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Keith Michaels - Rude?

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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 02:31 AM
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Default Keith Michaels - Rude?

I rang Keith Michaels today and to be honest it was an interrogation. I was told the price I had already from an online source was very good and after a few questions that statement was repeated. At no point did the person say, 'actually mate that's a great quote we won't beat it'

The 'interrogation' extended to why I only had 1 years no claims bonus before a claim. I answered that due to being in a common law relationship with one car I didn't have the chance to build any. I was also asked what car did I have currently. I am sure all these are valid questions, but it's the manner in which they were asked that was both bizarre and annoying.

He continued to ask questions then said 'well you have a quote at £xxx' and I asked, 'So is that it' and he replied 'yeah' and then hung up. To be honest I'm disgusted given the reputation they have here. Granted they might not be able to quote but a bit of customer service would not go wrong.

I was treated like a 17 year old new driver trying their luck

Last edited by Pink_Floyd; Aug 21, 2010 at 02:39 AM.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 02:36 AM
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Did you specifically speak to Gary Moulson ? He tends to handle the Scooby stuff but you have to ask for him or dial him directly. He knows all the tricks for getting a Scooby quote down, and if you got someone else in the office whom doesn't generally handle Scoobs they may not be as efficient os him.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 02:38 AM
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Originally Posted by corradoboy
Did you specifically speak to Gary Moulson ? He tends to handle the Scooby stuff but you have to ask for him or dial him directly. He knows all the tricks for getting a Scooby quote down, and if you got someone else in the office whom doesn't generally handle Scoobs they may not be as efficient os him.
I didn't mate, but it's no excuse for the way the quote went. Honestly I felt like they were paying me! I was really sad that it went the way it did. Granted my no claims is out the window due to an ongoing claim and my past driving history is in on my ex-partners policy, but it's no excuse to being flippant with someone.

It was almost like I'd have been better emailing bank statements and images of my property before daring to speak with him..........

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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 02:50 AM
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to be honest I called last week to cancel the policy for the scoob the girl I spoke to was a little rude and wasn't helpfull at all. however Gary moulsan has been nothing but brilliant had two cars insured with him for the past three years his always offerig advice and will always do what's best for you. his customer service is excellent his very honest and tells you everything you need to know. i will continue to use him even though I no longer have a the scooby.

google keith michaels look under contacts and look for Gary and you will see what I mean.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 02:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Mus
to be honest I called last week to cancel the policy for the scoob the girl I spoke to was a little rude and wasn't helpfull at all. however Gary moulsan has been nothing but brilliant had two cars insured with him for the past three years his always offerig advice and will always do what's best for you. his customer service is excellent his very honest and tells you everything you need to know. i will continue to use him even though I no longer have a the scooby.

google keith michaels look under contacts and look for Gary and you will see what I mean.
Fair point mate

However it's not Gary Moulsan Insurance, it's Keith Michaels. I say that not tongue in cheek, rather one man shouldn't have to hold or indeed maintain a reputation of a company.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 03:08 AM
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Quite right √
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 07:07 AM
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Agree with above but if speaking to them ONLY ONLY ONLY ever speak to Gary
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 09:59 AM
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Originally Posted by B0DSKI
Agree with above but if speaking to them ONLY ONLY ONLY ever speak to Gary

Not always easy. I'm on same scooby site as Gary Moulson, and sent him a pm with all my mods and renewal info at least 2 weeks ago. Yeah, you guessed it, not even an acknowledgement.
I knew that my current insurer would be hard to beat, but, just a message saying "we can't match it" would be great. Will i bother again, a definate No
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:02 AM
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Been with Gary for four years now and always found him very helpfull.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:03 AM
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Well I for one have had nothing but great service from Moley. Admittedly he can sometimes be a bit difficult to pin down, but he is looking after a lot of scooby drivers and is the only guy in his office who truly appreciates what we want and therefore sorts us out with great deals. I'll be going back to him again next year
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:16 AM
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Originally Posted by RA Dunk
Been with Gary for four years now and always found him very helpfull.
Originally Posted by JonMc
Well I for one have had nothing but great service from Moley. Admittedly he can sometimes be a bit difficult to pin down, but he is looking after a lot of scooby drivers and is the only guy in his office who truly appreciates what we want and therefore sorts us out with great deals. I'll be going back to him again next year
Same here. Usually if I need to speak to Gary personally I can get through the 1st or 2nd time of ringing. He really is brilliant and generally carries the performance side of KM so no wonder he's hard to get hold of

Also helps being on car forums as you can "see" peoples posts and sometimes the way they drive... that can give a good indicator before insuring them too. A good example was the recent thread on here where some newbie member admitted to speeding all the time. You imagine an insurer reading that on a forum and getting a phonecall from said member (hypothetically)

Keep trying but there are some ***** at KM, Gary would admit the same
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:21 AM
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yeah i must say i filled in the online quote and heard nothing needless to say i wont be doing that again , this was a year ago on my classic didnt even bother asking with the blob sti ppp .
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:30 AM
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Mixed service here. Last year got excellent service insuring the wife's back up Festa but when I tried for my classic was basically told I was wasting their time. Wouldn't even listen to the fact that I wanted a quote going from a standard to modified car. Pleasantries very rushed and couldn't get me off the line fast enough. Sad, but they are obviously doing well enough not to require my business....





Last edited by his-n-her-scoobs; Aug 21, 2010 at 10:34 AM.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:30 AM
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Originally Posted by B0DSKI
Agree with above but if speaking to them ONLY ONLY ONLY ever speak to Gary
If you can get intouch with him When I wanted a quote asked for Gary they said he is busy and put me through to his voice mail. Rang and left a message 4 times over a week still no call back. Won't bother again they wasted my time
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:33 AM
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I was gonna ask them for a quote on the next one I buy ..

But screw that .. I'll stick with A-Plan, never rude and always on the ball.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 10:35 AM
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i tried for nearly 3wks to get a hold of gary but after lots of pms and answer machines messages nothing, so had to go somewhere else,

i know hes busy and can be hard to get a hold of but its bad for a company when gary seems to be one of the only ones who actually can do his job

Last edited by Tomwrx; Aug 21, 2010 at 10:36 AM.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by pimmo2000
I was gonna ask them for a quote on the next one I buy ..

But screw that .. I'll stick with A-Plan, never rude and always on the ball.
A-Plan have allways been good to me as well. At least I get a quote off them NOT like Keith Michaels
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:16 AM
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I'm with Keith michaels, I deal with Patrick, Purly because I rang years back for a quote and he first dealt with me, so you become his customer even if you ring back years later.

He can be very blunt sometimes but this doesn't bother me (Used to dealing with all sorts of people on the phone from years in a call centre in my youth) and I'm more than happy to put up with this for five minutes a year in order to get a good policy at a good price.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:19 AM
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A few small points....

Internet quotes - i don't to them. If you request an internet quote it'll be done by our trainee (but checked by a senior member of staff)

Rudeness - i have no idea who you would have spoken to, but if you are unhappy with the service you should speak to a manager and complain

Getting hold of me - yes, it can be a nightmare. However, i believe in giving my existing customers a good service. If they have problems with a claim i'll get involved myself, rather than just telling them to speak to your claims department. If that means i can't quote everyone who rings for a price then so be it (unfortunately), but existing customers have to take priority.

We are currently very understaffed, this week we have had half our staff out the office (holidays and illness). I appreciate it can be hard to get through, but i do appreciate those who are willing to make the effort and ring 2-3 times (i know you shouldn't have to)

As always i appreciate the positive comments. Despite what some might say i do try my hardest to help as many people as i can. Unfortunately i can't get back to everyone, but i'm not super-human!!!

If you want someone to say ''yes sir, no sir'' then you may find better elsewhere.
If you want someone that knows these cars inside out, is a fellow enthuisiast, and will try their hardest to help then give me a call.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Mus
to be honest I called last week to cancel the policy for the scoob the girl I spoke to was a little rude and wasn't helpfull at all. however Gary moulsan has been nothing but brilliant had two cars insured with him for the past three years his always offerig advice and will always do what's best for you. his customer service is excellent his very honest and tells you everything you need to know. i will continue to use him even though I no longer have a the scooby.

google keith michaels look under contacts and look for Gary and you will see what I mean.
Same here, nothing but praise for Gary.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:30 AM
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Originally Posted by B0DSKI
Agree with above but if speaking to them ONLY ONLY ONLY ever speak to Gary
Yes but it is keith michaels the company insuring you not Gary so who ever you speak to they should be helpful and friendly.
I would be interested to hear anyone who has made a claim through them and what the service was like?
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:52 AM
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To the O/P,sounds exactly like the guy i spoke to,i had a choice between A plan and K/m,only a couple of £ in it,i had a good quote from Aplan,they were the cheaper one,but rang K/M anyway,exactly the same attitude from the guy as the o/p,so HE made my mind up,Aplan got my vote and have been great,the guy was kind and so was the other people i spoke to,so not just this 1 man band K/M seem to have with Gary.

As said,if gary is on holidays,if you need to speak to k/m and this is the other staff they have,well !!!!!
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:53 AM
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I couldn't get hold of Gary - and he didn't feel it even worth an apology for ignoring emails and phone messages. If a company can't even be bothered quoting for business, I'd never trust them if I ever had a claim.

Use A-Plan - they're very friendly, call to remind you when renewal's approaching and better than anyone else who quoted when I shopped around.

Service matters - aside from price it's the only distinguishing factor for a commodity like insurance.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:54 AM
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I couldn't get hold of Gary - and he didn't feel it even worth an apology for ignoring emails and phone messages. If a company can't even be bothered quoting for business, I'd never trust them if I ever had a claim.

Use A-Plan - they're very friendly, call to remind you when renewal's approaching and better than anyone else who quoted when I shopped around.

Service matters - aside from price it's the only distinguishing factor for a commodity like insurance.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 11:58 AM
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Originally Posted by The Rig
As said,if gary is on holidays,if you need to speak to k/m and this is the other staff they have,well !!!!!
Holidays.... what are they?

Gordo - don't you ever get bored moaning about me? Let it rest.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 12:31 PM
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I've never had a problem with KM or Moley, I will be ringing again in January for my usual grounded quote and efficient service


Is PM'ing on a public forum the usual way for people to get a quote?? I wouldn't dream of it (is that just me??)


Originally Posted by 4scoobydoo
Not always easy. I'm on same scooby site as Gary Moulson, and sent him a pm with all my mods and renewal info at least 2 weeks ago. Yeah, you guessed it, not even an acknowledgement.
I knew that my current insurer would be hard to beat, but, just a message saying "we can't match it" would be great. Will i bother again, a definate No
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 12:42 PM
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after a very bad experience with another insurer who sponsors this site, i went with Keith Michaels admittedly Gary is sometimes difficult to get hold of, but when you do its well worth the wait.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by graeme jones
Yes but it is keith michaels the company insuring you not Gary so who ever you speak to they should be helpful and friendly.
I would be interested to hear anyone who has made a claim through them and what the service was like?
Kinda see what your saying mate but that just aint life,dont know what you work as,but i know i like to do the best i can at my job,its called personal pride,i like to think i,m good at my job,whereas some folk i work with dont give a sh*t,it doesnt mean the whole company is bad,just got some nobheeds working there.
I can only go on my own experience,i phoned last year,and couldnt get through to Gary,so i left a message,next day,phone call,top quote,simples.
Phoned the fantastic A-Plan in february,still waiting for my call to be returned.
I think if they think they cant give you a competitive quote on the details you give them,then they might not bother to phone back,which is fair do,s i think,no point in wasting everyones time,at the end of the day,Gary is there to make a living,and if i was him i,d personally cherry pick my calls,ie phone back the ones that will lead to a sale,no good phoning back the guy who,s 18 with a 400bhp STI,cos its just not realistic.
That might seem a bit rubbish,but its life,if only everyone was good at their job,life would be ace,and we,d always get a free bbq sauce at Kentucky instead of paying 10p,and the Shell garage wouldnt clone your credit card when you bought fuel etc etc
Best thing to do is prepare early,contact Gary in plenty of time,and prepare for a good quote,no good phoning him for a quote for tomorrow,as its common knowledge the guys busy for a reason,he,s good at what he does!
Do i get a cheaper quote for that Gary?
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Moley_WRX
Getting hold of me - yes, it can be a nightmare. However, i believe in giving my existing customers a good service. If they have problems with a claim i'll get involved myself, rather than just telling them to speak to your claims department. If that means i can't quote everyone who rings for a price then so be it (unfortunately), but existing customers have to take priority.
you deserve a medal for saying that! Far too many companies forget about their existing customers, its nice to know you are not one of them.
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Old Aug 21, 2010 | 01:28 PM
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There is many including my self who have said in the past they are rude .But as said above gary is the man and never ever have i had anything but the best quotes and respect over the phone with him.
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