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Posted: Tue Mar 3, 2020 10:48am
Legendary helpful member
Roy28 wrote on Mon Mar 2, 2020 7:57am:
Thanks Leafy211.
I will get a quote from Schofields, as your comments about escaping the claws of Sabadell do concern me.
I've been with Sabadell for 4 years, two different branches, and never at any time had anything but good service.
I also took their insurance for the first year and had to make a claim. The response was excellent.
If you try to speak a little Spanish you might find the service you get improves 😎
dinnerout wrote on Tue Mar 3, 2020 10:48am:
I've been with Sabadell for 4 years, two different branches, and never at any time had anything but good service.
I also took their insurance for the first year and had to make a claim. The response was excellent.
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If you try to speak a little Spanish you might find the service you get improves 😎
I've been with Sabadell for nearly 4 years and like you I had always had excellent service. I speak Spanish where I can but I have trouble understanding any replies and due to the nature of the inquiry, my Spanish is not up to it. I don't go into branch very regularly but always find someone in Albatera or Benijófar who speaks English and they were always polite and extremely helpful.
The only reason I have been stirred up is the new bank charges and I was fully prepared to go ahead with the new account and meet the requirements until I started comparing insurances. Sabadell's premium was significantly more expensive than Linea Directa and Liberty Seguros which, to me, is a bank charge by the back door as their broker's commission would not be far short of the annual bank charge.
It is good to hear that your claim was well dealt with but then if it was a simple, low cost, closed book claim then I wouldn't expect anything else.
I'm still exploring Cajamar to open a new account as this leaves me free not just this year, but hopefully following years to choose my own insurances.
On my last visit to Sabadell I was completely misinformed over the basic cover for home insurance but I think I spoke to a saleslady who possibly had minimal training on the product itself.
I just don't like being held over a barrel.
Posted: Tue Mar 3, 2020 12:07pm
Legendary helpful member
Cheryl wrote on Tue Mar 3, 2020 11:46am:
I've been with Sabadell for nearly 4 years and like you I had always had excellent service. I speak Spanish where I can but I have trouble understanding any replies and due to the nature of the inquiry, my Spanish is not up to it. I don't go into branch very regularly but always find someon...
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...e in Albatera or Benijófar who speaks English and they were always polite and extremely helpful.
The only reason I have been stirred up is the new bank charges and I was fully prepared to go ahead with the new account and meet the requirements until I started comparing insurances. Sabadell's premium was significantly more expensive than Linea Directa and Liberty Seguros which, to me, is a bank charge by the back door as their broker's commission would not be far short of the annual bank charge.
It is good to hear that your claim was well dealt with but then if it was a simple, low cost, closed book claim then I wouldn't expect anything else.
I'm still exploring Cajamar to open a new account as this leaves me free not just this year, but hopefully following years to choose my own insurances.
On my last visit to Sabadell I was completely misinformed over the basic cover for home insurance but I think I spoke to a saleslady who possibly had minimal training on the product itself.
I just don't like being held over a barrel.
That's fair enough Cheryl, we all have different experiences and opinions.
I wasn't inferring that you didn't speak any Spanish by the way, just making a general point that I find beginning the conversation in Spanish often leads to the official switching to English with a better outcome because "you made the effort".
I do sense a little kickback around given our decision to leave the EU. I think it can also help to smile at a Spanish official and use a Spanish term eg bon dia (here) etc etc. I think some people underestimate that and start with "do you Speak English?" Imagine a Spanish person going into Natwest in London and saying "¿hablas espanol"!
Best regards, Steve
Posted: Wed Mar 4, 2020 1:27am
I'm fortunate in that I speak Spanish but I've used a comparison site - Rastreator which seems to be part of confused.com who I use at home. I've found a much more cost effective insurance than my neighbours with similar properties and have chosen AXA who are a well known international brand. May be worth seeing what it would come out at for you if you can find someone to help you with the Spanish.
Posted: Wed Mar 4, 2020 9:42am
Lels wrote on Wed Mar 4, 2020 1:27am:
I'm fortunate in that I speak Spanish but I've used a comparison site - Rastreator which seems to be part of confused.com who I use at home. I've found a much more cost effective insurance than my neighbours with similar properties and have chosen AXA who are a well known international brand. May...
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... be worth seeing what it would come out at for you if you can find someone to help you with the Spanish.
Many thanks Leis,
I am going with the bank for this year as they have offered cash incentives which outweigh advantages offered by other companies. I will start to look around for a better deal a couple of months before my renewal date.
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Posted: Wed Mar 4, 2020 12:36pm
Leafy211 wrote on Sun Mar 1, 2020 7:02pm:
Having finally escaped the claws of Sabadell, I'd also recommend you first find out what the tie-ins etc would be if you wanted to change bank account while still insured with Sabadell and vice versa. Though that will never explain their complete non-professional attitude to providing a service. ...
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...I'd recommend steering well clear of doing anything with Sabadell (and from reading comments on this this forum, any Spanish bank/institution) and use a British insurance company... They are very competitive and abide by UK rules. As an example I use Schofield's. I can't emphasise strongly enough how I'd recommended not using Sabadell.. Complete incompetence and extremely rude staff was my painful experience at two of their branches. So I'd hate to think what a nightmare situation you could find yourself in, if you ever needed to claim on insurance with that company.
Enough said! :-)
Must admit we're with Sabadell... lawyer suggested way of cutting costs of bank transfer... Their insurance policy team have been great...we had 2 claims within 2 days.... can confirm that branch services are something else!!
Posted: Wed Mar 4, 2020 9:20pm
These are certainly challenging times for banking costs. We recently sold our house in Andalusia and purchased an apartment in Santa Pola. Switching insurance with Linea Directa was fairly straightforward. We bank with Caixa and had their insurance a few years ago until we realised how much more expensive they were. Didn't really consider changing insurers when we moved. But was shocked to be charged 500 euros by Caixa for the bank draft. Like others, I shall now be looking at other banking options (though the service and coverage of Caixa is good).
Posted: Wed Mar 4, 2020 9:29pm
Legendary helpful member
Steamboats52 wrote on Wed Mar 4, 2020 9:20pm:
These are certainly challenging times for banking costs. We recently sold our house in Andalusia and purchased an apartment in Santa Pola. Switching insurance with Linea Directa was fairly straightforward. We bank with Caixa and had their insurance a few years ago until we realised how much more ...
Read more...
...expensive they were. Didn't really consider changing insurers when we moved. But was shocked to be charged 500 euros by Caixa for the bank draft. Like others, I shall now be looking at other banking options (though the service and coverage of Caixa is good).
Luckily I hadn't arranged insurance before requiring a banker's draft, so the cost of taking the insurance at 230 for the first year allowed a zero cost for the Draft quoted at 400
Steamboats52 wrote on Wed Mar 4, 2020 9:20pm:
These are certainly challenging times for banking costs. We recently sold our house in Andalusia and purchased an apartment in Santa Pola. Switching insurance with Linea Directa was fairly straightforward. We bank with Caixa and had their insurance a few years ago until we realised how much more ...
Read more...
...expensive they were. Didn't really consider changing insurers when we moved. But was shocked to be charged 500 euros by Caixa for the bank draft. Like others, I shall now be looking at other banking options (though the service and coverage of Caixa is good).
Same here, we already had a Caixa account but our solicitor warned us about the high bank draft charges so we opened one with Sabadell just for that purpose. Due to the new bank charges we will be closing both our Sabadell and Caixa accounts
Posted: Thu Mar 5, 2020 12:29pm
Helpful member
I would never transfer direct to Spain from UK via banks for a large amount if money. I use Currencies Direct, fully registered and protected, much better transfer currency rates, easy to use, helpful. Saved about €5000 compared to my UK bank exchange rate.
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