Aviva Life Insurance www.aviva.co.uk

I took out travel insurance with Aviva in January 2017 for a 3 week trip. The cost of the policy was £177. Unfortunately our trip was cancelled as the holiday property we rented was sold by the owner and the cottages company we rented it through could find no alternative. We had already paid for hotels and were due to lose approx. £1300 as a result. I contacted Aviva and told them I wanted to make a claim as in the policy it states that there is £5000 cover for cancelled or abandoned trips. Aviva said that the policy did not cover this situation and that I should pursue the owner of the holiday home directly. When I made it clear that I was astonished that we weren't covered I was told to check the 'wording' of the policy. Not only was I dealt with in a dismissive manner, to add insult to injury I had also never received the detailed copy of the policy by post of electronically. Aviva told me that this was because I did not register with them, but I have been 'registered' with their website for 5 years. Aviva have tried every trick to get out of paying this claim or accepting liability for a mis sold policy and I will be complaining to the ombudsmen. I did have a Life Insurance policy with Aviva but this has now been cancelled as can only imagine how awfully they would behave if I or a loved one had to make a life insurance claim. Awful company and awful experience.

Have life and critical illness cover with Aviva for a few years. Have had 16 claim free years in total. Had heart attack, random event and had to be resuscitated. 9 months now with little contact unless I chase for it., they have requested my entire medical history from my doctors and finally found a way of wriggling out of paying. Real LOW LIFE of the earth snake oil salesmen. Promise if anything goes wrong you'll be ok. Then will find any way they can to leave you high and dry. Last women I spoke to actually giggled when she told me they would not be paying honoring the contract. Guess she is on a bonus if she can turn it down.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. THEY EPITOMIZE THE INSURANCE COMPANY STEREOTYPE.

In March of 1981 I moved house and took out a £20,000 mortgage with Nationwide. As was the practice at the time, I took out a low cost endowment with Provident Mutual. Over time bonuses were applied to the policy and when I moved again in 1991 I had no hesitation in enlarging my mortgage with Nationwide and taking out another endowment policy with Provident Mutual. Both were for £30,000. I elected to take out a policy for 30K rather than just the extra 10K because I wanted the extra cover and I had always believed endowment insurance to be an excellent form of saving. I have had policies dating back to 1963.

In 1995 Provident Mutual demutualised, we the members and owners of the company were told that we would receive our share on maturity. The new owners General Accident continued paying bonuses of approximately £500 pa. From 1999 to 2000 CGU took over and the bonuses continued. In 2001 the first policy matured and I received £32000, which reflected my share of the ownership of a demutualised company. 60% more than the death benefit on a total investment of £44 per month for 20 years, £10560.

In 2001 Norwich Union took over although still using the same format and stationary as CGU, the bonuses reduced. In 2003 the stationary changed and the bonuses ceased. Although they have received premiums of £912 a year, a net investment of £18240, no bonuses were paid into the policy since £23 was paid in 2003.

When the policy matured in May 2011 I was paid £22,000. This represents less than 2% compounded over the 20 year period. This is considerably less than inflation which means that they have paid out less than I paid in. If it had paid at the same rate as my earlier policy I would have received 48K.

Is this the new industrial norm? I see Aviva spending millions of pounds on advertising but cannot see how they hope to remain in business if they offer returns of less money than invested. I am a long time believer in insurance, it is essentially a safer and steadier investment, not to be treated as cash for speculation and then at the end of twenty years say ‘sorry, it went wrong’.

I don’t have another twenty years and I feel very strongly that an organisation that boasted daily about sponsoring the Olympics and whose CEO is amongst the highest paid in the country should take care of its liabilities first.

I took out a joint life policy in 1993 to cover 100k in case of death Aviva have now decided that I have reached 62 years old that they would increase my premiums from £77.00 to £129 yes £52 increase or the payment could stay at £77 per month and the value of the policy would fall to £82k they say that it applies to everyone at our age. They have not asked our thoughts, opinions or about our health (which is excellent no medication).

Do not understand how they can justify such large increases or reductions.

I am going to see my MP. They have robbed us blind and I would not touch this lot with a barge pole in future, and would warm others to be wary.

I was having a policy in Avaiva and the policy term was 15 years. Due

to financial problem I have surrendered my policy after paying 7 premium of Rs.1,00,000/- each for continuously 7 years. I have surrendered my policy

last month and got Rs.6,11,000/- So what is the use of investing your hard

earned money in such a way that you will not get even the remitted amount. Even if your remit Rs.1,00,000/- continuously 7 years either in a post office or in any bank and calculate 9% interest you could have got not less than 8.75 Lakhs with interest. They may tell that you life is covered and

hence the charges are more but what is use of getting money after your death.

I regret very much I have taken a very wrong decision by taking an insurance in Avaiva and request not to invest your hard earned money in company like this and regret later on.

When I asked for a surrender value on a policy that was costing me £2,124.00 per year in premiums and still had years to run and the estimated value on completion was no where near the £75K that it had been sold as. I was quoted £27+K but on surrender four weeks later was only £21+K and they never bothered to inform me that the quoted value was a load of tripe because they cannot calculate squat.

When I asked them to explain all they do is spin the Aviva line which lies somewhere to the west of truth. So I went to the Ombudsman. What a toothless tiger that lot are, they can only make a judgement on the information the financial provider lets them have and they have no power to demand it.

So suprise they found in Aviva's favour, what more could I expect, but I am not happy with that answer as not one of my questions has been answered by Aviva.

1. How was the original surrender value of £27K arrived at

2. Why when the value dropped to £21K did you not see fit to inform me

3. How did you arrive at £21K for the surrender vaue

I would not trust Aviva to look after you they are good at sponsoring Team GB but who is paying for it? The poor saps that they are ripping off because I am convinced that I am not alone.

After my husband and I applied for life insurance, they then decided that they wanted to do a medical on me (female) not my husband to check that I had stopped smoking just under a year ago as both me and my husband had clearly stated on the policy, (he had quit at the same time, but they belived him !!). They then got a doctor in did the medical even though I had just 6 weeks before had a baby. Agreed I had stopped smoking, then denied us life insurance on the gounds that I was a stone over weight (only had a stone to lose to get me down pre pregnacny weight) which I advised them, plus my husband weighs 2 stone heavier than me !!! And when I advised the lady at Aviva that the stone in weight should come off in the next 4 weeks or so, she said that I need to prove that it has been off more than 1 year before they would insure me. Nice !!! How sexist are they!! How to make a new mum feel great about herself in one easy step. Well Aviva, perhaps declare that nobody over a certain weight will be insured with you guys.... especially woman and we will not waste out time in future !! Thanks for nothing biggots.

What a dreadful company. I had recently received payment on an endowment policy from Prudential, more than 10% over the target amount, quickly and without fuss. A few months later the AVIVA endowment policy matured more than 10% under target, with pages and pages of forms to fill in with irreleveant information. It took weeks of corespondence to get the form filling correct and they eventually paid up, it seemd reluctantly. They tried some sales pitch to get em to keep the money with them, what a joke. I guess the few thousand short on my endowment went towards paying Bruce Willis and Co. for their rubbish TV ad. And as for their car insurance!!!

I was with Norwich Union for my Life Insurance and I can say that the hole experience was very quick and only took from the on-line application to getting the documents and the policy fully in force around 7 days. I had to let the policy lapse however I am in the process of applying for another policy. I must state that the policy was for a Term Level Life Insurance and was not used to cover a mortgage.

I would rate Norwich Union/Aviva very highly

I paid Norwich Union a very large amount of money over many years, Endowment Mortgage thing. Everyone knows THAT story. But they are not just a dollar short but a day late. Actually Three Thou short and weeks late. Calling the 8AM to 8PM customer line got a 'Sorry we've gone home''message at 2PM on a Tuesday. 'Where's my money?' evoked a 'We'll call you back' which hasn't happened yet. Who knows how much my - International - phone bill would have been if I had held as requested. Day late and a dollar short - their Managers aren't worth the extravagant pay they get.