Tag Archives: Teen Drivers

The Best & Worst Auto Insurance Companies for 2013

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JD Power has recently released its 2013 US Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study. Although these annual JD Power customer surveys are great resources for consumers to use, as an objective measure of customer satisfaction, for each of the major car insurance companies in the USA, the power circle ratings, used by JD Power to rate each insurance company, can mislead people about how well or how poorly each company performed in the survey.

Someone should expect a 5 power circle rated (among the best) auto insurance company to provide superior customer service. But in this latest JD Power study, most of the 5 power circle rated companies did not score much above the companies rated 4 power circles. Some of the 4 power circle rated (better than most) insurance companies did not score much above the 3 power circle rated (about average) companies. One might also expect, an auto insurance company with the lowest power circle rating (2 power circles), to provide consistently terrible service. But the scores of many of the two power circle rated companies are not much below the study average score.

Price is a factor considered in this JD Power customer satisfaction survey, but the study results can not be used to dependably show the companies having the best price for you. This study’s scores are lower than last year’s results, and explained by JD Power as being due to customer dissatisfaction with rate increases. There are big differences in the rates of competing auto insurance companies (Some companies charge double the amount of others for the same coverage), and there is no connection with paying more or less based on the quality of customer service.

When some companies increase the price of their auto insurance, it’s even more important to find a company with the best price for you. A smart auto insurance shopper checks the rates of all the major companies, then evaluates the customer service of the companies offering the coverage they need, at the lowest rates. Like my previous blog posts analyzing JD Power studies, this blog post will look at the numerical scores, and show you the best car insurance companies, truly distinguishing themselves above their competitors, and the worst companies truly performing below average. Continue reading →

Why is auto insurance expensive? Why do some companies charge a lot more than others?

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According to US Department of Commerce motor vehicle accident statistics, approximately 10.8 million motor vehicle accidents occurred on US roads in 2009. Considering how often car accidents occur, it is no surprise that auto insurance is a major expense for even the safest drivers. But what has always surprised me, no matter whether you are considered a good driver or higher risk driver by auto insurance companies, is some companies charge more than twice as much as other companies for the same coverage. This is why it’s so important to check the rates of many auto insurance companies, so you can find the companies that have the best rates for you. This is also why many auto insurance companies can honestly claim to save people hundreds of dollars a year. But there are not a few companies with low rates for everyone. You have to shop to find the auto insurance company with the best rates for you. It’s not unusual to find big price differences among companies for other types of insurance, too, like home and life insurance.

However, with auto insurance, I have always wondered why major companies, competing to have a good price for the best drivers, charge very different rates, when these companies use the same considerations to determine the lowest risk drivers. If you are married, in your thirties, own a home, have two late model cars, have great credit, had no claims in the last 5 years, and all the drivers in your household have clean driving records, every auto insurance company selling preferred or standard auto insurance wants your business. So why do some of these major companies charge so much more than other companies? Why would two or more households, having all the same qualities I listed, find a different group of auto insurance companies have the best rates for each household? Shouldn’t the same group of companies have the best rates for all the customers with the same characteristics? I will answer these questions in this blog post, and tell you why a part of the problem is consumer behavior, and what people can do to influence over-priced auto insurance companies to lower their rates. Continue reading →

21st Century Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings & Customer Satisfaction Ratings

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This blog entry is the first in my series of reviews of the leading insurance companies offering home & auto insurance in the United States, reviewing the customer service & complaint record of 21st Century auto insurance. Continue reading →

Your Age & Your Auto Insurance — How to get the best rates.

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Anyone who is (or was) under age 25, and paying for their own auto insurance, looks forward to attaining an age when their rates go down. In most states, your rates are very high on your own auto insurance policy, until you have three years experience as a licensed driver. This means if you were licensed on your 16th birthday, you should look forward to your 19th birthday, and that would be an excellent time to shop for much lower rates. Even for drivers with clean driving records, auto insurance can be very expensive until you are age 25 or 30. But this blog post is not just for younger people, because your age is an auto insurance rating factor throughout your life, and has big price implications whether you are 16, 30, 50, or 70 years old. I’ll give you simple tips, no matter what your age, on how & when to shop, so you can use your age to your advantage, to get lower auto insurance rates. Continue reading →

Car Insurance Claims: Company Ratings for Auto Claim Satisfaction in 2012

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If you follow my advice, by getting price quotes from all the leading auto & home insurance companies each year, to make sure you pay reasonable rates, and get additional opinions on your coverage, you will see some companies charge more than double the amount other companies charge. This is how you can save hundreds of dollars by shopping your insurance. But some people have a reluctance to change to companies with substantially lower rates, thinking you get what you pay for. The good news is, unlike a lot of products, where you get better quality by paying more, you don’t get better service by paying more for insurance. My blog post today will discuss the JD Power 2012 US auto claims satisfaction ratings for all the major car insurance companies, and tell you what you need to know to find a company with acceptable claims satisfaction, and low rates for you. Continue reading →

District of Columbia (DC) Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for Major Companies

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Does your Washington DC automobile insurance company have a huge amount of customer complaints? Will you have any problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your insurance company good or bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their auto insurance company. This blog post provides complaint information for sixteen major insurance companies selling auto insurance in Washington DC, and ranks them from best to worst, based on their 2011 JD Power auto insurance customer satisfaction rating. National auto insurance complaint ratings for their subsidiary companies are available through links to my insurance company reviews on my website. Continue reading →

Wyoming Auto & Home Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for Major Companies

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Does your insurance company have a lot of complaints? Will you have difficulty placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? How do you know if your company is good or bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their automobile & property (homeowners, renters, mobile home, rental dwelling, condo, etc.) insurance companies. Here I provide complaint information for insurance companies selling auto & residential property insurance in Wyoming and rank them, from best to worst, based on their 2009, 2010, & 2011 Wyoming complaint record. Continue reading →

Wisconsin Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for Leading Companies

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Does your automobile insurance company have a lot of complaints? Will you have difficulty placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? How do you know if your company is any good? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. Here I provide complaint information for 20 of the largest (by market share in Wisconsin, based on auto insurance premium) insurance companies and rank them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 national auto insurance complaints. (Accurate 2011 data not available yet). I also list 22 insurance companies you may want to avoid, with a higher than average number of auto insurance complaints filed against them in Wisconsin. Continue reading →

West Virginia Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 20 Top Companies

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Does your auto insurance company have a large amount of customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your insurance company really any good? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their auto & home insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for the 20 largest insurance companies insuring cars in West Virginia, & rates them based on their 2010 national complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Know the best and worst companies! Continue reading →

Virginia Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 50 Top Companies

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Does your car insurance company have many customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your insurance company good or bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their automobile insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for the 50 largest insurance companies insuring private passenger autos in Virginia and ranks them from best to worst, based on their 2010 national auto insurance complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Continue reading →

Vermont Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for Leading Companies

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Does your automobile insurance company have a huge amount of customer complaints? Will you have any problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your insurance company good or bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for the major insurance companies selling auto insurance in Vermont, and ranks them from best to worst, based on their 2011 JD Power auto insurance customer satisfaction rating. National auto insurance complaint ratings for their subsidiary companies are available by links to insurance company reviews on my website. I also list complaint ratings for several large regional auto insurance companies selling car insurance in Vermont, not rated by JD Power. Continue reading →

Utah Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 20 Top Companies

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Does your car insurance company have many complaints? Will you have difficulty placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? How do you know if your company is good or bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. Here I provide complaint information for the twenty largest (by market share in Utah, based on premium) auto insurance companies & rank them, from best to worst, based on the average of each company’s Utah auto insurance complaint record for the last three years — 2008, 2009, & 2010. Utah complaint data for 2011 is not available yet. Continue reading →

Massachusetts Auto Insurance Rates Increase!

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The Massachusetts car insurance market has changed a lot over the last several years. Only four years ago, the state set auto insurance rates and coverage options (under its old fix-and-establish system) and there was no price competition among auto insurance companies.

In 2008, the law changed to allow price competition based on rating factors permitted by the state. Many new auto insurance companies started selling auto insurance in Massachusetts, and rates dropped so insurance companies could gain customers and market share. In addition, insurance companies started offering different coverage options to attract customers.

Now, the cost of claims & the desire to make a profit are increasing car insurance rates for many companies. Auto insurance buyers living in the state of Massachusetts need to know it’s now very important to shop your auto insurance each year, to make sure you are not paying excessive rates, and to choose the coverage options best for you.

This blog post will show you the companies selling auto insurance in Massachusetts, and the information needed to help you decide on the best car insurance company for you. Continue reading →

Tennessee Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 66 Top Companies

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Does your automobile insurance company have many customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Will you find out your car insurance company is good or bad when you need them to help you? Many consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for the 66 biggest Tennessee auto insurance companies, and rates & ranks them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 national auto insurance complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Continue reading →

South Dakota Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 30 Companies

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Does your automobile insurance company have a very large amount of customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your auto insurance company any good? Will you have a bad experience when you need your insurance company? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their car & homeowners insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for the thirty largest insurance companies selling auto insurance in South Dakota (based on 2011 market share), and rates & ranks them based on their 2010 national complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint data is not available yet). Know about the best & worst insurance companies in South Dakota! Continue reading →

South Carolina Nonstandard Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 21 Companies

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When you have had a US drivers license for 9 years or more, a clean driving record & claims history, and a long, current, continuous auto insurance history, every car insurance company wants to insure you. But if you are a younger, less experienced driver, or have some tickets or accidents, or no auto insurance now, or a gap in your auto insurance history, some insurance companies won’t insure you. Depending on your situation, A LOT of car insurance companies may not be willing to insure you. If you are one of these drivers, or have one of these drivers living in your household, your only option may be nonstandard auto insurance at high rates. I am blogging today to help you find auto insurance companies willing to insure you at the best price, and avoid companies with poor complaint records. Continue reading →

South Carolina Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 21 Top Companies

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Does your automobile insurance company have a very large amount of customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your insurance company any good? Will you have a bad experience when you need your car insurance company? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their car & home insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for twenty-one leading insurance companies selling auto insurance in South Carolina, and rates & ranks them based on their 2010 national complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Know about the best & worst insurance companies in South Carolina! Continue reading →

Rhode Island Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 14 Major Companies

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Does your car insurance company have a huge amount of customer complaints? Will you have any problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your insurance company good or bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for fourteen major insurance companies selling auto insurance in Rhode Island, and ranks them from best to worst, based on their 2011 JD Power auto insurance customer satisfaction rating. National automobile insurance complaint ratings for their subsidiary companies are available by links to insurance company reviews on my website. Continue reading →

Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 54 Top Companies

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Does your automobile insurance company have a huge amount of customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your car insurance company good or bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for the 54 leading Pennsylvania insurance companies and ranks them from best to worst, based on their 2010 national automobile insurance complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Continue reading →

Oklahoma Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 20 Major Companies

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Does your auto insurance company have a very large amount of customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Is your insurance company any good? Will you have a bad experience when you need your insurance company? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their car & home insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for twenty major Oklahoma car insurance companies and rates and ranks them based on their 2010 national complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Be aware of the best & worst insurance companies in Oklahoma. Continue reading →

Ohio Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 32 Top Companies

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Does your car insurance company have a lot of policyholder complaints? Will you have difficulty placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? How do you know if your auto insurance company is any good? Will you find out it’s bad when you really need it? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. This blog post provides auto insurance complaint information for 32 major insurance companies selling auto insurance in Ohio, and ranks them from best to worst, based on their 2009 auto insurance complaint record in Ohio (The latest year where data is available). Continue reading →

North Dakota Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 20 Top Companies

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Does your automobile insurance company have many customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Will you find out your insurance company is good or bad when you need them to help you? Many consumers fail to check the complaint records of their home & auto insurance companies. This blog article provides complaint information for the 20 biggest North Dakota auto insurance companies, covering 80.2% of the ND auto insurance market, and rates & ranks them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 national auto insurance complaint records (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Continue reading →

North Carolina Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 38 Top Companies

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Does your car insurance company have a lot of complaints? Will you have difficulty placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? How do you know if your company is any good? Will you find out it’s bad? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. This blog post provides car insurance complaint information for 38 of the biggest (by market share in North Carolina, based on each company’s auto insurance premium collected in the state) insurance companies and ranks them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 auto insurance complaints in North Carolina (Accurate 2011 data not available yet). Continue reading →

New Mexico Auto Insurance Reviews: Compaint Ratings for 43 Top Companies

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Does your auto insurance company have many customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Will you find out your car insurance company is good or bad when you need them to help you? Many consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for the 43 biggest New Mexico auto insurance companies, and rates & ranks them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 national auto insurance complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Continue reading →

New Hampshire Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 35 Major Companies

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Do you know if your auto insurance company has many customer complaints? Will you have problems placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? Will you find out your auto insurance company is good or bad when you need them to help you? Many consumers fail to check the complaint records of their auto insurance companies. This blog post provides complaint information for Thirty-five major New Hampshire car insurance companies, and rates & ranks them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 national complaint record (Accurate 2011 complaint records are not available yet). Continue reading →