Comparison sites should give “clear guidance”

Posted 30 Jan 2009

It is important that consumers using comparison sites are given "very clear guidance", it has been suggested.

This could include online retailers selling travel policies which people on a gap-year or TEFL teachers may want to purchase before jetting off.

Media relations officer at the Association of British Insurers (ABI) Malcolm Tarling explained the websites should clarify exactly what the customer is buying and what the full costs are – not just the premiums.

He said: "There are excesses on all policies and they will vary from company to company."

It is up to the business to provide a "meaningful service" to its customers so they can make an informed decision and ensure they have made the right choice, he concluded.

According to Mintel, two in every five Brits have used a price comparison site to search for, compare or buy finance products.

ABI represents the interests of the UK’s insurance industry and it has around 400 companies in membership – totalling 94 per cent of domestic insurance services sold in this country.

Category: General Travel