I was insured with first alternative for one year.I had before 7 year no claim bonus but in this year one idiot smashed my bumper, she made a claim and she won.The insurance did not informed me that they payed her 1000 pounds.I was not guilty and I had pictures and witnesses but it did not matter.Now my new insurer charged me almost 3000 pounds because I have a claim recorded in my file and I lost my 7 years no claim bonus.First Alternative is RUBBISH!! Avoid them.

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.

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 out wasn't incorrect), but really they appeared to be seeking to avoid paying the full cost of repair, and the cost of the courtesy car.

I would advise treating this insurer as a Last Alternative!

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.

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 is not resolved. I have never had such problems with any other car insurance company.

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 collectors having cancelled my cover with them as soon as I was able to, because I can't explain to their Indian-based call centre operatives that I sent back their insurance certificate and told them I wanted to cancel months ago.

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.

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 the extra work involved, and would rather sit back and let you lose your NCD.

They also take forever on the phone (most of the time is spent on hold), and I've had calls lasting over 45 minutes.

They are very eager to set their debt collectors on to you and have them chase for payment, but they are very slow when paying you back what they owe.

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 toss about the claim and I have no courtesy car. They were arrogant, uncaring and clueless.

Please note. this car had a full service by the manufacturer 5 months ago, and MOT 1 month ago, and they are arguing the toss about its condition. A well looked after V reg performance car!

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.

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.

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 loose.