Sunday, July 11, 2010

TIPS FOR SHOPPING FOR ONLINE AUTO INSURANCEe RATES QUOTE -

When shopping for an Auto Insurance rate quote, it is important to get the lowest priced insurance policy and still get adequate coverage and good service. It does no good to get a great deal on Auto Insurance only to find that when you get in an accident, the policy providers do not provide you with enough coverage to get the work done.
When you choose a company to go with there are two things that matter most:
1. How dependable are they about paying and giving good service.
2. How much are they making you pay for the coverage

Its note difficult to go online and find the lowest premium, but if you don't research the company it may not be readily apparent how reliable they are until it is too late (that is when you actually need them). Find out how they treat policy holders when filing a claim. Do they quickly pay the full amount necessary to respond to claims?

There are never any guarantees but there are several ways to discover the most reliable insurance companies:

1. Look up your state's department of insurance website. Every state has a department that is dedicated to insurance. Most all of them have a website. On these sites they show you statistics like how many complaints they have per 1000 claims. Experts agree that when shopping for insurance it is always a good idea to look at these complaint ratios before purchasing a policy.

If unable to get a complaint ratio for your state you can check other states that an insurance company does business in and see the complaint ratio listed in that state. This is not the only criteria to use when shopping for insurance but it can be very revealing in some cases.

You should also realize that "high-risk" insurers tend to have the highest complaint ratio among companies according to Brian Sullivan, the editor of a weekly insurance industry publication know as "Auto Insurance Report".

Bigger claims tend to be more complicated and the "high-risk" companies cover a larger percentage of drivers who get into big accidents. When doing this online research be sure to make a note of the companies with the lower complaint ratios.

2. Call a few body shops and ask which insurance companies they recommend. Body shop managers deal with insurance companies on a daily basis. Ask them which companies they prefer to work with. Ask them which companies are consistently trying to cut corners on repairs by insisting on used parts or after market parts when fixing a car.

Body shop personnel prefer to work with OEM (original equipment parts) because it makes it easier for them to make sure things fit properly and the job gets done right.

Shop for car insurance rate quotes online and save money.

Most of the major insurance companies like, Geico, Progressive, Nationwide and others will now allow you to purchase direct through their website instead of having to go through an insurance agent.

By purchasing direct you can very often save money by cutting out the middle man who makes a commission. If you do buy through a local agent however be aware that many will negotiate...but only if you ask.

finally: Find the cheapest car insurance companies online from a single website that gathers quotes from multiple insurance carriers and save time. Go online now and see how easy and convenient it can be.