Dialdirect Reviews 

Don't normally take to review sites but here we are. Initially very happy with the ease of setting up the car insurance, helpful, website user friendly, good communication. Very pleased, until... I tried to amend the insurance to a new car and they wanted a ludicrous amount of money to do this, consisting of payment up front to the end of the policy, admin fees etc. Tried to cancel the policy, they refused to send final statement of account, are wanting another month's fee and asking for nearly £100 in total to cancel. There seems to be a lot of hidden, or not made overly clear, fees. The best bit, I asked a question in the chat regarding the latest payment and the customer service rep just ended the chat. Such a shame, it all started out so promising. Would not use again and would not recommend.

My policy was easy enough to set up online. It was clear and easily understood and meets my present needs, it was considerably cheaper than my renewal quote for the same cover. I have used them before several years ago so was confident in the process.
However as with all insurance companies the acid test comes when a claim has to be made. Since I have not needed to make a claim to date I cannot comment on how that will go. I am however confident it would go well should I ever be unfortunate enough to do so.

I normally stay with the same car insurance. I am pleased that I didn't as I found dial
direct better and cheaper. Thank you.

Payment taken on a renewal that I cancelled 5 days earlier. Waiting a week so far for refund that has still not arrived and after speaking to 3 customer service people. pathetic

Long story short... Decided to take out car insurance with dial direct, received a message within a few days saying that they're putting the price of my policy up and have taken my no claims cover off, I contacted them a few times and ended up with different reasons for this decision, simply told them I don't accept the new policy with the new price etc and that I wish to cancel, they wanted £60 cancellation fee even though I technically didn't have a policy with them, that ended up getting wiped and I was offered £50 & then a following £45 for their "mistakes". The policy has now been canceled down but they'd like another month's payment plus a fee on top so they're now chasing me down for £100 and threatening debt collectors if I don't pay it, I've contacted them numerous times, one minute it's with the debt collectors and out of their hands, the next minute they're chasing it and saying it will be going to the debt collectors, so who knows, I'm unsure how this is happening on a policy I rejected?! But I'm getting nowhere with the company so I'm currently in contact with the ombudsman.
Do Not Use This Company (Read The Reviews!)

Very professional, thank you for your service.

Great to deal with easiest address change

I've only just obtained insurance with Daildirect. However, so far I'm impressed with their customer service. And the ease in which I was able to purchase purchase the policy.

Extremely disappointing experience with Dial Direct following the theft of our vehicle.

Four weeks later we are still awaiting settlement on a total-loss claim, and communication throughout has been extremely poor.

Speaking to a ‘real person’ has been frustratingly difficult, updates are limited, and we have spent far too much time chasing for information ourselves.

At a time when customers are already stressed and inconvenienced, the lack of proactive communication and support has made the situation far worse.

Would not recommend based on our experience. Interestingly my partner was with a Aviva who settled with 11 days. Mine only just finalised and my son is still waiting! Nobody up to date and nobody know anything!

Very easy to get my car insurance

I received an email from Dial Direct about an alleged renewal, even though I have no policy with them. Their tone is pushy, key information is buried, and the absence of a clear opt‑out route is non‑compliant with FCA expectations around fair, clear and not misleading communication.
The tone implies I'm already on board and they keep calling it a renewal, but I have never held a Dial Direct policy. The parent company, BISL, only have my details because M&S Insurance outsourced administration to them. What they have sent is NOT a renewal. It is an unsolicited new‑business offer dressed up as a renewal, but charging significantly more than if I'd come to them as a new customer (poor practice).
There is no existing policy with them:
• no contractual relationship;
• no prior consent;
• no prior agreement to auto‑renew; and
• no legal basis to treat me as an existing customer.
That is not a renewal, it is "inertia-selling", and seems to be misrepresentation of the nature of Dial Direct's product and under FCA communications must not be misleading.

Dial Direct's email say the price is “in the booklet”, not good enough, FCA guidance expects the renewal premium to be prominently displayed.
Aggressive framing — “We’ll automatically renew your policy for you” without immediately explaining how to stop it is manipulative.
No opt‑out instructions in the email, they must clearly state how to decline renewal. Hiding it in a booklet is not acceptable.

The "booklet" attached claims cancellation is phone‑only, even though they attempted to lock me in by email. I’ve emailed both their contact address and their complaints team to opt out. Email opt‑out should be automatic when email is the method they use to renew.

Everything they have done falls short of the FCA requirement for communications to be fair, clear and not misleading (ICOBS 2.2.2R). The renewal price was also 11.77% higher than the new‑customer prices for the same BISL brands, which raises concerns under the FCA’s General Insurance Pricing Practices rules. Very poor transparency.

UPDATE - Dial Direct took less than an hour to reply here, telling me to contact a social media email address. Still waiting for them to acknowledge email instructing them not to proceed with the so-called renewal.

Easy to use and clear
Good price too

Friendly costumer service easy to set up would recommend to a friend

Avoid This Company – Dishonest and Unprofessional
Do not use this company. They are daylight robbers who hide their failures by avoiding all administrative communication.
When I took out insurance with them, I explicitly declined auto-renewal. At renewal, I received a better quote elsewhere and asked if they could match it—they couldn’t, so I confirmed I would not be renewing. Despite this, they renewed my policy anyway and took money from the card I used for the initial payment.
I called them and was assured the policy was cancelled. A week later, I called again and was told they will cancel then! Resetting the 5-7 day refund timeline. During this entire ordeal, the only email I received was one urging me to call them to confirm I wanted to cancel—a week after I was already told it was done. No confirmation emails, no transparency, no accountability.
This company’s lack of honesty and communication has caused me financial hardship and significantly impacted my health. I’ve submitted an official complaint, but—you guessed it—no email confirmation. My next step is the Ombudsman.
Stay far away. If you value your money, your time, and your peace of mind, do not trust this company.

Very good service I’m so happy this service great thank

really difficult to communicate with the advisors on the phone

Service was great, simple questions and easy to take a quote for my car

Good service and good price