I insure my car with Hastings and recently got this reminder:


Quote:

Dear Mr ********, IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR RENEWAL - Please read carefully We recently wrote to inform you that your Car insurance was due to renew. We haven't heard from you, which means no payment has been made for your renewal. Call us today to arrange payment We've automatically renewed your policy on your behalf to ensure that you don't run the risk of being uninsured. To confirm your cover, you must contact us before 1st October 2017 on 0844 8000 738 with your payment details. Your policy reference number which you'll need to use when you contact us is H*******/3. If we haven't heard from you by 1st October 2017, we'll be left with no option but to cancel your insurance. In the meantime, simply sign in to access your certificate and schedule. If you don't wish to renew your insurance, please reply to this email with the following fields completed. By carrying out the following action, you're confirming that you'll no longer use this certificate of insurance as proof that cover is in force for your motor vehicle: Policy number: Policyholder name: Vehicle registration: Useful numbers To make changes or discuss your policy - 0844 800 3844. To register a claim - 0844 561 1417. Yours sincerely, Paul Whymark Retail Operations Director

I suspect this may be a residual use of 0844 that they have overlooked. Their website is totally OK: https://www.hastingsdirect.com/contact-us/

Checking their entire website for mentions seems almost impossible:
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=site%3Ahastingsdirect.com+0844

What's more important is what happens if you call the 0844 number. It should play a message telling callers to hang up and re-dial the new number. This is what stops callers running up additional charges on their phone bill.

Hastings has only part implemented this. If you call one of their 0844 numbers, you'll hear a message informing of a cheaper 080 or 033 number, spoken just the once, followed by an invitation to "... or otherwise stay on the line to speak to an advisor". This does not appear to fully comply with the FCA regulations which ban the use of 084, 087 and 09 numbers. Nowhere in the FCA regulations is there the opportunity to offer callers a choice of number.

The two numbers are still mentioned on many other websites.
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=%220844+561+1417%22
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=%220844+800+3844%22

allegro

This here may interest you, that's the registered details for Hastings Insurance Services Limited (T/A Hastings Direct).  The have a compliance and customer relations e-mail address.  Maybe worth e-mailing both and pointing out their failure to comply with the FCA regulations.

Then, if needed (depending on their reply), you can contact the FCA here

click here for the call charges information which you could quote to them.

I hope this helps.

:)