Hastings Direct Smart Miles Reviews

Name: Hastings Direct Smart Miles
Rating: 3.29

3.3 Rating 2,006 Reviews

56 %

of reviewers recommend Hastings Direct Smart Miles

3.3

Based on 2,006 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

“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 6 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 6 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 6 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 7 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”

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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 7 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.”

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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)”

Helpful Report

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 !”

Helpful Report

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

“you only know how good a insurance company is when you make a claim." Not in this case. I rang to confirm the quote and insurance. Twice they couldn't do it. When I rang a third time the quote had gone up by 96 pounds. I was suppose to have a box fitted they failed too turn up twice. When they came and fitted the box it damaged my battery and wasn't working. It took them three attempts to get it correct costing me time. I made a complaint. Heard no more from it. I told them I would never use them again. I looked in my account last week and they had taken the money for this years insurance without consent and no mail from them as requested. I advised them at the start the only way to contact me was by post and text. This never happened. Their staff are rude. I had request my no claims bonus three times. They are a joke living on a different planet. waste of space. They now wont 90 pound to remove the box. lol”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi, I am very sorry to see this. I would advise that if you have logged an official complaint this should be followed up by our SmartMiles team, so please send another follow-up e-mail so they can investigate. ~Connor

Posted 6 years ago

“Avoid at all costs. My daughter has just had notification three weeks from her renewal date that her policy is being cancelled. She had a note one month in to this policy saying her score had dropped below 40. When she rang she was told it was one incident of breaking that had brought the score down. She pointed out that a tractor had pulled out on her and she had no alternative but to break. The customer care consultant was sympathetic and told her not to worry about it and to ring should she every have to break suddenly. She then continued to drive incident free for the next 10 months and received this letter out of the blue to say her policy is being cancelled and charging her £195 for the privilege. Crooks in my mind, putting young drivers in financial difficulty and making her lose out on 1 years no claims 3 weeks before her policy is due for renewal. The ombudsman needs to step in, in my opinion, based on the horror stories amongst these reviews. I will never entertain them for any insurance again! I would have given a zero if it had been possible.”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi there, I'm sorry to see your daughter is in this position. We wouldn't penalise her for one braking event though as an insurer, wouldn't be fair put her in danger. We average the braking over the whole journey and if there is some late braking, this will have a negative impact on the overall score. We do have a dedicated team who can advise and support during this process. The First Response Unit can be contacted on 0800 048 2955. ~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“Hastings WILL think up numbers out of thin air and make you pay it!! I have been with Hastings for 2 years and my car insurance for this year went up by £200. When I challenged them they couldn't give me a direct answer and just got annoyed. Customer service is terrible - everyone I spoke to didn't seem phased I was leaving them at all. First person I talked to said there would be no cancellation fee. Second person said there would be a small cancellation fee. Then they charge me an additional £100+ AS WELL AS as the cancellation fee (said it was 'cover charge' and interest, in addition to the first monthly charge I had paid). I spoke to 5 different people who all told me different things. Anyway, they spoke to their management and gave me some money off as a "good will" then sheepishly ended the call with "that first month's interest did seem like a lot"... Good luck cancelling folks :)”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to see you were unhappy with your initial renewal quote, quotes are generated in live pricing and sometimes you could get a reduction on the price due to the price changing constantly. Its really disappointing though that you feel that the staff you spoke to mis-advised you and seemed annoyed when confronted with your question. I'm glad to see you managed to get some money back as a good will gesture and hope you have managed to find alternative cover. ~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

Hastings Direct Smart Miles is rated 3.3 based on 2,006 reviews