5 Steps for Finding and Choosing a Car Insurance Quote
As if haggling with the auto dealer or fretting over the condition of a privately-owned vehicle wasn’t enough, now that you have your new vehicle, you have to endure the rigmarole of finding and choosing a car insurance quote for your new policy. Worse, you can probably surmise the fact that auto insurers are just waiting to bounce on your tried patience, if not outright exasperation. Not far from IRS agents, divorce lawyers, and cable companies, auto insurers and their sales reps have caused their fair share of American consumers who are beside themselves. Fortunately, your next experience with auto insurers can be very different if you follow these tips for finding and choosing a car insurance quote.
1. Use an Online Referral Service. Nowadays, an online referral service (like NetQuote) is, hands-down, the best way to find a car insurance quote. You do all the legwork from the comfort and convenience of your own home. It takes only a few minutes to submit an online request, leaving you with more time and patience to consider policy details and cost estimates. Plus, our database of licensed insurers allows to reliably comparison-shop amongst only reputable companies. And, finally, an online referral service will, on average, lower the cost of your next policy not only by creating a highly-competitive environment for your business, but also by lowering the overhead costs for the insurers themselves.
2. Don’t be Coy: Provide Accurate Information. Many people feel apprehensive about sending along personal information through the Internet, no matter innocuous that information may seem. Without this information, however, you can’t hope to get accurate estimates for your car insurance quote. And, honestly, most online referral services don’t ask for personal information that isn’t already available to most enterprising companies. The one exception to this rule is your email address. Even after you’ve made a final decision about your policy, auto insurers may continue to bombard your email address with information and promotional offers. To avoid this outcome, you might think about quickly setting up a fresh email address specifically to handle finding and choosing your next car insurance quote.
3. Play the Field, and Play it Quick and Dirty. In spite of knowing better and with opposite intentions, many consumers are willing to sign off on the first car insurance quote that sounds reasonable. Often times, this goes back to the exasperation of recent interactions with an auto dealer. Yet, talking to each sales rep from a handful of auto insurers for twenty minutes is not an effective to shop for your next policy, either. As such, when you first start your search, try to get in and out as quickly as possible. Hit the salient points of premium costs, deductible levels, things that are covered/not covered, and benefit caps. Then, move on to the next insurer. This is the only way to make sure you’re not passing up the best deal without spending hours and hours of your time.
4. Review your Choices, and Ask Clarifying Questions. Once you’ve had some time to sit down with the information you’ve gathered and the offers that were made, you should be able to whittle the competition to the two or three best choices. But there’s also a good chance that you’ll have one or two clarifying questions that you’ll want to ask before making a final decision. Go ahead and call or email the sales reps and agents with these questions. Be sure you know exactly what is and isn’t on the table and make sure you feel comfortable with your choice. If something is still nagging out you, that’s a good sign that you still don’t have all the relevant information.
5. Double-Check your Final Decision. Before you give out a credit card number, mail a check, or make any verbal or financial commitments, you should take the time to double-check your decision by researching the insurer’s reputation and consumer reviews online. Naturally, like the IRS or auto dealers, it’s virtually guaranteed you’ll find some negative reviews. On the other hand, if you consistently read reviews that sound genuine and talk about claims adjusters and customer service that is unbelievably bad or even deceitful, this should give you pause. In the end, finding and choosing a car insurance quote is about getting through these steps as quickly and as completely as possible. Don’t ignore any of them, but try not to let any step consume hours of your time, either. A balanced approach should lead you to the best policy without upending your day-to-day routine.
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