Lancaster Insurance - BEWARE

Buying a ‘5 and Insurance advice Insurance Advice
2

I am having issues with Lancaster insurance. I took a policy out with them about 6 weeks ago. When I phoned for a quote they seemed professional and offered a reasonable price on the policy. I was asked if I wanted Legal protection to which I replied no. I was originally quoted another 30 quid for it but as it was a limited miles policy I really wasn’t bothered about it. I was then told they could do a deal on my policy and they could discount the legal protection so that it wasn’t costing any extra and therefore appeared foc. I agreed to that and took out policy.
Move forward 6 weeks and I swopped my car. I called Lancaster to swop my insurance over to my new vehicle, a 2007 57 plate Boxster. They stated the change over would be an additional £500+ for the change. I said that that was far too much as I could get a brand new policy for less than £400. I asked for them to cancel my policy which was only £175 for the year (on a eunos roadster) I was shocked to be told that despite only having the policy for 6 weeks I would have to pay a £70 arrangement fee, a £29 cancellation fee and wait for it, £29.95 for the (free) legal protection.
So despite having already paid just over £40 of the original £175 premium, to cancel I would effectively have to pay up the same as the cost of the whole policy.
They stated that I would still have to pay for the legal protection as it was discounted when I took the policy out and should I cancel the policy I would then have to pay for it in full.
I have spent almost 2hrs in total so far with Lancaster Insurance disputing this as I have told them I wont pay the Legal protection charge as I never wanted it in the first place.

I raised a complaint with them over this charge 9 days ago.
So far the complaints team, who I was told are “very busy” (wonder why) haven’t had chance to listen to the original phone calls when I took the policy out which will clearly show I did not ask for the protection.

Meanwhile I am still paying the direct debit payments for this policy as they wont cancel this until the complaints team have looked at it.

Looking on google about Lancaster Insurance this is a very common theme and have extremely poor feedback. They make it impossible for you to swop your insurance over onto a new vehicle by giving you an inflated price then when you are forced to cancel they make up fees so that you end up paying for your old policy anyway.

Not a good experience and they have lost me as a future customer forever along with everyone else that seems to ever want to change their vehicle.
A very short sighted business operation imo.

Beware!!

3

I use ‘Quote me happy’. An online brand of Aviva. Do all the changes yourself online with no admin fees. Decent prices on policies for myself and my wife. I took my personal reg off my previous NC, moved the policy to my current ND and then changed to my personal plate on the ND all with zero admin fees and done online without waiting in a call centre queue or arguing with anyone. Sometimes ‘specialists’ can try to make themselves seem important by over complicating things.

P.S. Boxster? Traitor!

4

Hi Jimmyp,

just being devils advocate here but…

  • Eunos has been on risk for 6 weeks, costing you £40
  • £40+£500 increase for new car = £540 for a further 46 weeks with new car to expiration of policy
  • Assume same level of cover/mileage etc
most insurance companies charge to make amendments to policies so we have to live with that. If you remain with them, no cancellation fee, no charge for the "free" legal protection but would have an arrangement/amendment fee which looks like it's in the quote you've been given? I'm with Lancaster and when I sold the previous mk3, I let the policy run on (albeit for only a short time) then just amended to the new mk3.5 as it was significantly cheaper that way, rather than cancelling and starting afresh, I will look around at renewal time regardless but just felt it easier to suck it up this year. Certainly not something I look forward to each year and I can also understand your annoyance, good luck whichever way you decide to go 

Barrie

5

Hi All

I took insurance out with them for my 30th AE was only £270 pay
Very help full and got all documentation within 24 hours.
Ok I will not be changing car within the year, I always shop around each year.
Sorry to hear about your troubles.

6

The problem is Barrie you should not insure a vehicle you no longer own.

If something happens with the vehicle whilst it is still insured by you it can get very messy.

 

You should also notify your insurance company of any changes especially if you no longer own the vehicle. Once you notify them of this Lancaster are automatically applying these charges.

 

I understand they have me over a barrell with their Terms and conditions with the arrangements fees and cancellation fees however the mis sold legal protection sounds very similar to the ppi issues the banks scammed us with for years. This isn’t just me Lancaster are treating like this, there are numerous repeat poor reviews from people like me all over on google searches.

 

7

 

They were very good with me to when taking out my policy.

I appreciate you don’t intend swopping your car within the next year but it is very rare to perfectly time a change of vehicle with the start/ end of an insurance policy.

 

 

 

8

this was my experience ,

 

the cancellation fees from this company are extortionate

the whole of my yearly premium for 43 days cover , not 1 penny refund ,

THATS A COMPLETE RIP OFF -------STAY AWAY FROM THEM.



9

Update from complaint team is essentially a big f-off tablet, they believe they have done everything right and I agreed to having legal protection added.
I did but only after they told me it wasnt going to cost anything. What a con. I cant believe they are being like this over a few quid. Poor customer service!!
Financial Ombudsman next.

10

Call the legal protection company and seek legal advice against Lancaster.

 

Sealed

11

 

With all the PPI contact centre staff thankfully jobless now, stuff like this may keep them form staring at their P45’s.

12

Update…

 

Lancaster payments team started sending me text messages this week, one on Monday and one this morning. Asking me to call them.

Why they couldn’t actually phone me up themselves again to me shows poor customer service.

I phoned them as I wanted to see what they wanted me for (to pay their high cancellation charges) and to give them one last chance at using some common sense to come to a resolution.

I spoke to someone who listened to me and could understand what I was saying about the legal protection but stated it would still need to be paid.

As they didn’t seem to want to try and find a solution I thought I better try, I said I would happily pay now and settle the rediculously high cancellation fees if they would remove the £30 legal protection (which is what I had said on both previous phone calls) as I was totally fed up with them by now. He went away to speak to a manager. The outcome was whilst they could not remove the legal protection however they were prepared to reduce the cancellation charges by 20% therefore taking £24 of the £30 legal protection off. I settled at this.

 

So what has it cost??

 

My premium (including free legal protection was £175 for a year, for a limited mileage policy on a eunos roadster.

 

I paid £61 in direct debit payments.

I had the insurance policy for 6 weeks.

I have then had to pay £98 to cancel policy after the 20% discount.

 

So total cost was £159 for 6 weeks when the yearly premium was £175.

 

Make your own mind up on how I feel about Lancaster Insurance!

13

I was approached by one of their reps at one of the National rallies, wished I’d given them a wide berth and not given them my contact details for a quote. Talk about being pestered with phone calls, I had to be rude in the end and tell them not to call again. Reason I’d not let them give me a quote, well read the reviews. Yes some members have had good CS and great quotes, I’ll be keeping away from their stand on Sunday.

14

I was recommended them on this forum, but having spent all of 5 mins of researching them it was quickly apparent they were to be avoided.  I hope they don‘t have affiliation with the club anymore as they really shouldn’t. 

15

Could not agree more with the adverse comments above.

Having sold my ‘daily driver’ last month - and while considering which new ND to purchase early in the New Year, I bought an early NA to lightly restore during the coming winter months - but with the option of occasional road use.  

I explained to the young man on their telephone quotation line that I had just cancelled the (very nearly-expired) Insurance on my last car and was looking for a low miles, specialist policy (under 3000 p.a) on the NA.

My previous insurers (Saga) supplied my NCB entitlement letter quickly - and I provided Lancaster with this last month.

Until this morning, all was well… I have a relatively cheap, specialist, Policy which meets all my needs.

However, I was telephoned at home this morning by one M******* (I presume a member of their Customer Service team) who questioned me at length, wanting to know if I was using my full NCB for another car… her stated and repeated reason was that my NCB entitlement letter referred to my former car !!!

I pointed out that the NCB letter stated the date that I had cancelled the remaining weeks of the former Policy  - and that it was the same day I purchased the NA. 

This did not satisfy her at all - she clearly thought it highly suspicious that a 70-year old retired Doctor should use an NA for a few months while deciding on his new car purchase !!

Her attitude and manner on the telephone was one of obvious disbelief (and only just short of suggesting I was engaged in some kind of criminal scam).

In the end I pointed out to her that I really HAD been considering getting an insurance quotation from Lancaster for my new Mazda next year - but that her tone and telephone attitude was SO accusatory that I would not use the company she represented EVER AGAIN.  

I have been driving (and ALWAYS properly insuring) cars ranging from A-H Sprites through Davrians, Ginettas and Ferraris for many, many years - and NEVER received a phone call like today’s from an Insurer.    

 Sadly, for me, thanks to M******* of Lancaster Insurance … absolute ZERO customer satisfaction. 

 

16

It’s unfortunate that the insurance companies supposedly recommended by the club (as per advertised on this website under the heading “Club insurance schemes”) are in fact the ones we hear most complaints about on the forum. Indeed, after a totally unreasonable renewal price increase by one of them I now go elsewhere for insurance and saved myself 45 per cent, instead of the demanded 23 per cent increase.

Maybe it’s time the club reviewed this whole situation.

17

It has always been the case that no single insurance company will offer the best deal for every single MX5/Eunos Roadster/Mk1/Mk2/Mk3/Mk4 owner.

Er, there is a reason why companies recommended by the club garner most attention compared to the ones not. Common sense why that happens…

And for some of us, the criteria for choosing a particular scheme is not based on the renewal quotation.

18

Hi All
This my first MX, so used them as they were on club recommend.
I personally have had no concerns with them. When I called up to get a quote were very helpful.
Went with them got a good price for my 30AE and was told that if I had an accident could take it to repairer of my choosing. Most companies send you to repairers of there choosing.
Sorry to here that you are having problems with them. Will keep an eye on this topic.
May need to change them next year.

19

 

If I lacked common sense, as you insinuate, I would be paying far more for insurance for my MX-5 than I am now, around 55% more.

My advice is to shop around at every renewal and do not expect a better deal from the companies advertised on the club website or in the club magazine as providing “club insurance schemes”.

 

20

MX-530, Consumer rights allow you to choose a repair place of your own choice. An insurance company cannot insist that you must use one of their choosing.