Aviva car insurance - anyone have bad experience with them?

[mk1975]

hi, im asking this on behalf of my friend. he's got car insurance with Aviva, he renewed insurance with them, he didnt bother to check price, after 7 months he realises that they are charging him quite a lot,he's paying monthly, goes on gocompare and finds a lot cheaper insurance elsewhere.
but Aviva says he cant cancel policy with them, even if he cancels he has to pay the whole amount they say.
i thought if he pays cancelation fee, they can cancel the policy and he can go to a cheaper car insurance company?
any thoughts / advice, many thanks.

[MASS1961]

I've not had a bad experience with them apart from the quote I got online. 12 months for the price of 10!! More like 1 month for the price of 6. I think not!!

However, I have just got a new car and the quote from my current insurer was ridiculously high, I found one a lot cheaper elsewhere. I cancelled with previous insurer and payed off £13.13 to the insurer and £50 admin to the broker.

[EDDIE51]

Aviva are a bunch of crooks their 12 months for 10 fake they just split the premium into 10 instead of 12. I asked for quote and it was £500 more than the quote from Go compare. They are not on comparison sites because they would never get a customer if they were.
Back to your friend, after 7 months it is hardly going to be worth cancelling anyway, there would at least be a cancelation fee to pay and payment for the time on cover so far. If you just stop paying many companies will refuse to confirm your NCB so you lose out any way as you have to start again with zero NCB.

[Mobius1]

The answer is in your question. Your friend "didn't bother" to check the renewal price. An easy mistake to make, but a costly one in this case. Nowadays making the assumption that your custom and loyalty is reason enough for a company to give you a good deal is a mistake.

He has entered into a contract and frankly, if he's not noticed until more than half his instalments have been paid then it serves him right doesn't it really? The only thing he can do is make sure he takes the time to shop around for quotes at his next renewal.

[dappiness]

I work for Aviva, and what he was is told is absolute rubbish.
My guess is that he is actually with a broker rather then Aviva Direct as our legal team would have ripped us a new one if anyone had told him this. He is legally entitled to cancel anytime he wants, although he will have a cancellation fee of £40.28