It's time to shop around ..

The UK is pretty grim in the winter, so we thought we might head off for a ski trip to Canada for two weeks. However, one member of our party is pregnant. We visited Blackpool this month to provide another unscientific - but light-hearted - snapshot of the local broker community. So which broker will receive our stamp of approval?

Jim Kelly & Co

251 Church Street, Blackpool, FY1 3PB

Time taken to be seen: Immediately

Time taken to complete quote: 20 minutes

Frontage: 3/5

Interior: 2/5

Staff competence: 3/5

Customer satisfaction: 2/5

Overall: 10/20

The first thing that struck me when I walked into this brokerage was not the hub of activity that you might expect, or even the warm welcome. No, the most prominent feature of this brokerage was the smell. A dank, musty smell instantly assaulted my tender nostrils, and settled there.

I was greeted immediately, and the young man at the desk was very friendly. However, he had no seat opposite his desk, and I was left standing as he jotted down my details on a piece of paper.

I told him I was off to Canada for a skiing trip, and he duly noted all my details and asked about my medical history - but then came the coup de grace. He asked me if I wanted to include baggage cover, and when I told him I was not sure and asked him what he thought, he delivered a priceless gem - "I'm not going to advise you". Yes, that is right, an insurance broker told me he would not advise me. He then asked me for my phone number, and told me he would call when he had the quote. Cue goodbyes and thank yous, and I hurried on my way.

Approximately 15 minutes later, I got the call and was quoted £147 for two weeks of cover. I asked which insurer was providing the cover, and was informed that it was Fortis. It was a horrible phone call, as I was walking down a noisy street, which made it very difficult to find out exactly what I was covered for. That is why nice, quiet - if musty - offices are the best place to obtain quotes.

CENTRAL INSURANCE SERVICES

141-145 Central Drive, Blackpool, FY1 5EE

Time taken to be seen: Immediately(ish)

Time taken to complete quote: 4 minutes

Frontage: 2/5

Interior: 2/5

Staff competence: 3/5

Customer satisfaction: 2/5

Overall: 9/20

For the past few years, 1980s nostalgia has been rather 'chic', but the office of Central Insurance Services reminded me of this decade for all the wrong reasons. However, the decor was not the worst part of the visit, it was the broker who dealt with me. As I walked in, he looked up from his desk with a face that screamed, 'I don't care!'.

I tried to hold his bored gaze, but he simply went back to what he was doing. I stood like a lemon for about 30 seconds until he deemed fit to look up again, whereupon I informed him that I quite fancied getting some travel insurance.

He ran through the usual details, and gave me a quote, but I had neglected to tell him it was to include winter sports. "I needed to know that before I got the quote," he grumbled.

To be fair, he was quick and managed to produce a quote for £151 from Holman Travel - although at the bottom of the printout he gave me I could see the commission he was making, inadvertently getting ahead of the commission disclosure issue. He pointed out that there were very few excesses included in this cover, but did not really tell me exactly what I was covered for.

In all honesty, based on the policy he produced, it was not that bad a visit. It was just his completely disinterested attitude to my presence that got on my nerves. I got the impression that I was more of a burden to him than a potential client. But then again, it was late in the day, and if I had to sit in the surroundings that this poor man did, I reckon I would be a little jaded too.

MYSTERY SHOPPER APPROVAL

SWINTON

174-176a Caunce Street, Blackpool, FY1 3DU

Time taken to be seen: Immediately

Time taken to complete quote: 10 minutes

Frontage: 5/5

Interior: 5/5

Staff competence: 2/5

Customer satisfaction: 3/5

Overall: 15/20

I was greeted immediately when I walked into this bright, airy and tidy little brokerage. I was also offered a seat and asked what I was looking for. I went through the details of what I needed cover for, and the broker came up with a quote for £90. When I told her that someone in my party was pregnant, she referred to the policy wording that she had brought out, and said: "Oh, I saw something about that in here somewhere."

This comment did not exactly fill me with confidence about her knowledge of travel insurance, but to her credit, she found the relevant section and told me what that would mean for my policy. It turned out that it would have no effect, but the winter sports inclusion increased the cost to £135 for cover in North America.

She advised me that the cover was provided by Fortis Insurance, and that it was the only policy that Swinton provided unless I went online where I could obtain it from Axa. It did strike me as odd that she was limited to 'searching' for cover from a list of one provider.

It was almost a collaborative effort, as we went through the policy wording and the on-screen search to figure out what I was covered for. Not textbook, I grant you, but she was determined, and insisted on finding the answer even if she did not know. The rooting about eventually bore fruit, as she noticed that if I got the cover on worldwide it was £6 cheaper. No big shakes, but the effort was appreciated.

Her apparent lack of knowledge in the travel insurance realm was a little concerning, but her tenacity, thoroughness and politeness managed to win me over.