We have just carried out our biggest-ever insurance claims satisfaction survey and we’ve used your feedback to rate the major insurance companies. Do our results match your experiences?
Let’s face it – buying insurance is a bit of a pain. It’s sometimes hard to see the benefit of your considerable annual outlay and it’s a hassle to arrange. However, it proves its worth if someone drives into your car or if heavy rain causes your home to flood.
In our survey, the overall scores for car insurers highlighted NFU Mutual, Frizzell and LV= at the top of the pile for customer satisfaction. An NFU Mutual claimant concluded that ‘it was superb throughout dealing with the claim. I cannot praise it highly enough’, while another said that the insurer is ‘just a brilliant company to deal with’.
People were less complimentary about Axa, Hastings Direct and Admiral, who came bottom of our car insurance claims table.
NFU Mutual, Hiscox and LV= excelled on home insurance claims, while Halifax and Legal & General have clear room for improvement.
When insurance claims go wrong
Those taking part in our survey were happy to tell us about their claim experiences. Delays and poor communication were common complaints, as well as frustration at having to deal with different people each time you call – sometimes waiting months for a response.
Around two thirds of the car insurance claims made by Which? members in the past two years related to damage to their vehicles, and a major gripe was the choice and standard of repairers nominated by insurance companies.
Common problems included having difficulties with the garage arranged by the insurer or having to use a repairer miles away, even though there were better garages nearby.
What makes a good claims handler?
So what’s important to you when it comes to having your claim dealt with? For me, a smooth experience is desirable, but the most important thing is surely getting the claim settlement paid out to your satisfaction.
I’d like to hear about your experiences when you’ve needed to claim. Is your insurance company good at managing the process? Our results show that some insurance companies do seem to get it right. Or you can share your claim horror stories, if you feel that your insurer has let you down when you needed help most.
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