Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance

OK service, but the fact you have to CALL them to OPT OUT of automatic renewal is extremely frustrating. It's the one thing you can't do online, you have sit for ages on the phone to cancel. How these guys get so many awards is beyond understanding. I guess the competition for service in the insurance isn't high. Show details

I have just purchased my house insurance with Budget ins, my daughter compared insurance companies and I was happy, very easy to understand, staff online very helpful as I am 80, so thankyou so much. Show details ·  1

I took a H&C insurance with Budget Direct, with this insurance, at the time, a $50 gift card was part of the deal, that was supposed to arrive 3 weeks after taking and staying with Budget Direct. I did not receive the gift card, I sent an email to… Read more

Budget direct asking when it was coming.Their answer was for me to prove that there was such an offer, I could not do it as the offer had run out. I sent more emails which have been ignored. Sounds like promises that will not be kept. Typical!

Both of the staff that assisted me were absolutely excellent. They were patient, kind and very informative. Truly exceptional customer service and lovely humans. Budget Direct is very fortunate to have them. Show details ·  1

After comparing all options this was by far the best. Great service when I called for clarification on a few points and very easy online experience. Saved over $400 in comparison to my previous 12 year insurance provider. Show details ·  1

Very easy online service, with help available over the phone or via messaging. Almost unbeatable on price for level of coverage. Highly recommend to compare their prices and service, excellent in my opinion. Show details ·  1

I recently had a claim denied by Budget Direct, and my experience has been extremely disappointing. It felt as though their first instinct when a claim is lodged is to look for reasons to deny it, rather than genuinely assess and support customers through the claims process. The company appears to invest heavily in marketing, advertising, and… Read more

paid endorsements, including recognition from organisations such as Canstar, which can create an impression of customer value and reliability that does not align with my claims experience.

Insurance is ultimately tested when you need to make a claim, and unfortunately this is where my experience with Budget Direct fell well short of expectations.

Insurance sold with Budget Direct-Yes! Insurance Solved with Budget Direct-Good Luck! If you are considering buying any Budget Direct product, be advised that is the easy part. As with all insurances, the product you buy can only be evaluated when it comes time to rely on it. We had occassion to lodge a claim last February. Initially the online… Read more

claim process was quick to respond while they extracted our "Excess Payment". We were initially contacted by a Budget Appointed contract assessor who bought in their experts to formulate a "Scope of Works". The trades to be involved were plasterers, painters, structural fabricators and electricians.

It is now coming close to three months and in summary here are the KPIs for customer service by Budget Direct.

1. Number of times I have contacted them=11 2. Number of times they have promised deadlines for a response =4 3. Number of times they have reached out to me =0 4. Excuses used. "waiting on "Scope of works"=5 "seeking clarification from Contract building assessor"=2 "seeking clarification regarding warranty by contractor"=1 "seeking ammendment of scope of works regarding an item they consider to be ""maintenance item"".=3

Everytime you call them, there is a recorded preamble that sets out expected codes of conduct by the customer. It is like a form of Chinese water torture to further raise your frustration levels. It is particularly galling to learn that our claims manager is receiving bonuses. Based upon their abysmal attitude to customer service I can only imagine they receive Bonus payments for wearing clients down until they go away.

I have tried to clarify our position by discussing our case directly with a representative from the appointed "Claim assessor Contractor". They say "the matter is with Budget Direct ".

In summary. Their advertising is slick and at saturation levels. Their online quotation and payment system makes it easy to feel you are getting peace of mind at a fair price. And thats the end of it!

It now appears a compalint to AFCA is my next step in this sorry mess.

Disappointed to have just recently cancelled both car insurance & home & contents insurance with Budget Direct. Hard to fathom how little real effort they make to keep their existing customers in comparison to attracting new customers. With 25% annual increases on their policies, with little interest in any actual discussion beyond increasing our… Read more

excess, we will continue to play the “game” and seek new policies elsewhere. This year saving just under $800! Surely the extra time involved for Budget (& the customer) signing up & checking on new policies would make retaining existing policy holders with more modest annual increases an obvious choice. I won’t hold my breath.

Stay away from these excuse making crooks. Took 5 months to do anything other than call me 30 times asking for the same info already provided or discussed. I ended up printing out 100-140 photos to send express via post because they “apparently” couldn’t see the photos. They then denied me 5 months later saying I never added a causation report… Read more

yet this was discussed over 6 times with budget direct, 2 different builders, and 10 different people on 10 different calls, I believe they are trained to make you “give up” and “perplex you” to the point you give up. Stay clear of these gooses! Their job is to find reasons to not pay you out!!!!

I had a tree fall on my shed in July 2025, it has only just been completed now, I started my claim and paid my excess to only then have a phone call and was told I was in a flood area and would need to speak to someone in regards to my policy, I laughed cause where I live never flooded, the got transferred 40 min later, then lady had no idea what… Read more

the other lady was on about, so wasted my time there, the several weeks later had people to finally come remove the tree and someone dismantle the remaining shed, the found the tree was connected to the other tree we had so they were classed as one tree, several weeks on tree loppers come back out and then destroyed my yard with heavy machinery which was not told about and then dropped the tree on my concrete slab where the new shed was to be built, I never had any phone calls for the insurance company or company the hired to manage the claim to let me know anyone was coming out people just showed up at my door after repeatedly asked to be called, then several months to find someone to remove the old concrete slab and lay it down as the company they hired to over see it wouldn't do anything about it, then the insurance company was trying to pay me out of the whole job and I refused, then I received a email saying my premiums were going up to nearly double what they were when speaking to the case manager about this saying this doesnt sound right and can they do something as this has been a nightmare of a claim i was told nothing they can do but put a complaint in which nothing come of. November 2025, we had quotes for a new shed and concrete and that kept getting declined as they were saying the shed wasn't the right size etc, so I had to say to them that these are the experts you hired and your doubting them, by this point I was fed up, I advised them a decision had to be made otherwise I was going to the ombudsman and getting a letter of demand from my lawyer, 24hrs later had approval, nothing happened from then till mid January when concrete slab finally got poured and then a month later the shed got built, then took another month to have the rubbish taken away that was left behind scraps of metal and that from the shed builders, this has been a nightmare of a claim and over 7 months to have a back shed built, because these gum nuts cant get stuff done in timely matter, or hire people who damage your property. Will not be renewing my policy at all and have advised others to not even look at these guys.

I recently had an extremely disappointing experience with Budget Direct regarding a simple ceiling damage claim caused by a heavy hailstorm. Instead of providing support, their team demanded that I begin major maintenance work within 30 days before they would even proceed with the basic ceiling repair. This requirement is completely unreasonable… Read more

and unlike anything I’ve experienced with any other insurer. For context, I was previously insured with Allianz for three years and had the exact same ceiling issue due to storm damage. Allianz covered everything without unnecessary complications or demands. Budget Direct, however, has made the process stressful, confusing, and unacceptable. This was not a faulty claim, nor was it a scam. It was straightforward storm damage — yet I was treated as if I needed to prove something beyond common sense. I switched to Budget Direct because their premiums were cheaper, but now I deeply regret that decision. The customer service, claim handling, and overall process have been far below industry standards. I will not be renewing my policy when it expires. If you value smooth claims, fair treatment, and reasonable processes, I strongly recommend thinking twice before choosing Budget Direct.

0 STARS!!! The absolute worst insurance company I have ever dealt with. I honestly don’t have one positive thing to say. 3 months on from lodging a claim and still nothing. Constantly told I’ll get a call back because somehow every time I call no one is available. Yet, no one ever calls back. They like to advertise about all the awards they have… Read more

received.. what an absolute joke that is.

Nothing but ongoing stress and continuous disappointment. DON’T RECOMMEND!

I’m happy to save some money with I compare as Budget came up the cheapest however I don’t know if I got the discount that has been advertised lately with Budget Direct Show details ·  1

Just spoke to Chris from Home Service . He was very knowledgeable, tackling my home insurance questions in a very professional manner. . Chris would have to be an asset to Budget direct. Wish there were more people like Chris at Budget who take there Customers concerns so seriously. Thanks Chris. Budget insurance should have more people like you. Show details ·  1

The policy was good value and easy to establish. I’ve been with Budget Director for several years. I was supposed to receive a gift card when I signed up to my life insurance policy. But it never arrived. Show details ·  2

Budget direct put up barriers to canceling their service. You cannot cancel the policy online. You’re forced to call them and you’re forced to sit through the garble of legal nonsense and other nonsense while you’re on hold waiting for somebody. While you’re on hold, you’re being directed to the website. All designed to deter you from cancelling… Read more

the policy. I’m still on hold, wasting my day off, thanks Budget Direct. I will not use Budget Direct again.

This company is pathetic, it has been over 4 months and they still haven't finished an assessment on my hail damage house. My case manager is beyond lazy and doesn't do her job that she is paid to do. I live in the Brisbane CBD so apparently is super hard for them. I am only staying with them until I get my insurance money and I am going else where I would you suggest you do the same if you value customer service. Show details

I was extremely gratedul to the Budget team member that assisted me through aquiring my policy. It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. Thanks Budget Direct. Show details ·  1

Honestly, it’s not worth the hassle going to BD. They won’t assist or advise you unless you pay the excess, even when the issue isn’t your fault. Just feels like a waste of time. Show details