Consider these two examples of customer service. The day before I was due to collect a new car, my wife was admitted to hospital and gave birth to our twin girls nine weeks early.
The car dealership, Yeomans of Ferring, near Worthing, is 79 miles from our home. However, realising that we had enough to worry about they agreed to arrange for a driver to deliver the car to us.
I called my insurer Axa to change the details on my policy to reflect the fact I had changed cars. It informed me that I would have to pay a £30 surcharge to change my policy over the phone, but I could do this for free online.
I explained that I had two daughters in intensive care and was virtually living at the hospital. I requested that they waive their policy so that this could be resolved and take this weight off my mind.
The adviser put me on hold to seek advice from his supervisor. He returned to say that the policy couldn't be waived and I would have to either pay the £30 fee or advise of the changes online.
I therefore completed the transaction online later that day but given this was seven weeks before my renewal date, I shall not be using Axa again. Yeomans Peugeot of Worthing however deserves immense credit for the excellent service at a time when they realised we had enough to worry about. DF, by email
Firstly, congratulations on your new additions. And secondly, a big "well done" to the person at the car dealer Yeomans of Ferring. That really is going the extra mile and well worthy of comment. That said, we are not sure that Axa deserves your wrath. We had a similar letter from another reader complaining about a £20 admin fee imposed by another insurer on him, after he similarly changed his car.
To be fair to the insurers they do have to change their systems and work out any additional – or reduction – in premium that is payable on the new car. Axa is a company that makes more than its fair share of appearances in this column, but the fact that it offers customers a chance to make the change for free via its website is acceptable. The car insurance admin charges that annoy us are the ones that you can't avoid. It's not Axa's fault that the timing was terrible for you and that you were in a hospital.
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