just gave direct line a call to tell them of an impending back box swap like for like wrx to sti, "just let me check if thats ok", meanwhile i listen to crap music for a couple of minutes."hello what is a back box? nobody here knows" so much for basic training and a little knowledge,how are we supposed to get accurate quotes if they don't even know the basics!

 

Telling them its an exhaust usually helps. Don't expect call-centre drongos to show evidence of intelligent life, they're not paid enough !

 

hi
im with direct line too and when i rang up to ask about changing recirculating dump valve to a hks sqv got the same shi*ty music and after explaining what it does to the guy on the phone they told me it would be an extra £200!!! thats over 25% of my annual premium.

 

Appalling!!

I am with Elephant and when I phoned one evening to declare my back box I got their Indian call centre. Aside from the language difficulty, the operator had totally no idea about anything. I was declaring my back box and my window tints. He asked, amongst other stupid things,

"Do you have your windscreen blacked out?" WTF!!!

"Where is this black box you speak of - is it in the car?" - followed by my sarcastic reply of "only if I am trying to commit suicide".

Many similar comments - I now only phone my insurer daytime Monday to Friday (even Saturday morning service is India).

I have nothing against the poor folk who have a fairly crap job working in call centres in India, but the lack of knowledge amongst insurers about basic car layout is shocking.

Oh, by the way, Elephant charged me about 15% of my premium for the tints and %5 for the back box (eventually) although if you fill them in using their online quotation system it usually tells you they cannot insure you!!

Nonsense - just what are we paying for.

I have complained vociferously to my insurance company about this - they just sigh and say they are aware of it.

Meant to say - my brother works in a call centre for an accident insurance sales company - he is fully aware of how **** the job is, how crap the money is and that NOBODY gives a ****!! As for "speak to my supervisor" he says that means who was in the earliest, or who has been there the longest (no more than 6 months). He says it has NOTHING to do with skils or knowledge, so when they say speak to their supervisor, they are actually slagging you off, offline etc.

 

direct line are really useless, I was looking at changing to a P1 spoiler instead of the std MY98 one, I phoned them up and said I wanted to change to a different Subaru spoiler, they went away and checked and said that untill I was 25 they wouldn't allow me to change anything on the spec of the car from standard, to top it off they also, oh so helpfully, pointed out that if I had had the spoiler fitted when the car was bought new that this would have counted as an option, not a mod and therefore not only would I have been allowed to do so but also there would have been no extra charge for doing so!!

 

WRXMANIA, I am also with Elephant and I have had to remove my tints. Elephant do not cover side windows tinted more than 30% (Manufacturers Level is around 28%) so I would call them back or you may get a nasty suprise if you have to make a claim New legislation also states that windows forward of the B Pillar must allow a minimum of 70% light through, which means you can't have **** all tint on them.

 

Hi Boyakasha,

My front drops forward of the B Pillar are being removed by Pentagon on Saturday courtesy of the lovely legislation so I suppose I could say I will have that JAP import look?!?!

I shall be legal soon,

Brian.

 

 

It has to be one of the most ridiculous laws ever brought in. I think it will put a lot of tinting firms out of business, although my mate who works for a tinting firm says that they still have people getting their front windows done even after he has told them it is illegal

Better to be safe than sorry I guess

 

ridiculous law ? You ever tried looking out your heavily tinted drivers window on a dark road when pulling out of a junction ?
I for one agree with the law, god knows enough people ' didn't see you ' already.

Andy p STI and CBR

 

Yep and never had a problem, a quality film will only have a slight difference when looking out from the inside.

Maybe some of the M@X MUPPET cars with the DIY tints might cause a problem.