“Bradford & Bingley refused to refund the remainder of the contents insurance policy I had with them, because I had made a claim. They were only willing to cancel the policy with no refund, when I was not offered insurance by them at my new property without paying for an expensive Structural Survey, other underwriters more than happy to insure without. I still own the previous property, but don't have many items there so when I realised I might as well have the policy as it would cost me no more to have it in place I called up only to be told that it could not be reinstated, I'd have to pay full price to start another if I wanted to. I did not cancel the policy at the end but in fact after just 3 months of an annual policy which cost me over £300 at renewal. They did pay out for a TV I had accidentally broken (I'd paid for accidental damage cover, so would expect this) however with the £100 excess and approx £200 lost due to refused refund that's half the £600 claim already clawed back by the insurance company I'll no doubt be paying higher premiums for years too. My advice is don't pay annually, think twice about claiming for anything that isn't a large claim as it will cost you more not just in the long term but also in the short term.”
“Took out home insurance with Bradford & Bingley while renting but then when we bought our first home and took a policy with our mortgage provider, issues began.
Their cancellation charge was so high that I decided to keep the policy despite not needing it, had to pay a £20 amendment fee.
Changed my bank account and called them with new card details but they said they couldn't take payment until my original payment had been returned unpaid! Another £20 fee. I'm so sick of their fees and farcical systems that I'd rather take a hit with their £30 cancellation fee than remain a customer. Avoid.”
