Home Funny/odd experience with AXA

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ClubMan

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My home/contents insurance policy with AXA was up for renewal recently.
The premium was competitive enough judging by shopping around online.
But I decided to try AXA's website for a fresh quote and it came in about €80 cheaper for exactly the same details/cover.
No brainer - I bought the online cover there and then to start when my current policy finishes.

First thing (9am) the next morning I get a call from AXA.
The guy is calling me about the quote that I got online.
Then he realises that I have gone ahead and purchased it.

Next thing he starts telling me that I shouldn't have done this - I should have called them and they could match the price on my renewal.
He then said that this would be less hassle and I wouldn't have the "issue" of a cancelled policy to my name.

I pointed out that buying it online for €80 cheaper there and then at 11pm when I could not call them anyway was much less hassle for me - done immediately, saved me money and no hassle of having to make phone calls. And I told him that if they insisted on existing customers doing this then the website should say something about it. He said that the website was really for new customers not existing ones. I said it made no difference.

And I pointed out that I was not cancelling my current policy but letting it run to completion when the new policy would kick in. So there was no cancelled policy.
He still claimed that there was but when I asked him what the downside of this was he admitted that there was none (I was afraid that switching policies might trigger some loading on their database next time around or something).

Basically your man seemed to be almost giving out to me for dealing with them as I did and advised that "next time" I should call them to change the premium on the EXISTING policy rather than taking out a new one.

I felt like telling him to go forth and multiply but remained my normal polite self. :) Bizarre. Maybe his commission was on the line by me taking out a new policy or something?
 
In the motor insurance thread I had the polar opposite experience with AXA. Dismayed at the increase in the premium at renewal, I phoned to cancel the renewal having previously obtained a paltry €50 reduction, I was told rather than cancelling I SHLOUD have obtained a quote as a new customer that would have been lower.

A regulated industry run by the Del Boys of Ireland and regulated just as effectively.
 
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On the couple of occasions where I've checked my current insurer's online price and found it to be cheaper than the renewal quote, I've always found them willing to give the same discount on the renewal just by phoning them. It's a pain as I'm not normally a haggler, but that's life.
 
dub_nerd said:
On the couple of occasions where I've checked my current insurer's online price and found it to be cheaper than the renewal quote, I've always found them willing to give the same discount on the renewal just by phoning them. It's a pain as I'm not normally a haggler, but that's life.
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Yes - but what's the point in phoning them when you can just transact online for the cheaper price?
That was one of my quibbles with the AXA man's points - what he was suggesting was MORE hassle than what I did at my own convenience for the same result (ignoring his red herring about the "cancelled" policy).
I just found the whole conversation strange and as time goes on it becomes more amusing....
 
ClubMan said:
Yes - but what's the point in phoning them when you can just transact online for the cheaper price?
Click to expand...

Usually when I'm checking the online price I'm shopping around a number of websites looking for the cheapest price. When I do that I always fake some of my data -- bits that make no difference to the quote such as name, e-mail address, phone number and slight postal address variation -- so that they won't spam me with texts, calls and mails. I've had some insurers wake me up with spam texts several times coming up to renewal date after obtaining a quote, which I won't tolerate. For the actual real renewal, assuming I stay with the current provider, I find a phone call easier rather than banging in all the real data again.
 
I have a specific, 'burner' email address that I use solely for online insurance quotes. I also use the phone number 084-1234567 as the contact number. I cannot stand being bombarded with garbage follow-up phone calls from some completely uncompetitive quote.
 
I also use 011234567/0871234567 when shopping around. I use my real email address because I don't mind getting the quotes emailed and if they send other spam even after I don't select the junk mail option I just unsubscribe (or complain in the case of 123 who never include an unsubscribe option/link in their emails from "Orla"). In this case the AXA guy called me because I had put in my real number because I also purchased cover online. He seemed to be calling me just to give out to me... :)
 
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There is some fake Irish number dedicated for use in drama/TV but it's not memorable enough so I use the American one -- 5555555 with some prefix. I hope it's not a real number in Ireland, otherwise they're getting my insurance spam. For email I use mailinator.com addresses -- you can just make one up on the spot and you don't have to go to the trouble of actually setting it up.

While we're on insurance anecdotes -- I just checked with my insurance about transferring to a new car that's arriving Monday. There's no change in premium for comprehensive even though my car value is going from about €7k to €27k. What's that about?!
 
it is probably all about internal reporting , the guy that rang you maybe works on the retention team, so a cancellation is bad news, while another team in axa for new business will be happy
 
Yes - but there IS no cancellation.
My current policy runs to completion as normal and then the new one that I bought online (rather than via a renewal) will start.
Sounds like some sort of bureaucracy on their side that impacts me in the form of a slightly annoying call from AXA seemingly reprimanding me for doing what I did... :)
 
Its basically dual pricing (insurance companies often discount rates to get people in the door). Once you are in, then they hope inertia sets in and premiums can be raised. The guy on the phone was just pi$$ed off he had to do some extra work. You did nothing wrong.
 
I had similar experience in past with similar frosty response when I renewed myself online - or took out new policy, I suppose- But it taught me to get online quote from same company before I renew with them. Can be a big difference.. Just today, My renewal in post €692 online €579. Have details and intend to call and negotiate over the phone. In the breakdown of my online quote, online discount shown as €132. Not new customer disc but online disc.

Actually, just got email confirming my quote but with lower price of €505.. I'll have to investigate.
Ha.. Price quoted was base price without protected NCD.
 
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