Tuesday, August 29, 2006

The Right Online Auto Insurance Company

How Do I Choose The Right Auto Insurance Company? by Peter Crump
Finding the right auto insurance company for you is an important job, and as such, you need to invest some time and energy in locating the company that will offer you the best deal. While finances are obviously an important aspect in your ultimate choice of auto insurance company, there are other factors at play also, such as reliability and quality of service. You will turn to your automobile insurance company in a time of crisis, and so you need to be sure that you have chosen a company that will pull through for you when you need them most.
So who exactly are the best judges of the quality of any given automobile insurance company? You've got that right - ordinary folk just like you. While insurance industry ratings are undoubtedly an important way of gleaning information about any auto insurance carrier, and can provide you with all kinds of technical insights, for real, hands-on evaluations of how helpful a company can be when you really need their assistance, then you need to find out what other customers of the company think.
Most companies, whether they provide auto insurance or any other product or service, are only too keen to share with potential customers the great things that people have said about them - a quick glance at any auto insurance company's website will reveal testimonials that support this. These companies are not, however, quite so eager to share their shortcomings with those considering taking them up on one of their insurance packages, so how exactly can you find a more balanced picture of an auto insurance company before you sign on the dotted line?
Take a trip to your state's department of insurance website. These sites offer useful insights into automobile insurance companies by providing details of consumer complaint ratios. These ratios indicate exactly how many complaints an auto insurance company has received for every 1,000 claims filed. This information provides you with a good insight into the quality of the service offered by any insurance company, by illustrating just how many people just like you were disappointed enough by the service they received to make a formal complaint about it.
You might not be able to speak in person to everybody who has chosen a particular auto insurance company before you, but by availing of the consumer complaint ratio service offered by your state's department of insurance website you can find a more balanced view of a prospective insurance company than you are likely to find at their own website. Who better to advise you on car insurance than other car insurance consumers? Because consumers are the real experts on what makes an auto insurance company great, and what makes them one to avoid.

California's biggest auto insurer, State Farm, put into motion a plan to bring down the price of it auto insurance coverage by a average of 8 percent, and move away from it standard of determining rates by geographic location.
This new plan is coming about, probably due in part to the stream of insurers who are brining their auto insurance quotes and rates into sync with regulations that were introduced by California insurance commissioner John Garamendi.
Garamendi's statues require insurers to base their premiums on a driver's record, experience and miles driven, rather than by the zip code of the insured or the location the car is registered.
The deadline for insurers to file their new rating structure has passed, mere days after a final appeal to block the new standards from taking effect were unsuccessful.
There was such a last-minute rush from insurance companies with newly revised rates, the California Insurance Department in Sacramento could not give a definite list as to which companies actually kept the deadline.
State officials would not disclose which companies filed to raise or lower their rates. State Farm has issued a news release describing the new rates they have proposed.
Bill Sirola, a spokesman for State Farm, has stated that the new rates are not tied to Garamendi's new requirements. Sirola stated that the rate cuts are going into effect because the company is actually paying less in claims.
"Whether it's because of the aging population, better law enforcement, safer cars or some other reason, our projections of what we were going to have to pay in losses are just not coming true," Sirola said. The rate cut is State Farm's third in two years.
Experts site many factors for this, including growing competition from other sources for insurance, including the Internet. People can receive a auto insurance quote much online quicker, and at lower prices, due to reduced corporate overhead.
Online auto insurance quotes are a growing infatuation with consumers who want better service at lower prices. Many people are switching from traditional quotes from brick and mortar establishments. And with lower insurance prices, this signals a win-win situation for the consumer.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Online Car Insurance

Online Car Insurance - What You Need To Know by Peter Crump
What do you need to know if you are thinking about buying online car insurance? Since it first crept its way into our daily lives, the internet has offered us a new and, some would say, better way to find almost anything we need, and car insurance quotes are no exception. Attracted by this cheap and easy way to do business, companies encourage potential customers to transact with them this way, as it saves them both time and money by helping keep office and shop floor costs low. Now you can take advantage of companies' fondness for the internet way of doing things by dialling up to some great online car insurance deals.
We all know that any business, whether that be a car insurance provider, a supermarket or a local pet groomer's place, loves nothing more than to make money, and second to that comes making saving wherever they can. But any company is only as strong as the customers they can attract, so when they make savings, they like to pass them on to you, to encourage you to turn to them in future for your insurance, grocery or pet grooming needs. The great savings offered to companies by using the internet therefore mean that providers of such online products and services as car insurance can offer better deals through this medium than they can in-store, so if you are looking for a really competitive quote, then online auto insurance could be the way for you to go.
To see this in action for yourself, try this simple experiment. When collecting quotes for insuring your type of car, coupled with your own driving history, get your telephone out and make a few calls. When you have finished making phone enquiries about car insurance, visit the very same companies online just to see hoe much cheaper you can get the very same deal. Surprised? Just be glad you checked before you committed to your phone call quote!
Remember though that even the great deals offered in online car insurance can't help you find a great deal if you have a sloppy driving history, so ensure that you get the best possible insurance deal by always driving with care. By driving responsibly, not only will you stay safe, but you'll save a great deal of money too - money that you can go and spend on things much more fun than car insurance!

Find the Best and Cheapest Insurance

How to Find the Best and Cheapest Homeowners Insurance by Marvin Toller
What is homeowners insurance actually? According to Wikipedia it "is an insurance policy that combines insurance on the home, its contents, and, often, the other personal possessions of the homeowner, as well as liability insurance for accidents that may happen at the home. The cost of homeowners insurance scales upward depending on what it would cost to replace the house, and which additional "riders", meaning additional items to be insured, are attached to the policy. The insurance policy itself is a lengthy contract, and names what will and what will not be paid in the case of various events. Typically, claims are not paid due to earthquakes, floods, "Acts of God", or war (whose definition typically includes a nuclear explosion from any source). Special insurance can be purchased for these possibilities." (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2001-2006) Fire, tornadoes, wind damage and hail are just a few of the things that can cause thousands of dollars in damage to your home. Maintaining homeowners insurance is the best way to protect yourself from potentially costly damages and loss to your home. In this article we'll look at some tips on finding the best, cheapest policy such coverage.
You can find the tools to a get a homeowners insurance quote online through many different insurance companies. Many of these quotes will base their rating factors off of where you live, crime statistics, value of your home, age of your home and previous claim history on property you currently own or have owned within the last 5 years. Unlike other types of insurance, rates for homeowners insurance tend to be pretty close to one another since many insurers base their ratings on the same factors.
You can save money on this type of policy by choosing to purchase your policy with an insurer who you already do business with as most companies offer multi-policy discounts. In addition, upgrading some of the protection features of your home - like adding a security system - can reduce your rates by as much as 30% in some areas. Your agent can give you details on different types of discounts available for your particular situation.
As with any type of insurance, be sure to choose a reputable company that maintains a strong rating and financial standing. No matter how cheap a policy may be it is worthless if the company folds and cannot pay claims when a major disaster strikes.