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1st CENTRAL Reviews

4.0 Rating 5,233 Reviews
75 %
of reviewers recommend 1st CENTRAL
4.0
Based on 5,233 reviews
Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods
Own Driver, Postal Service
On-time Delivery
99%
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In
Under An Hour
Customer Service
4.1 out of 5
Read 1st CENTRAL Reviews
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Phone:

0333 043 2066

Email:

marketing@1stcentral.co.uk

Location:

Capital House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath
RH16 3SY

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1st CENTRAL 1 star review on 8th January 2025
Anonymous
1st CENTRAL 1 star review on 8th January 2025
Anonymous
1st CENTRAL 1 star review on 22nd August 2024
Mehrdad
1st CENTRAL 1 star review on 21st August 2024
Valeria
1st CENTRAL 1 star review on 21st August 2024
Valeria
1st CENTRAL 1 star review on 21st August 2024
Valeria
1st CENTRAL 1 star review on 9th May 2024
Marcus Wickwar
5
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
Absolutely horrible. Validation checks returned and increased premium without explanation. Sending promotional emails before replying to me and explaining why my premium has increased. Avoid at all costs. Shocking service
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Gary, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear about your experience with us. Unfortunately, all details on the policy impact the price of the policy we offer, if details are found to be incorrect we need to update them and this can impact the price of the policy. We would like to look into this further for you, please give us a call on 0333 043 2095. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Just taken insurance out with these guys 16 years of driving experience hgv entitlement aswell as motorbike. No accidents etc in the last 5years but I do not qualify to be able to drive other vehicle on my policy. And they want to charge £50 to cancel the policy iv had for 24hrs
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Craig, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Unfortunately, some criteria doesn't allow our customers to drive other vehicles, we have this FAQ which explains this here - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/kb/FAQ/content/PROD-7627/Does-my-policy-cover-me-to-drive-other-cars?query=drive%20other%20cars. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Before setting up your insurance with these people, make sure you know you'll be charged two fees in case you want to cancel. There is a cancellation fee and an arrangement fee. So basically, you're being charged two times for the same thing. Effectively, at this very moment, the cancellation cost is £100 with 1st CENTRAL. Remember this. I haven't checked all documents and especially the small print, but I'm pretty sure it's all there. Thieves are thieves legally these days. Don't count on common sense and decency. You'll not find it here. So another company on my blacklist. Avoid. PS: Btw, when I set up my insurance with these thieves, only some 4 months ago, I got an email containing the "certificate of motor insurance" and a "claim form". I don't remember ever being able to log into my account on their website to be able to see additional documents, and especially the documents describing the fees. I tried logging in so that I can cancel, but I couldn't so I had to use the chat.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hello, Thank you for your feedback. We’re really sorry to hear about the experience you've had with your policy. Unfortunately, we can't see any of your details, but we would like to look into this further for you. Please contact us by sending an email to customer.relations@1stcentral.co.uk. Please remember to include your policy number and details of what’s gone wrong, and we’ll see if we can put things right. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Shocking customer services They take your money then try and charge you more after a month . Saying wrong description on application Be aware might be cheapest qoute however it will cost you much more
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Hudson, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Unfortunately, all details on the policy impact the price of the policy we offer, if details are found to be incorrect we need to update them and this can impact the price of the policy. We would like to look into this further for you, please give us a call on 0333 043 2095. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
After my accident they refused to provide courtesy car I've paid for, till the car is in the garage, which they failed to book for over 2 months. I was not contacted by them even once, so I had to do all the phone calls myself. I wanted to know how much I would get if I was going to keep the car, but they just sent me a cheque without discussing it with me. Absolute lack of professionalism.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi M, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Unfortunately, there are currently industry-wide delays on some vehicle repairs and courtesy cars, so I'm sorry this impacted you. If you need any further assistance, please speak to our team on 0333 043 2022 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 9am to 6pm. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
to 1st central car insurance ref:FPM6014018454FC you sent me a certificate of motor insurance car registration :AO08EKZ,starting on the 18/04/2022/,and an incident form information,then you made it quite clear document in enclosed,when i click on my account all i could see is my old car RF55LTY,I sold it long time ago,ref:FPM6005865059FC,so where is my new motor insurance policy,call today,line very busy,
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Hashim, Thank you for your review. If you reset your password on the login page and set a new password, you should be able to access your new policy. Alternatively, please call us on 0333 043 2066 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website, and our team can assist you. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
It a bad company expensive internet I had been cancle with their company about 2 months ago but their are still continued charge me money then their are send mail to me I own them money 19£ their will pass this to debt agency if I’m not pay and their are charge me 1 month insurance 65£ because I haven’t cancle my direct debit so how come I own them !! Stay keep away from This company everyone !!
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Supalux, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Let’s see if we can help put this right for you. Just give our team a call on 0333 043 2066 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Avoid at all costs scammers Charge you more money after a month will find small detail in contract
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Mark, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear about your experience with us. Unfortunately, all details on the policy impact the price of the policy we offer, if details are found to be incorrect we need to update them and this can impact the price of the policy. We would like to look into this further for you, please give us a call on 0333 043 2095. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Beware.... I took out a car insurance policy and in two months my car had to be scrapped I informed 1st central to cancel my policy and they hit me with £101 for cancelling. A £50 fee for cancelling, another £50 arrangement fee, cost for 63 days of cover plus interest.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Mr Thompson, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. The arrangement fee is non-refundable from when your policy is set up and it's charged at the time of a cancellation, but it's part of all of our policies. In terms of why there might be money left to pay when cancelling, we have this FAQ that describes why there might be money left, on top of the cancellation fee - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/kb/FAQ/content/PROD-7744/If-my-policy-is-cancelled-why-do-I-still-owe-money-to-1st-CENTRAL?query=cancellations. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Once your insurance starts everything will *seem* okay for approximately 3 days before 1stCentral will begin to barrage you with requirements for additional personal info about you and any family members on your policy. This is something *no* other insurer will ever put you through. You will have to send proof of address/salary, DVLA codes, license pictures, and after this they will find any which way to weasel an excuse to charge you extra. If you attempt to cancel your policy within the 14-day 'grace period', there will be an additional charge separate to the cancellation fee you've "avoided", which is a £50 fee for setting up your insurance. Again, something *no* other insurer will ever put you through. It's a trap, and there's no way out of their scam the moment you've bought insurance. I wish I'd read the negative reviews, because the positives must have been farmed using bots and paid reviewers. Save yourself the unnecessary time, stress, and money they'll scam you out of. Go with a normal and trusted insurer, Axa, eSure, Admiral, whoever. If your policy's a bit more expensive overall, you've still saved yourself time and money avoiding this scam.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Luke, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Rip off insurance company. They said they have £0 cancelation fee in cooling off period and £50 cancelation fee after that. But i cancel my insurance in cooling off period and after been asked the reason, what i don't have to provide by the contract, i was charge £ 50 extra arrangement fee. rip off!!! So my insurance service was £30 for 12 days and £50 free... hilarious
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Danny, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We do have a cool-off period and we waive the cancellation fee at this time. We have a £50 non-refundable arrangement fee that's mentioned during the process of setting up a policy. We do also list all of our fees on our website - https://www.1stcentralinsurance.com/car-insurance/important-information. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
It was easy, to get quote and get the cover. Paid extra for legal cover and Breakdown cover. However, when my car was written off my a drunk driver, while the car was unattended, I could not get an answer on the phone. The police had to get my car towed away, because I couldn't contact 1st Central. The accident happened June last year. Because the police were involved I didn't get the details of the other driver or his insurance company. I was told by the police that my Insurance company would have to ask them for it. Due to Data protection laws they could not give them to me. It was a couple of months before 1st Central applied to the police for these details. To date I am still waiting for this to be settled. Today, I was told that the police have not responded to their request. To be honest I don't really believe that as I have had to continually contact 1st Central for updates. Bearing in mind this is a no fault accident, I was surprised when I received my renewal quote, which is 3 times what I paid last year. When I called to query this it was apparently reduced by almost £300. Still much more than other quotes I have received.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Valerie, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. If you need any further updates on your claim pleae speak to our team on 0333 043 2022 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 9am to 6pm. If there’s anything you’d like our customer relations team to look into for you, please contact us by sending an email to customer.relations@1stcentral.co.uk. Please include your policy number and details of what’s gone wrong, and we’ll see if we can put things right. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Site says you can change details but you cannot. 2 days wait to live chat. Told to buy 2 policies and get the first one refunded. Wouldn't allow a 2nd quote. Waste of time. Intend to get a refund and go to a proper company
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Eric, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
rip off company very bad customer service, horrendus charges
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi John, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Took out insurance as a new customer, then received a new quote from them £40 cheaper so rang them to ask for a refund as policy didn’t go live for another week. The operator was cold and unhelpful and advised there’d be a fee of £50 to change my policy. Feel upset that I’ve entered into a year long policy with a company that cares do little about it’s customers. Certainly wouldn’t recommend and won’t be renewing with them.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Jessica, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Horrible service i was in france need the breakdown and dont got that i tried to cancel but theyr said i háve to pay 2.50 pounds when i paid 167 and just had that policy for 5 days is incredible how the People taking money from us and not resolve the problem and keep the money
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Anabela, Thank you for your feedback. We’re really sorry to hear about the experience you've had with your policy. Unfortunately, we can't see any of your details, but we would like to look into this further for you. Please contact us by sending an email to customer.relations@1stcentral.co.uk. Please remember to include your policy number and details of what’s gone wrong, and we’ll see if we can put things right. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
For me it's the worst experience!!!
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Nicolae, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
After they wrote my car off saying it was going to cost 7.5k to repair without even looking at it all they saw were photo's.I DROVE the car to 3 other insurance approved bodyshops who said Independently that it was fully repairable and no where near the costs used to write my car off. They then refused to call me back and the car sat I my drive for almost 3 months leaving me with no transport. I should also add ( not that it should matter) bit this accident was not my fault yet I was left without a car couldn't find another car within my price budget even close to the price I purchased my Insignia for 5 months earlier. Absolutely appealing company frankly there claims department needs to be looked at very closely. Even if I needed to pay double the price of my Insurance premium I would do it to avoid using this company ever again
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Christopher, Thank you for your feedback. We’re really sorry to hear about the experience you've had with your claim. Unfortunately, we can't see any of your details, but we would like to look into this further for you. Please contact us by sending an email to customer.relations@1stcentral.co.uk. Please remember to include your policy number and details of what’s gone wrong, and we’ll see if we can put things right. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Nothing less of a DISGRACE! This company is nothing less of a DISGRACE! Empty promises and poor service. Completely unorganised and NEVER DO AS THEY SAY WILL. Have caused me so much more distress at a very difficult time and simply don’t care. Heartless, cruel and unprofessional.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Christy, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. As per your review on Trustpilot, I've sent this on to the relevant team and they will be in touch in due course. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
Don’t even think about using them Email sent to 1st Central accouple of weeks ago I have to say that dealing with yourselves has been very frustrating over a period of several days and you have wasted hours of my time. This all started when I accepted your quotation through Go Compare. All seemed well until I received a message to contact you which I did by phone and spoke to a thoroughly unpleasant woman who made me feel that I was at a police interview. She asked multiple questions about my wife’s employment status. She then decreed that my wife was self employed not employed as I had said on the form. This is a moot point as she only does contract work for one company so technically she is employed. Anyway shortly afterwards I realised that I may have made a mistake regarding my NCD to I telephoned in and spoke to an agent and told he that I had made a genuine mistake in my declaration. I received an email from the agent stating that my policy had increased by £207!! I asked her to explain the astronomical increase and she told me that was due to the change of information supplied by me!! They did offer to reduce this to £157 as a goodwill gesture!! Goodwill??? Using my wife’s new employment status and a zero NCD I used Go Compare again for a new quote. Guess what? It recommended 1st Central again at around £12 more p.a.! Not £157. I contacted 1st Central to inform them of my findings. They were not interested. So the only choice I had now was to accept the £157 increase or take out a new policy and cancel the first one at a cost just short of £100! Some choice! I don’t like being fleeced so I contacted them again by phone and eventually was able to secure a reduction in the cancellation ‘fine’ to £50. So, not entirely happy all I had to do now was buy the new policy and call up and cancel the original policy and pay the fine. Phoned on Monday and was told by the agent that the cost was just short of £100! I told the agent that a deal had been agreed, I could tell the conversation was going nowhere so asked to speak to a manager. I was put on hold and after listening to their irritating music for the 30 minutes I hung up. Tuesday was a repeat of Monday. Finally today I was able to speak to an actual manager who eventually reduced the fee to £50. Hooray or so I thought. An email arrived confirming the cancellation of the first policy and stating there was a fine to pay of £97!! We’ll see what happens about that. I don’t like being fleeced like this by companies that hide behind what they call ‘T&C’s’. When really it just looks like unethical business practice. I would not recommend 1st Central to anyone that I liked.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Bob, We're really sorry to hear about the experience you've had with your policy and speaking to our team. We'll use this feedback to help improve our service and processes. Dan
Posted 3 years ago
1st CENTRAL is rated 4.0 based on 5,233 reviews