to me this screams scam so I told him I've received the documents and if and when I want to renew my policy I'll call them.

I did a search on a 'who called me' website and it turns out that it is a genuine Churchill insurance number and people are getting these calls all the time; clearly I'm not the only one who thought it was a scam.

So are all insurance companies doing this now?

Would anyone else find this really annoying?

It's not an overdue electricity bill, I'm not obliged to pay what they're asking, and I very well might go with a different company. So stop bothering me with your scammy type calls because I'm not going to give some random caller my details.

OP posts:
Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 15:50

Didn't mean to enable voting.

OP posts:
Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 15:51

Ah just realised I can turn it off.

OP posts:
GoldSlipper · 06/05/2021 15:53

An important thing to remember is that scammers can "edit" the number they are calling from to make it seem legit. It works wonders as savvy people check the number and then think they are in the clear when, in fact, it's a scammer on the other side of the line. Beware!

I NEVER give out any personal details on a call I have received. Admittedly I work in computer science so I know how easy it is to do these things.

PlanDeRaccordement · 06/05/2021 15:56

I don’t think the call was similar to a scam. It’s common to get first line of address as a security check in many situations. I remember having to say it to pick up my prescriptions at the chemist. To confirm it when calling my bank.

I think it is nice they call as some people have been forgetting to renew their home/contents insurance lately. There was that family whose house burned down and they’d thought they had insurance but it had actually lapsed two weeks prior. In addition, circumstances change that can affect your insurance. What if you wanted to combine it with car insurance to save money? What if you’d gotten a house alarm....wouldn’t that mean a discount? Even just retiring or WFH will mean lower home insurance because less likely to be robbed when someone is home all day.

Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 16:03

@PlanDeRaccordement

I don’t think the call was similar to a scam. It’s common to get first line of address as a security check in many situations. I remember having to say it to pick up my prescriptions at the chemist. To confirm it when calling my bank.

I think it is nice they call as some people have been forgetting to renew their home/contents insurance lately. There was that family whose house burned down and they’d thought they had insurance but it had actually lapsed two weeks prior. In addition, circumstances change that can affect your insurance. What if you wanted to combine it with car insurance to save money? What if you’d gotten a house alarm....wouldn’t that mean a discount? Even just retiring or WFH will mean lower home insurance because less likely to be robbed when someone is home all day.

I'm more than happy to confirm the first line of my address when I'm making the call to them but I'm not going to give out my address to someone who I don't know who has called me.

I haven't forgotten to renew it, it's not due for two weeks.

And no I won't combine it with my car insurance because I've tried that already and their insurance is still more than my current car insurance company is charging me.

OP posts:
Aprilx · 06/05/2021 16:06

For gods sake somebody is just trying to make a living. If you don’t want to speak to them, or give the first line of your address you don’t have to, but you don’t have to be horrible about it.

SquashMinusIsShit · 06/05/2021 16:09

I think it is nice they call as some people have been forgetting to renew their home/contents insurance lately

There was a thread the other day complaining that their DD's car insurance has lapsed and the company hasn't called them, they can't bloody win!

If they call again just say you're checking online for prices and say goodbye

Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 16:09

GoldSlipper Yes, that's true. Even your own id on your phone isn't necessarily telling you the truth if it's a scammer.

I shall definitely mention it when I call to renew because, it very well could be a scammer, but if it's genuine, I think they need to know that it can seem very like a scam call to suspicious people like me.

OP posts:
PlanDeRaccordement · 06/05/2021 16:10

@pigsDOfly

Ok? So none of the scenarios apply to you. How is Churchill supposed to know this without calling you?

Ok you won’t give your first line of address. That’s your right. My point is that asking for it doesn’t indicate a scam.

greeneyedlulu · 06/05/2021 16:13

They called to ask if they could help you, they obviously want your business, it's just a basic sales call. It's annoying but not the end of the world, you just politely decline and hang up.
Stupid automated scam calls are far more annoying than this

PlanDeRaccordement · 06/05/2021 16:13

@SquashMinusIsShit
Exactly. No good deed goes unpunished it seems.

Neilsfavouritechilli · 06/05/2021 16:14

Just another one hopping on to remind people that caller ID is not reliable in sussing out scammers. There was recently a really interesting episode of R4's Moneybox where a producer received a scam call and actually managed to record it. The caller ID appeared to show it was a genuine call but it had been hijacked.

Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 16:14

@Aprilx

For gods sake somebody is just trying to make a living. If you don’t want to speak to them, or give the first line of your address you don’t have to, but you don’t have to be horrible about it.
Slight over reaction. How was I horrible about it?

I wasn't rude to the person. I didn't put the phone down on them.

And as I had no way of knowing if it was someone making a living or a scammer I told them I'd ring when I was ready to renew.

OP posts:
Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 16:18

@greeneyedlulu

They called to ask if they could help you, they obviously want your business, it's just a basic sales call. It's annoying but not the end of the world, you just politely decline and hang up. Stupid automated scam calls are far more annoying than this
Which is what I did, politely decline, that is.

Did I say it was the end of the world?

OP posts:
Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin · 06/05/2021 16:18

I seem to get a call every day from HMRC that is def a scam - drives me mad!

notalwaysalondoner · 06/05/2021 16:18

There was a thread on here a few days ago by someone who was gutted because their car insurance had expired and they hadn’t realised until they’d had an accident which resulted in the driver getting points for being uninsured - and everyone agreed the insurance company hadn’t done enough to draw it to their attention that they were about to lose their cover, as they hadn’t called them. Seemed their damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

QueenPaw · 06/05/2021 16:19

I ring with MOT and service reminders
People complain their MOT has run out and we didn't tell them, but then don't want us to ring them 🤷🏽‍♀️

Tambora · 06/05/2021 16:22

If someone rings me about my insurance, or phone or some utility or other, then I'm darned if I'm going to answer their security questions. They already know who I am because they phoned me. I don't know them from Adam.

I tell them that I'm not at liberty to divulge that information and when they ask why, I say it is for data protection reasons.

Bluntness100 · 06/05/2021 16:27

This is just normal customer service, your insurance is due shortly, they were calling to see if you’d renew.

You sound really pissed off and anxious about it?

Hoppinggreen · 06/05/2021 16:27

I’m not naive to think there are no scams around, I have had plenty of scam my calls but I think you are overly suspicious. They didn’t ask for any information that they could use and the poor person was just trying to do their job
Of course it’s your right not to engage with them but I think you are being a bit over the top.

Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 16:27

Phoning to remind people that something like MOT is about to run out is one thing.

Phoning someone and asking for their personal details is entirely different.

I don't tend to forget to pay for things and if I'm sent documents for a renewal then, like the grown up I am, I can remember to pay it.

If I hadn't paid it the day before it's due, yes, I'd appreciate a reminder. but not two weeks before. It's unnecessary.

OP posts:
QueenPaw · 06/05/2021 16:29

We still have to ask for name and address when we ring

Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 16:31

@Bluntness100 I'm not particularly pissed off and most certainly not 'anxious' about it, just irritated.

Clearly, I'm alone in this and everyone else is more than happy to have people phoning them up all the time to remind them that they haven't renewed this thing or that thing.

OP posts:
Original poster
pigsDOfly · 06/05/2021 16:35

@Tambora

If someone rings me about my insurance, or phone or some utility or other, then I'm darned if I'm going to answer their security questions. They already know who I am because they phoned me. I don't know them from Adam.

I tell them that I'm not at liberty to divulge that information and when they ask why, I say it is for data protection reasons.

Thank you, exactly my thinking.

He asked for the first line of my address and no doubt would have gone one to ask for further information.

If I'd have agreed to renew my policy during this call, no doubt he would have asked for my card and bank details.

I've not proof he is who he says he is, he could be absolutely anyone.

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

OP posts:
Throckmorton · 06/05/2021 16:35

@QueenPaw

We still have to ask for name and address when we ring
Which encourages your customers to give our personal details to people who could be anyone - not really a great company policy