Gocompare.com hits back against Which? readers survey

Gocompare.com chief executive Hayley Parsons has slammed a report that says consumers lack trust in financial comparison sites.

The report, carried out by Which? Money, said comparison sites are not providing a good enough service to consumers. It found that only three in ten users surveyed said they trusted the sites to find the best price available, while two thirds thought they would be offered products that give the sites more commission.

Parsons said that Gocompare regularly tests users in order to improve the service. “We take on board the views expressed by Which? But, as usual with their reports, a slight pinch of salt is required. The research was carried out amongst Which? readers only, and this does raise the question of just how representative the findings can be.

“For the last few years, Which? Money has been encouraging its readers to use the its own ‘best buy’ lists rather than independent financial comparison sites, so it would be naive to think that their readers would be big fans.”

Which? also said that a quarter of people did not buy through a comparison site because they found a cheaper quote elsewhere.

Which? Money editor James Daley said that all the sites in the survey got low scores. “We found that using financial comparison sites is clearly not a happy experience for many.”