Insurance giant Norwich Union has taken the decision to pull its motor insurance policies from car insurance comparison sites. This means you can only get a Norwich Union car insurance quote directly from norwichunion.com
In a move that mirrors the stance taken by Direct Line if you search for car insurance on one of the UK's many price comparison sites you won't be able to see quotes from Norwich Union and compare them against other insurance companies.
Director of Marketing at Norwich Union, David Tyers, said: "We think direct should mean direct. As a brand with 200 years behind it, we think that customers trust us."
Given the continued success of price comparison sites this is a bold move. Not being visible to people who use these services is not without risk. On the upside Norwich Union will avoid having to pay fees for customer referrals. In a time when the global credit crunch is biting any saving a company can make will be welcomed. Whether or not this turns out to be a good decision, only time will tell.
The move has, unsurprisingly, received criticism from some price comparison sites including confused.com, gocompare.com and insurancewide.com.
All this arguing aside the only point that really matters is how this affects car insurance customers. We all want a policy that offers a sensible level of cover but we don't want to pay over the odds.
If more insurance companies join Norwich Union and Direct Line in boycotting price comparison sites it means more time spent shopping around to find quotes, making it more difficult for customers to find the best deals.
If more insurance companies join Norwich Union and Direct Line in boycotting price comparison sites it means more time spent shopping around to find quotes, making it more difficult for customers to find the best deals.
