Had a policy with people's choice and they sent the renewal letter which we agreed to. They decided not to renew it and cancelled the policy. We can't get a quote online and can't get through to the... See more
Company replied
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See what reviewers are saying
Shocking trying to get a quote. An hour spend on the phone for the assistance in the South African call centre to tell me the car needs a tracker linked to the police on my car. Who has that? After sp... See more
Company replied
Do not take out car insurance with these. Had a policy with them for a year. Found cheaper car insurance and paid for that. They auto renewed my insurance without me selecting it. Rang to cancel as wi... See more
Company replied
Car insurance renewal came through, £30 cheaper than last year. Quick pop onto Compare the Market and found a new policy for £308 (nearly £230 cheaper than renewal). Called People's Choice to tell th... See more
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1.3
Bad
213 reviews
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Terrible service from start to finish
Terrible service from start to finish. I was transparent, provided all documents, and even police evidence of the theft. Hastings mishandled my claim, lost my key, delayed everything, and offered only £200 for the security risk they caused. Shocking treatment of a loyal customer.
September 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Will,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to read about this and to see that you had a poor experience during your claim with us.
We always aim to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. When it comes to a claim being made, this is even more important so we regret that you didn't get this.
If you think this was incorrectly handled and you would like to make a complaint, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. You can find further information about this process here: www.hastingsdirect.com/help.
If a complaint has been raised and you are unhappy with the resolution, there will be details as to how you can escalate this further. Please call the team on 0333 999 8904 if you need help with this. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Disgusting attitude towards Loyalty
Car insurance renewal came through, £30 cheaper than last year. Quick pop onto Compare the Market and found a new policy for £308 (nearly £230 cheaper than renewal). Called People's Choice to tell them not to auto renew. After a couple of 'fact finding' questions from them, they came back with a NEW renewal price of £320. Its an absolute disgrace that they can miraculously find another £200 down the back of the sofa to bring the renewal down even further.
FYI, nothing changed re personal situation, job, car or anything.
August 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hello Andrew,
I'm very sorry to see that the renewal wasn't competitive on this occasion. At the point of each renewal the policy details are reviewed and as a result the perceived risk posed by the policy details can change even if the details don't. It may be the case that on this occasion the underwriters of your policy interpreted a higher risk and the increase in price reflected that.
Please note, Hastings direct as a broker has no contact with the renewal until the customer contacts them to discuss it. This is why we ask you to contact us if you are unhappy with the price the underwriter has provided so it can discussed and we can see if the price can be improved. Without the customer's authority, we cannot amend the policy or apply any of the tools we use to hopefully get a better price. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Thieves broke into our house through a…
Thieves broke into our house through a fan light window when we were asleep. A small fan light window was left partially open to allow some fresh air in during a hot night. Now a month later they have rejected the claim as, although their engineer states the window was jemmied, it was not a forced or violent entry. Absolute cowboys avoid at all costs
August 7, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry you weren’t happy with our service on this occasion and to read about the intrusion into your home.
Providing our customers with the best possible experience is always our top priority, especially when it comes to making a claim so we regret that you didn't receive this.
If you think this was incorrectly handled and you would like to make a complaint, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. You can find further information about this process here: www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Avoid People’s Choice Insurance – Hidden Charges & Misleading Practices
I strongly advise everyone to stay away from People’s Choice car insurance (underwritten by Hastings Direct). My experience with them has been nothing short of shocking and feels like a complete scam.
I paid monthly for over 7 months on a policy for my BMW 1 Series, covering 208 days, and when I chose to cancel, I was hit with an outrageous “outstanding balance” of £298.73. This was on top of the £643.13 I’d already paid.
What’s worse:
• I was told there was no cancellation fee, yet I’m being charged as if I completed the full policy term.
• They’ve added £75+ in interest, despite cancelling early.
• “Extras” and so-called fees that were never clearly explained are now non-refundable.
• I was left with no clear breakdown, just an unjust demand for more money.
This is not how reputable insurers operate. I’ve had car insurance with other companies and never been treated like this. The way People’s Choice structures their payments and hides cancellation costs is incredibly misleading.
I have now filed a formal complaint and will be taking this further with the Financial Ombudsman Service.
DO NOT trust this company. They appear cheap at first but will rinse you if you try to leave. Learn from my mistake — choose a provider that’s upfront and fair.
August 3, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Sunny,
We’re sorry you’re unhappy with the cost of cancelling your policy.
When a policy is cancelled, we only charge for the exact numbers of days you’ve been insured for, as well as for any fees that apply. Please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/our-fees for details of our fees and charges.
You can find a breakdown of the costs of your cancellation (how much you’ve been charged compared to how much you’ve paid so far for your policy) in your policy documents.
I regret that you had to raise a formal complaint about this and I hope that you get a quick resolution to your complaint. If you need to discuss this or add anything further, please give the team a call on 0333 999 8904.~Theo, Social Media Team
Ahsan Ahamed in the repairs team was…
Ahsan Ahamed in the repairs team was incredibly helpful. I’m very grateful for his assistance.
August 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Declan,
Thanks for your review, we really appreciate you taking your time to share your feedback.
If there’s anything else you need, please find out how to get in touch at www.hastingsdirect.com/contact-us and let us know.
Thanks,
Nicole, Social Media team
Awful
Awful. No way to cancel online. Hike their prices. Not sure they are better or worse than any other but I will never use again.
July 18, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hello,
Thanks for your feedback, we're really sorry to hear about your experience. We always aim to provide great service, so it's disappointing to know we missed the mark this time. We'll make sure your comments are passed on so we can do better in future.
If you still need to cancel your policy, please send us a message on X (Twitter) or Facebook and we’ll be happy to help you. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Template Reply only like all the other complaints
Your reply or excuse for your companies actions are written as if i am the fraudulent person here and it is my fault that i did not know of all the hoops you would put in place , you have obviously not read the review as your reply is just template.
This i guess is why you get such bad reviews and i have no wish to spend more time on your business, if you wish to make a mends then refund the ridicules charge made for cancelling the so called policy!!!
July 4, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your review. We're sorry to hear you're not happy with our response.
From your previous review, it sounds like you were asked for details about the car, licence, and no claims.
This is part of our Policy Review Team’s process, and I’m sorry to hear you weren’t happy with their request. They’ll also have followed the standard cancellation procedure. If you’re unhappy with how this was handled, you’re welcome to raise a complaint so it can be looked into further.
Thanks,
Nicole, Social Media Team
Bad customer service very rude
My last post was correct but directed to the wrong organisation, I apologise I don't want to give wrong information out my mistake. People's choice Australia is the company that done wrong not people's choice UK. Thank you for the information and clarification.
June 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Danny, thanks for your review. It looks like you’ve mentioned a young savers account and a debit card, but just to clarify—we’re an insurance company, not a bank. Let us know if there’s anything we can help with regarding your policy if you have one with us.
Thanks
Nicole, Social Media Team
Service levels have fallen off a cliff…
Service levels have fallen off a cliff this year
Impossible to get through
Number goes to wrong department then
Get put through to another wrong department
No option to write them to cancel insurance
Absolutely terrible
July 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hello,
Thanks for your review, we’re really sorry to read about the poor experience you've had. At Hastings Direct, we pride ourselves in delivering great customer service, so I regret if we have fallen short on this occasion.
If you still need help with your policy, please contact us by emailing customersupport@hastingsdirect.com as an alternative to the phone. We'll do all we can to help you. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Car insurance click bait pricing
Absolutely rubbish. What a waste of time.
Click bait pricing will drive you mad.
Unisng USwitch comparison site I dilligently answered all questions accurately and provided all the information requested.
I chose a quote from Peoples Choice and proceeded to 'Buy with Insurer'.
I provided EXACTLY the same details to the Insurer and their price was 30%+ more.
July 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hello Tim,
Thanks for your review, we’re really sorry to read about the poor experience you've had when trying to purchase your policy. At Hastings Direct, we pride ourselves in delivering great customer service, so I regret if we have fallen short on this occasion.
We'll pass this feedback on to the relevant team and I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Worse insurers ive ever used!
Worse insurers ive ever used!! Took out a policy well in advance due to good price and 5 star defaqto rating. Poor decision on my behalf. After 2 weeks they send me an email stating they needed more details and I had to spend half an hour taking photos of my car from every angle with my license in. After sending this in, a week later they informed me they had noticed an upgraded front grill, unbeknown to me and were charging me £13 extra but also a £30 admin fee. I told them to cancel the policy there and then and for that they charged me £20. Then due to the proximity to my expiry date my new policy with aviva was now £200 more! Absolute scammers and scummy company. Hastings you should be really disappointed!!
June 26, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hello Oli,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with our validation checks.
Our Policy Review Team review policies at random to make sure everything checks out and the policy details are correct. They do this to prevent fraud and make sure customers are paying the correct amount for their insurance (this is because fraudulent claims can increase insurance premiums).
This is our standard business practice, and we apologise if you weren't aware of this.
If you believe that this has been poorly or incorrectly handled and you want to make a formal complaint about this, please give us a call (on 0333 321 9801), send us a letter or fill out our online form found on our website here:(https://www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints/). Once we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. ~Theo, Social Media Team
No Claims Discount Scammers, DO NOT USE
Leaving 1 star as I can't leave less. For the first time in 12 years of driving, someone crashed into me. I was told on the phone by an advisor that I did not have to pay the excess, only for them to tell me a week later I did. I got a manager on the case who listened to the call, and 'could only apologise'. I had to pay £500 excess and they gave me £20 to say sorry. Things only got worse.
The claim happened in November, it is currently June and it has not been closed.
I got my renewal document through (in which the price had increased £600 - because someone drove into me!), but more to the point, my 12 years no claims discount has been taken down by EIGHT years. I rang up twice about this, spoke to the claims team who were always nice English women, but they then passed to African women on both occasions to 'assist me'. These women were two of the rudest people I have ever spoken to. They told me that they only count 9 years. Online in the policy details it says "If you need to make a claim, insurers will usually take off two of your no claims discount years at renewal, but you won't lose the rest." I read this word for word to the advisor who stumbled on her words and did not really know what to say. She was extremely rude and unhelpful, and the fact they can deduct EIGHT years of your no claims discount for someone else driving in to you is criminal. My claim is still open, and is currently with solicitors. I really do not recommend this company. Reducing someone's no claims discount when they weren't at fault by 8 years is sickening.
June 12, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry you weren’t happy with the service you received during your claim. We always aim to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. When it comes to a claim being made, this is even more important so I regret if you didn't experience this.
I hope that progress can be made concerning your claim soon.
If you think this was poorly handled and you would like to make a complaint, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. You can find further information about this process here: www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Mobile and internet banking is…
Mobile and internet banking is unreliable! It’s down again, right now (28th May 2025). Am fed up with the lack of reliability! Will be moving all of my banking to a more reliable competitor.
May 28, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hello Don,
Thanks for your review, I'm sorry to see that you had such a poor experience.
We’d love to know more about why you gave the rating you did and if there’s anything we can do to help you.
If you want to let us know more about what’s happened or there’s something specific, you’re unhappy about, please send us an email at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Hike your premiums and make it difficult to cancel
Put up our premiums by 50% even though we had made no claims. Make it really difficult to stop the auto renewal - you have to call them to stop it. Found comparable insurance for half what they quoted. A complete rip off, avoid.
May 12, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hello Matt,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with your policy renewing automatically.
All policies are set to automatically renew unless you tell us. We do this so you’re never uninsured and so that if you forget to give us a call, you can still legally drive.
You can remove the auto-renewal from your policy at any point during the first eleven months of the policy. This can be done on the app/online account or by emailing customersupport@hastingsdirect.com. Information concerning this is shown in the very first set of documents that are sent to you. I'm sorry if this wasn't seen.
I regret that we were unable to offer you a competitive price this year and I hope that you have since been able to find suitable cover for your vehicle. ~Theo, Social Media Team
SCAMMERS! AVOID AT ALL COST!
Do not use this insurance as they have a lot of hidden fees that they would happily charge you even before your policy would start. They would give you the best price on the market and a week later they would start querying the details that they have received from their broker. They find the discrepancies and then send you the additional charge. And if you don't you agree, they would charge you a £20 arrangement fee, £45 cancellation fee, £30 amendment fee etc etc etc. But the time you finish paying their fees you will probably owe them more money than you have actually paid for the policy originally. It reminds me of the Phonejacker Tv series when guy would call someone with a very good deal but then there would be a lot of fees to pay if you even want to cancel. I have a really disgusting feeling after dealing with them and if you do not want the same then please AVOID these SCAMMERS at all cost.
March 31, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with our validation checks.
Our Policy Review Team review policies at random to make sure everything checks out and the policy details are correct. They do this to prevent fraud and make sure customers are paying the correct amount for their insurance (this is because fraudulent claims can increase insurance premiums).
This is our standard business practice, and we apologise if you weren't aware of this. Also, if you need more time to send us the documents we’ve asked for or, you have a question about this process, give the team a call on 0333 321 9757. ~Theo, Social Media Team
Worst car insurance company i have ever…
Worst car insurance company i have ever been with and i have been driving over 21 years there fees are shocking there waiting time on calls is a disgrace i will never use again.
March 3, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy about our fees.
We appreciate no one wants to be charged fees but, like most other insurers, these cover some of our business costs - like the costs of staffing our contact centres, managing your policy, creating and sending documents and maintaining and developing our systems.
We try to keep these in line with everyone else and make it as clear as possible how much these fees are and that they’re non-refundable.
We appreciate having to wait can be frustrating. We’re doing everything we can to service our customers as efficiently as possible.
Thanks,
Nicole, Social Media Team
This is the worst company ever had…
This is the worst company ever had nothing but chew for over a month them returning payments and then cancelling the policy and then iv still had to pay the 1 star is far too many for these robbing @#ds
February 21, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for your review, we're sorry to read about the experience you had.
We’d love to know more why you gave the rating you did and if there’s anything we can do to help you.
If you want to let us know more about what’s happened please send us an email with your policy reference to customersupport@hastingsdirect.com. ~Theo, Social Media Team
I would like to thank Hemal Patel for…
I would like to thank Hemal Patel for his outstanding service he has provided on today's call.
His support and communication was fantastic throughout the entire call
February 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Amir,
Thanks for your review, we’re so glad you’re insured with us!
We really appreciate you taking your time to share your feedback.
If there’s anything else you need, just get in touch and let us know.
Thanks,
Nicole, Social Media Team
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi,
Thanks for your review, we’re so glad you’re insured with us!
We really appreciate you taking your time to share your feedback.
If there’s anything else you need, just get in touch and let us know.
Thanks,
Nicole, Social Media Team
Highway Robbery
My sister in law renewed last year with these robbers in spite of a large hike in premium up from less than £200 to £260, ... told her she was foolish and let me know when her next renewal came in and I would check out comparison sites for her.
This years renewal, with NO change in any circumstances came in at £390 ... she phoned to complain and they ran the quote again and came back at £394 !! .. unbelievable!
I went through Top Cashback which uses go compare to generate quotes, and gives you £45 cashback if the policy is still in force 8 weeks later and found a quote from Aviva Direct, a defacto 5 star company with NO changes from her existing policy from People's choice for ....... £150.42 !! SAVING OVER £240 !! not including the £45 cashback she will receive in 8 weeks time !
This is for a 10 year old Ford Fiesta that covers less than 5000 miles a year and includes Protective No Claims, Legal Cover, Windscreen Cover, Courtesy Car with an excess of just £250.
Aviva was NOT the cheapest quote it was 3rd on a list of 31 quotes from different companies all beating her renewal quote.
I have both my cars with Aviva direct so we went ahead and from February 13th she will be covered by Aviva.
Little tip here:- Do not trust ANY insurance company to reward your loyalty and shop around for quotes 30 days before your renewal is due (most will guarantee quotes for 30 days) and move your business away from the rip off merchants.
January 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Peoples Choice Services
Hi Robin,
Thanks for your review, we’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with the price of your renewal and we’d love for you to stay with us.
It might be that the quote you’ve found with someone else is cheaper because the details are different or it’s for a different product or lower level of cover.
Please note, your policy details are not the only factors considered. Industry trends, rise in claim costs, how many accidents the make and model of your car are involved in throughout the year etc can all have an impact. Customers can help the price by having a clean driving history, however, an industry that runs on a worse case scenario determines that external factors beyond your control may impact the price.
I'm glad she was able to find suitable cover for her vehicle in the end. ~Theo, Social Media Team
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