Why is Direct Line so expensive?
How do I contact Direct Line customer care?
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What hours are Direct Line open?
You can contact us at any time to find out the hours of operation. The best way to contact us is via our Live Chat feature. Alternatively you can call us on 01225 824500 from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
How do I apply? You can apply by visiting our jobs page. When you click on the job you wish to apply for, you will be redirected to our application form. There are a variety of vacancies listed on the website and we hope you find the job that you are looking for.
How long does it take to get a call back? You will get a call back from us within two working days. Can I work from home? You can apply for any of our jobs and have the option to work from home. If you are selected as a successful candidate, you will be required to attend a pre-employment induction session. We also require you to pass a physical and drug test.
What do you offer? We offer a competitive salary, along with free parking, mobile phone, internet access and medical insurance. We also offer a pension scheme, discounted gym membership, annual paid holidays and much more.
We are always looking to expand our team so if you would like to join our team then why not apply for our current vacancies today? What are the hours of Direct Line? We operate across five days a week; Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Why choose Direct Line? Direct Line is a national motor insurer and provides a range of financial protection products, including car, home, life and health. Our vision is to be the leading insurer of choice for customers, delivering safe, efficient, reliable and innovative insurance and financial services that deliver value to our customers and communities. We are also a member of the British Retail Consortium, ensuring that you get a great customer experience when you shop with us. What are the benefits? We provide a wide range of benefits which include: Free parking. Mobile phone. Annual holiday. Discounted gym membership. Pension scheme. Life insurance. Paid maternity/paternity leave. Free uniform. We're committed to helping you achieve your goals and providing an inclusive and supportive workplace.
Why is Direct Line so expensive?
When the Direct Line group of insurance companies purchased Direct Line from Lloyds TSB in April 2023, they gained a well-established brand, with thousands of staff working around the country to sell motor, home and contents insurance. But the sale also allowed the insurers to bring down their costs. By combining three operations into one, the purchase cut operating expenses by 180 million a year.
The saving is all down to one thing: cost-cutting. Before the purchase, Direct Line had its own call centres and its own underwriting department. In their place are the operations of London & Country, Norwich Union, St Luke's and Unum.
The new organisation brings together the expertise and experience of these other groups. But there are many parts to it: call centres, claims management, underwriting, IT and HR.
The operation that has been the biggest driver of savings is call centre staff. With fewer staff handling more calls, the cost per call has fallen to an average of 1.65, from 2.95 in 2023. The cost of handling calls is now just 0.5% of its total annual turnover.
Underwriting has also been a big part of the savings, with claims processing, underwriting and claims management merging into a single team. This has led to a drop in costs from 120 million to 50 million.
IT has also been a big driver of savings, with 28 million coming from a reduction in the number of employees who handle calls. Direct Line had a headcount of over 10,000 before the purchase. The new company has 2,600 staff.
As part of the savings, most of the former workers have been redeployed or made redundant. Only 4% of the existing staff were offered a transfer, or kept on with the company.
But there are also several hundred staff who have been relocated to lower-cost call centres in other countries, such as India, Singapore and Ireland. Direct Line has also seen a fall in profits over the past four years, from 126.7 million to 96.2 million in 2023. But this isn't just down to savings. The proportion of profits coming from the UK market has risen from 46% to 65%.
The result? A return on equity of 23% last year compared to 11.2% in 2023.
Are Direct Line and Churchill the same?
I have used Churchill for a while now. And I have used Direct Line. I have had bad luck with them, their customer service is horrendous. They have given me a number of reasons I don't think I will ever be able to use their services again and they want 15 to transfer the account to them. The main problem I am having with this is that my account has never ever been overdrawn and I have always kept the credit limit at or above what is on my statements. I have an excellent phone and broadband connection at home. I can only assume that someone hasn't spent a small fortune using them as it isn't possible to keep track of the thousands of pounds a day on my card.
Direct line, even when trying to cancel, ask for my debit card pin number. I don't have one, so have to wait a couple of days to get it changed. It has also sent someone to my house three times to try and persuade me to pay the full amount at the time which I could not possibly afford at the time due to the fact I did not know how much it was. I just can't imagine how people can live like this and stay in business.
Hi John - yes its a problem that people like that seem to stay in business. The credit monitoring services on your bank may help. If you're worried about fraudulent transactions, you might consider switching to another bank (but bear in mind most have similar charges on their own overdraft accounts).
We've received numerous complaints over the years about Direct Line. We have stopped accepting new customers and would urge you to read this recent review about why we did so.
We cannot, of course, investigate or comment on individual accounts, however we regularly advise our customers of all types to be extremely careful about what they are charged to use their card. The bank uses the term "pre-paid" because people don't keep large amounts of money in their account (except for the occasional withdrawal for emergencies). However, when these accounts are set up, there is a monthly limit (and often a daily limit too) on the amount of money that can be drawn off the card and used immediately. Also, there is often a maximum allowed number of days that the card can be used for.
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