Comments on: Save money by comparing auto insurance rates

By: Caroline

Caroline — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:46:49 +0000

Great tip. After a surprising increase to my annual car insurance premium with Geico, who had previously been the low cost (but good quality) insurance provider in the very expensive LA market, I shopped around and found an even better deal through Progressive. As a result, I’ll save nearly $700/year! While waiting on hold may seem like a waste of time, this time around, it was definitely worth it.

By: Bart

Bart — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:53:52 +0000

I live in Florida, and auto insurance down here is about as rediculous as homeowners insurance. Florida has got to be the most overcharged / scammed state for insurance. It’s a feeding frenzy of small and large insurance companies sticking it to the consumers due to the weak legislative laws governing them. You are better off riding a horse, bicycle, or camel….anything to keep these bottom feeding parasites away from our beautiful state which deserves much better.

By: AEC, Ph.D.

AEC, Ph.D. — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:26:13 +0000

I had a terrible experience with GEICO recently with an accident that was not my fault, but the other party’s insurance was too small to cover the damage. GEICO required me to phone three different people who each had a different hand in figuring out my claim. None of these people talked to each other, so I had to waste my time being a liason between their claims department, the insurance adjuster and the reimbursement people. All of these parties were in different cites and on different schedules.

They lost my paperwork 3 times in transit and the rental insurace coverage I paid for only included a rental for a limited time period. I was continuing to pay car payments on my wrecked car for 2 months before GEICO reimbursed me for the total loss. They also neglected to transfer the title out of my name (even though I had sent them the transfer documents 3 times), so the DMV was sending me letters 5 months after the accident, telling me I was violating the law by having a registered vehicle that was uninsured.

I much preferred working with the other party’s insurance company (Progressive). I kept in contact with one person who was always very nice and in the end, I was so sick of contacting GEICO and getting the run-around that I had him interact with GEICO on my behalf. A diamond in the rough, indeed.

I’m definitely shopping around on the insurance providers for my next car purchase!

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:02:47 +0000

Speaking of Car Insurance. The fact of saving money is useless when it comes to service.
First off, E commerce and talking to someone on the phone about insurance sucks. I almost fell for it. I have been with Allstate for almost 20 years. I just bought a new car and yes my insurance went up. However, god forbid I have a problem. I can contact my agent and speak to him or her without speaking to robots online or on the phone. 15 minutes or less could get you into deep shit. I almost fell for it. You never know I may change my mind, but It would take availability with a specific person or extension online or phone to make this car insurance worthy….You have to have excellent customer service, not be put on hold for 20 minutes with a police officer in your face….Forget the frog boys its off to Illinois, Allstate for now.

By: Heavy-Dee

Heavy-Dee — Wed, 23 May 2007 14:22:25 +0000

Check out Insurance.com. They are sell a variety of different brands of Auto Insurance and only ask you all those questions once. It’s pretty cool. Makes shopping really easy.

By: wxbriefer

wxbriefer — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:51:14 +0000

I agree with seventh seal. The quality of USAA’s claims service has diminished. They low ball total loss claims and laugh while they do it. After 21 years, and no claims I have been treated like dirt. They are still the cheapest, but that means little if you need to file a claim.

By: charlesgehman

charlesgehman — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:14:09 +0000

I agree with Deepak and article in general, Geico is not the only company that will save you on your car insurance. I, too, started with them and now am saving money versus their last offer with another company that is generally considered more expensive than they are– AND I have better coverage.

By: seventh seal

seventh seal — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 01:59:28 +0000

I would suggest carefully evaluating claims settlement practices of any insurance you are considering. USAA (I’ve used for nearly 16 years) has changed dramatically recently with regard to chiseling away at quality of service by limiting payment to low quality shops and required use of aftermarket parts. Also make sure that ‘approved’ repair shops are located within a reasonable distance of your home. The anguish of low quality lingers long after the elation of having found the lowest price has passed.

By: WearyTraveler

WearyTraveler — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:36:25 +0000

I’ve had GEICO auto (and motorcycle) insurance for over 18 years. It’s very affordable and yes, you have to use the phone – no office visits.

They’ve always treated me fairly and I’ve had a couple of claims over the years.

Most recently, I tail ended someone who pulled in front of me and stopped. To me, they were clearly at fault. But I was at fault because I hit them. Regardless, I tore their car up.

I called GEICO from the road and after the initial “who are you – who are they” stuff, I was good to go and haven’t heard any repercussions about the accident.

I like GEICO – have had it for years and hope to say with it for a while.

Just my 2 cents…

By: Deepak Sharma

Deepak Sharma — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 05:07:42 +0000

A good “reminder” article, though, not much new information. I have had auto insurance from a few companies over the course of my absolutely clean (no accidents/tickets) three and half years of driving history (I have been in the US for a little over six years…the first three as a graduate student.) I started with Geico, since they offered the “best” rate when I had no driving history at all. Six months later, when it was time for renewal, I moved to State Farm (both auto and renters), saving over 30% on the Geico rate. An year later, I was in the market again, eventually buying insurance (both auto and renters) from Ameriprise (as a Costco member). This saved me 25% on what I was paying with State Farm. Six months into the policy, I added a second car (2006 Honda Civic) to the policy. First car on the policy was a new Volvo S60. Surprisingly, I paid more for Honda Civic, than the Volvo. When this policy came-up for renewal an year later, I checked the rates again, and found 21st Century. I am in PA and 21st Century started doing business in PA about 6 months ago. This coincided with my search, and they saved me another 25% on the overall insurance rate for the 2 cars. I still have Ameriprise for renters, since 21st Century did not offer a better rate for that. Overall, I have had a sterling experience with 21st Century. Their A.M.Best rating is A+. They processed the paperwork efficiently, as have all the previous companies I have bought insurance from. Access to your policy via their website is just plain awesome. I made a slight modification to my policy online, and they followed-up instantly with a phone call and a letter, to ensure it was not a fraudulent activity. I will still shop around next year, but so far, 21st Century has been a good experience. I would love to try Travelers. They do not consider you unless you have at least three years of driving history. Moreover, my employer has an agreement with Travelers…so, better rates. I had renters insurance with Travelers (when my auto policy was with Geico), and they were very helpful to deal with, when my apartment was burgled. To reinforce the message, you need value, not just a cheap rate.

I have heard a bunch of scary stories about Geico’s handling of claims.