I’m afraid to say that what you pay is no indication of how good the claims service will be. I wish it were, but pricing models just don’t run that way. You could pay 500 and get great service or pay a 1,000 and get cr*p. I have to be honest and say that 90% of the time it’s down to who gets your file. Claims departments are people and some people are better than others. Going with a personal recomendation is as good a way as any and I’m not knocking any of the suggestions above.
But, if you are in the UK… claims procedures and treating the customer fairly (TCF) rules are so strict for all companies that to be honest I’d just as soon go with the cheapest policy that meets your needs.
Maybe pay a little more than the cheapest to go with a recomendation…. but not much.
As for the suggestion that there are ‘quotas’ for claims payments… that’s the most ridiculious thing I’ve heard in a long time….. there’s no advantage in a company doing that even if they wanted to (it’d be illegal in the UK)… to explain why would just bore everyone but to suggest it shows a complete lack of understanding of the business. Thanks to who posted that though….. I needed a laugh.

You cannot tell. I think insurance companies must have a quota of claims payout; They pay up to so much in claims for 3months or whatever. After that quota has been reached they start being more awkward. Also with a big claim they might be more strict, i.e. appointing loss adjusters.

Royal Sunalliance is pretty good!