Can't find a suitable newsgroup, so please forgive me asking here...

Last year, fully comp insurance from Direct Line on my 2002 Vectra 1.8l LS
Estate, with 9 years NCB, was £193
This year, with no change to cover and no claims, their written offer is
£339 - a whopping 75% increase.
On ringing them to ask why, I was transferred to someone who proceeded
to look up my account and then said he could approve a reduction to £235 !
The snag was that he said that he could not confirm this in writing - I
would
have to allow the renewal to go ahead as received, and accept his word that
the charge would be reduced to £235.
Luckily I have a week or two to decide what to do before the present policy
expires.

But has anyone else met this business of offering a highly inflated 'quote'
and hoping the punter won't object ?
If so, and they agreed, did the insurer live up to the promise ?