Car insurance quotes through mse

shaunbell

How is it possible once receiving a quote through MSE (3rd party) then heading to quotation site re applying exactly the same details and then having a 31% increase on previous quote.... ? Is this a massive time consuming scam and false marketing?

DullGreyGuy

shaunbell said:

How is it possible once receiving a quote through MSE (3rd party) then heading to quotation site re applying exactly the same details and then having a 31% increase on previous quote.... ? Is this a massive time consuming scam and false marketing?

MoneySupermarket, either under its own name or rebadged as MSE, along with Confused.com etc are known as aggregators (or price comparison sites in more common parlance). For a host of reasons they are considered an separate distribution channel than going directly to their website in the same way as buying over the phone is or going to a broker who happens to recommend an insurer that does both direct and intermediated sales. 


Companies frequently have different prices by channel, some have different products by channel, some tweak things like if optional extras are included or excluded or change the excess etc.  Some companies have a budget version of their policy on an aggregator and a full fat version on their website. The types of customers that use different channels are also different, aggregator customers value price above all else, phone customers are often more interested in service... things can be tailored to suit these the customers preferences and objectives. 

From a business perspective costs are different, customer behaviour is different and for insurance, claims experience can be different. 

It's not unique to insurance, our local fast food joint charges three different prices for eating in, take away and delivery with delivery's difference being more than just the fee they add for delivery. They're on Uber Eats which has a 4th price. Tesco's also if its a superstore, metro, delivery service etc.