Quinn Direct Muppetry

aodh_rua

When I took out my first policy in my own name a year ago, I went with Quinn Direct out of neccessity, but I've been amazed at the level of muppetry they've displayed during the year.

It started with my insurance documents getting lost in the post, which I assumed was true, but now I'm not so sure.

I changed car during the year and arranged for my insurance to be transferred to the new car from the time and date I expected to pick it up. The day before collecting it, the garage rang to say there'd be a two week delay as they needed a part. Rang QD and they cancelled the change of policy before it took effect. Got the car a few weeks later, informed QD and paid the difference in premium. A couple of weeks later, I had to drop the car in for some work. The garage decided to provide me with an identical machine while mine was in. Rang QD to change the policy temporarily over to the new car, when lo and behold they informed me that I owed them money for the two weeks between the date I got my car and the date I initially expected it. That left me speechless as I was quoted an amount when I changed policy the second and final time, and I duly paid this amount in full. According to them, I hadn't cancelled my change in policy and so owed them for the two weeks for which I was insured on a car I didn't even own. I'd hate to think what would have happened if I'd had an accident. I tried to argue the point with them and ended up declining the garage's offer rather than pay for something that I was not liable for. A couple of weeks later, I passed my test and rang to get a rebate. They said they'd only issue the rebate if I paid the outstanding balance and so I did purely to get the €400 rebate.

At that stage I resolved not to use them when my policy came up for renewal. That takes me to today. I'm moving house and so I rang them to change my address details. While I was on I decided to see what my renewal quote might look like. The renewal is due in a month. The guy on the phone refused point blank to even give me an indicative quote for the renewal (bearing in mind I could've rung up with a false name and gotten it) and said that wasn't his department. I plan to change the policy to fully comp. so the renewal quote won't be much use anyway, but he wouldn't budge.

This complete lack of customer care seems amazing, especially since the last request was about continuing my business with them. All I can say is that I feel lucky not to have had to make a claim from them.

unkel

aodh_rua wrote:

I rang them to change my address details. While I was on I decided to see what my renewal quote might look like. The renewal is due in a month. The guy on the phone refused point blank to even give me an indicative quote for the renewal

I wouldn't get too upset about that. Think big call center where his "team" only do address changes and another "team" only do renewals, etc. Seems poorly organised, the guy could have at least given you the phone number to ring renewals

aodh_rua wrote:

They said they'd only issue the rebate if I paid the outstanding balance and so I did purely to get the €400 rebate

You should have insisted before. Did you speak to a supervisor? Has done the trick for me on several occasions dealing with customer service departments of large organisations

Obviously when they owed you the rebate, they could "blackmail" you into paying the amount outstanding (according to them) first...

aodh_rua

I could understand if it was because of the team's remit, but I was through to the generic current customer motor insurance option which was able to quote me when I changed my policy for my current car.

As for the rebate and the phantom outstanding balance, I did speak to a supervisor who gave me no satisfaction whatsoever. She chose to stand by what her system said even though it made no sense. 'Blackmail' pretty much sums it up - we won't give you your €400 rebate if you don't pay us the €50 you owe us. In fact they made me send them a cheque before they'd process the rebate rather than take fifty quid off what they were going to pay me.

unkel

aodh_rua wrote:

In fact they made me send them a cheque before they'd process the rebate rather than take fifty quid off what they were going to pay me.

Proof of poor systems / procedures. I understand you're royally p1ssed off

A tip that has worked for me when dealing with supervisors: always stay polite, but be thick. Keep repeating your arguments in different ways. Quite likely that they want to get rid of you, so they'll let you have it your way

parsi

I ring them each year - they usually quote 3-4 times what I end up paying. This year (August) I rang and the phone was answered by a girl who was having her breakfast or at least it sounded like she was eating a piece of black pudding with a particularly tough skin...anyways she said that I had been "chosen" to have a paper application form sent out. I said does that mean I can't get a quote over the phone ? Yes. I replied that I would decline their offer...what a way to do business...

Kaskade

they might be muppets on the phone but there is nobody else in the country as competitive for jap imports or sports cars. I'm like you parsi, I ring several times a year getting quotes/changing vehicle and every time I end up with "no we dont insure that vehicle, even if we did you would have to be 25 with a full licence......" But every time without fail I get a quote. Its just a technicality that they are muppets. I wouldn't move from them cos I only pay €1400 fully comp on a new ITR and my other half only pays €1300 on a 2.0 FTO and we are both under 25. They seem to give steep quotes in the beginning but once you are with them for a while they will give you a good price (even though they told you the month before that there is absolutely no way they will insure you in that car).

And just to get back to the original post, they only have access to the renewal amount 28 days before renewal. I rang in this year and they were falling slightly behind but I got it at least 3 weeks before. The quote you get if you ring up as a new customer will normally be more than your renewal.

EDIT - defo keeping up my argument based on the good prices. Just got off the phone to them to get a quote on a R34 GTT skyline. They didn't have it on their system so they gave me an indication quote on a GTR and its the same as what I am paying on the ITR - oh if only I had the money!!

Seth Brundle

Many years ago I rang them for a quote, as I was ringing every company (as you do!). Anyway, it turns out that informed me a few weeks later that my policy was being cancelled and that I owed them money (€100 or 150 IIRC) for the two weeks I had been covered by them.
I rang them and asked them to explain this and was told that I did not only look for a quote but had in fact initiated the policy (which was untrue). Despite my best denials they still have this on their system and I therefore will not do business with a company that rip people off like this.
I have heard of this happening to others also!

smokey2

I'm insured with them aswell and I've always been unhappy with their service but their prices can't be beaten!!

was payin 2100 for a 1.8 primera on my 3rd provisional with them this year and next years was out yesterday and it's 1750 but I've passed my test since last week and aint informed them yet!!

anywhere else I've tried since passin have given me the usual "we don't insure that model till you're over 25 with full licence" or I get quotes between 2100-2500!!

anyone got a cheaper company for young drivers???

kaskade sorry if I'm bein a bit of a rehab but what's a ITR???

I know what an "R34 GTT skyline" is just never heard of ITR!!!

Danni

Rang them back in Jan when i was getting my own policy for the first time, they're quote was really competitive so i agreed & they said by 4pm that afternoon i would be insured (this was 10am).. Just after i hung up, i got a call from another broker i was speaking with & they offered it to me 300euro cheaper. So i rang Quinn back immediately. Told them not to start the policy at 4pm, that i got a better quote somewhere else. Girl on the phone said no problem, the paperwork has been done up though so when it arrives just rip it up & throw it away coz she was making sure it was cancelled (not that the policy had even started)

Anyway, after 1 month driving i got a letter from Quinn Direct saying i owed them 89 euro for 1 week's insurance. I was like WTF??? So i rang, told the person on the other line what had happened & she said "oh it must have been an error on the system, throw the letter away & just forget about it"

Then at the end of Feb i got a call on my house phone. I was at work but Dad spoke to the girl. She said i owed money etc.. and dad said no my daughter doesn't she never had a policy with you, she got a quote & rang back to say she wouldn't be taking it 15 minutes later. This went on for 20 minutes & it ended Dad saying "we're not paying anything"..

2 weeks later, i get a call on my mobile (don't know where they got that coz they didn't ring home first & i never gave that number).. Same story, you owe us 89.34 bla bla bla. I argued with the lady & said i'd a policy with another company & she said well we'll need proof of that. Off i went, photocopied my policy, sent them a letter explaining everything in detail.

1 week later another call from some dumbo at 8pm on my mobile. You owe us money, i told her i had send my policy details & a letter & it was sorted. Made her feel thick & said "that error on your part was corrected a few weeks back, why are you ringing me now". She went off to speak to her "team leader" and came back saying somebody else would ring me tomorrow. I had 4 missed calls after that in the following 2 weeks but never answered. Think the stupid thing is finished now

Anyway, sorry for the long post but IMO Quinn Direct staff are ingnorant & actually STUPID.

spockety

But they are damn cheap..

They just let me upgrade from a bmw 316 to a 320 at no extra charge.. happy days!

smokey2

spockety wrote:

But they are damn cheap..

they sure are!!!!

just rang them and told them I got my full licence and next years quote has gone down to €1385!!

thats near a grand less than I would pay anywhere else!!

PS: my dad changed to them after 20 years with hibernian and they halved hibernians quote without any haggling!!!

they might be muppets but as ppl say "you get what you pay for" and I'd rather a pleb at the other end of the phone than pay a grand more!!

Seth Brundle

they may be cheap but how does the policy's terms and conditions compare to other company's policies?
Does it cover windscreen?
Is there step back protection?
What is the excess in the event of a claim?
etc.

BTW, this is not the first time quinn have been referred to as muppets! - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-107991.html

ken90

Went thru the quotation process with Quinn.

70% no claim bonus, no accidents in 20 years.
They were not the cheapest.

At the end, she says "And you had no claims?"

I mentioned my broken windscreen and she said
"I'm sorry but we can't cover you."

A few months later, I got correspondence from their Life Assurance Section, containing info which they could only have gleaned from their car quote.

They did not even know what a Data Protection Officer was, no less have one.

If a bit of paper qualifies as an Insurance policy - Fine.

If you want to be really covered, I would leave these cowboys strictly alone.

BTW, I found www.insure.ie to give some sood quotes.

Farls

ken90 wrote:

Went thru the quotation process with Quinn.

70% no claim bonus, no accidents in 20 years.
They were not the cheapest.

At the end, she says "And you had no claims?"

I mentioned my broken windscreen and she said
"I'm sorry but we can't cover you."

A few months later, I got correspondence from their Life Assurance Section, containing info which they could only have gleaned from their car quote.

They did not even know what a Data Protection Officer was, no less have one.

Just browsed some of this quickly, and to start off 70% NCB doesn't exist, most you can have is 50%, 20 years accident free driving is no better than 5 either

Your dealing with the same company when getting life assurance and motor/home/business insurance so their systems are joined and they are allowed to use information you previously gave them.

Danni wrote:

Anyway, sorry for the long post but IMO Quinn Direct staff are ingnorant & actually STUPID.

Perhaps some of the people calling can be painted with that brush too. :rolleyes:

to aodh_rua

You should get your renewal price in the post a month before its up.

You can ring QD up and tell them you want a copy off all documents you've sent them and received from them pronto. They'll print 'em out and post 'em out ASAP. Should clear up wheather or not stuff got lost in the post for you.


And just to wrap up the reason their cheaper when your with them a while is because instead of giving you just 10% for a single years NCB with them they give you 20% and carry on in that fashion up the scale.

I'll agree some people have horror stories with them etc, but overall their the cheapest company in Ireland to insure with in the long run. Especially if your young and like pretty cars!

Farlz

parsi

Farls wrote:

Just browsed some of this quickly, and to start off 70% NCB doesn't exist, most you can have is 50%, 20 years accident free driving is no better than 5 either
Farlz

Hmm.. www.axa.ie offers up to 70% NCD....right there on the front page..

byte

Does nobody consider Hibernian with Ignition course?

spockety

Ignition course only covers cars up to 1.6 litres

Seth Brundle

...and have to have passed test in last 5 years or if you passed over 5 yrs ago then you can't have had insurance in your own name.

[edit] I know the OP has only had theri own insurance for 1 year! I was just pointing out the kind of ****e limits they place on this scheme!

ubu

smokey2 wrote:

what's a ITR???

I know what an "R34 GTT skyline" is just never heard of ITR!!!

I ntegra
T ype
R

conor-mr2

smokey2 wrote:

kaskade sorry if I'm bein a bit of a rehab but what's a ITR???

I know what an "R34 GTT skyline" is just never heard of ITR!!!

Honda Integra Type R

The Muppet

ken90 wrote:

Went thru the quotation process with Quinn.

If you want to be really covered, I would leave these cowboys strictly alone.

BTW, I found www.insure.ie to give some sood quotes.

Insurance is such a rip off in this country may people can not afford to leave them alone. They quoted me €500 euro cheaper than anyone else this year and I found the staff I was dealing with to be very pleasant and efficent.

Its a hugh operation and it's probably because of their strict financial systems that they undercut most other companies particularly for provisional drivers.

Farls

parsi wrote:

Hmm.. www.axa.ie offers up to 70% NCD....right there on the front page..

I was talking about QD, wonder what the small print is like with axa though...

Farlz

smokey2

with insure.ie I was quoted 2400 with my full and will be payin 1385 with quinn think thats cheaper than anywhere else can do it for me for!!

and as for extras if I break my windscreen it's my fault it is glass after all!!

does your insurance company give you 3rd party extention??

farlz has a point there aswell about the tarring with the brush thing!!

I've rarely needed to contact quinn between the 12 months of any policy and they are always helpful and will explain anythin I'd asked them to!!

was a bit of a pain when I transfered over to a different car as I had to fax my nct to them a couple of times but that was my own fault!!

PS: sorry for bein a tard bout the ITR I just didn't put 2 and 2 together!!

unkel

I can't say it often enough: ring them ALL, including all brokers and surely try all the online ones as well

It might take several hours every year, but I've saved myself a small fortune over time and sincerely hope you guys have / will as well

You can always try a little haggling as well - might be worth your while...

query

Ringing every company sometimes isn't necessary - I used to do it every year, but in the six years I've had insurance in my own name I only changed once. I go through the AA who on their own initiative have changed my cover between companies. I must say they are terribly difficult to get through to and can be inefficient but my cover is good and I have a 70% no claims bonus now. And I'm only paying just over 400 euro for a 1.6 coupe. (Yes, I'm a girl!).

My first car insurance was with Quinn Direct - and I moved when a year later (on passing my driving test), they told me that my insurance would go up! Same car - but I'm a year older and on a full licence. Bizarre!!!

Seth Brundle

I have said it before and I'll say it again. The AA are brokers but deal with only a few of the limited Irish insurance market. Every time I have rang them over the last number of years they have usually been cheaper for my car, my wifes car and our home insurance.
However, when I ring I am offered a price. I find out what comes with the quoted policy and then I ask what cheaper policies they have. They always have at least one and the benefits offered by the new cheaper one are very similar.

However, knowing that they will probably be the cheapest will not deter me from ringing around. They are not always the cheapest!

Tommy Vercetti

Kaskade wrote:

they might be muppets on the phone but there is nobody else in the country as competitive for jap imports or sports cars. I'm like you parsi, I ring several times a year getting quotes/changing vehicle and every time I end up with "no we dont insure that vehicle, even if we did you would have to be 25 with a full licence......" But every time without fail I get a quote. Its just a technicality that they are muppets. I wouldn't move from them cos I only pay €1400 fully comp on a new ITR and my other half only pays €1300 on a 2.0 FTO and we are both under 25. They seem to give steep quotes in the beginning but once you are with them for a while they will give you a good price (even though they told you the month before that there is absolutely no way they will insure you in that car).

And just to get back to the original post, they only have access to the renewal amount 28 days before renewal. I rang in this year and they were falling slightly behind but I got it at least 3 weeks before. The quote you get if you ring up as a new customer will normally be more than your renewal.

EDIT - defo keeping up my argument based on the good prices. Just got off the phone to them to get a quote on a R34 GTT skyline. They didn't have it on their system so they gave me an indication quote on a GTR and its the same as what I am paying on the ITR - oh if only I had the money!!

I have to agree 100% with you. QD were almost 3 times cheaper for my car than Hibernian were, even though we had 2 other cars and the house insured with them. They still won't insure convertibles though, that's my main gripe with them for now.

sceptre

Farls wrote:

Your dealing with the same company when getting life assurance and motor/home/business insurance so their systems are joined and they are allowed to use information you previously gave them.

Only if you explicitly tell them they can. These days they're only allowed use information for the express purpose for which you provided it unless you explicitly tell them otherwise. We've had a nice amendment to the original Data Protection Act about a year ago to do that. They can use the info you gave them if you ring up about another quote but they've stepped over the line if they're using motor insurance quotation data to market home insurance without permission.

The Muppet

Going slightly OT but can anyone explain this.

I decided to run my details through insure.ie to see how they fared. I have 4 years no claim bonus on a full clean Licence. I was quoted €570.

Now the bit I need explaining. If I add My spouse as a named driver who is on a new clean provisional the quote dropped to €440.

Beats me.

unkel

The Muppet wrote:

Now the bit I need explaining. If I add My spouse as a named driver who is on a new clean provisional the quote dropped to €440.

Yes the "named spouse paradox"

kbannon wrote:

I have said it before and I'll say it again. The AA are brokers but deal with only a few of the limited Irish insurance market

Indeed and they don't quote for cars over 2.5 liters. I forget this every year when ringing them

ken90

Farls wrote:

Just browsed some of this quickly, and to start off 70% NCB doesn't exist, most you can have is 50%, 20 years accident free driving is no better than 5 either

Your dealing with the same company when getting life assurance and motor/home/business insurance so their systems are joined and they are allowed to use information you previously gave them.



Perhaps some of the people calling can be painted with that brush too. :rolleyes:


Farlz

I'm since insured with AXA, who give me 70% NCB and are MUCH cheaper than QD, at least as far as I am concerned.

As somebody else has pointed out they are not allowed to use my data for a different purpose.
They also have a statutary obligation to have a Data Protection Officer.
When I asked to speak to him/her, nobody knew what I was talking about.