That’s kind of a tawdry title for this post, but it’s really what we’re asking. Do you think your current car insurance company sucks? Or are you satisfied with how they’ve treated you as a customer?

If you have ever searched for insurance company reviews online, you know opinions cover the entire spectrum from raving satisfaction to intense loathing. Consumers are more inclined to go online to write negative reviews as a way of getting “revenge” or “pay back” for a denied claim or other situation. They aren’t so quick, however, to post positive feedback when something goes their way. This is why it’s important to keep that in mind when reading opinions online. Read the rest of this entry

If you’re thinking about insuring your vehicles with Allstate car insurance, there are a number of discounts that you need to be aware of before buying. Even if you currently have an Allstate car insurance policy, you may be missing out on discounts that can save you quite a bit of money on your auto insurance bill.

So whether you are comparing rates with your current carrier, or even if you’re currently insured with Allstate, follow these tips to make sure you’re maximizing the discounts available from Allstate. Read the rest of this entry

Finding cheap car insurance can sometimes be time consuming and even frustrating. As consumers, we’re constantly bombarded by car insurance advertisements and it can be difficult to make an informed decision.

Two of the larger car insurance companies in the U.S. are GEICO and State Farm. GEICO is well known for it’s catchy, somewhat quirky ads, and State Farm is well known for being a large multi-line insurance company.  GEICO and State Farm sell car insurance in two slightly different ways. GEICO sells car insurance direct to consumers via it’s website or over the phone. State Farm on the other hand, relies on it’s network of captive agents to serve the needs of communities. Read the rest of this entry

When it comes to buying car insurance online, there are two main players: GEICO and Progressive. You’ve seen the cute gecko commercials and Progressive’s insurance super market commercials. Which online car insurance company should you insure your vehicles with?  That depends.

Both GEICO and Progressive are solid financially, with GEICO having the backing of Berkshire Hathaway and the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet. Both companies provide easy online quote forms, and a plethora of insurance options that can be customized to your needs.

Both companies also have extensive experience servicing policyholders no matter where you live. Progressive does sell through the independent agent channel, so if you prefer to have an agent to call when the need arises, then Progressive may win your business for that reason. Read the rest of this entry

GEICO and Allstate are two of the more recognized car insurance companies in America. Each year they spend millions of dollars are spent on print, television and internet advertising in an attempt to lure you into one of their car insurance policies.

Have you fallen for their advertising tactics? Are you a current customer of GEICO or Allstate? If so, why did you move your auto insurance business to one company over the other? Was it the cute little gecko, the allure of Allstate’s stand, or did you tune out all the advertising gimmicks and base your decision on an apples-to-apples car insurance comparison quote? Read the rest of this entry

Progressive Insurance has some changes coming to their car insurance policies that may lower your car insurance bill. Drivers will now be rated by averaging the driver risk across all the vehicles on your policy rather than on a specific vehicle. The changes include:

• Household Averaging Driver Assignment – This change means drivers are averaged across your vehicles instead of rating a specific driver on a specific vehicle. Occassional driver status will be taken into consideration when factoring these rates.
• Occasional Operators – Drivers age 25 or less who drive your vehicles less than 50 percent of the time will get a lower rate as long as they are not rated as a principal operator on any vehicle on your car insurance policy.
• Minor Child Discount – Drivers on your policy for at least 12 months who are 19 years or younger and children of the named insured will receive this discount.
• Distant Student Discount – Students who live at a school more than 100 miles from home and do not have regular access to your insured vehicles will get this discount.

Read the rest of this entry

If you haven’t noticed GEICO’s new advertising campaign, you haven’t missed much. I don’t know how much they paid their advertising agency to slap a pair of google eyes on a stack of cash and build a commercial around it, but it was too much. The new GEICO car insurance commercials are almost as annoying as Travelocity’s gnome commercials.

The commercials do have a catchy sound track in the remake of “Somebody’s Watching Me” and GEICO offers a free download of the song on their website. Will a stack of dead presidents help GEICO sell more car insurance? Only time will tell. I won’t say I miss the gecko, but I will say GEICO should dump their expensive advertising agency and hire the two brothers who made the Doritos Super Bowl commercial. Now that was good entertainment.

Insurance is a personal matter and finding the right insurance agent is an important decision. Licensed insurance agents are trained to help you analyze your insurance needs and make coverage recommendations based on your personal or financial situation.

With so many TV commercials, newspaper and radio ads and unsolicited mailings to your home, how do you decide which insurance agent will best serve your needs? Here are a few ways to make sure the agent you choose fits the bill.

Captive Agent or Independent Agent?

Captive agents represent one insurance company and can only provide you price quotes and financial services from their one contracted company. They cannot “shop around” your insurance coverages with other companies. Examples of captive agents are State Farm agents, Farm Bureau agents and most Allstate agents.

Independent agents are appointed with multiple insurance companies and can quote your coverage with many different companies. They are not obligated to place your coverage with any particular company, and the choice is up to you. Read the rest of this entry

Progressive Insurance Company has a new car insurance program called MyRate which allows drivers to opt-in to save money on their Progressive auto insurance bill.

When you sign up with MyRate, you receive a wireless transmitter which plugs into the diagnostic port of your car. The little device constantly transmits your driving habits and mileage to Progressive, and if you are in fact deemed a safe driver, then you may see savings of up to 60% off your car insurance. Read the rest of this entry

When buying car insurance from an agent, there are different types of agents you can choose from. Agents who write with companies like State Farm and Farm Bureau Insurance are captive agents, which means they only write for one company. They do not have access to car insurance rates of any other companies, so they cannot comparison shop your coverage for you.

Independent agents, on the other hand, write for many different insurance companies. They may have contracts with companies such as Travelers, Nationwide, Allstate and many other smaller regional companies. When shopping for car insurance, independent agents can quote your coverage with several companies and get you the lowest rate possible with their companies. The do not have access to the captive company rates, so in order to get the most comprehensive rate comparison, it’s a good idea to get quotes from both captive and independent agents. Read the rest of this entry