Name: Hastings Direct Smart Miles
Rating: 3.28

“utterly incompetent and indifferent customer service! One of the guys on the phone service haggles like a south asian street trader and it took 3x 40 minute phone calls to get sense from then when changing car shortly before annual renewal! They forgot to arrange black box fitting to new car (their euphemism - issues connecting with the engineers) then demanded it be fitted at a time that meant changing other plans. No acknowledgement of complaint letters. Overall I'd recommend people stay away rather than use them”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Steer well clear!”

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Posted 8 years ago

“They're dickheads !!!!!”

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(Car Insurance) - Posted 8 years ago

“It is the worst insurance imaginable. It seems to punish me solely just for driving. Firstly, they lowered my score because I drove after 10PM, I don't know if this is standard policy across insurance policies or something but it is vastly unfair for people like me whose lifestyle largely involves driving later at night. I altered this after the most condescending and unhelpful call for all time from someone clearly blinding off a script with no idea what they were doing. After this, my score failed to increase after I went to great inconvenient measures to assure this. Not only this but they continued to penalise me due to my breaking. My breaking is fine, I assure you. I live on a council estate and am required to slow down by cars pulling out unannounced and by speed bumps which are on literally every street in the area. I altered all of my routes and driving style to make my driving coincide with their unrealistic, preposterous and insulting driving standards and not only did my score not increase, it fell. It seems as if they are using the scoring system to permanently keep you as close to having your policy cancelled as possible in order to scare you into just not driving or being incredibly paranoid and driving as 'safe' (by ridiculous standards) as is possible. I would literally rather sell a kidney than renew my policy with them. I cannot stress this enough. I'd cancel it now but they charge hundreds for policy cancellations, another harshly anti-customer practice no doubt intended to keep this company from being revealed as the most anti-consumer driving insurance policy imaginable. LOOK LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE”

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Posted 8 years ago

“It is the worst insurance imaginable. It seems to punish me solely just for driving. Firstly, they lowered my score because I drove after 10PM, I don't know if this is standard policy across insurance policies or something but it is vastly unfair for people like me whose lifestyle largely involves driving later at night. I altered this after the most condescending and unhelpful call for all time from someone clearly blinding off a script with no idea what they were doing. After this, my score failed to increase after I went to great inconvenient measures to assure this. Not only this but they continued to penalise me due to my breaking. My breaking is fine, I assure you. I live on a council estate and am required to slow down by cars pulling out unannounced and by speed bumps which are on literally every street in the area. I altered all of my routes and driving style to make my driving coincide with their unrealistic, preposterous and insulting driving standards and not only did my score not increase, it fell. It seems as if they are using the scoring system to permanently keep you as close to having your policy cancelled as possible in order to scare you into just not driving or being incredibly paranoid and driving as 'safe' (by ridiculous standards) as is possible. I would literally rather sell a kidney than renew my policy with them. I cannot stress this enough. I'd cancel it now but they charge hundreds for policy cancellations, another harshly anti-customer practice no doubt intended to keep this company from being revealed as the most anti-consumer driving insurance policy imaginable. LOOK LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE”

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Posted 8 years ago

“If I could give these a score of -100 I would. Nothing but grief for the 6 weeks I was with them. I must of phoned over 20 times. My previous insurer with a fitted box rated me at 9/10 driver. However according to Hastings direct SMARTMILES I'm a 39/100. I have never sped whilst driving- but they continuiously told me that I was going 40mph in a 30zone- on a road I drive up and down every day that quite often has a speed van sitting at the top. My 4 average scores never changed from word go- but my overall score fluctuated between 38-45/100. Very convient that when FORCED to cancel my policy my score was 39- I only needed 40 to not be cancelled. The grief this insurance have caused! I will never ever recommend this company in my life- they wanted £300 for me to cancel, when my fiance told them to swivel after 2 hours of arguing with a very rude manager. I got the price down to £25- so glad I cancelled. Don't get with Hastings direct SMARTMILES!”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Complete con of a black box policy and I strongly urge anyone reading this to look for insurance elsewhere. The app points system is purposefully made to lower your score and does not take into account speed bumps and mounting pavements when measuring your breaking score which in turn can lead to your policy being cancelled without any notice whatsoever. Furthermore, it is very easy for your score to decrease but not even remotely easy to increase your score afterwards. Please read other reviews and then ask yourself why people are reviewing Hastings badly.”

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(Car Insurance) - Posted 8 years ago

“My son had this policy for 6 months (bit longer than most on these reviews) then scores for braking & accelerating went to 0 ! He drives in a busy city with a lots of hill starts, apparently the G force generated from hill starts brought the score down - RIDICULOUS !! 175 days of insurance cover , just over 2000 miles travelled - total rip off. The policy has now been cancelled and we will be faced with a large bill to do this , over £250 !! Plus paying by Direct debit and cancelling proves even more costly upon cancellation as your monthly payments will not cover the insurance and interest charges I have now been told. If you don't want to ripped off then look elsewhere for telematics insurance.”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Prepare to lose money. Absolute SCAM!”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Absolutely awful - same story as everyone else. Cancelled insurance”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Can someone please explain why this company hasn't been fined or taken to court? My story is practically the same of hundreds/ thousands of reviews. My daughter was forced to cancel after 6 weeks resulting in losing a lot of hard earned money. Crazy that majority of there customers have score of 38/40 a lot of bad drivers out there NOT more like cheap black boxes they import over here and scam every one.. beware this shady company has been on watchdog on BBC before perhaps we can bring them back for some answers and refunds!!!! Stay well clear”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Avoid this company! Having only recently passed my driving test and being eighteen I was looking for affordable car insurance, Smart miles seemed perfect. Since taking the policy out the black box has not worked at all, initially i was scored 100 for every aspect apart from 0 for acceleration. I thought this issue would resolve but didn't so I decided to phone customer service and spoke to an advisor who told me I was driving over too many potholes and speed bumps on my journey home from work and told to alter my journey. Trying my best to avoid pothole my acceleration score didn't not improve and phoned customer service back and the advisor said they would refer this issue to specialist black box engineer and if there was a problem I would be contacted within 48 hours, which they didn't, so I phoned back myself a week later to be told there was no information from the engineers and to phone back later. Problems with the black box have since exculated to my speed score dropping. I feel i have to continously justify myself as a safe driver to them and I feel have to be an overly cautious driver. This black box does not represent my driving , as a consquence I will be cancelling this policy before the situation exculates. Smart miles is a complete SCAM and I will be referring this issue to the omnibus regulators.”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Atrocious insurance company - along with cancelling my insurance policy without warning (because I mentioned on the phone that I would be changing address online then didn't do it within a certain time frame) they have quoted me for a temp driver for our holiday, and withdrawn the product 4 days after the quote. 2 weeks later we are about to go on a road trip holiday leaving in 3 days, I called to activate the quote and told that the underwriters have withdrawn the product and it is not possible anymore. Left with the option to insure my friend on the whole policy, which is 2.5x the price for just 5 days of driving. Jokers. Oh, and they will take up to 8 weeks to come back to me with a solution to my complaint.”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Every thing mentioned in the reviews....avoid avoid avoid like the plague.Some body needed to take this company to the courts it's like the PPI scam all over again only in a bigger scale. Keep all documents as this will become a class-action law suit some day”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Don't take a policy out with this company!! I made the mistake of taking out the policy then going to download the smart miles app & seen all the bad reviews about losing money and policies being cancelled I said to myself I've made a mistake here... so I rang up to cancel winthin my 14 cooling off period to receive a letter today saying they want nearly £400 to cancel when I had only been insured with them 10 days and I hadn't even fitted the box yet! What 'young person' has nearly £400 to give to an insurer at one time to cancel it!? I'm very disgusted in this and will be calling them to ask why 10 days of cover is nearly £400 I think that's extortionate! Do not take the policy out!! You will regret it!! Money making scam!”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Absolute rubbish,went over speed limit 2 mph got 25 out of hundred.rubbish rubbish”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Scammed £250, forced to cancel”

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Posted 8 years ago

“A Scam to make money - Took out policy in February 2017 and have today (26 July) had notice that they are cancelling the policy - the car has hardly been used as I am currently off work - disgusting. Rude people on the phone. I have been a driver for 20 years - no penalties and how they can justify this I don't know - policy was taken for my son. Worst ever insurance I have seen in my life”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Unjustified bad score. These people are making money from cancelling policies. They charged me £448 for being insured for a month and a half, after I was forced to cancel it. Very sneaky, slimy company. Do not get insured with these people.”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Don't make the mistake I made and buy out insurance from Hastings before reading the reviews, they are shocking and rob you off, take your money and a few months down the line cancel for minor faults, breaking sharp because someone pulls out infront of you and driving late at night if you work late hours then this policy also isn't for you, ridiculous and day light robbery!”

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Posted 8 years ago

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

Hastings Direct Smart Miles Reviews