Hastings Direct Smart Miles Reviews

Name: Hastings Direct Smart Miles
Rating: 3.30

3.3 Rating 1,998 Reviews

56 %

of reviewers recommend Hastings Direct Smart Miles

3.3

Based on 1,998 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

“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’”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 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 6 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....”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 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 6 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.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 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 6 years ago

“awful customer service”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 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 6 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….”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 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 6 years ago

“Exactly the same experience as others! 1 month in and the braking is at 0!! Threatening to cancel the insurance after 40 miles!! It is truly a scam as these boxes which do not update after every journey must cost under a £1 and they charge you £150 when they cancel your insurance. I have contacted BBC watchdog and they are aware of these cowboys but need more complaints as they can’t go by the many hundreds on here. Please contact them on the bbc website so we can shut them down.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Hello, I'm truly sorry to see that you had such a poor experience with us. The team does strive to disclose all potential fees before the policy is purchased so I do apologise if this was information was missed and added to the frustration as a result. I hope that you have been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle since this review. If you do wish to raise a complaint regarding the experience you had please contact the team to do so by visiting: contact@hastingsdirectsmartmiles.com -Theo

Posted 6 years ago

“An absolutely diabolical company, who are dictating to it's customers with 20+years no claims, how to drive. I would not recommend this company to anyone. Neither would I give it any stars. Unfortunately most, if not all of us, do make some poor choices if life - taking my car insurance out with this company was one of mine.”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hello, I'm very sorry to hear that you didn't have the best experience with us at Hastings Smartmiles. I appreciate that this policy may not be suitable for all drivers and it does tend to be aimed at younger drivers starting out on their driving experience who may need assistance managing their driving and getting used to the road. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and I do hope that you've been able to find more suitable cover since this review -Theo

Posted 6 years ago

“Awful company !!! Never go with them!!! Rude employees ! Scam !! Black box is a total scam makes up you have bad score when you don?t!! Money grabbing !!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Hi there,Thank you for your review. I'm sorry that you feel we have not given you a good enough service and that our staff were not professional enough, it's very disappointing to see you have had such an negative experience and apologise sincerely. ~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“Fraudulent scammers”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi there,Thank you for your review. I'm sorry to see you have had such a negative experience with our SmartMiles insurance.~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“Rip off”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Hi there,Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to see you are unhappy with the service we have provided for you.~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“I would not give any stars if it gave you the option because these illegal corrupt company are committing criminal acts by illegally putting young drivers mostly at risk by playing with people lives by illegally scoring drivers false targets to put pressure on the driver to set them up to fail and when are made to make their customers look like they don’t know how to drive despite passing there driving test years ago and because these black boxes are not calibrated and hence give incorrect reading and false marks for driving , since having the box fitted some 4 months ago I have with the help of the sat nave kept UNDER the SPEED LIMITS but they still mark you down for speed what a bunch of fiddling misfits tha talk so nicely to get you signed up and when they got your money they treat you Ike s—-t the ombudsman need to receive more complaints about the criminal company to be able stop these people stealing money from parents and your drivers who work hard to pay these fiddling sods. Please email me to add you to the list of unhappy customers so we can put a stop to these people and hold the person at the top him responsible in a court of law which was mentioned and get the government who are aware of this scam. Please send a message to. Meenagary1@gmail.com. We need to get these people help accountable for their criminal acts and to stop them trading and ruining people’s lives.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“fucking bollocks of a company, rip off pricks, id rather drown my self then recommend them to anyone.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Shocking.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Hi there,I'm sorry to see you have had such a bad experience dealing with our services.~ Jamie

Posted 5 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 5 years ago

“I cancelled the policy as no longer required in September, this has been a somewhat impossible task and I am still getting ?chased? not sure why the simple process of cancellation is such a drawn out, long winded task.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Hi there,I'm sorry to see you have had such a bad experience trying to cancel your policy with ourselves. It might be worth you speaking with an advisor to get an update on 01733 308 380 or sending an email over to contact@hastingsdirectsmartmiles.com.~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

“I placed a review 6 days ago with another review site, which described how poor this Company is. In the review I made particular mention about the shortcomings of the Smartmiles black box and Hastings' poor customer service. I cancelled my daughter's policy (after only 14 days) and was told that there was a £175 cancellation charge. I said that I was prepared to pay for the two weeks cover, but owing to the fact that I was given misleading information by Hastings, I requested a full refund of the cancellation charge. I was told that this was not possible and after much complaining and many phone calls, was only given a partial refund. I was advised that the matter would be passed to the Complaints Department, who would decide if I could have a full refund as requested. I read their response to my review with utter amazement. It says " Box scores will update after every journey" and " I am happy to hear that we have now resolved the situation". Both of these statements are completely untrue. Let me make it absolutely clear to anybody reading this: 1. Box scores will not update after every journey - no matter what device you are using. 2. My complaint is far from being resolved. In fact, Hastings Smartmiles' Complaints Department, have sent me a standard response letter saying that they are still investigating the matter and it may take EIGHT WEEKS for them to respond with their findings. I phoned Hastings yesterday to make them aware of the inaccuracy of their response to my review. I was told that they would look into it and amend it. Today it remains unaltered. The Company is a complete disgrace and I would urge anybody who is considering taking insurance with a black box, to look for a far more reputable and trustworthy company, even if it may cost a little more. I have now moved my daughter's policy to another company, who have provided her with a black box that does update after every journey and has staff who can be relied upon to give accurate information about the policy. y ”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Charged me ?25 to update my change of address. And the curfew is stupid as it destroys my social life and driving between 10pm and 5am is safer than rush hour.”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hello, I'm appreciate the frustration the fee and the measuring variable concerning the time would have caused. Hastings Smart miles do their utmost to disclose all fees and the measuring variable before the policy is purchased as they appreciate that the policy may not be suited for all drivers. I do apologise if you missed this information-Theo

Posted 5 years ago

“I recently had a very negative experience when trying to renew my policy. Over a few days, I spent many hours of my time trying to get in contact with a member of the customer service team regarding my car insurance renewal and repeatedly being put on hold. I received verbal confirmation of a quote, just to have it change due to my occupation without any explanation. Hastings attempted to charge me ?250 on top of my agreed policy quote to change my occupation from a student to full time employment. Then additional ?200 to pay in monthly instalments. Which resulted in the quote for my second year of car insurance to be the same as the first - after having a 90/100 driver score rating on my black box. This is not the agreement which I signed when I chose to take out my insurance with them, a good drivers score will result in discounts for the following years insurance. Also, I was charged ?1,916.63 to my bank account, which has took me into my overdraft. I did not receive any notifications from Smart Miles of this payment and only found out my contacting my bank directly. This money is the sum of two car insurance quotes, yet I had verbal confirmation that neither would be taken out of my bank and did not give my consent for this payment to be deducted. When I asked the Smart Miles customer service team why I had received these charges, the only reason they gave is that they were 'unsure'. I am 18 years old and have just got my first job - it is unacceptable to assume I have this amount of money spare. In addition to this, I spend a further 3 hours of my time at work trying to call the customer service team and resolve the issue - and was repeatedly put on hold. I was informed by the manager that if I requested by refund on that day, it would take 5 working days to come into my account. I also would not be eligible to be covered for 14 days 'cooling off period', without explanation. This left me without any money in my bank account, but had to find an alternative car insurance by the next morning as I have commitments. He did not care to help me find an alternative insurance plan. This service is disgusting and I will make sure to avoid Hastings Smart Miles in the future.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Hello Shayda, I'm very sorry to hear about the poor experience you've had and I hope that the the refund has since returned to you. It's disheartening to hear that you didn't receive the level of customer service you deserve and reading through I believe that you do have grounds to make a formal complaint. If you wish to do so regarding your message, please contact the smart miles customer service team at: contact@hastingsdirectsmartmiles.com. This matter would be investigated before they offer what is hopefully a satisfactory resolution-Theo

Posted 5 years ago

“I had only been insurance a day when they sent me an email saying, ' we are cancelling your policy because your black box is not installed '. Their instructions say you have 14 days to install the box from your day of purchase of the policy so I've deduced not from the START of cover but from the day you paid for it ! BE AFRAID VERY AFRAID.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Hi there, I do apologise that the terms and conditions were not made clear to you when you took the policy out, and hope that the policy is now running smoothly. ~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“The worst black box insurance I have been with. The scores did not work at the beginning and although tirelessly contacting them about this matter, there were no improvements. The scores starting at 0 meant that you could not improve them, allowing this company to threaten to revoke your insurance and apply extra charges, even if you did not drive dangerously. Completely unfair and rude during contact.”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi there,Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to see you have had such a negative experience with our SmartMiles policy. We do try to offer the help and support you need to improve your scores and have a dedicated team to assist with this. When the box first measures your scores, roughly after the first 70-90 miles, your average score will be shown. If your braking or acceleration over this period was late or a bit eager, your first scores will show as being very low. If you do require further assistance, please call the First Response team on 0800 048 2955.~ Jamie

Posted 5 years ago

Hastings Direct Smart Miles is rated 3.3 based on 1,998 reviews