Archive for February, 2008
Kwik-Fit Insurance join GoCompare in Google Hell
Feb 29th
Kwik-Fit Insurance have picked up a penalty from Google, probably for using the same blog spamming techniques that got GoCompare banned from the search engine.
A search for “kwik fit insurance” currently brings up only the web page of the tyres and parts business, wheras the car insurance site has plummeted 50-odd places. Whilst this probably won’t have had the same devastating impact as on GoCompare, they will certainly be feeling the effects of the missing traffic.
Paying for an advertising link is one thing, but would Kwik Fit be paying for links from sites ostensibly about Crime Scenes or web hosting if any benefit other than a link for the links sake were in their mind. It’s great news for everyone who can’t afford to subvert the structure of the internet in this way, as a sign that Google is making good on its claim to put quality sites to the fore and penalise spammers.
Dave Wilson on Google+Flux boss takes on the phones……
Feb 27th
Did you call us for customer service on Monday? If you did, you may well have found yourself speaking to one of our General Managers – Paul – who gallantly manned the phones for a day!
As you may know from previous blog entries we try to make the job as much fun as possible and we have many competitions in our monthly newsletter to win tons of prizes. At Xmas, we ran a competition to ask all the staff what their ‘Xmas Wish’ was – and the best one would come true! Our lucky winner’s entry was;
‘My Xmas wish is to have Paul sit and do my job all day while I relax in a health spa’
And lo and behold, it came true! So off toddled Michelle to the Imagine Spa at Knights Hill (for all you Lynn folk) and Paul braced himself for a day taking calls.
9am Monday did not go smoothly with some I.T issues but he soon got into the swing and was well away by 10am – helped by his own personal supervisor of course! Paul managed the entire day and took an impressive 39 calls! And so far we’ve only found the one file that needed a spot of ‘fixing’. Watch this space……
As you can see below he was dressed to impress on the day. It should be pointed out that our staff do not read books through the course of the day – the now heavily pregnant Ellie in the background is actually on her lunch! Ellie needed a bit of R&R after having to sit next to the big boss man all day……..
I think perhaps I’ll give him a grade 3 at his pay review this year. Or perhaps I wont be here anymore, after being sacked for that comment………
Milko!
Feb 26th
I was glad we were able to help a young client with a problem. Insurance for young drivers is difficult to find at the best of times, but if you are a nineteen year old young driver, a bloke, live in London, and you need to insure a vehicle that is not only electrically powered, but is also q-plated and a milk float, there are very few insurers willing to offer cover.
Thankfully, because we have such a large panel of insurers, our commercial vehicles insurance department was able to help out a young man in exactly that situation, who had been looking, without any luck, for someone who could cover his 1987 milk float. And whilst the rate was never going to be particularly cheap, it was a good price for the situation, and he’s now got the coolest ride in London.
And if you need milk float insurance, give us a call on 08000 83 88 33.
Award Winning ‘Hot Girl’ video.
Feb 21st
This video, made for a Lancaster District Community Safety Partnership has just scooped an award at the New York film festival.
The film initially looks like it might be a rather naughty romp in a car, but gradually reveals a very serious anti-drink drive message that really merits the 2.5 million views it already has on Youtube. Don’t watch it if you’re easily distressed.
Insurance Claims Question – what do you think?
Feb 20th
Here’s one for those of you sitting insurance exams…
Is this situation covered on the truck insurance, home insurance, breakdown policy or the bridge owners’ public liability?
They’ll probably leave it there, where an estate agent will describe it as
“a charming bungalow in a unique location, river views, good road access”
Makes me glad that people don’t generally try delivering fully assembled houses on trucks in this country.
Trinity Lane Insurance just can’t compete with Blue Movie Star
Feb 20th
No, it’s not Gerry’s usual reason for canceling an important underwriters’ meeting.
Trinity Lane, an underwriting company we deal with quite a lot, are, being stuffy insurance bigwigs, not exactly ‘down with the kids’, and don’t have a proper website yet, though I’m told they are getting one.
Unfortunately (and amusingly) if you do a web search for their name, the all-powerful Google brings back the Internet Movie Database profile of an.. ahem.. adult film star, who has appeared in such silver screen classics as “Love Thrust” and “Gushers 9″.
I managed to find a (clean) picture of the lady in question, who probably doesn’t realise she shares a name with an insurance company – and I have to say she’s not a patch on any of the Flux Babes. And because she doesn’t work here, she’s not eligible to become a Flux Babe, although she can, like you, vote for some Flux Babes here. And like you she could maybe even win a SatNav plus some VIP tickets to the Adrian Flux French Car Show, which might be some compensation for all those bizarre calls she’s probably getting about transferring no claims bonus.
Brand New Fluxbabes
Feb 19th
With a couple of us fluxbabes nearing retirement age it’s time for some fresh blood. The fluxbabes website (http://www.fluxbabes.co.uk/) is currently running a voting competition to pick the next 5 fluxbabes – take a peek and have a vote!
From an ageing fluxette…….
How to park a van
Feb 15th
If you’re a van driver as skillful as this, we’d love to give you van insurance.
Otherwise don’t try this at home:
Gocompare car insurance search ban
Feb 14th
I’m not usually given to gloating at others downfall, but the recent Google penalty for GoCompare, probably for paid blog post spamming and massive scale paid link buying. Hitwise estimates that they have lost around 87% of their traffic from the coveted ‘car insurance’ terms – but currently they are not even appearing in results for their own name (apart from paid adverts).
The real message Google is sending out through this slap on the wrist for Gocompare, and a similar one they handed out to MoneySupermarket last year, is that companies buying their way to the top of the Google listings aren’t going to have such an easy ride anymore.
I wonder how much money Gocompare have spent on this link building? Presumably they haven’t yet spent all of the £30 million that esure bunged the ‘independent comparison site’ for marketing.
Sorry if this post is a bit of a minority interest for regular readers, but bear in mind next time you type car insurance into Google how the results may well be skewed towards companies with the largest online marketing budgets.
Saudi Arabia legalises women drivers – are they sure?
Feb 1st
Apparently Saudi Arabia is about to legalise women drivers – Saudi is the last country on earth where women are not allowed to drive.
I’m wondering whether they might reconsider if they see this?
Seriously, though – men are just as bad as we showed recently.