Hastings Direct Smart Miles Reviews

Name: Hastings Direct Smart Miles
Rating: 3.29

3.3 Rating 2,010 Reviews

56 %

of reviewers recommend Hastings Direct Smart Miles

3.3

Based on 2,010 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier
On-time Delivery	Greater than 72%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour

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Hastings Direct Smart Miles 1 star review on 12th July 2024

James

Hastings Direct Smart Miles 5 star review on 29th September 2023

Jason Major

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“I purchased this policy for my daughter for her first car. Although Hastings Direct provided the cheapest quote, they fail to tell you some major drawbacks with the policy until after you have purchased it. The SmartBox scores drivers on four aspects. Acceleration, braking, speed and time of day. The first 3 are quite reasonable, but it is not made clear until after you buy the policy that driving after 10pm drags down your score considerably and can result in cancellation of the policy at considerable financial loss. As a result, you are severely restricted as to when you can use your car. If anyone still wishes to buy in this knowledge, do pay the ?35 for an engineer install of the SmartBox. The blurb says it just attaches to the battery terminals, which sounds straightforward. But this info is incorrect for many cars. In my daughters case (2015 Ford Focus) the engineer had to remove trim and rubber seals to roll back the carpet and then hard wire into a large tightly bound wiring loom and drill the SmartBox into the floor of the car. This would be impossible for anyone to do themselves unless they are an electrician. I also wasn't happy about having the immaculate car that I had just bought for her pulled around like that. Finally, the SmartMiles App and Website are both hopeless. The website doesn't show correct info (trips get missed etc) and shows wildly different data to the App. It also doesn't allow you to log off. The App shows more of the trips, but they take an age to update and, when they do, they sometimes only show part of the journey, wrongly implying that your car was left overnight somewhere other than your home which, again, can impact on your insurance and result in possible (and unfair) cancellation. I thought there was a fault with the SmartBox but miraculously, the App seems to sometimes correct itself and complete the rest of the trip a few days later. Had I known that this policy would be so restrictive and the SmartBox data so hopelessly incorrect and unreliable, I would have paid the extra for a policy that doesn't require a telematics box. Even though my daughters score is currently a very respectable 99, it's all far to stressful worrying that you may be penalised due to poor system reliability and inaccurate data and not being able to drive after 10pm without major risk of having the policy cancelled. It is very unlikely that we will renew with Hastings as a result and wish that I had read the countless appalling reviews on this review site before I purchased this policy as I would have shopped elsewhere.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi and thank you for your feedback. You can find information about Time Of Day driving ?our website under Facts and Questions which says 'For the purposes of the policy, night driving is considered to be between the hours of 10pm and 5am'. Under the section of 'How SmartMiles works', it states that 'we won't charge you a penalty for driving at night. However driving between 10pm and 5am will lower your driver rating, so we recommend you don't do this regularly between 10pm and 5am'.box install damage. We are sorry for the distress the installation caused, our professional engineers are fully trained and experienced in installing our boxes. ?It is extremely rare that any damage is caused during installation but please let us know if there were any issues following fitment. ?The Self install SmartMiles box is different to the Professional install version. The self install the box is attached to your battery terminals, we provide instructions for easy fitting, app and site usability and accuracy. SmartMiles boxes will start to collect driving data as soon as they are installed. Once the box is full it transmits the data which is then uploaded on to your dashboard and app, this happens approximately every 60 miles but it can vary depending on your driving style. On occasions the Dashboard and App ?may upload at slightly different times, if you look at your journey data alongside your scores, you?ll be able to identify which journeys have been uploaded and included.Hope this helps.? Please let us know if you would like us to contact you to discuss any of your points in more detail. ~Joe

Posted 6 years ago

“Originally called to confirm that changing my occupational details would cost ?150 as quoted online. Then when I actually went to amend the details, they quoted me ?360 and told me that the previous quote was invalid, and there was nothing that they could do.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, I can see how frustrating your situation is and understand that your review reflects that. I am sory we could not enact the change with the price you saw online as mid term adjustments are not calculated the same as a new policy with different details. ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Answer my email about the non sensicle request to pay ?0.00 or my insurance will be cancelled!”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi,? On occasion human error can cause a letter such as this to be generated, however the system will not cancel a policy with no outstanding balance, I can assure you? ? ~Joe

Posted 6 years ago

“Need to improve on the smart miles box”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi Liam, Thank you for taking the time to review us and offer your feedback. We're always looking at how to improve and welcome your comments as our customer ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Unfortunately i had a terrible experience with Hastings Smart Miles. When i received the telematics box and fitted it to my car (2006 Vauxhall Corsa) it interfered with the electronics of the car and the car would not re-start. We called out the RAC who fixed the electronics, refitted the telematics box and the same issue arose. The RAC engineer wrote a report saying that the telematics box was not fit for purpose and was a danger to my car. I forwarded this information to Hastings (within my 14 day cooling/ cancellation period) and they argued that i had to pay around ?300 for the 8 days i had been using the insurance. I argued that i was within the cancellation policy, but they dragged out the argument saying they had to contact different departments and get back to me. Unfortunately, during this time, i was involved in a non-fault accident and therefore needed to stay with Hastings so they could sort out my claim. I have just bought new car insurance with another insurer and will never use Hastings again, regardless of how cheap they may be. I would rather pay that bit extra to remain with a company that actually cares about my safety.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi,? Sorry to see you were not happy with the product. The box only draws power from your battery and does not connect to your car's electrics, however we're always happy to hear from an engineer to investigate their report. Cancelling within the cooling off period does still incur some charges however and we will calculate them for you upon request. Even if you've had an accident with us, there are no barriers to cancelling or choosing another insurer - we will still continue to process your claim ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Train all of your employees with the knowledge of what a black box can do. My car was stolen and several people under your employment weren't able to track my car to find its location. It was left to the police and I was without a car for 4 weeks when the car could have been pin pointed the day it was stolen which could have prevented the damage to my car.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Hi there,Thank you for your review. I'm so sorry to read that you have had your car stolen, this must have been a terrible experience and one that we should have been able to help with. We do use the services of a company that can locate the vehicle, however, this doesn't necessarily mean we can recover it immediately. I do hope that the rest of the claim goes smoothly and that you come to a swift conclusion.~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“1. iPhone SE: app won't login at all 2. S7 Edge: changing to "Journeys" section often logs you out of app. App crashes frequently. The graph shows no progression. 3. Speed rating remains below average despite strictly sticking to the speed limit.”

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Posted 8 years ago

Hi,? Sorry to see you've not had much success with the app - if you want to get more help about raising scores just get in touch with the phone team and we'll be happy to talk to you ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Very confusing as the documents demanded, V5 and proof of no claims are not always available to the keeper of the car. I lease a car so do not get a V5. My current insurance provider will not provide no claims evidence until the current policy expires and that is after the smartmiles installation date. I cannot therefor comply with Smartmiles demands and info on correspondence states that I will be fined ?45 if I do not supply docs on the day of installation. Also calls placed on hold to sort this out for over an hour. Very frustrating and tempted to give up and cancel but will see what happens on installation day.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, Thank you for the explanation into your issue. I have passed it to our team to investigate further as there does seem to be a simpler way we could ensure your process went. I hope by now we've spoken to you but if not, it should be soon. You may also call anytime of course if you want to discuss.? Thank you again Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“This mail has been sent to the wrong person. Don't know who Hollie Redfern is. What about data protection?”

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Posted 7 years ago

Hi there,Thank you for making us aware of this. There has been an oversight on our behalf that we have addressed.~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“I was shocked that Hastings Direct took money for my renewal automatically. I was expecting a phone call or some sort of authorisation from me before they went ahead. I phoned Hastings, and was told that when I took out the policy this would have been told to me over the phone. This is what I call small print speak. Not openly clear and highly annoying as I wanted to use a different method to pay. So I am not impressed...”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi Emma,Thank you for your review. I'm sorry to see you were unaware that we have automatically renewed your policy without your prior notice. We do have a level of responsibility as an insurance company to ensure you are always insured. We would have sent you a renewal invitation 28 days before your policy was due to expire whether in letter form or via email so if this was missed I apologise. ~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“Quote me happy. Care that I have found lots of much better quotes. Endeavour to keep old, loyal customer who has never claimed!”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. We send our renewal quotes out 28 days prior to your policy expiring in 'real time pricing' meaning the price on that day. This price can change constantly and completely out of our control, you may well find it has gone up or down in the meantime. If you have a quote reference from a comparison website, we would endeavour to match it for you. ~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“Hastings direct smart miles was fine in the first year. I was under the impression that once you had completed your year of having a black box that you would then move onto not having a black box anymore. This was not the case and so the discount I earned from having a good score was wasted as I could either continue to have a black box or have to change company. I thought that the discount could be transferred from Hastings smart miles to regular Hastings insurance but this was not allowed. Would not recommend.”

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Posted 8 years ago

I'm sorry to see there was some confusion. The black box is a vital stipulation for all of our SmartMiles policies and is a fantastic opportunity for young drivers to make savings. We do have a wide range of other products on offer if you would like to visit our website. ~Connor

Posted 6 years ago

“Pretty poor. My renewal quote went from in the region of ?600 to ?2500”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hello, I'm really sorry to hear about the increase and I hope that you've since been able to find a price that is more suitable and competitive for you. Please contact the smart miles renewals team so they can take a look at this, if you haven't already done so and thank you for taking the time to leave a review with us -Theo

Posted 6 years ago

“Tried to get through to them twice over phone, ended up waiting 45 minutes on hold with no response. Gave up and put it down.”

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Posted 8 years ago

Hi, Sorry to learn that we didn't answer your calls promptly and can appreciate your frustration. Thanks for the feedback, it is welcome ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“SHOCKING COMMUNICATION AND SERVICE”

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Posted 8 years ago

Hi Chloe-Anne, I'm sorry to see you weren't happy with us. If we can be of assistance still, do let us know ~Joe

Posted 6 years ago

“I spoke with an employee on the telephone and told her I did not wish to renew my policy. She was possibly the rudest/most arrogant person I have ever spoken to in a customer service environment and I really do think you need to take a listen to some of your calls and the way they are dealt with. After I told her I did not want to renew she then went on to tell me some information about my renewal which I CLEARLY said I did not want. I pointed out that I already asked to cancel and she replied with 'Yes I know I'm just saying'. Possibly the most redundant thing I have ever heard? She was sighing the entire phone call and sounded like she couldn't care less about what I had to say. I then received 'urgent' emails after this phone call whilst on holiday telling me I had not paid the fee and I needed to speak with someone regarding my policy (which I clearly asked to be suspended). I replied to this email only to be sent an auto response and then sent MORE emails about my policy that I DID NOT WANT TO RENEW. I honestly think you need to look at the way you deal with customers who ask to not renew their policies as I will NEVER recommend you to ANY of my friends/family should they ask. If you have any way of listening to this call back I would appreciate it if you could and deal with this in any way you see fit.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, I am very sorry to see this. You can log a complain using the e-mail form on the link here;?https://www.hastingsdirectsmartmiles.com/contact ~Connor

Posted 6 years ago

“I was just presented with an ultimatum. If I didn't do this, I would not be insured. If I didn't do that within a certain length of time,I would not be insured. If I had had more time I would not be insured with you.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, Sorry to see you've not felt you got the right service from us. There are safeguards or processes that we must adhere to and many insurers operate in a similar way. Documents like your V5 and no claims bonus will be important each year so it's a good idea to have them safe ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Absolutely no feedback. No explanation of what influences your score. One occasion of driving out of hours depreciates your score for ever ( and that one occasion was split into two over midnight)”

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Posted 7 years ago

Hi there,I'm sorry to see you are not happy with the transparency of the scores. We do have a dedicated team that would be more than happy to explain how the box works and give you hints and tips to improve your score. You can call them on 0800 048 2955. In regards to your time of day score, you can improve this by counterbalancing your day time driving to your nigh time driving. I do appreciate how frustrating this must be at times. ~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“They claimed I was a delivery driver because I made lots of short journeys and cancelled my insurance but managed to sort it. They score very harshly on driving and hard to improve score. Staff are like robots.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi,? I'm sorry to read your review and apologise if you didn't feel you got the best service from our colleague that we can offer. Hopefully it is sorted but if you still need help just get in touch ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“I was hoping to get a quote to renew the insurance on my sons car, however as my younger son was taking the lead on the policy from my older son (now at uni) the call handler didn't seem interested and suggested we go to a comparison site !”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi there,I'm really sorry to see you didn't receive the level of service that you should have done, we do strive to be as professional as possible and if this wasn't the case I apologise. I do hope you manage to find appropriate cover for your son.~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

Hastings Direct Smart Miles is rated 3.3 based on 2,010 reviews