In a previous post on a claim via Bennets, Wapping's comment is spot on, folk need to understand the difference between /brokers and underwriters, but I felt the issue deserves it's own post.
In the good old days when you could buy a policy direct from the insurance company, you could actually talk to the underwriters and build the policy together getting the correct information from the horses mouth so to speak. These days the broker acting as an intermediary acts in their own interest, scaling charges to suit them and giving information or opinion which you later find out is false, for which they make no apology even if this left you at risk or without the cover you thought you had purchased.
In my experience, brokers are the problem as they buy "risk profiles" from insurance companies and tweak these for the customer often poorly and at escalated premiums. If you ask them about the specific charges for renewals, set up fees, mid-term changes or cancellations, you will find the insurance company/underwriters take relatively little, the broker adding much more for their cut.
Never ever trust what they tell you without checking it out and always check your documents after each contact with them to ensure no changes such as excesses have been made. During any contacts, make a note of the date, time and name of the person you speak to as they record phone calls and you may need to refer back to this when advisors 1-9 tell you a different story from advisor number 10.
A few days after taking out a policy, check the motor insurance industry data base to ensure your vehicle is recorded as insured, you may be surprised how often this is missed and they will tell you that this service is partly what their "professional" fees cover.
https://www.mib.org.uk/managing-insu...-database-mid/
In the good old days when you could buy a policy direct from the insurance company, you could actually talk to the underwriters and build the policy together getting the correct information from the horses mouth so to speak. These days the broker acting as an intermediary acts in their own interest, scaling charges to suit them and giving information or opinion which you later find out is false, for which they make no apology even if this left you at risk or without the cover you thought you had purchased.
In my experience, brokers are the problem as they buy "risk profiles" from insurance companies and tweak these for the customer often poorly and at escalated premiums. If you ask them about the specific charges for renewals, set up fees, mid-term changes or cancellations, you will find the insurance company/underwriters take relatively little, the broker adding much more for their cut.
Never ever trust what they tell you without checking it out and always check your documents after each contact with them to ensure no changes such as excesses have been made. During any contacts, make a note of the date, time and name of the person you speak to as they record phone calls and you may need to refer back to this when advisors 1-9 tell you a different story from advisor number 10.
A few days after taking out a policy, check the motor insurance industry data base to ensure your vehicle is recorded as insured, you may be surprised how often this is missed and they will tell you that this service is partly what their "professional" fees cover.
https://www.mib.org.uk/managing-insu...-database-mid/
