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1st CENTRAL Reviews

3.9 Rating 5,237 Reviews
75 %
of reviewers recommend 1st CENTRAL
3.9
Based on 5,237 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
Had an email to review some details, Had my policy out for over a month now,I went through confused.com for the quote originally. I was asked how many years i had been driving for, I put 4 because 3 years and 8 months was closer to 4 then it was 3, Anyhow that was wrong and because i overshot it by there customer advisors advice i should of put 3 years. They're cancelling a policy because i put 4 years and not 3 but i put 4 to include the months, Either way it was wrong, Customer advisor said policy wouldn't of got cancelled if i chose the 3 years but either way the date wouldn't of matched my drivers licence. PS no month option was available for me to input my information of months when i was purchasing through confused.com. Colleague on the 10th of may confirmed my details and said yeah that's fine your occupation is what you said, Today i get told it's not and completely different however my job hasn't changed. Now wants £209 off me for amendments of occupation and because of how long i held licence for or a £80 fee for cancellation when i've not done anything wrong my end. Colleague at 1stcentral even said that it wouldn't of got cancelled if i chose 3 years but either way by the email i recieved and how they're trying to cancel it, It would of still been the wrong dates..... Anyway SHAMBOLIC on them, Questioned twice about occupation and then again today. BY THE WAY, i've had the policy out for over a month and they only just spotted a mistake in the system but gave me no time to sort it.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Katy, 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. I can see this has been sent to our customer relations team. I'll pass your review on to the team to update your file. Please see this FAQ for our complaints procedure -https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/kb/FAQ/content/PROD-6082/How-do-I-complain-about-my-car-insurance. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
This is the most shocking customer experience I have ever received. I cancelled my policy and was due a £75 refund. I was not able to do this online as the bank details they held were out of date. I called and webchatted at the same time to explain this (I wasn't sure which one I would get through first!). I was told both on the phone and by web chat that their accounts team would call within so many days to take my new bank details to issue the refund to. This never occured. I received an email to say I will be sent a £25 refund to the card on file. I replied to explain I am due £75, and as I had said on the phone/web chat and that the bank details they hold are out of date. The response was that I am due £75 and they will refund it to my bank details on file. I replied again. I received an email today to say that the refund already was sent to my old account and they can do nothing more. I have tried to get through to their complaints team today. It's easier to get through a prison barricade. I was told eventually, after explaining the whole situation that 'the money has been refunded to the account on file and it takes 10 days'. When I said that I was frustrated at their lack of ability and understanding of the situation, they put the phone down one me. Seriously awful customer service. Typical computer says no behaviour. Please, please do not use this firm. I mean, how difficult is it to issue a refund to new card details?
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Thank you for your feedback, we're really sorry to hear about the experience you've had with cancelling your policy and receiving your refund. We've reached out to you to obtain some more information from you, so we can look into this further. Dan
Posted 3 years ago
I received my renewal quote, it was a lot lower than expected which was great, I'd just moved house and was messaging them on their live chat, both to change the address and ask what the monthly payments would be for my renewal as the one I'd received though my email was the yearly payment. I changed the address no problem and then asked for the monthly payments for my renewal, baring in mind my new house is a 2 minute drive away from my last one, on a safer more out of the way street, my renewal price has gone from £664.52 to £1184.64. This is atrocious, I understand the system is going to calculate this all but a £520.22 increase for a street 2 minutes up the road from my last house is abominable. It very much seems as if the company is using the change of address, even for exceptionally small distances i.e 2 minutes, to drag the prices up.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Kane, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear about the experience you've had with your renewal and updating your address. Unfortunately, information changing on your policy can result in the price changing. We're sorry this has resulted in us not being competitive on your renewal this year, we'll use this feedback to improve our service. Dan
Posted 3 years ago
This is one of the worst insurance companies I have ever tried to use: I took out this insurance in March 2022, knowing it was one of the cheapest. After 20 days, I get an email to review all my details and after 10 days I get an adjusted amount of + £911 (a barbarity). Adding up what I paid + new adjustment after 30 days, the value was more expensive than other companies year market renowned, so I decide to cancel and paid in cancellations £220, another barbarity. This is one of the worst insurance companies I have ever tried to use, pay attention.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi NM, 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
Cancelled my insurance within 24 hours as found one £240 cheaper and got charged £51 admin fee and 2 days insurance! Then got told if I decided to use them again within the next year of cancelling this policy I would lose my 5 years no claims bonus! Needless to say I told them I under no circumstances will I be back any time soon!
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Emma, 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 £50 non-refundable arrangement fee is 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. In terms of your no claims bonus, this could only ever reduce if you were involved in an accident. So, I apologise, if you were given the wrong information. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
This is one of the worst insurance companies I have ever tried to use. I took out insurance with them and was advised I had a 14 day cooling off period and that if I decided to not go ahead I could cancel with no charge. I then bought a new car and called to get a new quote, as firstly my insurance hadn't actually started yet. I spoke to an advisor that said that the insurance would be nearly double the orice wich is what it is, I was asking for a breakdown and she then put the phone down. I called the 2nd time to cancel and was advised that yes it is within the cooling off period they will charge me £50 for registering me with the Insurance......something or other and that I am liable to pay this even though I wasn't advised of this on the phone! Worst experience ever!! Stay clear!!!
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Hi Heather, 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 £50 non-refundable arrangement fee is 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're sorry to also hear of the issues you had when speaking to us and the line dropping. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley
Posted 3 years ago
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
1st CENTRAL is rated 3.9 based on 5,237 reviews