Which? report questions role of aggregators

Consumer finance magazine, Which?, has checked the three largest price comparison websites for home contents, car and travel insurance policies, as well as loans and credit cards, to find out how their prices compared and how useful they were for finding a suitable deal.

Which? found that in some cases it was possible to get a cheaper quote directly from the insurer. A Bradford & Bingley home contents policy that cost £68 on the insurer’s own website cost £72 on Moneysupermarket, £83 on Confused and as much as £100 on Gocompare, claimed Which?

The report also found that in most cases, the cheapest quote was different on each website. When searching for a home contents policy, for example, the cheapest quote varied from £51 on GoCompare to £71 on Confused.

But aggregator, Confused, has hit back at the report's findings.

Carlton Hood, chief executive of Confused, said: “We are surprised by the findings of the Which? report, as Confused prides itself on the accuracy of our prices and the transparency of our service. I would question the comprehensiveness of the Which? findings, given the obvious small number of test quotes that Which? has carried out and drawn its conclusions from. In addition, Which? seems to have overlooked the benefits which price comparison sites have brought to a traditionally complex market, and the many millions of pounds that customers have saved by using Confused over the past six years."

Hood added:“The price comparison industry is complex and dynamic and, as such, we constantly audit our service to ensure that we consistently offer customers the most competitive deals available. Our last internal check found that, in 96% of cases, customers are offered the same price via Confused as they are when they go direct. In the very small number of cases where a discrepancy occurs, we bring this to the attention of the insurer and rectify the situation."