Do These Comparison Sites Actually Work

nheather · 27-07-2009, 9:41 AM

I've never used a comparison site until today.

My travel insurance is due for renewal so I decided to try confused.com.

I followed one of the higher-price recommendations (The AA) at £75.79.

I was directed to The AA website and had to re-enter the info. I was then presented with a quote of £151.57, double what confused.com stated.

Okay, maybe unfair after just one try but I was amazed that the difference was so massive.

Cheers,

Nigel

**Iccz** · 27-07-2009, 9:45 AM

It all depends really, I find it still a good idea to check comparison sites, check the company websites and to give them a call and see if they can match/beat any of the competition.

My car insurance is due soon and Churchill sent a renewal out, the comparison sites found a quote at £130 cheaper (Churchill themselves were £20 cheaper on there), then on the Churchill site they were £80 cheaper than the renewal, still looking around at the moment, Direct Line and Swift Cover both offer good prices which I need to look over the details of.

Either way on topic, they are good to use to get an idea of what other prices are about and can often save you a few quid.

Toasty · 27-07-2009, 9:46 AM

I've used gocompare for car insurance the last few years and have always got a cheaper deal at renewal. One thing to bear in mind is that the compare interface is not privvy to all the niggly details that you may want from your insurance, and these may pop your price up when you go to the providers site. The nice thing with go compare, and maybe the same elswhere, is when you do the general quote, it does let you select extra's and you can get a second list of figures with things like legal cover and breakdown added to the list price.

Dancook · 27-07-2009, 9:47 AM

Directline advertise the fact that you won't find them on price comparison sites. So they are worth checking individually, I've ended up getting all my insurance needs from them as they have offered the best prices for me.

Consider that price comparison sites take a commission on sales made, so the insurance companies need to work that into their prices.

nheather · 27-07-2009, 9:50 AM

Quote:

ne thing to bear in mind is that the compare interface is not privvy to all the niggly details that you may want from your insurance

I could understand that but in this case, you have to enter quite a bit of info on confused.com and then the exactly the same info on The AA.

The price I was given is before you even start talking about specifics.

Cheers,

Nigel

Toasty · 27-07-2009, 9:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dancook

Directline advertise the fact that you won't find them on price comparison sites. So they are worth checking individually, I've ended up getting all my insurance needs from them as they have offered the best prices for me.

Yeah, I used to be with Direct Line consistently, but they still fall into the offer new customers better deals than existing customers trap and is definitely worth shopping round if you've been with them for a couple of years.

Dancook · 27-07-2009, 9:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toasty

Yeah, I used to be with Direct Line consistently, but they still fall into the offer new customers better deals than existing customers trap and is definitely worth shopping round if you've been with them for a couple of years.

When it comes to renewal, I always get a new quote from directline website which beats the renewal quote and they match it.

**Iccz** · 27-07-2009, 9:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dancook

When it comes to renewal, I always get a new quote from directline website which beats the renewal quote and they match it.

I've never stayed with an insurance company after 1 year, I've always managed to get a better quote elsewhere, usually by a number of comparisons and phone calls, takes a bit of time but it's worth it usually.

Toasty · 27-07-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dancook

When it comes to renewal, I always get a new quote from directline website which beats the renewal quote and they match it.

Yeah, as Iccz says, I manage to get a better quote. I had a double whammy from directline. I was on a 0% payment plan with them at a competitive price. They dropped the 0% and couldn't beat other quotes, so they lost my business. Not to say I wouldn't use them again though.

mda1974 · 27-07-2009, 10:24 AM

When I renew my insurance I always look at quotes in combination to what you can get from a cashback website.

When my wifes car insurance was due back in March I managed to get a slightly cheaper quote from the RAC but also got £70 cashback from Quidco.

Ian J · 27-07-2009, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toasty

I used to be with Direct Line consistently, but they still fall into the offer new customers better deals than existing customers trap and is definitely worth shopping round if you've been with them for a couple of years.

I used to cancel my policy each year with them and take out a new one as it was cheaper than renewing. Stupid amount of hassle it must have caused them but it was theur own fault for their dual pricing policy.

krish · 27-07-2009, 12:26 PM

I use comparison sites to get an idea ... then look for good cashback deals with the same and other insurers at Quidco

btw the comparison sites themselves are on Quidco too, and you get around £0.50-£1.50 cashback just for clicking through and doing your search

Quidco - Finance cashback (149)
Quidco - Travel Insurance cashback (30)

Btw, from experience with AA quotes ... if you phone them, they frequently will drop a few more quid off, then a further £20ish off if you take a couple of mins to go through a different insurance quote with them (auto/home/travel).

CptCaveman · 27-07-2009, 12:58 PM

I use Quidco also, but they cannot compete with brokers such as us on price or on cashback on life insurance, critical illness cover or on cashback on mortgages.

Most comparison sites are good although products does vary with some comparison sites offering poor choice and therefore don't offer products from all providers.

Therefore you find yourself looking at different comparison sites and then having to check with the other providers not on any of those sites to ensure you get the best deal.

krish · 27-07-2009, 1:12 PM

what's your best price on canned precooked meat products made by the Hormel Foods Corporation?

**Iccz** · 27-07-2009, 1:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krish

what's your best price on canned precooked meat products made by the Hormel Foods Corporation?

*points to the "assured advertiser" under his name*

mjn · 27-07-2009, 3:06 PM

My missus used confused.com for the car insurance, putting in our requirements, followed the links, only to be told by the insurance that her chosen policy was "not valid".

Knyght_byte · 27-07-2009, 3:57 PM

comparison sites are only useful to find out what companies are actually out there, or if you have a very specific requirement, it saves you lots of phoning around..

but for actual savings, its a waste of time. If what you are trying to get a price on is something that is not tangible or consistent (ie insurance, energy, etc) then you could switch to a company that will save you money....on their current price........4 months later, prices change, your suddenly losing money......

If its a more fixed price/no true variable type of thing, such as broadband or telephone line rental etc, then these sites can prove useful.....but i'd always recommend going from the switching site to getting an email quote, then telephone them and the advisor will normally discount a little further so he/she/it gets the sale.