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

“Poor score keeping. Does not explain the how the score system works or a way of tracking scores for each time you travel”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to see that it is unclear how the box data is calculated, sometimes this can really make a difference to how you drive as data is collected through the G-Force put through your vehicle with potential late breaking or accelerating too quickly. We do have a dedicated team called the First Response Unit that would be more than happy to help you with any questions you may have and also to give you hints and tips to improve. Their number is 0800 048 2955.~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“In 27 years of driving I have not had as much hassle when taking out the policy wanting all sorts of info no other insurance company ever wanted. I HAVE NOT RENEWED MY POLICY WITH YOU AND YOU HAVE SENT AN EMAIL SAYING I HAVE. I THINK THIS MAKES MY POINT HOW POOR THIS COMPANY IS!! Would I used Hastings again No.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi Sandra,?? I'm really sorry you weren't pleased with the service we offer. If your policy has auto-renewal on and you have gone elsewhere, just let the team know and we will cancel it for you?? ~Joe

Posted 6 years ago

“The policy is sold on the premise that if you drive safely you'll be rewarded with a cheaper policy at renewal, but despite meeting that criteria my policy cost went up significantly instead of down. When I complained I was told I couldn't speak to the firm direct to query that and get a fairer quote.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hello, I'm sorry to hear this is the case. I appreciate the frustration it would have caused and I hope that you've since been able to find a price that's more suitable for you. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review with us -Theo

Posted 6 years ago

“I tried to get a quote with my previous years smart miles score for this years car insurance but without the black box. They said they would put me through to someone to check that, got onto the phone with a man who said he would charge me ?25 to do a new quote, not understanding I was trying to use my previous smart miles score. I was either put through to the wrong people or they had no idea how to do that which seems a bit odd as of course people will want to take the black box off their car at some point. My insurance went up by ?350 also as I changed my address and I was not told until I had paid ?40 to change this how much the new renewal price would be because 'they could not tell me'. The smart miles box in general is not bad however if you wish to drive after 10pm (which is not unheard of around my old address as busses stop at 8pm and I would have to pick family up from work), prepare for your score to plummet. You can speed for an hour and your score would only go down slightly, drive 5 minutes past 10pm , you've lost about 60 on your 'driving at night' score and your overall will go down about about 10 points at least due to this. Some people have to drive after 10pm and if the scoring system should work with this then please do not chastise someones score so much due to this.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hello,? I'm sorry to hear about the experience you had when trying to purchase a policy with our smartmiles team and I hope that you have since been able to find a competitive price that you're happy with. We appreciate the frustration surrounding the measuring variable concerning driving after 10pm and we do our utmost to disclose this as one of the restrictions on the policy at the point of purchase in the hope that customers will be aware and not purchase the policy if it would be an issue. I hope that you've found a way to work around this and your score doesn't suffer as a result. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us -Theo

Posted 6 years ago

“Poor customer service and claims team where an utter joke.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi there, I'm sorry that you feel you have not received the service you should have. I hope you got everything sorted in the end. - Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“absolute rubbish”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi Susan. I'm really sorry to hear that you feel this way. If you would like to speak to us further about this you can call us free on 01733 308 380 and I'll pass on your feedback for you ~ Sophie

Posted 6 years ago

“Worst service I have ever exepencd I would not recommend anyone to go with this company what so ever!! Avoid at all costs the staff are very rude and not very sympathise still waiting for a ?200 refund”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, I am very sorry to see that you've been unhappy with your experience and don't feel we provided the right service to you. It's very important that we ensure all calls put the best face of our company forward and appreciate your feedback in this ~Joe

Posted 6 years ago

“Cancelled my insurance! For the next two years you still took your premium without my consent and without and auto re real agreement signed by the card holder who might I add was bot the insurance holder!”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi Luke, I'm sorry to see this - hopefully it's been corrected but if you do still need assistance please get in touch on?01733 308 380 ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“I took out my insurance with Hasting Direct Smartmiles as an existing Hastings customer and really cannot wait for the 12 months to be up. The installer arrived as booked and was supposed to take a photo of my existing No Claims Discount which he did as well as asking for my driving licence which wasnt mentioned at any point but luckily I had it. I then received an email from them with just the title documents to which I assumed was the confirmation of policy documents etc. It wasnt. Apparently the installer phot wasnt adequate and unless I submitted further proof within 7 days then my discount would be removed. I emailed them to say I was a Hasting customer so should be easy to locate at their end, nope they dont talk to their sister company......rubbish customer service. if you drive after 10.0pm on a regular basis this isnt for you, unless you can ensure that other idiots on the road wont cause you to brake sharply this isnt for you, if you cannot guarantee you can keeep to very speed limit then this isnt for you. In fact if you are an average driver you arent going to save any money and you run the risk of having your insurance cancellled, and from reading other reviews they wont phone or write to you, no they will send you an email to tell you its cancelled and the sting in the tail is once thats happened you will find it very difficult to get insurance elsewhere. AVOID”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, I'm sorry to see that you weren't satisfied with the service from SmartMiles and that don't feel our product is right for you. Thank you very much for taking the time to let us know and providing our review. We read all reviews and take customer comments on board ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Customer service has been very poor. I received an email and a text on 3 May 17 to call Smart Miles to arrange installation. Before I was asked for my details on the phone, I was told I was phoning too early. This was not the case as was proven when I was asked for my details. My original fitting date for 8 May 17 was cancelled due to engineer illness - this can't be helped. The fitting was rescheduled for 22 May 17. On 16 May 17, I was told via email that Hastings was cancelling my policy. This was because the box hasn't been fitted. Considering the box hasn't been fitted because of your changes, the tone of this email was ridiculous and infuriating! Today the fitting for 22 May 17 has been cancelled. Hopefully, the third planned fitting date for 23 May 17 will be honoured.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, I'm really sorry to read about your experience, we're working hard to ensure that the communication between customer, fitters and the various systems is more streamlined. I appreciate the letter came unneccesarily and apologise - once it's fitted I'm sure that the rest of your policy will go smoothly ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Awful, bad customer service with no follow up to any complaints or queries surrounding scores, black box in general is basic and just a money making scheme. Would never recommend”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

HI there,Thank you for your review. I'm sorry you feel you haven't had the level of support you needed regarding your score issues. We do have a dedicated team who you can discuss these matters with who will also give you helpful hints and tips on how to improve your score. The First Response team can contacted on 0800 048 2955. If you need to chase a complaint you have made you can call the team on 01733 308 380. ~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“I was well informed as to how it works and given ample opportunity to opt out. I think this will encourage me to be a more disciplined driver and to slow down!”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, I'm very sorry to see that you were happy but have now reduiced your score - please do get in touch with us if you need help or if there's some way we can resolve your issue ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Although I am guess many people have a positive experience with Smartmiles, it does not take into account geographic differences. I live in Milton Keynes, well known for its numerous roundabouts. Smartmiles registered the constant brake/ acceleration process due to these roundabouts as a "low score". Even when my mum, a named driver on the insurance, with over 30 years of a completely clean driving record, and a high mileage user, used the car, it recorded a low score. I contacted Hastings but they refused to acknowledge that the geography affected the score. If you check out internet reviews you will see similar feedback. What a pity, it's a great idea to reward safe drivers, but "safe" seems to be determined by computer algorithms rather than common sense.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Hi, Thanks for your review, I'm sorry to see your scores weren't as you'd hoped. The box uses an accelerometer to judge how harshly you brake rather than the number of times you do it. I appreciate that your area has many roundabouts to navigate although with more smooth accelerating and braking you should see your scores increase?? ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Black box rating goes down so quickly I think it's ridiculous. Says regularly but goes down to 0 after one time.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, If you'd like to learn more about how your scores change, we're happy to help. Give the team a call on?01733 308 380 and we can go through it with you and provide advice ~Joe?

Posted 6 years ago

“Customer service quite good however, the options for job were very limited and I could not actually put the job that I do and the price I paid isn't the price I was quoted which if I'm not mistaken is a criminal offence”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi,? Thank you fro the feedback, we're grateful for the opportunity to improve where we can. Prices obtained by using a comparison site are subject to change at anytime and should be explained on the respective site when saving a quote. When you obtain a quote from our site, the most up to date and best offer we can provide is always displayed. I hope this helps ~Joe

Posted 6 years ago

“Get better customer reviews”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi, I'm very sorry to see you are unhappy. Is there any help I can provide at this time?

Posted 6 years ago

“Awful customer service, extremely rude.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Hi there,Thank you for your review. I'm sorry to see you have had such a bad experience with our Customer Services team. We strive to be as professional as possible when dealing with our policy holders so its disappointing to we have not achieved this when dealing with yourself. If you feel we have mistreated you please raise a complaint by clicking on this link: https://www.hastingsdirect.com/quotehisle/views/common/RequestForm.jsf?reason=feedback.~ Jamie

Posted 6 years ago

“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.”

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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!”

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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

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