modern car insurance - confused by super go meerkats?

[rayofleamington]

Just a tip for those who use comparison sites...

Out of the 4 well known comparison sites, it's well known that you normally get a better price on the comparison website than going direct to the insurance company. The logic seems to be that the people who shop around won't buy unless they get a better price, so insurance companies that don't discount for a comparison site will loose business.

Most people will use onea comparison site and assume they are all similar (I used to!). They are not.
Recently I've saved a few hundred quid by using all the comparison sites and picking the best price for the same policy (same insurance agent gave 4 different prices on 4 different comparison site )

[chrisryder]

i've tried a few comparison websites, only to be told i'm too young, or the car is too old!

when i finally got quotes from one. i was offered £1000 to insure my minor.

FJ insured me for £420!

[les]

If you find a good quote on line, do you need to pay that way or can you then phone the company and get the same deal?

[mike.perry]

Play one company or quote off against another.

[bmcecosse]

The cost goes UP the nearer you get to the renewal date.... so fix up the deal well in advance of the required renewal date for lowest cost.

[chickenjohn]

On Martin Lewis "Money Saving Expert" consumer advice website, he gives instructions on which comparison sites to use and in which order and then which insurance companies to phone that do not appear on these sites. Armed with the lowest comparison quote you can drive the price even lower! Plus details of "cashback" deals etc, all good stuff.

I'm not connected with this site but have found it useful in the past for various things :- http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

[rayofleamington]

Oh - there's an order you should use too!

If you find a good quote on line, do you need to pay that way or can you then phone the company and get the same deal?

Yes, but you will need the quote reference number. I have to arrange by phone anyway, to allow checking of slightly special circumstances (trusting the internet alone last year gave me in insurance policy that wasn't valid - I phoned after taking out the policy instead of before taking it out and that proved to be a massive mistake).

The agent then tried to charge me a £50 cancellation fee, until I threatened them (e.g. to post it over the internet that they happily break the law and policy by knowingly selling policies without checking the customer info to see if the policy they sell is valid...) Then they failed to process my refund despite much chasing, and despite sending paperwork recorded delivery they said they had not recieved it Theykept £400 of my dosh for 4 months - when I sent them a copy of letter I was sending to the insurance ombudsman, they finally refunded me in full.