Car insurance comparison websites accused of misconduct

(ANSA) - Rome, November 24 - Too much publicity on website comparing different mandatory car insurance policies can confuse consumers, along with incorrect comparisons of different products, Italian authority Ivass said on Monday.
    Ivass - the authority overseeing insurance companies - warned in particular against the lack of ''transparency and fairness'' on a number of websites comparing different car insurance policies and acting as intermediaries between consumers and insurance companies, asking for changes by January 31 next year.
    Among issues highlighted by the authority was the fact that some of the sites publicize insurance firms in exchange for payment.
    The survey was carried out due to the growing popularity of online services comparing and selling car insurance policies - with a reported 12.9 million estimates made in 2013 by six websites operating in Italy.
    In particular, Ivass noted that ''websites only or mainly compare products from a limited number of companies with which they have signed a contract and through which they make a percentage for every contract signed''.
    It said the number of companies publicized is generally higher than the firms whose products are effectively compared by the online services and comparisons are based only on price, without taking into account the different characteristics of products.
    As a consequence, different policies are often compared and consumers aren't necessarily offered policies that suit their needs, the authority said.
    Moreover websites use promotional messages, misleading consumers to think they can save significant amounts of money - ''up to 500 euros'' - and buy ''the best product'' or use ''the best firm'', without outlining correct evaluation criteria for policies and firms nor explaining how promised savings were calculated.