First Vent - Car Insurance!!

Graham29

This is my first ever vent and I'm sooo crossed!!

My car insurance is due next Wednesday, I received my renewal and decided I wasn't happy so decided to shop around using the various comparing web-sites! What a falmming performance I've had!

Went on a very well known web-site, carefully put my details in, it gave me the prices, I chose one I was happy with, clicked on the buy now buttn and was transferred to their web-site (so far so good!) The web-site didn't give me the option of buying online, I had to call them. I did this straight away and was on hold for 10 mins before I was answered. I gave the lady the details, she found my details that had been submitted, but the price she gave me was for over 100.00 more than I was just quoted!! I asked why, she said it was more expensive buying over the phone! This made no sense at all as there wasn't an option to purchase online, so how do I get the insurance for the amount given on the comparision web-site??

So feeling slightly annoyed, I tried a different web-site. Did the same, found a good quote, went through to their web-site and filled my details out and put my card details in, (so far so good - again!) After I had completed (or so I thought!) a page popped up saying please call this number to finalise your policy! I called, on hold again and finally spoke to a man. He went through my details to confirm and at the end told me it would be 80.00 more than I was quoted?? Why I asked, nothing has changed and I was just given the cheaper price on the exact same details 10 mins previously!! He said sometimes the web-sites are not accurate!!

At this point I was cross! Are any of these web-sites accurate at all. I have a feeling they are giving cheaper prices, then getting you to call, then upping the price and hoping you will buy. I didn't buy, but I am annoyed!!

Anybody recommend a web-site that can be trusted?

Sorry for the length on the post, but it really made me cross how these companies operate, why not be truthful in the first place?!

:mad:

KierNet

I hate getting insurance, complete nightmare!

I go though confused.com, money supermarket, compare the market and the one Tescos have, then phone the top three companies on each incase they are cheaper.

Might be worth going to Admiral, get a quote from them, then go to Bell.co.uk or Elephant.co.uk, same company but often beat each others prices.

babyshoes

The online quotes are useful for negotiating lower prices over the phone - if when they give you a price you say "That's expensive, I have had a quote of X pounds from Y (competing company), can you match or beat that?" they sometimes will be able to, or at least lower the quote they have just given you as close as they can get. Rinse, repeat!

Lokolo

I think you'll find you don't have to pay over the phone. But instead theres small text at the bototm of the page which says "click to continue to buy online". Obviously quite small....

Sally_A

I had a similar "pop up" when trying to get the cheapest for daughter in 2008. Elephant came out tops but they wanted me to call as the reg no wasn't giving them an accurate vehicle model. I rang, spoke to a lovely bloke called Kevin at Elephant in Cardiff, agreed I would not lose my online discount due to it being a pop up request from their end. Also agreed that any funny business on their part I could be over the bridge and punching their lights out within the hour :cool:.....good humour saved the day, also got the top tip....if you want to speak to real people in Cardiff phone before 1700hrs, after that the switchboard kicks over to India.

Renewal 2010, Elephant's renewal was around the £700 mark, on comparison websites Admiral came out at £500ish;(bearing in mind this is all the same company in the same building) rang Elephant and asked if they'd rather tootle down 2 flights of stairs to the Admiral floor and swap it over, or match it; they matched it with about £15 knocked off. :T:T

My top tip is to not go in aggressively with all guns blazing, it's worked for me in insurance, getting off parking tickets etc.

DCFC79

Im pretty sure ive bought insurance by clicking on a link on confused.com and not had problems,