Renewing insurances

[Cerise]

One of the most life-sapping activities of all time perhaps?

I have been very lazy over recent years and not shopped around. I really need to as several of our insurances have gone through the roof. So when you have to do it, how do you choose to do it? Phone your existing company and try and get a better deal? Use a comparison website? Try different companies individually?

[sally maclennane]

I usually have a look on a comparison website first then phone my existing company and ask them if they can match the quotes, they often do. I agree with you about life sapping, I hate haggling for money off, just tell me the damm price

[Topcat]

dp

[Topcat]

I always run a quick comparison between:

Go Compare
Quidco
Money Supermarket
Compare the Market
Plus one random other

It doesn't take long these days, first four have my details saved so, half an hour tops? And if my existing provider doesn't come good in that then they can fuck off. I don't waste my time haggling with them, if their first price isn't their best price then they are gone.

However, if you can't be arsed with that then I would pay a little more and use a broker. A good one is worth his or her weight in gold in the case of a claim.

[wendy james]

We have both car and home insurances coming up for renewal. Tesco stopped allowing me to insure P for business use (because he may need to take it for his self employed use) because they cannot compute that means he doesn't use it as a supermarket delivery driver (his main job), so we went back to Admiral. Who have always without fail been the cheapest option for us to insure two cars (when not getting a colleague discount) so I run maybe one comparison that proves it and don't bother beyond that. We get a discount with the home insurance so that generally can't be beaten either, so again I just do one to double check that.

I never call anyone.

[Rebel Pebble]

I usually have a look on a comparison website first then phone my existing company and ask them if they can match the quotes, they often do. I agree with you about life sapping, I hate haggling for money off, just tell me the damm price

This. Mr R does the cars and I do house. His used to be the easier job because Admiral were very good about quote matching and he'd have the same conversation every year, the quote would be dropped and it would all be fine. Since car insurance went a bit mad it's much harder. Admiral's 2-car quote shot up last year and they couldn't bring it down so we ended up with Saga and Bank of Scotland. This year Saga tripled their quote and, via GoCompare, we're back with Admiral again (for less than a year ago) just for the Honda, with the Mazda staying with Bank of Scotland.

I switched our home cover from Sainsbury's Bank when it expired in January due to not wanting to give them a single penny more of my money, after the whole CC refund fiasco, and went with Direct Line.

It's a fucking bore.

[sally maclennane]

It really is, and I always fear that I'll forget to tell them something vital, and end up with insurance that's worthless. Not least because I'm doing all the fucking admin for them

To be fair, John Lewis insurance were very good when I claimed for the damage to my spare room last year. Conversely when my mum and stepdad were mugged on holiday a few years ago, their travel insurance company were horrible, quizing them over every tiny expense.

[Rebel Pebble]

We've got maximum No Claims on everything. So I have no idea what any of the many companies we've been with are actually like in the event of needing them.

[dizzyd]

Admiral refused to pay out when the side of our house suffered storm damage a few months ago and said rendering wasn't covered and Esure refused to reduce my car insurance even though they said they would when my car accident claim was settled - totally not my fault middle car in a collision with full CCTV footage

I just use compare the market for the cinema tickets as on the odd occasion I go with my mum

Can't remember who I switched too I think Hastings for car but can't for the life of me remember the house unless it's Hastings for both

[rosy]

Urgh, it's such a chore; so many policies seem like good value and then you realise the excess is huge or they've excluded something vital.

Fortunately my car insurance is taken care of via Motability, but I look around for contents insurance and travel insurance each year.

[Glint]

I’ll do a compare the market or other site when my renewal comes in as a check.

This year my car insurance went up a ridiculous amount, and Direct Line were unable to get near what I was quoted by Tesco, so they were dumped. I’m sure I’ll need to do the same for building and contents in a month or so

[Kenickie]

I always just used comparison sites, never called existing insurers. It's now a P job (because a few years ago it dawned on me that it was ridiculous that I was doing it all when this is his actual job ) and he does the same.

[Elya]

Always worth telling your current insurer that you’ve had a better offer - or even just that you think it’s too expensive and they’ll probably reduce. Totally annoying and would be great if they stopped but whilst that’s still the game, pays to play it!

[Lily]

I go through at least 3 comparison sites and then ring my current insurer to tell them I'm sodding off. Seven times out of ten they match the price I'm going to switch to.