Our new advert for television has stirred up quite a few complaints in it’s first day on air across the UK commercial TV Networks…….
New Risque Compare Car Insurance TV Ad Has The Lads Eyes Spinning!
It looks like the furry animal and the fat opera singer may have a bit of competition on the TV screens this summer with the launch across the UK networks of the latest Car Insurance TV ad in the media war of the car insurance price comparison websites.
Featuring a spinning attractive buxom lass on fire, the ad has already received large plaudits from the industry agencies who are running around trying to match the inventiveness of the TV channels production team.
So if you haven’t seen her enough on TV already …. here she is again for the benefit of everyone working at Insurance Blog.
AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE CAR INSURANCE WEBSITE OF CONFUSED.COM
The Confused.com Car Insurance Review 2010
Website: http://www.confused.com
Insurance Website Type: Confused.com is a brand of the Admiral Group PLC based in Cardiff.
It is a price comparison website founded in 2002 and offers car insurance quotes from multiple suppliers, not just from the Admiral group. It also offers many other comparison services.
We asked a large team of people to visit the Confused.com website and report back to us about how easy it was to use and whether the website offered all the car insurance services and covers they required as customers or expected from watching TV ads.
Our Car Insurance review team was selected from a wide cross section of the UK population, with different car makes and types , occupations and ages; the only common factor was that none of the team had bought car insurance on-line before or visited a car insurance comparison website.
The object of the car insurance review was to assess the ease of use, availability of on-line information, and the range of cover options and services offered by the website; not just to compare car insurance quotes as available from an aggregator.
The Review
Question. Is the car insurance website offering any special discounts or offers?
Answer. No it compares prices offered by over providers.
Question. Is telephone help readily available from the webpage?
Answer. There is a contact us link, but only an email address is available.
Question..Was it easy to find the quote page?
Answer. There are 4 pages of questions before you can get a quote and you have to open an account.
Question. Was there an option to recall a previous quote?
Answer.. Yes but when you saved you only save the top four quotes.
Question. What are the minimum and maximum ages?
Answer. None apparent.
Question. Do they cover all professions?
Answer. Yes
Question. Do they cover Northern Ireland?
Answer. Yes.
Question. Are drivers with convictions covered?
Answer. You are asked about convictions and details but get quoted anyway.
Question. How many claims in the last three years are allowed?
Answer. You are asked about previous claims and their values on the initial pages.
Question. How many pages are there before you get a quote?
Answer. Six.
Question. What is the order of the pages or proposal form questions?
Answer. The first page forced you to open an account then asked for your personal details, proposer details, vehicle details, and your policy requirements. The results page needed to know your previous premium before showing you your quotes.
Question. Does the application find your address easily from the postcode?
Answer. The address was found quickly, you just had to select the house number.
Question. Do the car details come automatically from the DVLA when the car registration number is entered?
Answer. Yes but you could still enter the car details if you didn’t have a registration number.
Question. What are the maximum and minimum Voluntary Excess Amounts?
Answer. Between 0 and 500 pounds but the quotes could go in excess of these.
Question. How many accidents or claims are you allowed?
Answer. There was no maximum.
Question. Was it easy to understand what the questions wanted and was there the appropriate help boxes?
Answer. While the questions were simple and each had its own help box, there were a lot, so applying for car insurance was lengthy process anyway.
Question. Were all the questions necessary?
Answer. Some of the questions were unnecessary particularly the personal family based ones.
Question. Could you change things like voluntary excess to get a re-quote?
Answer. There was a useful application on the side of the quote list that allowed you to change excess and other details like cover and courtesy cars and the list would change accordingly.
Question. How long did it take to get a quote?
Answer. Around 10 minutes due to the large amount of questions.
Question. How many quotes were returned?
Answer. On average of our respondents – 85 with 19 unable to quote without a registration number.
Question. How much were the quotes?
Answer. Ranging from £432.86 to £1553.18 averaged per reviewer.
Question. Do the quotes offered have different levels of cover?
Answer. The quotes offered different extras such as windscreen cover or breakdown cover, though some charged additional premium.
Question. Can you go back and re-quote?
Answer. You could amend your details and re-quote so long as you did so without leaving the quote page.
Question. Did you understand the levels of cover you were getting?
Answer. The individual quotes had information pages with more detailed explanations of the policy.
Question. What additional covers were offered?
Answer. Most additional covers were available and varied between car insurance suppliers.
Question. Were these covers included or do you have to pay extra?
Answer. Again this varied between companies.
Question. Could you remove covers to make the quote cheaper?
Answer. No.
Question. Can you save the quote to return to this site later?
Answer. You could only save the top four quotes to choose from later.
Question. What payment methods are available?
Answer. All.
Question. When you commit to buy, are you still at the same site or have you been passed to the insurance company site to complete the purchasing?
Answer. You were put through to the issuing company website when you choose a policy to complete the process.
Question. How did you find the navigation? Was it easy to move around?
Answer. The site was easy to navigate though leaving the quote page meant I had to requote and re-enter my details to get back.
Question. Did you like or dislike this site?
Answer. Typically our reviewers answered – The quote page was good to use with handy apps attached but the question process was long-winded and the save options weren’t very good.
Question. Did the site live up to any expectations from ads or TV ads you may have seen?
Answer. Does what it promises but is long-winded.
Question. Was the website quick or slow to use?
Answer. Fairly slow due to large amount of questions and slow on the quote search.
Question. Was the site easy to use?
On a scale of 1 to 5 , 1 being hard to use and 5 being very easy – how would you rate it?
Answer. 3.5 out of 5 - The site was straight forward but long-winded.
The Car Insurance Television independent car insurance review panel look at
CAR INSURANCE COMPANY:
Website: Moneysupermarket.com
About the Website – Moneysupermarket.com are an independent company and one of the first price aggregation websites. Originally founded from an IFA mortgage business they are not associated to an insurance broker or insurance company. They provide a car insurance quote comparison system. In 2007, Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC was admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange. Moneysupermarket.com are renowned for a range of television advertisements and are today supported by a call centre.
Our Review Methodology
We asked a large sample of people to visit the Moneysupermarket.com website and report back to us with a questionnaire about how easy the car insurance quotation system was to use and whether the site offered all the car insurance services and covers they required as potential customers.
Our Car Insurance review team consisted of a wide cross section of the UK population, various car makes and types, occupations, driving histories and ages; the only common factor was that none of the team had bought car insurance on-line before we started the review process.
The object of the car insurance review was to assess the ease of use of the Moneysupermarket site and availability of online information to aid purchasing cover. We specifically asked the team to look at the range of cover options, functionality and services offered by the site; and not just to compare car insurance quotes prices and premiums.
The Review
Q. Is the car insurance company offering any special discounts or offers?
A. Various offers of courtesy cars and inclusive legal cover all options available at extra cost.
Q. Is telephone help readily available from the webpage?
A. There is a ‘contact us’ link at the bottom of the page and a discreet phone number.
Q. Is there a claims section readily accessible?
A. No, the site simply refers you to car insurers.
Q. Was it easy to find the quote page?
A. The question process at the beginning automatically gets you a quote.
Q. Was there an option to recall a previous quote?
A. Yes
Q. Are Kit Cars, Q plates and modified vehicles covered?
A. The site does not cater for q plates or any kind of commercial vehicle
Q. Do they cover Northern Ireland (NI)?
A. The site covers the United Kingdom.
Q. How many pages are there before you get a quote?
A. 5 pages collecting data for quote.
Q. Does the application find your address easily from the postcode?
A. Very quick results then just choose your house number.
Q. Do the car details come automatically from the DVLA when the registration number is entered?
A. Yes, but you can obtain quote without a registration number.
Q. Was it easy to understand what the questions wanted? – were there help boxes?
A. Simple straight questions with help box for each.
Q. Were all the questions necessary?
A. The questions were necessary but you have to open an account in order to obtain a quote.
Q. Could you change things like voluntary excess to get a requote?
A. You could retrace to amend any detail in the process
Q. How long did it take to get a quote?
A. Less then five minutes.
Q. How many quotes were returned?
A. 92 on average but and on average there were 27 that could not quote without the car registration number.
Q. Were you offered a wide range of prices?
A. Quotes ranged on average from £357.36 to £1605.68 for the same details.
Q. Can you go back and requote?
A. The quotes are saved until the policy start date and are accessed through your account.
Q. What additional covers were offered eg Breakdown Cover, glass cover etc?
A. Many insurers offered extra cover but not many were all inclusive.
Q. Can you save the quote to return to this site later?
A. Yes through your account
Q. Are you offered the policy documents and key-facts documents to read before you purchase?
A. Before you purchase yes, when you have chosen your supplier.
Q. How did you find the navigation? Was it easy to move around?
A. The site was very straight forward with clear links for the various services offered
Q. Did you like or dislike this site? Why?
A. ‘I liked the site as it was simple and direct and did what I required without complication’ was the sentiment of all our respondents.
Q. Did the site live up to any expectations – eg from ads or TV ads?
A. ‘The site offered me so many quotes I was spoilt for choice’ was the sentiment of the majority of our reviewers.
Q.Was it quick or slow?
A. Very quick
Was the site easy to use?
On a sliding scale of 1 to 5 , 1 being hard to use and 5 being very easy – how would you rate it?
A. Average 4.5, the main point being that it was very straight forward!
Tell the Truth When Purchasing Car Insurance Online Or You Invalidate the Policy
By Dave Healey
Once you’ve compared car insurance online and chosen a policy and price that suits your particular individual needs, you will need to complete a proposal form.
The proposal form,whether online or a paper version will ask you various questions about yourself, your circumstances, your car and your driving history.
When you complete this form it is imperative that you do so truthfully and answer all the questions. If you don’t you could be in for a big shock if you ever need to make a claim.
A car insurance contract is founded on trust and is therefore subject to the legal rule of ‘utmost good faith’ or ‘ultra vires’ as distinct from the normal contract rule of ‘let the buyer beware’ or ‘caveat emptor’.
Both of these rules have been criticised from time to time as it is felt that they are unfair to the consumer. Hence the protection given to the purchaser of goods initially as late as the Misrepresentation Act 1967 and refined by other recent trading standards and consumer protection legislation.
Utmost good faith applies to insurance because the proposer is deemed to know all the facts about the risk being proposed whereas the insurer may have only general or statistical knowledge on which to base his acceptance or rejection of the proposal form.
The legal rule therefore puts the onus on the proposer to declare all the material facts known to him about the risk before the contract is concluded.
This duty exists not only at inception but also at each annual renewal of the motor insurance.
What is ‘material’ has been defined since the Insurance Act of 1906 as ‘every circumstance… which would influence the judgment of a prudent insurer in fixing the car insurance premium, or determining whether he will take the risk’.
Facts that need not be disclosed when buying car insurance are those that:
(a) Lessen the risk;
(b) Are inferred by insurers, usually because they are normally associated with the type of car risk proposed;
(c) Are public knowledge or should be known by the insurer in the ordinary course of business;
(d) Are matters of law;
(e) Are possible of discovery where the insurer has been put on enquiry;
(f) Insurers have waived information about;
(g) Are unnecessary because about;
(h) Are offences which are ‘spent’ by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
Where a car insurance proposal form has been completed, the proposer cannot rely upon a question not having been asked to render it immaterial.
A proposer may therefore be in breach of the duty of utmost good faith by:
(a) Concealment: i.e. deliberately concealing a material fact;
(b) Non-disclosure: failing to disclose a material fact either inadvertently or because it was not thought to be material;
(c) Fraudulent misrepresentation: making a statement known to be false with the intention of deceiving an insurer;
(d) Innocent misrepresentation: making an inaccurate statement of fact but without fraudulent intent because it was believed to be true.
In all these cases, if the contract has been effected, the insurer can avoid the policy and repudiate liability from inception.
In other words no contract – no claim!
Even if you compare car insurance quotes on-line you are equally obliged to disclose the full facts. Even if you do not go on to take out the car insurance, the quotes are legally binding and therefore by asking for a quote you are obliged to full disclosure of all material facts. Do not try to obtain cheap car insurance through falsifying your proposal.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Healey
With so many different ways of purchasing car insurance these days we asked our resident car insurance expert to explain the role and functions of traditional Car Insurance Brokers and how they still fit in to the current UK Motor Insurance Market.
The Role of Car Insurance Brokers in the UK Motor Insurance Market.
By Dave Healey
The role of a car insurance broker is to act as an intermediary between the customer and the underwriting Insurance Company. Within this role there are various functions that they carry out in interaction both with the car insurance buying public and the Insurer with who they place the business.
When a broker places car and motor insurance risks on cover, their role has a major difference to other types of insurance in that the spread of risk is smaller. This is because a very high proportion of motor business is eventually placed on the basis of ‘one risk, one underwriter’ – that is to say, a Lloyd’s underwriter or Motor Insurance company.
When a member of the public goes to a motor insurance broker they expect that the broker should be fully aware of all the covers available and offered in a standard car insurance policy and a commercial motor policy. A broker also should be knowledgeable about the differences in policies and prices offered by the various Insurance Companies and underwriters with which his brokerage does business.
The Car Insurance Brokers role does not just stop with the supplying and purchasing of the insurance. They should be available to act as an intermediary with the Insurer at any time, acting upon the client’s behalf should there be any changes to the policy mid-term of the contract period, or to deal with any claims that need to be made.
The two main insurance areas dealt with by the car insurance broker are the private individual’s motor policy and the commercial fleet motor policy.
A marked tendency in the large broking house during recent years has been to concentrate more and more on the commercial motor insurance fleet placings, and less and less on the private sector of the market.
Many large international insurance brokers view the private motor insurance as uneconomic for a fully sustainable business, and so specialist sub-brokers or large provincial and regional brokers are dealing with a greater proportion of this class of motor business.
Car Insurance Brokers receive commissions for their role as intermediaries which are received from the Insurance companies with which the business is placed. The commissions available in the motor market varies somewhat and the recent ‘soft market’ where premiums and commissions are low, have also led the high street insurance broker to seek more profitable business in insurance classes other than Motor. Commissions for a car insurance policy may range from 7½ per cent to 20 per cent although with commercial vehicle contracts and large fleet business, brokerage may be agreed on a fee basis which is often charged over the whole portfolio for that particular client. In the past a standard rate or tariff which was agreed and reviewed by the Association of British Insurers professional body (ABI) was used in the UK car insurance market. This is no longer the case, but this approach still influences some underwriters in some specialist car insurance areas.
In recent years, however, many larger brokers have developed what is known as a ‘direct dealing account’. This is where the broker introduces a sub-broker to underwriters and then permits him to deal directly with them under a fronting agreement with their own marketing. The accounts, however, will still pass through the main broker. The commission is split between the main broker and the sub-broker, with the sub-broker usually commanding the higher percentage. An important restriction applied to the sub-broker within the fronting agreement is that he must pass the premium on to the main broker within 30 days of inception of the risk.
The role of the motor broker has changed somewhat in recent years with the development of Internet based quotation systems.
In particular the insurance comparison websites who have taken over the role of the broker to some extent. These quotation systems have been used successfully however by some car insurance brokers who have adapted and embraced the technology and now offer full on-line comparison quotes from their panels of insurance providers. The benefits are a very quick service, although it may still be advantageous for the broker to ‘shop around’ for the best deal for one’s client, particularly if the cover is for a non standard driver or car.
Whatever the changes in the technologies and methods of Car Insurance delivery there will always be clients who want a human face and to talk to someone directly about their insurance needs. The role of the broker is ultimately communication.
If a driver owns a classic car, specialist classic car insurance brokers will compare classic car insurance policies and rates on the customers behalf. Similarly if a customer has medical conditions or convictions or is a young driver that wants to drive a high performance sports car a Specialist Car Insurance Broker will be able to place the risk amongst their many schemes. A Broker is often the only option for non-standard motoring risks that the mainstream suppliers will not service.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Healey
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Role-of-Car-Insurance-Brokers&id=4753910
Goodwood Revival
17. – 18. – 19. September 2010
The time has come again to book your seats for the greatest classic car event in the UK, and Car Insurance Television will be there to support it and offer you classic car insurance.
TheGoodwood Revival is, quite simply, a magical step back in history, a time to revel in the romance and glamour of motor racing as it was in the halcyon days on a circuit that has a unique place in the history of British motor sport.
For three days in September, the Goodwood Motor Circuit closes its gates on the modern world and creates a unique blend of intoxicating excitement, from the classic cars flashing between the grassy banks of this historic track to the breathtaking aerial manoeuvres of wartime aircraft.
The Revival is unashamedly a remembrance of motor racing as it used to be.
Daring drivers racing wheel to wheel on a stage used by legends like Sir Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark, and Graham Hill.
Cheering them on a huge crowd drawn back to the days when Goodwood was the spiritual home of motor sport.
This is the biggest and best motor racing event of the year, an enthralling time to leave the modern world behind and wallow in the way things used to be.
On the track, and in the air, the drama is relentless, a feast for all the senses. The Goodwood Revival is unique, one of the wonders of the world.
Information about the Classics Race Event
FRIDAY the 17th is official practice day, with drivers and riders competing for the best positions on the starting grids. Lap after lap, cars and motorcycles will be taken to the limit in search of those last few tenths of a second that will decide who starts at the front.
There is also the very interesting annual Bonhams sale of priceless historic cars and motor racing artifacts. If you are going to buy one there make sure you arrange your vintage car insurance with us!
SATURDAY the 18th sees the racing get underway with the drivers and riders jousting for those much-coveted Goodwood trophies and the honour of being a Goodwood winner. Highlights of the programme will be the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy for motorcycles, the hugely popular St Mary’s Trophy for saloon cars and the 40′s and 50′s Grand Prix cars scrambling for grip as they battle for the Goodwood Trophy. Saturday is also Ladies’ Day where the most spectacular period frocks are on show.
SUNDAY the 19th features what, for many, is the highlight of the weekend’s racing, the Royal Automobile Club TT for some of the world’s most valuable racing cars. These are the beautiful GT cars that, in days gone by, contested the TT.
The motorcycles are back out again too, as are the saloon cars, as well as a mouth-watering array of historic Formula One cars and sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s in an action-packed programme of wheel to wheel racing. In the air, as ever, will be the Spitfires and Hurricanes that flew from Goodwood to take part in the Battle of Britain. The day culminates in the Award Giving ceremony where Lord March awards his much-coveted trophies and medals. Memories are made of this.
Best Places to view the Classic Racing Cars from
THE SUPERSHELL BUILDING
A Goodwood landmark, seen in so many photos of the great old days of racing here. The 1950s building is right on the edge of the track at the entry to Woodcote Corner, one of the fastest on the circuit.
Here you have a very good vantage point in the Woodcote grandstand and you are near to the Paddock where all the cars and motorcycles are based.
THE GOODWOOD MESS
If you can afford it the Goodwood Mess is the best view of the classic cars. Modelled on the Driver’s Club, take a step back in time, and enjoy a truly interactive experience where the charm of the Revival will be brought to you.
Situated track side just beyond the start/finish line with great views all the way to the mighty Madgwick Corner at the heart of the action. Get close to the sights and sounds of these iconic racing cars being prepped and then taking their place on the start line before seeing them hustle for their space on the track.
Complete control over Britain’s highways and byways has taken a step nearer to it’s Zenith with the joining up of the Motor Insurance Database with The DVLA, Automatic Number plate recognition systems and Police national computers for immediate real-time straight through processing.
Car Insurance blog has suspected this for a while and has written many posts on the potential of joined up data, however the The Department for Transport is now offically introducing Continuous Insurance Enforcement as the policing policy is known.
We haven’t checked with other industry sources as to the requirements to inform your customers of Big Brother’s latest move against un-insured driving so we were most surprised when this email droped into our letter box this afternoon from Quinn Insurance, who we thought were in liquidation???
Anyway it’s good stuff for spam email so we’ll reprint it here for you minus the sales stuff!
A new approach by the Motor Insurance Database (MID) is being introduced to protect motorists and to prevent people from driving without insurance
Currently all insurers who underwrite motor insurance are obliged to submit policy details to a centralised database called the Motor Insurance Database (MID). Targets are set for insurance companies to get their data onto the database in a timely and accurate manner. Failure to do so within the set timescales leaves the insurer liable to a fine.
The purpose of MID is to reduce the level of uninsured driving. Un-insured drivers cost the UK more than £500 million a year. This cost is passed onto all honest motorists through their premiums and it’s estimated the average cost to a motorist is £30 per annum. The police already use the MID to detect uninsured vehicles on the road and more than 500 vehicles are seized every day. Around 300,000 offenders are convicted for uninsured driving every year.
The Department for Transport is now introducing Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE). This new scheme will compare vehicles on the MID with DVLA/DVLNI records to identify potentially uninsured vehicles. From 2011 if there is no record on the MID showing your vehicle is insured, and you have not declared it as ‘off road’, you will receive a letter warning you that you could face a fine, prosecution, and the vehicle could also be clamped, seized and ultimately, destroyed.
This new approach is being introduced to protect honest motorists and do even more to prevent people from driving without insurance.
Most people obey the law, but there are still too many people driving without insurance. So in future, all vehicles must be insured even if they are not being used on the road. (Vehicles with a valid Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) are not affected by this legislation).
It probably slipped under many peoples noses what with much pre election legislation ditched and then the election itself……
But on 1st May a bill was quietly and finally passed that allows Motor Insurers to transmit the ‘Certificate of Motor Insurance’ electronically. Car insurance certificates can now legally be emailed to policyholders. Currently only paper car insurance certificates, sent by post or cover notes issued by an Insurance Broker are valid. In the past a special paper was used to deter fraud.
This is a monumental moment in the history of the development of insurance on the Internet as it is now possible to fully transact car insurance in a virtual and paperless manner! ( Hurrah I can hear the tree huggers shouting! and many an office manager.)
This will have a major effect on the way that Car Insurance is transacted and effectively a signal that the Government now has joined up databases with the Motor Insurance Database.
You can now apply for a licence, buy a car, pay your road tax, and buy full car insurance online now that the DLVC and the MID seem to be working together in providing owner details, car details, MOT details and Insurance details to anyone who has access to immediately verify their existence or validity.
So the price of a paperless joined up system is Big Brother! No complaints here though if it makes transacting car insurance more fulfilling and easier! No more waiting for the postman just to order Road Tax or trudging off to the Post Office (If you can find one or one that does Car Tax) and joining the queues on the last day of the month!
Look out over the next few months on Car Insurance Television as we will be featuring those Car Insurance Companies who are offering the service.
You’ll have probably seen the TV ads by then anyway as it will give some companies competitive advantage if their document systems can handle it, and is sure to feature in the future marketing campaigns!
Car Insurance Blog – Wierd Parking!
Car Insurance blog is in the process of moving to a new platform
How about that for parking, eh?
Fortunately our American friend wasn’t insured at Car-Insurance.tv
Compare Car Insurance from the UK’s leading providers at Car Insurance Television
Quotezone Car Insurance Review
The Car Insurance Television independent car insurance review panel look at
CAR INSURANCE COMPANY: Quotezone
Website: http://www.quotezone.co.uk
About the Website – Quotezone are an independent company not associated to an insurance broker or insurance company. They provide a quote comparison system similar to the major aggregators.
Our Review Methodology
We asked a large team of people to visit the Quotezone website and report back to us with a questionaire about how easy the car insurance website was to use and whether the website offered all the car insurance services and covers they required as potential customers.
Our Car Insurance review team consisted of a wide cross section of the UK population, various car makes and types, occupations, driving histories and ages; the only common factor was that none of the team had bought car insurance online before we started the review process.
The object of the car insurance review was to assess the ease of use of the Quotezone site and availability of online information to aid purchasing cover. We specifically asked the team to look at the range of cover options, functionality and services offered by the site; and not just to compare car insurance quotes prices and premiums.
The Review
Q. Is the car insurance company currently offering any special discounts or offers?
A. None.
Q. Is telephone help readily available from the webpage?
A. Only a email address.
Q. Is there a claims section readily accessible?
A. No, Quotezone deals solely with quotes.
Q. Was it easy to find the quote page?
A. Very.
Q. Was there an option to recall a previous quote?
A. Yes.
Q. Are there any restrictions to getting a quote?
A. Yes but only a minimum age.
Q. What are the minimum and maximum ages?
A. The minimum age was 17 and no maximum was specified.
Q. Are Kit Cars, Q plates and modified vehicles covered?
A. Yes, they ask for details of mods and the cars origin so as to obtain a fair quote.
Q. Do they cover Northern Ireland (NI)?
A. Yes and the quotes for the region were very competitive.
Q. How many pages are there before you get a quote?
A. There was only one page but you were given questions individually in order to collect data and many respondents felt there were more questions than necessary.
Q. Does the application find your address easily from the postcode?
A. Yes.
Q. What is the maximum number of NCD years allowed?
A. There was no maximum.
Q. Does the car details come automatically from the DVLA when the reg no is entered?
A. Yes although the reg wasn’t necessary to proceed.
Q. What are the maximum and minimum Voluntary Excess Amounts?
A. 0-500 pounds.
Q. How many accidents are you allowed?
A. You just had to give details of all accidents.
The Car Insurance Cover
Q. Did you understand the levels of cover you were getting?
A. There were no explanations when you choose your cover level.
Q. What additional covers were offered eg Breakdown cover, glass cover etc?
A. Each company offered different additions.
Q. Were these covers included or do you have to pay extra?
A. These were inclusive.
Q. Could you remove specific covers to make the quoted premium cheaper?
A. No.
Q. Can you save the quote to return to this site later?
A. Yes you had to set up an account in the contact section of the questions.
Q. Are you offered the policy documents and keyfacts documents to read before you purchase?
A. Not until you are directed to the site of the policy you choose, but yes before purchase.
Q. What payment methods are available?
A. You had links next to the quotes which gave details of finalizing your quote with the selected insurer.
Q. Are you still at the same site or have you been passed to the insurance company site to complete the purchasing?
A. You were directed to specific sites to finalize the process.
Overall
Q. Was it easy to understand what the questions wanted? – Were there additional help boxes?
A. There were useful advice bubbles on some questions.
Q. Were all the questions necessary?
A. It was widely felt that there were too many contact questions and you had to give answers to proceed.
Q. Could you change things like voluntary excess to get a requote
A. No you could not requote without going back through the questions.
Q. How long did it take to get a quote?
A. On Average about 10 mins.
Q. How many quotes were returned?
A. On Average – 77 but several brokers offered multiple quotes
Q. Were the quotes competitive?
A. You are offered a range of quotes, some of which were very competitive!
Q. Do the quotes offered have different levels of cover?
They were all comprehensive but had different extras dependent upon the company quoting.
Q. How did you find the navigation? Was it easy to move around?
A. The site was very clear and the navigation straightforward but slightly misleading as to the process of finalising the quote.
Q. What did you like or dislike about this site and Why?
A. The most general complaint from nearly all our respondents was that “it bragged only one question page but failed to mention it was 4 time larger than a usual page, and you are then sent off to another site”.
Another major criticism voiced by many in the survey team, was that it claimed to get quotes from 90 insurers but on average 13 did not return a quote and the other 77 contained many multiple quotes from the same insurer.
Q. Was the website quick or slow?
A. On average – Fairly slow.
Q. Was the site easy to use?
On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being hard to use and 5 being very easy – how would you rate it?
A. 4.3 – The site was very straightforward with good value quotes returned, but functionally it turned out less then it claimed in certain areas.
