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Hastings Direct Smart Miles Reviews

3.3 Rating 1,960 Reviews

57 %

of reviewers recommend Hastings Direct Smart Miles

Company Reviews

Product Reviews

3.3

Based on 1,960 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 5 star review on 29th September 2023

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“My son has been with hastings about three months and the black box is absolute rubbish! Getting score up is impossible! The black box does not pick up his breaking unless he has had to break sharp due to another driver. He’s tried everything to get high score but now they are saying they are cancelling insurance!! He has called many times and all he gets told is try and get score up! How??? It doesnt work!!! Now he has 7 days till cancellation and got to pay hastings when its them cancelling!!! Worst company ever for customer service! Plus now they are cancelling insurance his insurance with another company will double! Hastings seriously sort out the black boxes you supply because direct line boxes work perfectly and customer service is far better!!!!”

Posted 5 years ago

Hello, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and I am sorry that you feel you've had a negative experience with us. We would have contacted your son with an initial pre warning letter when his score dropped below 40. After this we would have given him the opportunity to lift his score above 40 and the first warning would only have been issued if he didn't increase his score after either 50 miles of driving or 5 journeys. Failing to do so, we would then have issued your son with a second warning only after 200 miles worth of driving. If your son didn't increase his score in the 7 days after his second warning was issued, only then would we look to cancel his policy. We are sorry to lose your son as a customer but ultimately black box policies are based on driving behavioral scores. ~ Amber

Posted 4 years ago

“My son has a smart miles box, his driving is fine. his box has recorded he has had an accident which he hasn't had. the car is showing that it has been driven to places that it hasn't when the car is stationary The stress this has caused as we have been threatened with insurance cancellation on more than one occasion. the customer service is non-existent, I have asked for a callback now on three occasions. My son had a black box last year with no issues whatsoever, his driving has not changed he is a sensible driver that drives approximately 50 miles per day on the motorway yet the box is not rising above 36”

Posted 5 years ago

Hello Lisa, I am really sorry that your son has had so much trouble with his black box and I do apologise that you didn't have a positive customer experience with us. If you believe that the black box is faulty then it is best to call the SmartMiles team on 01733 308 380 to discuss this further and if you would like to raise a formal complaint due to this experience then you can do so by following this link: ow.ly/rgmi30jT3rR ~ Amber

Posted 4 years ago

“My name is Steve Elton and I’m outraged by this company, my daughter had to talk about her renewal and was asked about illnesses and she told Carl she was going to be going in hospital for a bone marrow transplant next week so he did what they do and then refused her insurance, right we’ve contacted dvla and a bone marrow transplant is not an illness they consider as a problem with driving as it does not affect your mental state and you are not aloud out of hospital unless you can walk and have the full use of your body, I believe this should be overturned and I will be phoning them on Monday morning”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Steve, Apologies for the delay in our reply to your review and I really do hope that your daughter is feeling well. I hope that this matter was resolved and if not then you are welcome to raise a formal complaint by following this link: ow.ly/rgmi30jT3rR ~ Amber

Posted 4 years ago

“I generally had good experiences with the company, however I braked sharply the other day (prior to this, my scores on everything were 100) because a car in front of me failed to brake in enough time and now much braking score is stuck on 15 and won’t go up? Like I said, there was one trip where I needed to brake sharply but since then I’ve been making sure not to and still there’s been no change, whether this be an increase or decrease in score.”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thanks for your review. Sorry to see you have not received the service we strive to provide. Our team in Smart\Miles are available to offer you tips or helpful hints on how you can improve your driving score as you may be effecting it without realizing. You can reach the team on 01733 308 380 and they will be able to look into this for you. ~ Harriot

Posted 5 years ago

“Fraud. All I’ll say is if you want to go with these cunts then put a glass of water on you dashboard, because that’s how they expect to drive if you have a box. It’s also rigged to make your driving awful. In there policy wording, it stated that braking will only go down if you brake harshly on a regular basis, however I only braked harshly once and they instantly put the score for braking down by over 40. It’s an absolute joke, their cunts simple as that. MyPolicy aren’t much better either”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thanks for your review. I am very sorry to hear you feel this way. The black box is based on all of your driving data so if you brake harshly once this will make a impact to your score depending on how many overall miles you have done. If you would like the team to clarify this for you, or if you would like to question any reductions on your score then you can always contact the team on 01733 308 380. ~ Harriot

Posted 5 years ago

“What out...I think the staff may be programmed too.!.. Linked up to a black box, which reduces their pay if they tell the truth, accept what a customer is saying, or don’t follow the script. Jamie, who gives feed back in customer service must me on a good wack! Mind he does have copy and paste at your disposal, but, I suppose it’s only a matter of time before similar, customers come along with the same name. Waiting to be patronisied and dismissed. Shame on this company.. Get out Jamie.. Run.. Run...Run...!before they switch you off. The reviews are transparent....can you not see.”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thanks for your review. Sorry to hear you have had such a poor experience, and I apologise for any distress or frustration that this has caused you. I hope your situation has now been resolved, however if not please feel free to email our team on help@hastingsdirect.com for assistance. ~ Harriot

Posted 5 years ago

“I haven’t went over the speed limit once and I’ve had box 4 months and my “speed” is sitting on 90? Could you tell me why please? Is there any chance I could work to get that back to 100?”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Wesley, Thanks for your review. It may be that your speed slightly too high on a road which was unfamiliar to yourself. The SmartMiles team are able to look at this for you and see where you went over the speed limit to give you some clarification on the situation, however if you continue to follow the road signs your speed score will increase. ~ Harriot

Posted 5 years ago

“AVOID!!! IF I COULD GOVE ZERO I WOULD!! Firstly I was unable to be contacted properly as I used an iCloud email, I rang multiple times to complain about problems and reading from the box every time the quality of service was shockingly poor, one woman explaining she ‘doesn’t understand how the scores work’ To cut a long story short after 3 weeks I recieved notice of my policy cancellation then told to cancel my own policy to avoid the adverse effects. Now charged £195 for box and cancellation and £130 direct debit for a months policy which they have informed me will still go out after my cancellation date. AVOID AT ALL COSTS PURE SCAM!!! Wish I’d read reviews prior. Lesson learned!!”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your review. It is more than disappointing to see that you had such a negative experience dealing wit our customer service team and I'm also sorry that the whole cancellation process has been a costly one. In the circumstances, if you feel we have mistreated you in any way, you can raise a complaint by clicking on this link: contact@hastingsdirectsmartmiles.com. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“If I can prevent one person from buying insurance from this company I shall be happy. This organisation is a complete scam company that will sell a young person cheap insurance then a few weeks later say that they are driving poorly and cancel the insurance and charge them £45 for cancellation and £150 for the box. Times that by a few thousand and you have made a pretty profit with no risk. It is legalised exstortion and the Ombusman says that they have thousands of complaints but they are within the law- but only just. So if you’re thinking about buying insurance from these people, please, please look elsewhere or you will regret it.”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry you have had such a negative experience with your SmartMiles insurance. We are very transparent with our terms and conditions, especially in the fact that we monitor policy holders scores and require them to stay above 40/100. We also offer help and support to give all policy holders that scores drop below, the best possible chance of improving their scores through help and support. If this wasn't the case in your situation I apologise sincerely. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“Clearly a fraud, my son has just had the same 0 for acceleration and 30 for speed since getting the car, despite him driving like Mary Poppins. Had the same email warning they will cancel and then a week later the cancellation email. The fact that the score has never changed on the acceleration and speed in 6 months tells you something....it does not work and is a scam to allow them to scare young drivers into cancelling their policy so that Hastings do not have to pay out. This will catch up with you Hastings and I will be one of the first in line with my legal representative when it does.”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your review. I'm sorry to see that your son is having issues with their driving behaviour score. We do require our policy holders to keep their score above 40/100 but do have processes in place to help support and improve their score. The First Response Unit is dedicated to provide assistance in these situations, explaining how the box collects the data and giving examples of when acceleration and speeding may have been harsher than usual. The team can be reached on 0800 048 2955. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“My son has been told they are withdrawing his car insurance as his score has been below 40. Tell me why his speed has been scored at 30 for the whole 5 months and he did ring and query it and they said everything was fine. Also his acceleration is 0 and has never changed in the 5 months he's had his insurance?????? Surely this is a system that is faulty???? Is it fare that he loses his insurance and all the money he's paid??”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to see your son has had so many issues with his SmartMiles policy. If you are unsure of the scores that your son has accumulated and want some clarity, we do have a dedicated team that can give examples, helpful hints and support to see him improve his driving behaviour score. The First Response Unit can be contacted on 0800 048 2955. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“Had been with the insurers for almost 2 years with a black box and they got me a good deal on my renewal after year one but as soon as I got a new car I had to be treated as a ‘new customer’ and they couldn’t give me a better deal even with a great black box score previously and they made me cancel my policy and make a new one for the new car, which impacts my no claims discount. For the black box to be fitted, they arrived late and broke my glove box door. They don’t listen to customers, they simply say ‘feel free to shop around for another insurer’”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. I can only imagine how frustrating this must have been for you especially in the light that you had such a strong driving behaviour score the previous year. Unfortunately, as we use a panel of underwriters, some will cover a new vehicle and some wont, if the one you had at the time refused, it would be a case of having to take out another policy (having an impact on your no claims.) I really am sorry that this situation arose and hope you now have the cover on place meaning you can enjoy your new vehicle. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“Avoid avoid avoid always telling u they going to cancel your insurance takes the whole fun of passing your test away... u cant always access the app to check your score and even after driving in the speed limit and driving like a saint the scores stay low and defo dont update as often as they say... had the policy for 3 days and they said will cancel it.. then there system had to b updated as the speed limits in our area had changed and there system hadnt updated this so was getting low scores all the time which was there fault. Complete nightmare wish i had just paid more and had no black box in the first place... my son has been with them 3 months and for some reason his score is lower than ever its like they keeping it low so they can cancel it....”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to see you have had difficulties with your SmartMiles policy. Our boxes update every 70-75 miles so you should see a change at about this time. If you feel you need help and support, we have dedicated team that can do just that. The First Response Unit can give you helpful hints and tips and also explain how the box works, they can be contacted on 0800 048 2955. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“Quite literally the worst experience I received from this company when comparing against any other company I've dealt with - They decided to try charge an additional £1000~ for not declaring claims which were in fact false, they then attempted to state we lied and had to do their job for them by getting records from our previous insurance company just to have smartmiles then try change the issue to not getting a blackbox fitted when in fact it was scheduled on the same day as paying for the insurance and that making sure smartmiles knew when it was getting fitted and finally have them send an outrageous letter saying they're cancelling the policy under no legal grounds and further demanding more money with none of the staff people polite in anyway and not even understanding how insurance works.”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. I'm so sorry to read that you have had such a negative experience with your SmartMiles policy. We are as professional as we possibly can be so to read that you were accused of lying is extremely disappointing and I apologise sincerely. I hope that by the time you receive this response the matter will have been rectified. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“awful customer service”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for you review. I', sorry that you have had such a negative experience dealing with our Customer Service team. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“My telematics box fitting was due between 9am and 1pm. I phoned smart Miles at 1:30 as no one had turned up Someone turned up at 3:30 We weren’t notified that they would be late, so I was unhappy with the service”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback, I'm really sorry to read you wasted your afternoon and nobody contacted you to make you aware that the engineer would be late. Hopefully you have not had any issues since. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“The member of staff was very helpful and listened to my needs giving me all options available I was dealt in a professional manner”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Fozia, Thank you for your 5 star review! We are so pleased that you felt listened to and that you were dealt with in a professional manner. ~ Amber

Posted 4 years ago

“Modern day robbers who give threatening behaviour, hiding behind Smart box technology whereby the consumer wouldn't be able to challenge if the data was correct or not or if its been manipulated. Only 10 days into a car insurance policy and I am sent an email saying my insurance could be cancelled by Hastings Direct Smart Miles if my score continues to be below 40 over the next 200 miles, but I won't be entitled to a refund on the £100 (1/3 of the insurance premium paid upfront) and they will charge another £45 for THEM cancelling the insurance premium!!!! What’s to stop this company taking the equivalent of 5-6 months premiums including the cancellation penalty and manipulating the data on the smart box to allow them to cancel the policy in the first couple weeks….”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, I'm sorry to see you have had such a negative experience with our SmartMiles insurance. When our policy holders take out policies, they are made aware that we have four areas we observe and require you to have a score above 40/100. We also have a process in place and also help and support to enable you to get the score back to where it needs to be. I completely understand your frustrations but the First Response Unit would be more than happy to provide you with data examples of where and when braking or accelerating may have been a bit erratic, as mentioned they can also help with improving your scores. They can be contacted on 0800 048 2955. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“Great renewal price! Very happy with it, company been great with me over the year.”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Rebecca, We really appreciate the time you've taken to share this with us. It's good to see that we were able to offer you a competitive renewal and reward you for the quality of your driving throughout the year. Thank you for choosing to renew with Hastings Smartmiles -Theo

Posted 5 years ago

“Brilliant been very happy”

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Helen, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review with us and for choosing to insure with Hastings Smartmiles. It's very good to see that you had such a positive experience with us -Theo

Posted 5 years ago

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Hastings Direct Smart Miles is rated 3.3 based on 1,960 reviews