Car Insurance Woes

It's that time of year again, we received the insurance renewal letter from Budget (who's tag-line is apparently "We'll renew it automatically, so your always covered"). I normally run a comparison site check to see whether the renewal offer is value for money, and the fact they were going to renew it for me made me a little suspicious.
Sure enough, a quick run through Tesco Compare showed a quote of £153 - nearly forty spuds cheaper than Budget's £191.78.
OK, I know insurance companies do their level best to keep our money, but Budget say on their renewal letter "the best price from our panel of insurers".
Funny then, that the next cheapest at £157 was none other than - yeah, that's right - Budget!

Not happy with this - just because it's common practice amongst insurers doesn't mean it's right - I phoned up Budget to tell them I would not be renewing
"Is it because of price?" says the [initially] friendly Australian chap at the other end.
"Mostly," says I.
"In that case we can do it for £169," says my new Aussie friend.
"I'm sorry," says I, drawing my new buddy ever deeper into the trap, "I've already had a quote for £157!" Which of course, was their own quote from Tesco Compare.
"Can I try to price-match that quote for you?" Obviously now we are best pals, and pals stick together.
"I should hope so," says I, revealing my trump card with a magician's flourish, "It was your quote!" Game, set and price-match, vaults over net to graciously shake said Antipodean gentleman's hand.
This is where things started to get a little ugly: I said the reason why I was not renewing was because I don't like to be conned, and why didn't they offer me the best quote like their letter said, and he tried to tell me the reason was something to do with using the same insurer as before. Or something, I was too busy crowing over my delightfully witty, verbal "legerdemain" to hear the full explanation. Anyway, despite the fact that he'd asked me every possible question to ascertain that I did indeed have the permission of the insured - my partner (you know, name, DOB, postcode, mother's maiden name, whether the moon landings were genuine or faked etc.) - he then got all shirty and declared that only the insured could cancel their insurance, I pointed out the fact that we were not cancelling, but merely not renewing, and that the money would have been coming from my bank account, but my now slightly less friendly friend was having none of it.

Enter Tracey, the partner; not by nature an aggressive person, but she has been known to savage the odd Jehovah's witness at the door.
On phoning, she discovered that relations between us and Budget were now decidedly frosty.
"In that case we must ask you some embarrassing and unnecessary questions to imply that you are acting fraudulently," paraphrased the irate lady after Tracey restated our intentions, no doubt a little testy due to Trace's reiteration that sharp practice would not be tolerated in our household.
"I have nothing to declare except my wish for you to expedite delivery of our 'proof of no claims bonus', avail me of your supervisor forthwith, young lady".
That last call was obviously peppered with dramatic licence, but you get the drift!

So now we're with Sheila's Wheels; I am assured I am not legally contracted to walk round in a pink, sequined ballgown and high heels, or put my hair up in a beehive, I just like doing it!