first alternative car insurance reviews | Watch This Item.

Average Ratings
Customer Service2/10 Based on 4 ratings
Value for Money3.2/10
Reviewer Rating2/10
Overall Rating1.8/10 Based on 12 ratings
27% Recommended3 out of 11 Reviews
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11- First Alternative Car Insurance Reviews

  • Full review by
    CJYoung
    on 30th May 2008


    User Rating : 1
    Respect : 0

    Good Points: Competitive premium.

    Bad Points: Poor customer service, 'approved repairers' are not up to much.

    General comments: I had to make my first ever (non-windscreen) motoring claim in December 2007 and I don't think I could have picked a worse insurance company to do it through. First Alternative have failed to impress me and the claim is still unsettled. I have been contacted twice in six months about my claim and the second of those was only because I had a rant at them on the phone. Furthermore, their 'approved repairer' did a poor job of fixing my car (it's still not right) and 'delivered' it back to me by driving it from Newbury to Reading without my consent.
    CJYoung's review and ratings     | 113 words

  • Review by
    Peter Bolitho
    on 4th Jul 2007


    User Rating : 0
    Respect : 0

    First Alternative is very keen to warn its 'customers' against making 'over-inflated' claims. I would like to warn potential First Alternative customers about being 'bounced' into low cash-offers by this company. In my case they at first refused to repair my vehicle offering instead a cash-offer substantially less than the repair cost quoted by their own repair company (arguably this is dishonest). They claimed the repair work would have involved betterment of the vehicle (which turned ou ...
    Peter Bolitho's full review     | 185 words

  • Review by
    Cnxs
    on 8th Jan 2007


    User Rating : 1
    Respect : 0

    FA, or E-sure, or Halifax (who actually owns whom?) have let themselves down and us. It's a good job they backed down when they tried to put our premium up on renewal.
    Cnxs's full review     | 146 words

  • Review by
    edgey74
    on 5th Dec 2006


    User Rating : 0
    Respect : 0

    I cancelled my insurance in November 2005, as I was moving to Australia for a year. I cancelled my policy by phone, and I was asked to send the certificate of Insurance. As this was lost, First Alternative said to write instead, which I did, and the matter would be resolved. Due to their lack of help, I also had the debt collectors (DLC - Is this the same as other writers) hassling me for £68, which First Alternative believe I owe. This has been been going on for 13 months, and it is still ...
    edgey74's full review     | 118 words

  • Review by
    LvlMs
    on 10th Aug 2006


    User Rating : 0
    Respect : 0

    First Alternative are cheap for car insurance, but there's a reason for that. I made a claim after writing my car off during the bad weather last winter. They did eventually pay out, but despite having a fully comprehensive insurance policy, they did not provide me with a courtesy car (because they won't if your car is a total loss - go figure), so I had no transport for 4 months while they tried to grasp the concept of paying out on a very straightforward claim. Now I'm being chased by debt col ...
    LvlMs's full review     | 130 words

  • Review by
    anmcl
    on 1st Aug 2006


    User Rating : 0
    Respect : 0

    First Alternative offers car insurance for quality cars, but their claims department offers a non-quality service. The quality of their staff is highly variable. Their communications, both externally and inside the company are poor to non-existent, leading to unnecessary delays in settling claims. In all my dealings with them they have offered excuses for poor performance, but never a word of apology.
    anmcl's full review     | 102 words

  • Review by
    mmeg
    on 16th Jun 2006


    User Rating : 0
    Respect : 0

    My original claim began in June 2005. The other party accepted liability in March 2006. It is now June 2006, and I am still trying to get my money back from First Alternative car insurance. To reiterate previous reviews, the First Alternative car insurance customer service and claims departments are absolutely appalling. The agents have no idea what they are doing. Be careful that they don't push you into settling your claim if you are not at fault. I would argue they can't be bothered with ...
    mmeg's full review     | 162 words

  • Review by
    abernard7
    on 9th Jun 2006


    User Rating : 2
    Respect : 0

    First Alternative Car Insurance are the absolute pitts if you make a claim. Be careful what you say when making a claim. Don't tell them what you think may have happened if you were not in the car at the time. They will twist it so it looks like you knew the car was faulty. They did not listen properly to my explanation, and they did not give accurate details to relevant agencies. For example, my car was left at the side of the road for over 2 days (no apologies), and now they are arguing the to ...
    abernard7's full review     | 160 words

  • Review by
    suki75
    on 1st May 2006


    User Rating : 0
    Respect : 0

    The First Alternative car insurance claim department are an absolute nightmare to deal with. No-one seems to know that what they are doing. Totally useless company and shockingly bad service. So far this claim has so far taken nearly 6 weeks, and I am no nearer to completion. Simply a bad choice if you need to make a claim. They are far from good value in terms of service.
    suki75's full review     | 72 words

  • Review by
    330cigolfer
    on 3rd Mar 2006


    User Rating : 9
    Respect : 0

    I got a quote from First Alternative car insurance for an M3. The person I spoke to was very helpful and knowledgeable. I am with Esure, and they could not quote me for an M3, so that put me in touch with their sister company called First Alternative. All in all, a very stress free experience, which in this day and age of overseas based help desks is always a delight.
    330cigolfer's full review     | 79 words

  • Review by
    Rocksteady Rank: Lieutenant-Colonel
    on 4th Aug 2005


    User Rating : 9
    Respect : +1

    I have been with First Alternative Car Insurance for the last 2 years and I have never had a problem - they have always been pleasant on the phone and when it came round to renewal time they were still the cheapest for me. My documents took a few days extra to be delivered but it was a bank holiday weekend which always slows things down a bit. I cant comment on how they are with claims as I haven't had to make one yet. (touch wood) If nothing else get a quote from them - what have you got to loo ...
    Rocksteady's full review     | 102 words


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