After all the coverage the AA has received over the last few weeks I was interested to read in your paper (15 July, Insurance Times) what the company's plan was for the coming months.
As someone who has worked in the broking industry for many years and who also insures their car through the AA I believe it is long overdue that we hear something from the company.
In the current market my company has been picking up bits and pieces of business from all the major players - and very grateful we are too!
A mildly softening market means that for the first time in a while we can compete on price with some of the big players. What surprises me is that the AA cannot do the same through its panel, as far as I am aware they use most of the big players in the market, many of them the same names as my company works through.
What the market needs is a strong force in the broker market to take on the direct players and be a voice for the industry. The AA has the name and the muscle to do that for us as well as representing the consumer.
If rates do continue to soften over the next few months, as we are all coming to expect, there could be testing times ahead.
We see this as a big opportunity for growth. It would be nice to know the AA sees it in the same light.
Dan Beives
Stoke-on-Trent
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