Firstly I don't usually write reviews but this issue can't be personal, there must be more than me who has experienced this issue!
So I searched Moneysavingexpert website for insurance and every time I do I always check that the insurance covers the things I need, or feel I need, like for example driving abroad for 90 days, and breakdown, and the all important one, windscreen cover. Swinton Ins came up with a good price which included windscreen cover with a £75 excess. The wording on the terms of insurance are exactly as follows:
SW3 - Windscreen Cover Endorsement
Cover is provided as described in Section 4 : Windscreens and Windows section of your policy wording.
Y ou will have to pay an excess for repair or replacement depending on who repairs the windscreen as detailed below:
If you use the Swinton Accident and Claims service the excess amount for:
- Repair is - £25
- Replacement is - £75
If you use a different Glass providers service the excess amount for:
- Repair is - £50
- Replacement is - £125
- and the maximum payable by us after the excess has been paid is £100
That is exactly straight from their proposal terms. When I needed a windscreen replacement in October last year, I of course used their claims line and was sent to Auto Windscreen. Now here is were it gets clicky... Swinton Ins is owned by Markerstudy, as is Auto Windscreens...! My Car is a BMW 330e fitted with the 360degree camera's which control Lane Assist, Park Assist etc. Lots of safety features. Auto Windscreen claim to be able to recalibrate this system once they fit a screen. My Bill from Auto Windscreens was Not the £75 expected bill... No I was charged £439.20p because Markerstudy refused their own terms and said the screen has a limit. I requested a genuine BMW windscreen which again was refused by Markerstudy. They guaranteed the after market glass was the same as a OEM and carried a lifetime warranty as per their websites claims!
In December I was driving the car on the motorway and all the safety mechanisms in the car shut down. It was raining hard at the time so I figured it must have something to do with that. A few days later with a slight drizzle, the system shut down again. The first opportunity I had to visit Auto Windscreens to complain about the issue was the 16th Feb. Bearing in mind that I had a lifetime warranty so did see an issue with this.
After reporting it I waited for them to get back to me. A few weeks passed with nothing. Not even an acknowledgement of my concerns. So I visited BMW who scanned the car and it revealed that after they had replaced the screen, it had showed a fault post windscreen fitment and ever since. No faults pre windscreen fitment. I took this report around to Auto Windscreens and they immediately denied it had anything to do with them. They said I was outside my 7 DAY WARRANTY PERIOD
Then a week later I have a customer service manager Jacqueline Kennedy (Agent Number 13884137) from Head Office telling me that I was outside the companies 5 day warranty, (This warranty was reducing every time). She said they were not going to assist, would not recalibrate the car and there was nothing they could do to help.
I called their customer service centre and spoke with an agent called Beth...
Without giving my VRN I queried what their warranty situation was as the website stated a lifetime? Beth was very helpful, she told me that If I experienced a problem in a week or a month or in two years then as long as I own the car it's covered under warranty.
BMW have scanned my car three times now confirming all the camera faults and that they are all because a NON GENUINE glass was fitted to the car. BMW quoted at Auto Windscreens request a recalibration. They also noted on that quote that any recalibration would be only a temp fix due to the fact the glass was not fit for purpose.
I received a call from AutoWindscreens Area Manager Mark. after a lengthy conversation he quite clearly stated on a recorded call that this was not a ADAS or KAFAS system fault...! This was clearly a windscreen issue. He recognised that all trust had broken down. I requested a DSAR (Data Subject Access Request).. This was very enlightening. In the notes it stated that the engineer had scanned the car after he finished replacing the screen and the car immediately through up a fault in the KAFAS system showing a vision impairment. He deleted that fault and failed to mention it to me. Instead they relied on some mystery 5-7 day warranty despite a life warranty being in force.
In summary. to be frank, I have never known a more dishonest bunch of crooks in my life. Markerstudy and its subsidiary companies ie Swinton, Carol Nash, Auto Windscreen, TempCover are by far amongst the worst out there.
Jacqueline Kennedy sent me a letter stating that due to the fact 8 weeks has now passed without a resolution you now are entitled to send the case to the financial Ombudsman...?
I did, and within 2 day's the financial Ombudsman called me.. Didn't write to me, called me. They told me that Auto Windscreen was Not FCA compliant, Not FCA regulated or registered. However. They told me that if my windscreen was covered by my insurance company, who happen to own Auto Windscreen, then I should complain to them. if they ignore my complaint, they will be more than happy to step in and the insurance company are FCA Regulated and registered. So this is where I stand now. I have complained to MarkerStudy, (TradeX) and as predicted, they have ignored my complaint completely. Not even an acknowledgment.
Check your insurance for windscreen cover? I have contacted three of the big house windscreen replacement companies who have confirmed that there is not a car on the market that they can replace a windscreen on for £125.
Apparently the After Market Glass they fitted cost them £109, recalibration was a case of re-plugging the camera plug back into the back of the camera and letting the car recalibrate itself... All of ten minutes not two hours.
So I searched Moneysavingexpert website for insurance and every time I do I always check that the insurance covers the things I need, or feel I need, like for example driving abroad for 90 days, and breakdown, and the all important one, windscreen cover. Swinton Ins came up with a good price which included windscreen cover with a £75 excess. The wording on the terms of insurance are exactly as follows:
SW3 - Windscreen Cover Endorsement
Cover is provided as described in Section 4 : Windscreens and Windows section of your policy wording.
Y ou will have to pay an excess for repair or replacement depending on who repairs the windscreen as detailed below:
If you use the Swinton Accident and Claims service the excess amount for:
- Repair is - £25
- Replacement is - £75
If you use a different Glass providers service the excess amount for:
- Repair is - £50
- Replacement is - £125
- and the maximum payable by us after the excess has been paid is £100
That is exactly straight from their proposal terms. When I needed a windscreen replacement in October last year, I of course used their claims line and was sent to Auto Windscreen. Now here is were it gets clicky... Swinton Ins is owned by Markerstudy, as is Auto Windscreens...! My Car is a BMW 330e fitted with the 360degree camera's which control Lane Assist, Park Assist etc. Lots of safety features. Auto Windscreen claim to be able to recalibrate this system once they fit a screen. My Bill from Auto Windscreens was Not the £75 expected bill... No I was charged £439.20p because Markerstudy refused their own terms and said the screen has a limit. I requested a genuine BMW windscreen which again was refused by Markerstudy. They guaranteed the after market glass was the same as a OEM and carried a lifetime warranty as per their websites claims!
In December I was driving the car on the motorway and all the safety mechanisms in the car shut down. It was raining hard at the time so I figured it must have something to do with that. A few days later with a slight drizzle, the system shut down again. The first opportunity I had to visit Auto Windscreens to complain about the issue was the 16th Feb. Bearing in mind that I had a lifetime warranty so did see an issue with this.
After reporting it I waited for them to get back to me. A few weeks passed with nothing. Not even an acknowledgement of my concerns. So I visited BMW who scanned the car and it revealed that after they had replaced the screen, it had showed a fault post windscreen fitment and ever since. No faults pre windscreen fitment. I took this report around to Auto Windscreens and they immediately denied it had anything to do with them. They said I was outside my 7 DAY WARRANTY PERIOD
Then a week later I have a customer service manager Jacqueline Kennedy (Agent Number 13884137) from Head Office telling me that I was outside the companies 5 day warranty, (This warranty was reducing every time). She said they were not going to assist, would not recalibrate the car and there was nothing they could do to help.
I called their customer service centre and spoke with an agent called Beth...
Without giving my VRN I queried what their warranty situation was as the website stated a lifetime? Beth was very helpful, she told me that If I experienced a problem in a week or a month or in two years then as long as I own the car it's covered under warranty.
BMW have scanned my car three times now confirming all the camera faults and that they are all because a NON GENUINE glass was fitted to the car. BMW quoted at Auto Windscreens request a recalibration. They also noted on that quote that any recalibration would be only a temp fix due to the fact the glass was not fit for purpose.
I received a call from AutoWindscreens Area Manager Mark. after a lengthy conversation he quite clearly stated on a recorded call that this was not a ADAS or KAFAS system fault...! This was clearly a windscreen issue. He recognised that all trust had broken down. I requested a DSAR (Data Subject Access Request).. This was very enlightening. In the notes it stated that the engineer had scanned the car after he finished replacing the screen and the car immediately through up a fault in the KAFAS system showing a vision impairment. He deleted that fault and failed to mention it to me. Instead they relied on some mystery 5-7 day warranty despite a life warranty being in force.
In summary. to be frank, I have never known a more dishonest bunch of crooks in my life. Markerstudy and its subsidiary companies ie Swinton, Carol Nash, Auto Windscreen, TempCover are by far amongst the worst out there.
Jacqueline Kennedy sent me a letter stating that due to the fact 8 weeks has now passed without a resolution you now are entitled to send the case to the financial Ombudsman...?
I did, and within 2 day's the financial Ombudsman called me.. Didn't write to me, called me. They told me that Auto Windscreen was Not FCA compliant, Not FCA regulated or registered. However. They told me that if my windscreen was covered by my insurance company, who happen to own Auto Windscreen, then I should complain to them. if they ignore my complaint, they will be more than happy to step in and the insurance company are FCA Regulated and registered. So this is where I stand now. I have complained to MarkerStudy, (TradeX) and as predicted, they have ignored my complaint completely. Not even an acknowledgment.
Check your insurance for windscreen cover? I have contacted three of the big house windscreen replacement companies who have confirmed that there is not a car on the market that they can replace a windscreen on for £125.
Apparently the After Market Glass they fitted cost them £109, recalibration was a case of re-plugging the camera plug back into the back of the camera and letting the car recalibrate itself... All of ten minutes not two hours.
