I am 19 years old and I have grown up in the technological revolution era. Meaning that since I was probably 5 or possibly younger I have been surrounded by technology maybe not the best but I was most definitely around it. So obviously whenever I need to find something out or when I want to know where something is I turn to the internet, and I mean for everything; I can even remember Googling “How to cook pasta?” when I was 15 and my parents were out for the evening and I needed to make tea for myself.
So I know what you’re thinking what does pasta have to do with insurance brokers? – And that is everything because I have been on this planet for 19 years 11 months and up until about 1.5 years ago I didn’t even know what an insurance broker was! And now I work at one. I use the internet on a daily basis whether it is to check my emails, play Candy Crush but the main thing I use it for is to check my Facebook and I bet the majority of people are the same. Now instead of like when I was 10 and wanted to see my friends I would call them on the phone and go out and play with them now I just sit at home with my PJ’s on and send them a message but it is just so impersonal and I think we are forgetting the all important human interaction.
The reason for this news post is to try and encourage more people not to forget about the Family Friendly Broker was very much around 20 to 30 years ago before all this technology existed. Yes it is easier to go online and type in “cheap car insurance quotes” but what do you really get out of that? A certificate and a schedule, but you don’t get a personal service you are left to your own devices, so if something was to ever go wrong like a claim or you needed to cancel for some reason. You cannot just pop into the local office and discuss what has happened with a familiar face, instead you may be stuck in option menu and on hold to a premium rate number with a voice saying “you may find what you are looking for on our website”.
I know what you’re thinking though but the premium is so much cheaper online though that I can justify paying a little extra on my phone bill. Is it really cheaper though from personal experience a friend of has just moved house and went to change their car insurance to their new address and the premium for the year was around £430 and the additional premium to pay to change was around £620! They thought this was extremely high so they shopped around for a cheaper quote online and to their surprise the company that they are already with were quoting a premium of £320 for the year! It seems like online companies want you as a new customer to boost their figures but as soon as you do a change to your policy they will penalise you.
So yes, the internet is great… but so is a broker. Here is a quick little summary guide to the positives and negatives to the internet and the insurance broker:
| Brokers | Internet | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Positives | Negatives | Positives | Negatives |
| Speak to the same staff member. | Usually higher premiums. | Instant quote. | No office environment. |
| Accurate policy. | Slower response time. | Usually cheaper than brokers. | Long hold times. |
| Onsite claims handling. | Lack of publicity and awareness. | Quicker to use due to instant access. | General assumptions. |
| Premium rate numbers. | |||
I hope that the insurance broker is here in 20 years times because I think they bring so much good to the insurance environment and offer something that the internet doesn’t. So next time you are due for renewal give Connect Insurance Brokers a call where we will be more than happy to help you on 01782 280 280.