Comparison websites are on a keen advertising drive at the moment. It's difficult to watch television for more than fifteen minutes without seeing at least one, if not more, adverts. In the wake of the recession people are looking to save money wherever possible, and this makes comparison websites seem like a particularly good idea.



Comparison websites operate on the old fashioned theory that to get the best deal you have to shop around ? and though the theory is old-fashioned, it still, more or less, rings true. They offer to do the legwork for you and claim to offer a deal at the end of it that is the best out there.

Or is it? Not according to the FSA and definitely not according to certain insurance providers. Home insurance in particular is a problem because it is a composite form of insurance, and because there are many variables and no two sets of possessions are the same, no two home insurance policies are the same, and if they are, then you're probably not getting the best deal. .

Therefore, if you use a comparison website then there is every possibility that you will be getting some sort of template insurance that covers a large range of different things. The best home insurance policy is always the one most closely suited to your specific circumstances, so settling for a template isn't going to offer the best value for money.

Further, some insurance providers have withdrawn their policies from comparison websites so the entire market isn't being scanned, and some offer discounts when you go directly to their website, again making it possible to find cheaper deals through other methods.

Another factor is that comparison websites often make money from commission. This means they get paid for every insurance policy that they sell. Unfortunately, this money is often added onto the price of the policy and so you end up paying more than you should do.

This is not to say that comparison websites don't offer a good service, in fact many offer an excellent service, merely that they don't find you the best deal. You should consider a price comparison website as offering a good benchmark under which you should try and get when you talk to other insurance companies.

Finding the best deal is about finding a company that will tailor a policy most closely to your needs, and for that reason you should take a look at Co-Operative Insurance as a good place to start your search, remember that you can always haggle with the insurance company to try and save money.