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IFA (Independent), A & Z Finances Ltd, Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12

Speed of response: Time of call: 16.07. The call was answered after the first ring by a pleasant receptionist. She asked what the shopper was after and then put her on hold for about 30 seconds, when an adviser came on the phone. 3/5

Telephone manner: The adviser was helpful and engaging, asking the shopper lots of questions. 4/5

Relevant qualifications: He said he and the other advisers have full CeMAP, or mortgage advice, qualifications, as well as a licence from Sesame to sell and advise on insurance. 3/5

Payment method: An initial meeting would be free. After that, the adviser would be paid purely in commission for protection products. 3/5

Guidance given: The adviser asked whether the shopper and her husband were homeowners and tried to sell them mortgage protection insurance. He said he would recommend level term assurance, and a level of cover at four times the shopper’s salary. He offered to take the shopper's details and go away to do some research on the best policies available 3/5.

Knowledge: The adviser was very helpful, talking the shopper through different options of critical illness cover and explaining that these would be quite a bit more expensive than simple death cover. He also mentioned the possibility of a policy that pays income on the partner’s death. 3/5

Email/web presence:

Email: Andrew@aandzfinances.co.uk

Website: The adviser explained that the website is still in development. 4/5

Verdict: The adviser was friendly and asked a lot of questions about the shopper’s circumstances. However, the numerous products he mentioned, especially mortgage protection, gave the impression that he was more interested in selling than advising. 23/35

IFA (Independent), Premier Planning plc, St Paul’s Square, Birmingham B3

Speed of response: Time of call: First call at 16.14. A receptionist answered after two rings and said no adviser was available. She asked the shopper to call back in 15 minutes. The shopper called a second time at 16:45pm. The phone was answered after three rings by a seemingly different receptionist. 2/5

Telephone manner: The second receptionist had no knowledge of the shopper's initial call. She said the adviser was on holiday until next Thursday, and asked the shopper to call back then. 3/5

Relevant qualifications: When asked about the adviser qualifications at the firm the receptionist said she would not give out that information over the phone. 0/5

Payment method: The receptionist was unable to say whether there would be a charge for an initial meeting, or to give any details of the firm's charging structure. 0/5

Guidance given: 'Call back next Thursday.' 1/5

Knowledge: None given. 0/5

Email/ web presence:

Email: The receptionist would not give out this information over the phone.

Website: n/a 0/5

Verdict: Two phone calls proved an utterly fruitless waste of time, which yielded no helpful information whatsoever.6/35

IFA (Independent), Hayburn Rock Associates, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8

Speed of response: Time of call: 16.37. The call was answered after the fourth ring by a friendly receptionist. She asked the shopper a few questions and then transferred her to an adviser. 4/5

Telephone manner: The adviser was very open and jumped right into life assurance options for the shopper without seeming pushy. 4/5

Relevant qualifications: The adviser said everyone at the firm was FPC qualified and had at least ten years experience in the industry. He explained that he was G60 and CeMAP qualified, and told the shopper she could speak to one of the firm's chartered IFAs if she wished to get advice from someone with higher qualifications. 3/5

Payment method: An initial meeting would be free, and if the shopper chose to take out a policy the adviser would be paid in commission from the life office. 3/5

Guidance given: The adviser explained the different options available to the shopper, outlining the difference between term assurance and whole of life policies. He said the best thing to do would be to come in and look at all the options on screen, where he would be able to give the shopper more in-depth information, including print-outs and illustrations. 4/5

Knowledge: The adviser was well-versed in the different life assurance products available and talked the shopper through the different costs involved in whole of life versus term assurance. 4/5

Email/ web presence

Email: stevep@hayburnrock.co.uk

Website: www.hayburnrock.co.uk 5/5

Verdict: The adviser was friendly and knowledgable and gave the shopper a good basic rundown of the products available. He did not ask the shopper many questions about her circumstances, which may have provided more useful advice and fewer generalisations. However, he was very willing to meet with the shopper in person to talk through the options in more detail. His approach was engaging without seeming like a sales pitch.

27/35

Provider, Friends Provident (national call centre)

Speed of response: Time of call: 16.01. A machine answered after the first ring, and then put the shopper on hold for about 30 seconds. At this point the call was answered by an employee.

3/5

Telephone manner: The call centre worker was friendly and sympathetic to the shopper's situation. 3/5

Relevant qualifications: Friends Provident no longer has in-house advisers, so there was no one with any qualifications to advise the shopper. 0/5

Payment method: Friends Provident only charges direct fees for its products. 3/5

Guidance given: The employee apologised, but said she would be unable to give any advice at all. She recommended calling another number to get a quote from the marketing department, but said they would also be unable to offer the shopper advice. She told the shopper it was best to go through an IFA, and directed the shopper to the Unbiased.co.uk website. 2/5

Knowledge: The employee's knowledge was limited, and she was unable to discuss any of the factors that the shopper should consider when choosing a policy. 1/5

Email/ web presence:

Email: www.friendsprovident.co.uk

Website: N/A 3/5

Verdict: The shopper left the conversation none the wiser about what to do. The employee seemed afraid to offer any kind of guidance, lest this was misconstrued, and repeatedly recommended going to an IFA.

15/35