Poor service from foreign call centres has fuelled growth in internet car insurance sales, says new research from Swinton...

An increasing number of motorists are using the internet to purchase cover in the face of a growing trend by UK motor insurers to use foreign call centres, says new research from Swinton.

Dissatisfaction with the level of customer service provided by offshore centres has led over 680,000 motorists to switch their cover arrangements from phone to internet.

Swinton's research also reveals that 500,000 car owners buy their insurance online because they are dissatisfied with the customer service provided by UK call centres.

Time spent on calls is also a factor, with 47% of respondents taking over 10 minutes to obtain just one quote by phone.

Despite this, the phone remains motorists' preferred method of buying insurance. Swinton's research reveals that 60% of motorists do so, as opposed to just 23% using the internet. 56% of motorists purchasing car insurance by phone said they preferred to speak to a person, and over a million motorists did not trust the internet as a safe purchasing tool.

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