Insurance brokers

philstar

Seriously though...is there any advantage to using them other than dealing with a company directly??

q85dw7osi4lebg

Aviva quoted me €2000, a broker got me the same cover with Aviva for €1450.

philstar

well i was quoted 770 from my broker and after phoning around myself i got a quote of 720....so i don't know

Henry Ford III

A good broker can be valuable for sure.

sporina

hi how does one choose a broker for car insurance? I am in Cork - or can I use one anywhere?

pawrick

sporina wrote: »

hi how does one choose a broker for car insurance? I am in Cork - or can I use one anywhere?

You can use any broker in the country

amor3

I used a broker yesterday looking for a quote for my son, not 1 company would insure him out of the 13 they had on their system.

sporina

pawrick wrote: »

You can use any broker in the country

but is there any advantage in meeting them in person? its a lot to cover over the phone?

Skatedude

philstar wrote: »

Seriously though...is there any advantage to using them other than dealing with a company directly??

using them gives you more quotes, one of which might actually be good

9935452

Henry Ford III wrote: »

A good broker can be valuable for sure.

Agree completely but there are muppets out there too .
I was with a broker who was the damn good at what he did .
You always felt you were getting value.
He retired and his replacement is quite frankly useless.
No interest at all . End result is i moved my 4 policys elsewhere.

Op The one thing is will say about them is get them to do the legwork. Find out who their quotes are with and see if you can get a cheaper quote with the same insurance company. if not go with the broker.

sporina

sporina wrote: »

but is there any advantage in meeting them in person? its a lot to cover over the phone?

i went to two brokers yday - best quote one could give me was €900 = my renewal fully comp is €686..
Have to hear back from the other co

bmwguy

Brokers generally buy a lot of insurance from insurance companies so can buy at a discount. Obviously they add their brokerage charge but if it's still less than direct purchase, use them. If not, don't. A lot of them out there so they are getting the business

bidiots

Is there a list of recommended brokers in this thread?

grogi

philstar wrote: »

Seriously though...is there any advantage to using them other than dealing with a company directly??

I find using a broker, in typical meaning, a painful and inconvenient experience...

If in future you need a certificate of no-claims - the company will not deal with you, you need to go through the broker. You need to alter anything - broker... Etc. And the quotes I was getting through various crowds around never were really competitive.

Skatedude

grogi wrote: »

I find using a broker, in typical meaning, a painful and inconvenient experience...

If in future you need a certificate of no-claims - the company will not deal with you, you need to go through the broker. You need to alter anything - broker... Etc. And the quotes I was getting through various crowds around never were really competitive.

really, my broker always sends out the no-claims certs and good quotes without fail every year. never has any issues asking for them to check for additional cover etc.

grogi

Skatedude wrote: »

really, my broker always sends out the no-claims certs and good quotes without fail every year. never has any issues asking for them to check for additional cover etc.

For named driver experience as well?

Skatedude

grogi wrote: »

For named driver experience as well?

Yep, My mother had 4 years as a named driver, they sent out the letter which they also sent to axa which honored it as a discount when she moved to her own policy

Sue Pa Key Pa

I think some posters here misunderstand the role of an insurance broker. When you take out a policy through a broker, they are acting with your authority, to conduct business with an insurer as if they are you.

Therefore, any alterations, requests for documentation etc. must be made through them, as your appointed representatives. They act in your interest securing the best premium they can and interpret the levels of cover, restrictions and shortfalls in any policy using their expertise. The real benefit, in my opinion, in using a broker is when it comes to claims. Most of the issues posters seem to have with insurance companies is related to them being perceived as "screwing them over" if a claim occurs

In my significant experience, this is usually down to 2 things. Either a policyholder hasn't got the full grasp of the reasons insurers make their decisions OR because inexperienced insurance company staff make mistakes and get some things wrong. A good insurance broker can handle both these scenarios and rectify the problem before it festers.

Well and good if you are knowledgeable and confident to deal with those matters yourself but, if you're not, a broker is your best bet.
Obviously, an insurance broker is like a pint of Guinness, a bad one can .......etc.

sporina

sporina wrote: »

i went to two brokers yday - best quote one could give me was €900 = my renewal fully comp is €686..
Have to hear back from the other co

never heard back from the other broker..

i got my insurance with Axa via AA for €500 - fully comp ..

So not only did they give me their best as higher than what i got in the end, but theirs was higher than what my renewal was..

So much for brokers.. and i went to 2..

Sue Pa Key Pa

sporina wrote: »

never heard back from the other broker..

i got my insurance with Axa via AA for €500 - fully comp ..

So not only did they give me their best as higher than what i got in the end, but theirs was higher than what my renewal was..

So much for brokers.. and i went to 2..

The AA are brokers, so you went to 3 and one of them came through for you

sporina

Sue Pa Key Pa wrote: »

The AA are brokers, so you went to 3 and one of them came through for you

oh - everyday is a school day..
but how come the other 2 brokers could not even come close price wise?

Sue Pa Key Pa

sporina wrote: »

oh - everyday is a school day..
but home come the other 2 brokers could not even come close price wise?

Because brokers have different insurance companies and schemes they have access to. That's why brokers compete with each other and why there are so many out there. They gave you their best price, but 2 of them weren't competitive for your profile