Marks and Spencer car insurance

[Smiley]

Car insurance came up for renewal. Last year M+S was very competitive; at renewal time they were way off - significantly more expensive. It is one of these auto renewal policies - you have to call them NOT to renew.
I called them; rep took the security details then said I needed to talk to "customer services" (long delay before they answer) - who took all the details again. Now they have to send paperwork we have to return - meantime they have charged my credit card with the renewal premium and will not credit until the paperwork is received.

I suppose these auto renew policies are good if you are not on top of your renewal times but seem difficult to cancel - and the cynic in me would say that the renewal premiums are not competitive.

My overall impression of the M+S call centre is neutral at best - they are UK based which is a positive - but seemed a bit blunt and just on the edge of being difficult and argumentative - not my impression of the M+S brand.

Any other experiences?

 

[manalishi]

The auto-renewal thing is getting VERY common now. I just this weekend called and cancelled mine (PO-branded, but from one of the comparison Websites).

It's just inertia selling, plain and simple.

 

[crockers]

get a "new quote" to see if they are stitching you on renewal...

 

[verytalldave]

Same as the AA.
VERY competitive for the first year.
Expensive thereafter.
Its what known as a carrot.

M&S car insurance is actually BISL Ltd trading as M&S.

 

[JumboBeef]

I've always used Flux for my insurance: always the cheapest! Quoted me £170 fully comp for a W124 2.2 estate.

 

[Rory]

On balance, I think auto-renewal is a good thing. Obviously it protects you against forgetting, but it also gives you the opportunity to call and cancel, at which point they generally (but not always) move the price.

I just had the renewal for wifey's Jazz with Liverpool Victoria and I shopped around and did requotes using various ways of accessing their system and I couldn't beat it with any recognised name. I called them and listed the dodgy quotes I'd had and they knocked enough off that I was happy (I wouldn't have moved to a dodgy company anyway).

On the other hand, daughter's Colt with Bell Insurance renewal is £440, requote through a comparison site came out with Bell cheapest at £310 and I'm certain all the terms, excess etc are the same.

 

[Smiley]

On balance, I think auto-renewal is a good thing. Obviously it protects you against forgetting, but it also gives you the opportunity to call and cancel, at which point they generally (but not always) move the price.

I just had the renewal for wifey's Jazz with Liverpool Victoria and I shopped around and did requotes using various ways of accessing their system and I couldn't beat it with any recognised name. I called them and listed the dodgy quotes I'd had and they knocked enough off that I was happy (I wouldn't have moved to a dodgy company anyway).

On the other hand, daughter's Colt with Bell Insurance renewal is £440, requote through a comparison site came out with Bell cheapest at £310 and I'm certain all the terms, excess etc are the same.

I agree with you - but then they should make it as easy to call and cancel as they make it to renew - and the renewal premium should be somewhere near competitive - the letter we got from M+S said that they had trawled their database and the best quotation is.....and it was way off the comparison sites that you and I go on - so how can that be?

 

[st13phil]

It is one of these auto renewal policies - you have to call them NOT to renew....
...they have charged my credit card with the renewal premium and will not credit until the paperwork is received.

Just a tip: never, ever, enter into a continuous debiting authority instruction against a credit card. If the beneficiary doesn't want to play ball then they are to all intents and purposes impossible to cancel. You're even liable for future debits made under the agreement after you close the credit card account. Much safer to use a DD or SO from a bank account.

 

[johnsco]

I had a row with Churchill last year when I suddenly found out that both my insurance and breakdown policy were on "auto-renewal".
I had never knowingly authorised this (which they acknowledged !!).
Having told them to discontinue auto-renewal, they did so for the insurance.
However - They somehow "forgot" to do this for the break-down.

I like to be in control of my affairs
(The alternative is a lot worse)

I don't like being scammed, and this seemed very much to me like a scam.

Cheers
Johnsco