Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept what the Deputy said about the various methods the companies have of collecting information on consumers, but from my experience so far the most important information they collect relates to whether they can treat them as a soft touch when it comes to renewal of policies and whether the customer contacts the company directly to see about getting a better price. When a person gets a renewal notice and automatically sends back the cheque the insurance company knows that this person never contests the costs of their policy and the person is deemed a soft touch. If a person rings the insurance company and says "I want to check the price" and then rings back a fortnight later, because he or she must be issued with the renewal premium notice one month in advance, they will be able to tell the customer that he or she rang three weeks ago at such a time. The company then knows who is following up the prices and who is not inquiring about the prices. They know who the soft touch is.