Zurich Car Insurance Review

Overall Rating

Good quote, friendly when they're taking your money, obviously, but read on...

Rude when you come to make a claim, they mess you about as much as possible to get out of paying. Read on...but if you only read this far, DO NOT EVER USE ZURICH!

All the good scores and comments on this site are for people who haven't yet made a claim pretty much, and for us, Zurich were fine to start with. I'm the named driver and I reported the accident the same day, long conversation all about the accident, details, etc. I then liaised with them and their appointed repairer, at length, a number of times, again discussing details of the policy and the accident, the car, its value, etc. It took a number of weeks to finally get someone to look at it and then they told me on the phone it was written off. I said what's it worth then and they said they couldn't tell me until I've sent in all the documentation? How can you write it off then? If you don't know what a car is worth how can you declare it beyond economical repair? We have private car parking facilities and there's a covenant on our lease that says we can't store 'unroadworthy' vehicles there, to stop people letting wrecks just sit there I guess, so we're in a tricky situation. Basically they want us to hand over the 'signed' V5 AND the keys before they'll even give us a valuation!! We said no way and after a ding-dong on the phone they finally sent us a valuation letter but still won't give us any money until we hand everything over and they've sent a scrap dealer into to pick up the car. As it is we're pulling in favours shuffling the car around but I said if we sign over the car then it won't be ours anymore and then you'll be liable for any charges incurred in our car-park and get this, the woman, she said, 'Oh no, any parking tickets or wheel clamps will be down to you.' and was adamant about it. I asked her if she understood how transfer of ownership as it pertains to cars in this country works but she wouldn't have it...weird. They've left semi-abusive messages on my mobile and get this, last time I spoke to them after all this, when they weren't getting their way they suddenly said they couldn't speak to me because I wasn't the policy holder!!! I was only the name driver and data protection act and blah blah blah. After umpteen conversations, loads of information coming my way, all personal, all explicitly verboten, I couldn't believe it, so petty, so childish. Anyroad, now they still want the keys, the signed V5, to collect the car BEFORE they send us the cheque, and the whole claim is still subject to some rules or another. I get a funny feeling they'll collect the car, claim ownership and then try and wriggle out of paying on a technicality. ZURICH, they're fine when they're taking your money but oh boy when you make a claim...