Name: Collingwood
Address: Collingwood House Earl Grey Way, North Shields
Rating: 1.99

“I certainly won't be using Collingwood again. Please be aware that if you cancel your policy for any reason after month 9 they charge an extra £40 fee to the card that you took out the original insurance on. My son passed his driving test with enough time to actually claim some money back on his policy but I forgot to cancel. I spoke to a Collingwood advisor today and it seems that they actually monitor the driving licence status of the learner (so she told me) which is why I was sent a reminder in the last 3 months of the policy. If you act on that reminder and cancel the policy at that point a £40 charge is due. If they have all the information about when you've passed your test, then as far as I am concerned there's nothing stopping them sending a reminder to cancel the policy in good time. This would not only to save the £40 fee but also allow you to claim any rebate owing for the unused insurance. In my opinion this company is dishonest in not sending the reminder sooner and they know full well that if people receive a reminder in the last 3 months of the policy they will enact upon that reminder and cancel thus making them liable to the £40 charge. I have 2 other children who will eventually need to take out learner insurance and I certainly won't be insuring with this broker due to their devious business practices. BE WARNED, EITHER CANCEL IMMEDIATELY IF YOU PASS YOUR TEST WELL BEFORE THE LAST 3 MONTHS OR JUST LET THE POLICY LAPSE IF YOU PASS AFTER MONTH 9. Don't let these Charlatan's take more of your hard earned money than they're entitled to! Here's a list of all the fees they charge as a Broker for anyone contemplating Collingwood Learner Insurance as of 26/07/2024 by email from Collingwood. 1. New Business and Renewal Insurance services processing. Fee £75 2. Insurance services monthly administration Fee (administration fee when paying for the policy by monthly automatic card payment option). Fee £4.50 3. Card processing fee (all card payments). Fee 0.00 (Only because it's been illegal since 2018) 4. Mid-term adjustment fee. Fee £35 5. Cancellation fee. Fee £40 6. Hard copy of policy documentation. Fee £35 Their trumped up excuse for charging all these fees in their email to me was stated "We, as the insurance intermediary have our own fees, which includes our non-refundable cancellation processing fee of £40.00" Neither the actual Collingwood Learner Motor Insurance Policy Document on the Collingwood website or the Product Info Summary on the Collingwood Gibraltar website show any cancellation fees whatsoever. Because Collingwood UK is acting as a 'so called' intermediary Broker for their own insurance company based in Gibraltar they think that it's OK to add on Brokerage fees to administer their own policy! The real insurance company is Collingwood Insurance Company Ltd, 7.02 World Trade Centre, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA. I have copies of their full Policy Document and their Product Summary for the benefit of the Financial Services Ombudsman. There is a Telegraph article entitled "Insurers Flock To Gibraltar" which requires a subscription but you can read the Cached version. It's interesting reading. Companies like Collingwood do this primarily as a tax dodge but more importantly they can also side step the heavy regulation UK based Insurers are subject to and the solvency requirements they're obliged to carry in the UK.”

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Posted 8 months ago

“I certainly won't be using Collingwood again. Please be aware that if you cancel your policy for any reason after month 9 they charge an extra £40 fee to the card that you took out the original insurance on. My son passed his driving test with enough time to actually claim some money back on his policy but I forgot to cancel. I spoke to a Collingwood advisor today and it seems that they actually monitor the driving licence status of the learner (so she told me) which is why I was sent a reminder in the last 3 months of the policy. If you act on that reminder and cancel the policy at that point a £40 charge is due. If they have all the information about when you've passed your test, then as far as I am concerned there's nothing stopping them sending a reminder to cancel the policy in good time. This would not only to save the £40 fee but also allow you to claim any rebate owing for the unused insurance. In my opinion this company is dishonest in not sending the reminder sooner and they know full well that if people receive a reminder in the last 3 months of the policy they will enact upon that reminder and cancel thus making them liable to the £40 charge. I have 2 other children who will eventually need to take out learner insurance and I certainly won't be insuring with this broker due to their devious business practices. BE WARNED, EITHER CANCEL IMMEDIATELY IF YOU PASS YOUR TEST WELL BEFORE THE LAST 3 MONTHS OR JUST LET THE POLICY LAPSE IF YOU PASS AFTER MONTH 9. Don't let these Charlatan's take more of your hard earned money than they're entitled to!”

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Posted 8 months ago

“Would give 0 stars if I could. This company is the worse insurance company I have delat with in my 30 years of driving. No flexibilty in helping customers, rde staff who interupt you. AVOID AT ALL COSTS”

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Posted 9 months ago

“Guys, don't get this insurance; you'll be trapped! They cancelled my insurance, which I had paid for the entire year, and I am still on an early cancellation catheter after passing my test!! Such a scrap.”

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Posted 11 months ago

“Charge £40 to cancel the policy when you pass your test. Complete rip off”

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Posted 11 months ago

“Very cheap insurance for learner drivers, I recommend it 👌”

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Posted 11 months ago

“My son passed his test, you've already taken this months premium even though he passed and I cancelled and now you say he owes £98 for what ??? Scammers”

Collingwood 1 star review on 25th March 2024

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Posted 1 year ago

“Bunch of scammers, wanting to charge £40 "cancellation fee" when someone passes their test. I can understand that the insurance is no longer valid of course, but why does it need to be cancelled? Only reason is to give them extra money they can hide away in the terms & conditions. Avoid.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Disgusting company ! As others have said , had paid the policy in full , didn't owe them a penny ! But had to pay a cancellation fee when my daughter passed her test , absolutely con men , stay away !”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Would give 0 stars if able to. Highly shady business practices designed to prey on naive minors. Additional fees hidden until you pay. Pass you test in 8 months and cancel? Be prepared to pay an additional fee for the privilege, told specifically they couldn’t just allow the policy to lapse. Customer service are more likely to threaten collection agencies than offer help. Save yourself and steer clear of these conmen. If you’re a complete Karen looking for employment, you’ll fit in perfectly with this business.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Would give a zero if I could. £40 cancellation fee I can accept, but a £70 broker fee? Not so much. Also, collection agencies were threatened to my distraught 17-year-old daughter. Customer services were not very helpful and seemed very script-based. Would NOT recommend, far too much hassle and with so many hidden fees involved. One of the managers is called Karen, go figure.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Like others on here have said-beware of the ‘£40 cancellation fee’ scam. The moment my daughter passed her test I called these guys to see about changing her policy from learner to new driver. However, all this did was trigger an account hold and a flurry of emails warning me that if I didn’t cancel the policy-they would, and of course this could have ramifications for future insurance quotes.The only way to cancel was then by telephone-where they informed me there was a £40 cancellation policy in spite of the fact I prepaid for a year and had only been covered for a few months! The initial price was favourable but of course if they can collect an extra £40 from everyone they can afford to be competitive initially. Underhand and spurious practice. Staff pleasant enough however. Personally I’d be embarrassed to work here. Can’t recommend.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“There is a cancellation fee charged by Collingwood, the intermediary which will be charged if you cancel the policy. You have to cancel the policy if and when the student passes. I called and it was not made clear that the policy couldn't just lapse. So in effect, when you pass they change you £40 for the privilege, and if this in in the last few months of the policy, they also keep 100% of the premium. It's a complete con. When asked for a breakdown of how the £40 they are charging is made up to cover the costs, the advisor refused to provide one. They state everything is clear - just look around for reviews, which, by their number clearly show this is not true.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Rude staff astronomical cancellation charges not explained properly”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Will make you pay a fee when you pass. Also no refund in last few months of the policy so you may owe money to them!!!! CCJ on its way for £20! Avoid at all costs.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Had to cancel policy as the learner driver had a fall and unable to drive so ended up paying equivalent of over 2 months premium and admin charge to cancel to avoid recovery action being taken. “That’s our processes” with no sympathy for the reason of cancellation nor flexibility!”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Total rip offs. Was paying month to month and cancelled as I had a foot injury so no longer could drive for a few months and they charged me £364.24! To cancel! Company is an absolute joke! Customer service doesn’t exist either! DO NOT BUY INSURANCE FROM THID SHAMBLES OF A RIP OFF COMPANY!”

Collingwood 1 star review on 8th January 2024

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Posted 1 year ago

“Cancellation fee is disgusting! Penalise the young people when they pass in less than a year! DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!”

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Posted 1 year ago

“I would look for fairer learner insurance!!! Took out learner insurance for my son. He passed 9.5 months into the insurance which then became void as he was no longer a learner as he successfully passed his driving test. Cause for celebration.. But not only did Collingwood keep the remaining months premiums!!! Bearing in mind you have no choice but to cancel the insurance (one of their advisors told me it was illegal to keep it in place) they then charge you £40 cancellation fee for doing so!!!! As if these young drivers don't have enough to pay out on car insurance once passed... and customer service is shocking!”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Absolute money grabbing company. Poor rude customer service. Took six weeks to get a black box that worked when we started the policy and now as my daughter is a student away from home I have to pay an additional £71 for a car that is not being used! Nearly laid in insurance more than the car is worth. Avoid this company”

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Posted 1 year ago

Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone
Queries Resolved In	6 - 12 Hours

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