So what are car insurance brokers? Simply, they are companies whose occupation it is to give professional independent advice and help the customer obtain the best deal for a certain type of service, in this instance, car insurance. Most are regulated advisors and members of a professional body, for example the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA).
You may wonder why bother using a broker and so what if the broker is a member of some organisation or other. Quite simply, it is often more time and cost effective to use a broker as they have access to the whole market place and are often best placed to find you the right deal. We all know what an arduous chore finding new or having to renew car insurance can be. That is why when seeking car insurance it can be such a relief not having to trawl through the vast number of insurance providers, choosing whom to approach and then telephoning. With a broker, you only have to give your details the once and the broker does the searching for you. You can specify your budget and any special criteria, then the broker does all the hard work for you, it is rather like using a professional shopper.
Regarding membership of an organisation, you would not normally ask advice from a stranger without doing some sort of background check, to verify that they are creditable. Therefore, using a broker who is affiliated with a professional body gives you peace of mind, as they have to fulfil certain criteria in order to obtain membership. For example with BIBA, they must be registered with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), be impartial, not acting for any particular car insurance company and meet strict solvency and financial standards. Thus, they are duty bound to put the needs of the customer first. You can then be assured that their information will be impartial and their recommendation will be sound.
With the broker's access to the market place and wide range of product knowledge, they are often able to locate insurance that meets your individual requirements faster and easier than if you did it yourself. They are excellent at negotiating discounts and often have access to special rates not available to the public. You can rest assured that their findings and recommendations will be unbiased and the best deal for you. This can be of a great consideration in this modern age where time and money are of the essence.
In addition, it is useful to use car insurance brokers because during the life of the policy, the broker is at hand to provide assistance should you need to make a claim or should you encounter problems with the underwriter.
This all sounds wonderful but how much will it cost to use brokers you might ask. Well, in short, it will cost you, the customer, nothing as the insurance company who provides you with the motor insurance policy pay the broker a commission.
David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance an independent specialist broker dedicated to giving consumers the best insurance deal. They offer great value home, life and car insurance.
