Peppercorn - Cardiff

Raymond B.

I went online to purchase a car insurance policy with Peppercorn for £425.00 per annum. After filling out all the required fields, I was directed to the payment page, which prominently stated that to start the policy, I only needed to enter my card details and click "Pay Now." I opted for a single annual payment. I immediately went online to check my bank statement, which confirmed that the funds had been deducted, so I was good to go.

A few days later, I was stopped by the police because my vehicle did not appear on the insurance database. I explained to the officers that I had just insured the vehicle and that it typically takes a few days for updates to reflect in the database. They allowed me to continue my journey but requested evidence of my insurance payment, so they issued me a yellow HO/RT 1 Form to present to my local Police Station.

When I returned home, I checked my bank account and was shocked to find no evidence of the payment. Additionally, I did not receive any emails or letters from Peppercorn Insurance canceling my policy. I contacted my bank for clarification, and they informed me that, in line with normal practice, they had indeed deducted £425 from my account, but the funds were returned when Peppercorn Insurance failed to request payment. I learned that no record of the transaction would appear on statements in such cases. Following their advice, I submitted a formal complaint to Peppercorn Insurance through the Financial Ombudsman.

To my utter disbelief, the Ombudsman ruled in favour of Peppercorn, stating - without any evidence - that it was my bank, not Peppercorn, that had declined my payment, which is why I did not receive the policy. When the matter went to court, the magistrates accepted the Ombudsman’s findings and convicted me of driving without insurance. I received six points on my license and a £450 fine.

Faced with this situation, I had no choice but to hire lawyers to appeal the decision. By this time, my bank had sent a letter confirming that they did not decline my payment; it was Peppercorn that had failed to collect the money. The Crown Court Judge agreed with my position, stating that I had been misled by Peppercorn Insurance, and upheld my appeal, removing the points from my license.

I had a deeply troubling and disappointing experience with Peppercorn, leading me to assign them the lowest possible rating, mainly because they falsely claimed that my bank had declined the payment.

Furthermore, the Financial Ombudsman's investigation was equally concerning, as it seemed to rely on misleading information from Peppercorn. Consequently, I have also rated the Ombudsman with 1 star, which aligns with their overall low rating of 1.8.

Tim H.

Absolutely dreadful handling of our claim. On the day of the incident the car was removed to a storage facility. There were computer difficulties in verifying our policy and despite constant chasing by me 8 days have elapsed and nothing significant has occurred. We are stranded without a car. Avoid this company.

Raymond M.

Tried to change my address through their bot, tried about 7 or 8 times from my laptop and my phone where I would get to the end of the process and it failed.

I then emailed them and after 5 days, no response

I decided to give them a call, only problem is there is no phone number for customer services.

I only got through to them when I found a claims number and asked them to contact the customer services and tell them I needed to change my address.

After changing address I expected a charge which I got, but they also put my insurance up, two other members of my family did the same address change but there's
either stay the same or went down.

Looking at everything on the whole I wish I never dealt with them, as soon as my insurance is over I will not renewing even if they're the cheapest.

It's okay being fully online after it works but it doesn't

Anais

Worst insurance company in the UK. They don’t have a contact number to get in touch with them. If you ever have an emergency or accident you need to use their online portal that would ask you ten thousand times what you need before they put you through with a HUMAN! An alternative option would be through the email address however they might take longer to respond and sometimes you need to email them twice with the same issue in order to get a reply.

I recently sold my car and I wanted to replace it, however I saw myself forced to cancel my policy because they wouldn’t offer gap insurance until I would get a new one! They only said that my insurance will be cancelled if I don’t get another car within 7 days!!
I then asked them to cancel my insurance policy just to be told that the refund is only £193 for nearly 4 months of cover left! 😂 And I paid nearly £2000 upfront for a year. That is such a joke! I feel ripped off.
I don’t recommend this insurance company to anyone. Please read carefully the reviews before you go ahead and insure your vehicle with them.

Matthew H.

I had a no-fault car accident in December 2023. I wasn’t even in the vehicle; I watched it happen from my living room window. Despite providing photos, videos, and two witnesses, the insurance company has failed to resolve my claim.

Eight months later, they still haven’t refunded the £425 excess fee or assigned liability for the accident. It feels like my claim has been forgotten, buried in a pile of paperwork. I've received no updates unless I initiated contact. It seems they haven't made any effort to progress the claim.

I lodged a complaint and received a final response stating that my claim is progressing at an "expected rate." If this is true, I can expect to wait until 2050 for a resolution. Meanwhile, my no-claims discount is in limbo, causing my insurance premiums to increase with a different provider.

It's evident this company has created a business model using AI to handle services, avoiding the cost of employing in-house customer service and processing teams. They outsource payments and claims to other companies, which likely contributes to the inefficiency and lack of accountability.

Choosing this provider was an expensive mistake. If you prioritize price over reliability, be warned—you'll regret saving a few pounds with this startup over a reputable company. I have filed a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Consider this when selecting your car insurance; a slightly higher premium with a trustworthy insurer is worth the peace of mind. Avoid this provider at all costs.

Vikky B.

My partners car was hit by a van while parked in a car park in April and we’re still trying to get the claim sorted. The chat bot is useless. They don’t reply to emails or WhatsApp and we still don’t have the claim dealt with. Our car seat was written off in the collision and they have offered no help in getting the fault party to pay for it so we’re now hundreds of pounds out of pocket for our car seat that we can’t afford to replace. We have now started seeking legal help for this because after a few emails have been sent with no reply we can’t have this drag on any longer as we desperately need to replace the car seat.
I would absolutely avoid this company, I’ve no idea how it has 4+ stars!!

Louise G.

Awful experience with this company , set up was great , next thing no Direct debit taken , called them to ask why oh sorry there’s been a mistake!! Set it up again , 2 months later get an email threatening to cancel my policy , checked with my bank , same story no direct debit has been even attempted!! Taken my business elsewhere in fear of not being insured correctly. Side note there has always been money in my bank account for their payments , they just never could be bothered to even attempt taking them .

mel H.

Left feedback for my husband. Worst company is the world. Cancelled his policy with no warning. Took his money for the insurance . When he questioned this, he was told he has to wait up to 8 weeks for an answer. Noone can explain why his policy was cancelled. No manager ever gets back in touch with you. You get fobbed off every time you "message " them.
They are a scam artist...AVOID, AVOID AVOID.
Dont take out car insurance with these jokers. They take the money and they won't help you in any way. All you get is we will be in touch in the next 8 weeks!! Total waste of time

DONT TAKE CAR INSURANCE OUT WITH PEPPERCORN CAR INSURANCE