It comes to that time of year again and your renewal is due on your car/home/van insurance, you dread the letter informing you of how much you are going to have to pay out and you possibly reach out to the internet with its shiny offerings of free meercats or money back guarantees!
There are lots of deals on the internet available to all of us as consumers, are you really getting a great deal though?
When entering your details on to the comparison websites you are asked questions such as ‘have you been driving for the last 5yrs?’ and ‘do you have access to any other vehicles?’
You may answer these questions completely honestly but behind them there are further questions that you will not be asked however you may be answering ie if you answer yes to ‘have you been driving for the last 5 years’, it may be assumed by the internet broker/insurer that you can prove this and they will have given you extra discount and you will have to prove it, however, you have no way of doing so as you drove for your last employer who is now non-contactable! - Problem!
Now this insurance that was a good £50.00 cheaper is now asking you for £60.00 additional payment as your discount has been removed! Who do you call – no one - you have to log in using that password that at the time was definitely memorable!! Find the contact us page, after several frustrating rounds of accidentally logging yourself out you are presented with a premium rate number to call, after sitting on hold you will be told that you answered the questions asked and all of this is explained in the terms and conditions, goodbye £60.00.
When you want to make a decision on a loan or new sofa generally you visit the bank or the sofa store so you can ask questions, check paperwork and deal with a human who can ensure everything you want is part of that process or at least has been considered.
Why is that every year thousands of people make one of their more significant monetary decisions of the year based on a few clicks of a button and some very basic skimming of terms and conditions?!
The advantages of going into your local brokerage are:
What will surprise you is that you will normally get similar prices although I can only speak for 1 Answer Insurance on that subject! You will be treated with respect and the agent you deal with will be responsible for ensuring your demands and needs are met, we know what to ask to ensure you receive a discount, however, we also know what will be required from you and check this before you go on cover!
Brokerages are part of the community and wish to serve it well with great prices, fair behaviour and friendly service for approximately the same time as it would take you to enter through all of your details on the comparison sites.
