“Dont believe what they tell you on TV! They will try every way not to pay out.
My boiler has broken down, which I ended up with a £1600 bill that Direct Line didnt want to pay, as the water was merky in the boiler! They blamed that on a split Pressure Vessel! So Ive gone back to Towergate Insurance! So pleased I didnt move the rest of my portfolio over to DL!!!
“Told on Monday l would receive £1200 for my car £950 paid into my account the next day.No correspondence from them to say why.
No contact from them regarding my injuries
No updates from claims department.
Never again”
“My policy increased fro around £330 To £630 in 2 years. Direct line could not and didn't want to justify this increase and only offered a small reduction. No loyalty and I have now found another quote for £326.00 .
Make sure you shop around. Remove your automatic renewal to avoid being ripped off.”
“Made a motor claim 3 weeks ago, after waiting nearly 2 weeks was told the car was a 'write off' although didn't look that bad to me and was offered a settlement just over half the amount I paid for the vehicle 3 months earlier which was nowhere near the market value. You don't have a dedicated claims handler so I ring the call centre, they have to raise a dispute. When I said I would get my own quote for the repairs, I was told the engine would have been damaged and they couldn't guarantee the safety of the car, even though I drove it home after the accident and all this looking at 21 photos! The process is far too slow and they don't seem to be proactive, it's just another claim to them. Really disappointed. I won't be using them again.”
“EASY TO GET INSURANCE - BUT BEWARE IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CLAIM
There are lots of very nice reviews on here about how easy it is to get Direct Line insurance - but beware if you are ever going to make a claim.
We are in the process of going through a claim for our shower room at the moment. Direct Line are trying to get me to agree for them to pay to replace only two rows of tiles in a room that is fully tiled floor and walls even though the policy agrees that they would/could pay for 50% of the cost of new tiles if the tiles cannot be replaced or will be damaged. I have told them that I cannot buy the tiles again (they are 8 years old) and the person who owns the company that I hope will do the work has also told them that the tiles cannot be replaced and that he cannot do the work without taking the vanity unit and toilet out which will also damage other tiles. I also have other issues with this claim.
I have complained and the issue has been escalated to the department that deals with complaints - however, they give themselves EIGHT weeks to come back to you. They may well take less time, and they may well not.
Some years ago we had a flood at the house - we were also covered by Direct Line and I cannot tell you how difficult it was to deal with them over this claim at a time when my home had no ceilings and a lot of water damage.
I am not in the habit of making insurance claims over the many years I have had home and building insurance but if you pay a large amount of money every year in case you need to make a claim then the expectation is that they would be there for you. Of course they want to pay out as little as possible, but in this case it does not make any sense.
Dealing with the claims department has been the most upsetting, stressful and horrible experience so far. I don't expect that their complaints department is going to be any different. I can of course go to the ombudsman if I do not like the outcome, which will again take a lot of time. I do wonder if the people on the end of the phone and Direct Line themselves have any idea, or even care, about their customers. I can't really think they do, this is just about money”
“my 80 year old mother insured with this company for her business. The garage and surrounding walls collapsed at the property due to heavy rain and wind storm damage. Lee duggan tried to fob me off on the phone saying we where not covered and then changed his mind and accepted the claim. This must be the first call reject the claim he also said they did not have inusrance accessors. When I threatened the ombudsman and county court and asked for his superior he then said he would send someone out. He waanted me to get a contractor to right a report top say he was wrong and I was right. Do not insure with this company they are the worst insurance company I have ever dealt with you have been warned!!!!!”
“Shocking. Lazy. Incompetent. I was rammed from behind by a maniac overtaking me on a narrow country road at night before a 90-degree bend. The 3rd party apologised & admitted responsibility at the time. He'd previously written off another car in a similar way. And yet Direct Line would not fight my corner. They held me responsible, & were lethargic & patronising in their response. I'd previously not had an insurance claim entered against me in 32 years of driving. I strongly advise everyone to avoid this wretched company. Their motor policies might be cheap, but there's a reason for this. They will abandon & betray their customers at the slightest opportunity. And you can forget any notion of accountability.”
“They were a disgrace when I tried to renew my recently deceased mum's home. They had also been overcharging her with an astonishing fee for her insurance. I shall be complaining about them to the ombudsman.”
“Absolutely dreadful experience getting a quote. Then finally after paying for insurance they added £103 as they said I had falsified information. Tried to explain over the phone about the misunderstanding but they weren't interested. Don't use them, ended up costing a fortune, they have you over a barrel once you have paid”
“I can't give no stars but would if i could Mis Sold insurance for my van wanted social domestic & pleasure which i was quoted for only when van was broken in to did i find out that i was sold business insurance which they switch you to automatically once you have paid, (but don't tell you) because they don't do social domestic & pleasure for vans leaving you under insured. and laughed at, also been refused information when i requested it under the subject access request. DO NOT GO TO DIRECT LINE GO ANYWHERE ELSE you do actually get laughed at.”
“Their inibilty to support their customer when they are 100% not at fault and not even listen to evidence or acknowledge photographic evidence. A very poor claim structure and legal department.”
“Do not even try to get a quote from Direct Line Insurance if you value your sanity.
Unfortunately, I realised the extent of dissatisfaction of their customers and potential customers when I read the comments of their customers. This was after I tried to get a quote from them and to my horror they declined to give me a quote! Then patronised me by saying that of course I can apply again when my circumstances change.
When I asked them what circumstances had to change, their unbelievable answer was that their decision is based on their underwriting criteria and I was not allowed to know the factor or factors that resulted in their decision!
In other words I can reapply when these factors personal to me which are secret to me change. No doubt any sane and reasonable person can see the ridiculous, unfair and stressful position forced on the unlucky people who try to get a quote from them.
Whilst I accept that they have a right to offer insurance (Or not) to whoever they prefer, it is their total disregard for the impact of their decision on their potential customers and their refusal to concede that people should be able to ask on what basis a decision has been made that may have potential impact on their future insurance application”
“STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY, THE ADVERTS ON TV IS NOT THE SERVICE YOU GET,BEEN TAKING MY DIRECT DEBITS FOR 3 YEARS, HAD A LEAKING WATER TANK THAT LEAKED INTO MY LOUNGE BELOW, THE PLUMBER THEY SENT WAS CLUELESS AND LEFT AFTER 15MINS ,AND LEFT US WITH NO HOT WATER AND NO HEATING ,I DRAINED THE SYSTEM DOWN MYSELF TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER WATER DAMAGE, PLUMBER PUT IN HIS REPORT THAT IT WAS THE WATER TANK EVEN THO HE TOLD ME HE DIDNT KNOW WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM ,I GOT A PROFESSIONAL PLUMBER AND IT'S NOT THE TANK, A LOT OF REVIEWS SAYING THE SET UP IS GREAT AND NO HASSLE WHEN JOINING, WELL CAUSE THERE GONNA MAKE IT EASY THEY WANT YOUR MONEY, HOPE YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE A CLAIM, YOU WILL SEE HOW AMATUERISH THEY ARE AND NOT DO KEEN TO HELP YOU, I SHOULD OF LISTENED TO THE REVIEWS OF THE PEOPLE WHO MADE A CLAIM AND DIDN'T GET ANY HELP.”
“Despicable company. I called them regarding very inappropriate behaviour by a tradesman sent to remedy work that hadn’t been done properly a few months previously.
I expressed my deep concern about his behaviour which left my partner extremely ill, they refused to take the matter seriously and chose to ignore my complaint.
I would strongly advise against using this company, they have absolutely no regard for customers safety, in this case, a very poorly single mother.”
“Parked my car in an empty carpark, when I returned some building materials had fallen off a 6 story building and landed on my car. So not my fault. Firstly it took Direct Line to weeks to recover my car from London (where the incident happened) to Nottingham. Causing longer than necessary delays to the repair. Secound, our car is a 4x4, they gave us a tiny city car as a replacement meaning we had to cancel holidays as my family couldn't fit into it. Lastly I had to pay £500 excess when my car was finally repaired, even though the building company responsible for the damage admitted fault, plus having a police officer and a hotel manager as witness. I have emailed countless photos of the incident to direct line yet they seem to have no record of them. They also seem to have no record of the phone conversation that they had with the police officer that attended. I'm absolutely discussed with them. I have 2 vehicles insured with them at the moment, however when those policies end I will never use direct line again... I wouldn't even give them 1 star if it was an option.”
“Direct Line offers premiums overpriced, and by the time you realize it and try to cancel the insurance they start to look for cancellation fees everywhere, never again Direct Line, different insurer company with even better breakdown cover and comprehensive instead of third party more than 60% less than Direct line... last time with that company in my life!! I'd give 0 stars if I could...”
“Didn't even get a quote. I'm 50, Full no claims bonus, One speeding SP30, one old claim for key damage in a car park and I got a "sorry but on this occasion" message after 20 minutes inputting all my info. I'm also so sick of seeing their TV adverts.”
“As a small time landlord with only 4 flats based in the South East, I had switched over to Direct Line last in order to insure the contents for each flat. Their offer though slightly above market rate, did offer several additional benefits which were attractive and I decided to go with them. We have never claimed on our flat insurance since purchasing them four years ago.
We have now just received their first renewal and they have put their prices up by 130%. Contacted their Customer Service Dept to ask for an explanation but they were of no help so will have to search out another company.
It is about time that companies such as Direct Line understood that it costs considerably more to advertise and attract new customers than to hold on to existing clients. If they concentrated on this area and reduced their national TV advertising they would create better customer satisfaction and could very likely increase profitability. Direct Line you have just lost another customer.”
“Had accident recently, got my car (BMW M3) back couple days With cheaper tire on, not one recommended by BMW in the manual that I had on my car. This car requires high performance tires and direct line could not care less to save themselves £70. After 5 years I won’t be insuring with them again”
