Do insurance firms rip off loyal customers?

HAVING been with Hastings Direct for three years, paying £224 last year for fully comprehensive car insurance, I was dumbfounded to receive a renewal quote for £370. I rang up and the agent said he would check, coming back with a premium of £309, which I rejected. He then pulled a rabbit out of the hat and quoted £258, which he said was the deal for new customers. But when I checked a comparison website, I discovered that new customers are being offered £245 with a much lower excess. The moral is to never accept a renewal premium at face value and always check price comparison websites. Terry Mullard, Dymchurch, Kent. I made no claims in 20 years and last year paid £356.52 for car cover. So imagine my surprise when this year’s renewal quote was £648.73. r. PAPE, Carlisle. I HAVE no sympathy for Saga, whose shares have crashed. I was one of their loyal car insurance customers for years, with maximum no claims bonus. My renewal quote was £711 for a Honda CRV. When I checked online, Direct Line was quoting £247. I gave Saga several chances to offer me a new, lower quote, but they were happy to lose my custom. John Fletcher, Hereford. My car insurer, aviva, advertises itself as ‘Quote me Happy’. That was not what I felt when my renewal rose from £1,330 to £1,970. I went on to a comparison site and received a quote for £1,270 with axa. as aviva says it doesn’t price match, it’s lost me as a customer after five years. I’m 80 next birthday, which seems to have been held against me, plus a no-fault accident that did not cost my insurer a penny because the third-party insurer accepted liability.

Ken Wilson, rochester, Kent.