Howden insurance - recommended, or, the importance of a good broker!

[Berin]

A couple of weeks ago, I got a stone chip on the windscreen which needed replacing. I called the broker, Howden, who put me through to Autoglass and an appointment was made 2 days hence. The car needed to go into a depot, as apparently it's not a roadside repair now, so I booked into the Oxford demo, about 45 minutes away. The appointment was booked for 11.30 am on a Friday, with a 2 hour fitting time so I'd be done by 1.30. I got a phone call, 2 texts and about 5 emails from Autoglass stressing the importance of turning up at 11.30, which I did. "Depot" was working hard here, it was a portacabin in a deserted car park on an industrial estate, but anyway, I went over to book in and to be immediately told they were running 2hrs behind, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Well, this was a buggeration of my day, since I had appointments in the afternoon. I went back to the car, called Howdens and explained the problem, asked if there was an alternative to Autoglass, or if they could help. They said they would call back. Not holding out much hope, I sat for 10 minutes, and they did call back telling me that someone from Autoglass would be walking over to the car with an update - I looked out of the window, and there was the Autoglass bloke to tell me they could do the car straight away!

An hour later I was on my way, Howden called later to make sure everything was OK, and on Monday Autoglass called to apologise and knock £50 off my £175 excess. The next day I also got a letter from Sabre, the insurer, asking if I wanted them to raise another complaint against Autoglass.

Bet I wouldn't have got that with Hastings Direct!

 

[DJ123]

I have used them a few times, for Bike & Car insurance. They were great to deal with (as Howdens, and previously A-Plan) in being helpful submitting claims or navigating one.

Would absolutely recommend using them. Even helped me re-claim lost NCB's from underwriters too!

 

[Berin]

I've just insured my HP2E with them, last year £450 with BikeSure - who to fair are pretty good - and Howdens/Ageas this year are £330, including legal insurance and full Euro breakdown and covered both at my lock up and home address.

 

[Rasher]

I use them for home insurance, and they have been helpful, as I have built an office above the garage (which is detached from the house) most policies only cover it for £300 - I have bike leathers / textiles for me and Mrs, helmets, boots, gloves, some horsey shit of hers, my computers / monitors / printers, some old playstations, hundreds of CD's and DVD's etc etc etc and they found a company that just include it as the rest of the house so everything covered new for old.

Will give them a go at the bike insurance this year and see what they can do.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Auto Glass are Wankers

I had my V90 booked in for a new screen at Auto Glass Swindon. When I arrived at the requested time they checked the screen over then announced "that's a heated screen you've got there mate"

No fucking shit Sherlock. It's a Volvo. Why would you expect it not to have a heated screen?

All I did was type in my registration number into their configurator but apparently that was 'my fault' for not telling them the screen was heated, when in fact. you get no opportunity whatsoever to talk to a human being

The nett result was Auto Glass didn't have a heated screen for a V90 within their network, so the car ended up going to my local Volvo Dealer who fitted (or had fitted) a genuine Volvo branded screen

My insurers are LV and Auto Glass are (still) Wankers

 

[Berin]

Unfortunately there’s no choice, most of the time. Windscreens now cost thousands so it need to be on insurance too

 

[Neil W]

When I was working at a mates garage we regularly saw cars with water ingress issues following screen replacement by Autoglass .

I needed a screen in our Audi A4 so used a local independant company , whilst there I was talking to the comoany owner who was telling me about three technicians they took on a few years before who had been trained at Autoglass.

Claimed they were an utter disaster and generated more complaints between them than all the other employees in the company.

Prior to that Autoglass came to a neighbours to do a bonded screen change on his Toyota and said it had to be done indoors so I cleared out my double garage to help. Autoglass technician claimed the available 26 × 18 foot space was not enough .

Mate had a garage 2 minutes up the road ( used for sevicing tractors and hgv's ) and I checked and it was available and open.

Told the technician who then decided it was not suitable ????????

More like it was FA Cup final day and he couldn't be arsed.

On the following Monday my neighbour had to take the car 40 miles down to their depot in Sunderland to have the job done , a month later it was leaking .

Autoglass are utterly useless