S
Stephen Hull
Guest
Apologise for being off topic but I felt the need to vent my spiel!
<start rant>
Since the Cooperative Insurance or CIS closed down its offices and
stopped using insurance representatives to call at your home in order
to collect insurance premiums an alternative method of payment was
required to pay for (in my case) my car insurance.
Easily enough done you would think by setting up a Direct Debit with my
bank to pay CIS monthly instalment for my car insurance.
However this now has to be done by telephone or via the internet since
there is no office or representatives available anymore.
I decided to setup a Direct Debit to come out of my bank on the 3rd of
every month with CIS and October being the first payment, This was
emphasised during my telephone call to the call centre which I think is
in India.
My insurance was due for renewal on the 27th September but because I do
not get paid until the 30th of each month is was agreed that the direct
debit would start on the third. However in spite of three phone calls to
the call centre explaining my situation the setup was as follows;
1 27th September 2005
11 3rd October 2005
The first date as I was led to understand was the start date of the
insurance and the following date the first actual direct debit payment.
So why on the 27th September did CIS try to take the first instalment
out of my bank when there was insufficient funds which resulted in a
direct debit charge from my bank of 25 pounds?
When I called CIS to find out why they had tried to take out the first
payment on the 27th instead of the 3rd they said that it is what I
agreed on because I had signed the insurance document. After explaining
to them that the very first payment should have come out on the 3rd not
the 27th as was my instruction I asked them to refund me the 25 pound
charge because it was NOT my fault the first payment came out on the
27th, reiterating why would I do so when I get paid on the 30th of each
month not the 27th but CIS refused to refund my bank charge.
I therefore threatened to cancel my insurance with them and slate them on
the Internet if they refused to refund my 25 pounds bank charge.
They refused so I immediately cancelled my insurance the direct debits
and took my business elsewhere. The CIS were not interested in losing a
long term customer who had never made a claim in the ten years of being
with them.
Obviously I was not happy with the way CIS had conducted themselves
towards me, a so called valued customer.
Perhaps the Indians at the call center could not understand my English
and interpreted the wrong information regarding the date, I don't know,
but what I do know is the CIS have treated a long term customer badly
and their customer relations is not very good to say the least.
Seeing as I had to find an alternative method of paying because they
closed their offices and no longer had representatives available and it
is they who made a complete hash of setting up my direct debit
payments, the CIS can now consider themselves to be well and truly
SLATED! on the internet.
If you want to be treated as a nonentity then go ahead and sign up with
the CIS or Cooperative insurance company for your car insurance.
However if you want to be treated as a wanted valued customer then my
advise is take your custom somewhere else.
Now I am with the Norwich Union who use English call centres and I have
fully comprehensive car insurance as opposed to just Third Party Fire
and Theft offered from CIS and as an extra bonus 30 quid cheaper than
what CIS offered.
Just thought this might serve as a warning to would be insurance
customers looking for car insurance to be more aware than me with
regards to signing insurance documents.
</end of rant>
Steve.
--
Vehicle Painting Pointers: http://www.stephen.hull.btinternet.co.uk
Coach painting tips and techniques + Land Rover colour codes
Using a British RISC Operating System 100% immune to any Windows virus.
"Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble". Henry Royce
<start rant>
Since the Cooperative Insurance or CIS closed down its offices and
stopped using insurance representatives to call at your home in order
to collect insurance premiums an alternative method of payment was
required to pay for (in my case) my car insurance.
Easily enough done you would think by setting up a Direct Debit with my
bank to pay CIS monthly instalment for my car insurance.
However this now has to be done by telephone or via the internet since
there is no office or representatives available anymore.
I decided to setup a Direct Debit to come out of my bank on the 3rd of
every month with CIS and October being the first payment, This was
emphasised during my telephone call to the call centre which I think is
in India.
My insurance was due for renewal on the 27th September but because I do
not get paid until the 30th of each month is was agreed that the direct
debit would start on the third. However in spite of three phone calls to
the call centre explaining my situation the setup was as follows;
1 27th September 2005
11 3rd October 2005
The first date as I was led to understand was the start date of the
insurance and the following date the first actual direct debit payment.
So why on the 27th September did CIS try to take the first instalment
out of my bank when there was insufficient funds which resulted in a
direct debit charge from my bank of 25 pounds?
When I called CIS to find out why they had tried to take out the first
payment on the 27th instead of the 3rd they said that it is what I
agreed on because I had signed the insurance document. After explaining
to them that the very first payment should have come out on the 3rd not
the 27th as was my instruction I asked them to refund me the 25 pound
charge because it was NOT my fault the first payment came out on the
27th, reiterating why would I do so when I get paid on the 30th of each
month not the 27th but CIS refused to refund my bank charge.
I therefore threatened to cancel my insurance with them and slate them on
the Internet if they refused to refund my 25 pounds bank charge.
They refused so I immediately cancelled my insurance the direct debits
and took my business elsewhere. The CIS were not interested in losing a
long term customer who had never made a claim in the ten years of being
with them.
Obviously I was not happy with the way CIS had conducted themselves
towards me, a so called valued customer.
Perhaps the Indians at the call center could not understand my English
and interpreted the wrong information regarding the date, I don't know,
but what I do know is the CIS have treated a long term customer badly
and their customer relations is not very good to say the least.
Seeing as I had to find an alternative method of paying because they
closed their offices and no longer had representatives available and it
is they who made a complete hash of setting up my direct debit
payments, the CIS can now consider themselves to be well and truly
SLATED! on the internet.
If you want to be treated as a nonentity then go ahead and sign up with
the CIS or Cooperative insurance company for your car insurance.
However if you want to be treated as a wanted valued customer then my
advise is take your custom somewhere else.
Now I am with the Norwich Union who use English call centres and I have
fully comprehensive car insurance as opposed to just Third Party Fire
and Theft offered from CIS and as an extra bonus 30 quid cheaper than
what CIS offered.
Just thought this might serve as a warning to would be insurance
customers looking for car insurance to be more aware than me with
regards to signing insurance documents.
</end of rant>
Steve.
--
Vehicle Painting Pointers: http://www.stephen.hull.btinternet.co.uk
Coach painting tips and techniques + Land Rover colour codes
Using a British RISC Operating System 100% immune to any Windows virus.
"Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble". Henry Royce
