Price Comparison – Is It Worth It?
Chris Rowlands asked:
Many of you will have, at some point or other had difficulty finding an insurance quote.
This is something that has gotten easier of late with the advent of the price comparison site. Finding an insurance policy of any shape or form used to be a time consuming and not to mention monotonous task. The usual process involved trawling around companies websites and submitting quote after quote after quote. The other alternative and an equally arduous one; to ring each company individually and carry out a quote over the phone.
As you can imagine most people came to dread this process and all the rigmarole therein involved. Then like a prayer answered, came the comparison site, or so it seemed to many. This could now provide the ability to input your requirements in one place and have the work done for you. Was this product the ideal solution it seemed to be? What were the pitfalls and negative aspects?
In the press and showcased on the media of television of late has been much speculation as to whether these sites really are as good as they claim. It has been said that they are merely a “middleman” and that it makes more sense to go directly to the primary provider. Let’s look at the typical process involved when renewing a policy; let’s presume you need to renew your car insurance. You have 3 general options available to you; number 1, you can ring the insurance companies of your choice. Number 2, you can manually search through insurance internet sites and fill in quote sheets. Lastly we have the option of using a comparison site and providing enough detail to receive a number of quotes from different companies.
From these options a busy or internet savvy person would most probably opt for the latter. Having chosen to use a comparison site by either searching for one or opting to use one you have seen advertised, you visit it and fill in your details. You would then be given a list of quotes and the general idea is to select one with an attractive price and policy options to suit your circumstances. You then click to be sent through to the policy provider’s website and continue your application by giving any further details necessary.
This is the stage at which most have picked fault. The problem being that any further details given could affect the car insurance quote generated. The sites are perhaps more suited to giving quotes to a person with standard circumstances. Having said that, on average the sites do tend to ask for details of previous claims and points on licence, etc.
However, the process can become problematic if you have carried out any modifications to your car or need to input any unusual circumstances.
On researching this article I carried out a quote through a direct well known insurer and proceeded to do the same through a well known comparison site. I found that the quote was actually very similar on both sites and when I proceeded to the cheapest quote on the comparison site there was no change after entering all necessary details. In actual fact it worked out a little cheaper than the direct site. This goes to show you that using a comparison site is worthwhile, even if you only use it to find a figure to aim for when receiving quotes from other companies. It also shows that you can still get a good deal by going directly to an insurer. The difference comes when you have circumstances that throw a spanner into the works and result in a wide range of varying quotes. It would appear that on average a comparison site will get you a cheaper quote.
It seems to me the key is how you use these resources. You can get what you want from both methods and it comes down to a matter of personal choice. If you are happy to go with the first quote that sounds reasonable then fair enough. If not you should use a comparison site to give you more choice and save you time and (possibly) money.
Beverly
Many of you will have, at some point or other had difficulty finding an insurance quote.
This is something that has gotten easier of late with the advent of the price comparison site. Finding an insurance policy of any shape or form used to be a time consuming and not to mention monotonous task. The usual process involved trawling around companies websites and submitting quote after quote after quote. The other alternative and an equally arduous one; to ring each company individually and carry out a quote over the phone.
As you can imagine most people came to dread this process and all the rigmarole therein involved. Then like a prayer answered, came the comparison site, or so it seemed to many. This could now provide the ability to input your requirements in one place and have the work done for you. Was this product the ideal solution it seemed to be? What were the pitfalls and negative aspects?
In the press and showcased on the media of television of late has been much speculation as to whether these sites really are as good as they claim. It has been said that they are merely a “middleman” and that it makes more sense to go directly to the primary provider. Let’s look at the typical process involved when renewing a policy; let’s presume you need to renew your car insurance. You have 3 general options available to you; number 1, you can ring the insurance companies of your choice. Number 2, you can manually search through insurance internet sites and fill in quote sheets. Lastly we have the option of using a comparison site and providing enough detail to receive a number of quotes from different companies.
From these options a busy or internet savvy person would most probably opt for the latter. Having chosen to use a comparison site by either searching for one or opting to use one you have seen advertised, you visit it and fill in your details. You would then be given a list of quotes and the general idea is to select one with an attractive price and policy options to suit your circumstances. You then click to be sent through to the policy provider’s website and continue your application by giving any further details necessary.
This is the stage at which most have picked fault. The problem being that any further details given could affect the car insurance quote generated. The sites are perhaps more suited to giving quotes to a person with standard circumstances. Having said that, on average the sites do tend to ask for details of previous claims and points on licence, etc.
However, the process can become problematic if you have carried out any modifications to your car or need to input any unusual circumstances.
On researching this article I carried out a quote through a direct well known insurer and proceeded to do the same through a well known comparison site. I found that the quote was actually very similar on both sites and when I proceeded to the cheapest quote on the comparison site there was no change after entering all necessary details. In actual fact it worked out a little cheaper than the direct site. This goes to show you that using a comparison site is worthwhile, even if you only use it to find a figure to aim for when receiving quotes from other companies. It also shows that you can still get a good deal by going directly to an insurer. The difference comes when you have circumstances that throw a spanner into the works and result in a wide range of varying quotes. It would appear that on average a comparison site will get you a cheaper quote.
It seems to me the key is how you use these resources. You can get what you want from both methods and it comes down to a matter of personal choice. If you are happy to go with the first quote that sounds reasonable then fair enough. If not you should use a comparison site to give you more choice and save you time and (possibly) money.
Beverly
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