Coincidentally we had a letter today from RAC about the renewal of Liz's policy. The price quoted was suspiciously high so I tried Hastings Direct, with whom I'm already insured. Their quote was £50 less with the same cover, which was well worth the effort.
The Renewal Notice from the RAC was several sheets of A4, printed in Portrait format but with one side opposed vertically from the other one. These sheets were then folded and stapled into an A5 "booklet" which was thus rendered almost unreadable. Maybe the intention was to make the policy-holder thing "ah, feckit - just renew the thing". I'm always up for a challenge like that!
It took me maybe five minutes to complete all of Liz's details on Hastings' website and pay them for the new policy on-line. Job done? Not quite...
I was on the phone to the RAC for almost ten minutes, simpy trying to tell them that we were not going to renew the policy with them and not to take any money from our bank in consequence. A lot of this time was taken up with a recorded reading of their T&C's TWICE, followed by one of those horrible Algorithm "conversations" where you have to try to sound like a BBC announcer while reciting contact and security information. When I finally got to speak to "Simon" (a sotto voce Geordie) he tried his level best to reduce the premium, despite my having told him that I'd been quoted 25% less for identical cover and so not to waste our mutual time.
What bothers me most is that this sort of corporate on-line AI-driven insanity is becoming the accepted norm. I'm old enough to remember going into my local Insurance Agent's office and talking through the process with a real live breathing person. That was well worth the commission I knew I was paying to them for finding me a policy which I could afford and which would cover my likely needs. Who needs Meerkats or dodgy tenors with twirly moustaches?
Come back, Frans Kafka. You'd have a ball in the 21st century society!
DaveM