# Comparison Sites....



## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

My household insurance is due soon and, like most of us, it has gone up stupidly (by over a third).

A couple of years back, for the first time ever, I didn't insure my own house. The reason was simple, there was an online rate a quarter of my rate with the particular Insurer. I raised it with the Insurer concerned, and it turned out there was an error in the online rating, but they were honouring it, so i went with it as i was happy with the Insurer, the cover and confident i had filled in their online form correctly.

It went up a load last year (but was still competitive) and has gone up again this year. I'm not surprised, as they are now charging near on the correct rate with that particular insurer, perhaps more surprised it has taken them a couple of years to put it right!

I've not had chance to run a quote through my own system in the office today, so i thought i would have a go online at one of these comparison sites that we hear oh so much about. So i chose a meercat and started typing away.

It was pretty easy to do, but they do make rather a lot of assumptions and i'm convinced that many people won't be clicking the little question boxes to find out what they define as "valuables" etc or perhaps fully understand the implications of a question, but again a computer isn't a human being and can't "discuss" something with you.

What really got me is that it gave me quotes before establishing my cover requirements. I want accidental damage on both buildings and contents and i did not have this choice until after the quote was given. Now this could be extremely misleading for someone perhaps not so switched on with the different cover options available. It's a bit like getting a quote for a car and not being given a choice of cover and then being quoted on TPF&T, with a little tick box at the top after you have been given a quote to change this Comprehensive. Terrible in my opinion. It's all about showing the cheapest prices at the top of the screen to get you interested and not quoting on what we call in the business a customer's "demands & needs".

Then there is the excess. I don't want a £100 voluntary excess thank you very much. I know full well that every policy will carry at least a £50 compulsory excess, if not more, so why do i want to pay another £100 on top? Yet again, I had no choice, quotes varied from a £100 to a £200+ voluntary excess and not one shows the compulsory excess unless you go into the quote and look for it.

I changed the voluntary excess to nil, and guess what, it defaults back to a £100 voluntary excess! Absolutely shocking. Yet again it is all about a company trying to get to the top of the list by not only offering basic cover, but including large excesses to drive the premium down.

I don't really know what i am trying to say here, other than working in a high street Brokers for 25 odd years, it is kind of saddening to see insurance sold this way. I have to prove to the FSA that i am confident to sell household insurance to a customer and have so many CPD points a year, auditing and so on. Yet the same customer can punch a few answers into an online site and get a quote, more often than not much cheaper than i can do, but is this because they are being short changed on their cover? It makes me wonder.

Comparison sites _are_ part of the way insurance is sold and i accept that, but i really would urge anyone who uses one to absolutely make sure they understand each and every question they answer and to also make sure the figure that appears at the end is actually for the cover you want and not a basic policy or carrying high voluntary excesses, or both.

Comparison sites have been under the radar of the FSA for a few years now and, despite the good practice guidelines that were released a couple of years back, to me it still looks like the companies that use them will still do what they can to appear at the of list.

So i guess the message is "proceed with caution!" :thumb:


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

In a way I find them good,you can see lots of prices from one insurer with only having to out the details in once. I use confused as I find it slightly easier for car insurance but they hide boxes for the right to. Contact you and it defaults back everyone you run a new quote. I find it gives me an indication when looking for cheap cars. However I would never usethemfor modified cards - mine and the wife's, for this I would always call and use a specialist broker. I find some of them are much better as you get to speak to the same person every time


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

Unfortunately with everyone down to single mothers on benefit NEEDing iphones, sky, 20mB broadband, 20 pairs of shoes, 2 nights out a week, 50" TVs etc etc people can instantly see the difference in price and make decisions solely based on that. As a country we base too much emphasis on price........ it's not a new occurrence though, it started decades ago, the increased 'need' in 'living standards' and drive to pay less effectively euthanised the countries manufacturing industry for most consumer goods. We can't make them cheap enough to sell.....and we'd rather buy from China to save our self money.

It's the current/next step in capitalism/consumerism; companies reel you in with a cheap headline price.......but just try change, cancel or alter the policy once you're committed and they HAMMER you with charges, totally outwith the real cost to them.

Bring back a fair price for a fair service and not 'they're locked in now, lets really shaft them of the non-OEM exhaust he's planning to put on!' and Caveat emptor attitude to selling insurance.....having said that I'm with Elephant found via an online search.....

I would not fancy operating in any mainstream privately bought insurance industry as it stands as I only see it getting worse....


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Also they seem to be Front end loaded i did a few quotes on my old car for the hell of it first getting quotes direct from an insurer on line then doing the comparison sites and some were giving circa £50 upcharges for using the site then others wouldn't quote as i assume i was locked in with compare co #1 so they get their cut?


Suppose they have to be getting something to be able to afford the countless adverts on tv....


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