JD Power has recently released its 2012 auto insurance study, and there have been big changes to how the study is presented. Instead of providing national study results, from surveying customers for each of the largest auto insurance companies in the USA, JD Power has broken down their annual auto insurance customer satisfaction survey into seven regional study results. This blog post is the first of a series discussing the changes to the study, lets you know the best rated companies in each region. and how to use the JD Power auto insurance study results to help you decide on the best insurance company for you.

JD Power uses a “circle” rating system, where 5 power circles is the best rating, and 2 power circles is the worst rating, but I will show you why you have to look deeper than the circle rating, before you decide to select or pass on an insurance company

I really like the annual JD Power auto & home insurance studies, because they are one of the few tools available for consumers to measure an insurance company’s customer & claims service objectively. The studies are more reliable than a lot of other sources, because they poll the opinions of a large number of customers without an agenda. Insurance company review & complaint sites on the Internet are lucky to have 100 to 200 opinions, with a bias toward complaints. The 2012 JD Power auto insurance study has responses from 35,000 car insurance customers.

However, I think the JD Power circle rating system can lead people astray sometimes. For example, when deciding between a 3 power circle rated company (about average), with a less expensive 2 power circle rated company (euphemistically called “the rest”), a customer might be willing to pay more for the 3 power circle rated company. But if you look at the study’s numerical scores (on a 1,000 point scale), you might see there is little difference between the two companies in customer satisfaction.

Using last year’s study, California State Auto Association was rated at 3 power circles (769 out of 1,000 points) and Nationwide Insurance at 2 power circles (767 out of 1,000 points). Do 2 points more on a 1,000 point scale make for a better company? I don’t think so.

Shop for the best rates and auto insurance coverage, then read my insurance company reviews on my website and blog to help you evaluate customer service.

This first post will be an overview of the JD Power survey, and the rest of the blog series will review each of the seven regions results, then review each company evaluated in the study. My analysis will give you more information, so you are not misled by relying on the JD Power circle rating system alone.

I LOVE the new regional approach to the JD Power auto insurance study. There is no single national market for auto insurance in the USA. Each state’s auto & home insurance market is unique, and each state has its own laws & regulations for its insurance market. Even large national insurance companies, like Allstate Insurance, do not operate in all states. For example, Allstate no longer sells home insurance in California or Florida. Nationwide insurance does not sell auto or home insurance in New Jersey or Massachusetts.

In last year’s JD Power national auto insurance study, Erie Insurance was at the top of the list with 4 power circles (better than most). But Erie is available in only 11 states. So, people like me living in Oregon, are not aided by knowing about Erie Insurance.

Ideally, state study results would be best, because there are some really good insurance companies operating in only one or two states, and an insurance company which is really important in one state, may not be important or available in any other state.

Erie Insurance is highly rated by JD Power in the Mid-Atlantic Region, but this does not help out New Jersey residents. Though New Jersey is a part of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Erie does not sell insurance in NJ.

However, the regional study results are a big improvement over the single national study results, surveying many more companies which are big regionally, but small nationally, and which were not included in the old national market studies.

For example, Tennessee Farm Bureau has never been included in the study before, but in states like Tennessee, it is a major auto insurance company.

One draw back from no longer using the single national study results, is for evaluating companies like Amica. Amica is very highly rated by JD Power, but now appears only in the Northeast Region study, although Amica Insurance is available in most states. People in a particular region may be unaware of great companies available to them, which are highly rated in other regions, but not included in their region’s survey.

Here’s another example: Wawanesa Insurance is included and highly rated in the California Region study, but I know Wawanesa is available in Oregon where I live, (with competitive rates for me, the last time I checked), but it is not included in the West Region study, which covers Oregon. I assume it is because Wawanesa has too small of a share of the auto insurance market in the West region. This is why I will blog about each company studied, to let you know if it may be a good choice for where you live, even if the company was not rated for your region.

Let’s look at an overview of the highest rated auto insurance companies for each region, and the states included in each region.

The highest rated auto insurance company in the JD Power study is USAA — United Services Automobile Association. It scored 912 out of 1,000 points in the California Region, 897 out of 1,000 points in the West Region, 896 out of 1,000 in the Central Region, 930 out of 1,000 in the Southeast Region, 903 out of 1,000 in the North Central Region, 890 out of 1,000 in the Northeast Region, & 913 out of 1,000 in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The next highest scoring company is Amica Mutual Insurance, at 867 out of 1,000 points. The lowest regional JD Power score for USAA is still 23 points better than the next highest scoring company, making USAA the clear winner of the survey.

However, you must be in the military, an immediate family member of someone in the military, or an honorably discharged veteran to be eligible for USAA. If you meet this requirement, contact USAA for an auto insurance quote. Keep in mind other factors, like your driving record, may be considered for you to qualify for USAA auto insurance.

Other than USAA, here are the top scoring auto insurance companies for each region:

You should consider any of these auto insurance companies, if they are available to you in your state, and you meet their eligibility requirements.

My next blog post in this series will look at the JD Power auto insurance study scores of the companies making up the California region, and the scores for the factors making up the customer satisfaction score: interaction; price; policy offerings; billing and payment; and claims.

Follow my blog to see my analysis of the region for the state you live in. I’m updating my website with the latest JD Power ratings and 2011 Complaint ratings, but check out my insurance company reviews to find out more information about all the leading insurance companies: How good is your company?

These conditions all relate to levitra for sale online the sexual repression, especially men, they will more likely to suffer the prostatitis. If you are below 18 and if you are suffering from erectile dysfunction, the blood flow to the genitals is a strong indication for buy cialis professional Agnus castus. In other words, IUI is simply a levitra 60 mg discover description clinical way to do it. These courses online levitra prescription will assist you to evaluate and reevaluate.