The internet has made it possible to do most of your shopping – including the purchase of insurance for your home or car – online, where the major, big name service providers naturally dominate, and in the insurance market the local broker can get forgotten.

Have you ever considered, however, that by shopping for your insurance in this way you risk missing the wood for trees – it is all very well having access to all the big players that the national market may offer, yet this might be to no practical advantage if the product you wanted was much closer to home, under your very nose, all of the time.

This is one of the chief messages of the insurance industry’s pressure group, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) whose website provides a searchable database for finding a local broker near you.

In our own case, here at GSI Insurance, we have made it even more attractive to search for your home or motor insurance locally by getting together a number of offers, meaning you get cost-effective cover backed with a personal service.

And, if you live within a 25 mile radius of our headquarters in Whitstable, we pledge to beat any other like for like motor insurance quotation you may have received – however carefully you may have scoured the web – or make you a gift of a shopping voucher to spend locally.

Why use us?

Like all local brokers, we aim to offer a range of benefits, including:

• listening to you and working with you to identify your specific insurance needs;

• bringing to bear our experience and expertise in order to match your requirements to the particular insurance products across the whole of the market;

• explaining any advice or suggestions we may give you in a clear and honest way;

• making sure that you understand the details of any insurance policy we arrange for you – including an explanation of any exclusions;

• ensuring that you receive all the relevant documents and certificates, together with any further information you might require;

• explaining your right to cancel the policy if you change your mind;

• offering advice guidance and any support you may need in the event of making a claim on your policy; and

• explaining how and where you are able to make a formal complaint in the unlikely event of dissatisfaction with your insurance policy.

For all the fanfare and advertising you may encounter from the major insurance chains – especially when surfing the internet – you might find that the answer lies much closer to home. There are likely to be a number of benefits – not least a uniquely personal service – that major online providers are simply unable to match.

If you place a telephone call to a major online operator, you are likely to be met with the disembodied voice of an anonymous call centre employee; when you give us a call, you may be sure that there is a real person at the end of the line, speaking to you with expert knowledge and who will be able to provide a quote, advice or guidance on your insurance cover.

Why not get in touch with your local broker today?