Not too long ago, the only way to buy insurance was through an insurance agent.
All you needed was the car's vehicle information number (a unique identifier associated with a specific automobile), and you could get a policy quickly - even over the phone.
Your only choice was whether or not you would be dealing with an independent agent who represented several insurance carriers or a "captive" agent who only marketed insurance from a single company.
Shopping online for car insurance rates is extremely easy these days.
You'll find a large number of auto insurers online that offer instant quotes as well as the ability to buy a policy and even print it out using your personal computer.
You can even compare rates from a variety of companies.
One thing about insurance that you need to understand is that it is a commodity.
That is to say that almost any company can sell you the exact same coverage at the exact same rate.
The only difference is the company you buy your insurance from.
So, it really doesn't matter which company you buy insurance from, right? Wrong.
Car insurance providers differ in many significant ways.
Let's start with claims service.
If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident, you want to be sure that you are covered for any needed repairs.
Will your online insurance provider be there for you if you need to file a claim? You can check their reputation online, and see what kind of experience other customers have had with any insurance company by entering key phrases into your favorite search engine.
Let's say you are considering buying from Acme Insurance.
Search "Acme Insurance, ripoffs" or even "Acme Insurance sucks.
" Chances are you will find blog entries from folks who have had a bad experience with Acme.
You should not write off any one company because there is one person who has complained online about that company.
It is very doubtful that any company on earth has not had at least one unhappy customer.
However, if you find entire websites devoted to complaints about a specific company, that ought to be a red flag.
Buying auto insurance online has become so easy and painless, it won't be long before many insurance agents will be out of jobs.
Remember travel agents? There aren't very many of them left because they were made virtually obsolete by the Internet.
The same process, known as disintermediation (meaning the elimination of the middle man), will inevitably happen to the insurance industry.
All you needed was the car's vehicle information number (a unique identifier associated with a specific automobile), and you could get a policy quickly - even over the phone.
Your only choice was whether or not you would be dealing with an independent agent who represented several insurance carriers or a "captive" agent who only marketed insurance from a single company.
Shopping online for car insurance rates is extremely easy these days.
You'll find a large number of auto insurers online that offer instant quotes as well as the ability to buy a policy and even print it out using your personal computer.
You can even compare rates from a variety of companies.
One thing about insurance that you need to understand is that it is a commodity.
That is to say that almost any company can sell you the exact same coverage at the exact same rate.
The only difference is the company you buy your insurance from.
So, it really doesn't matter which company you buy insurance from, right? Wrong.
Car insurance providers differ in many significant ways.
Let's start with claims service.
If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident, you want to be sure that you are covered for any needed repairs.
Will your online insurance provider be there for you if you need to file a claim? You can check their reputation online, and see what kind of experience other customers have had with any insurance company by entering key phrases into your favorite search engine.
Let's say you are considering buying from Acme Insurance.
Search "Acme Insurance, ripoffs" or even "Acme Insurance sucks.
" Chances are you will find blog entries from folks who have had a bad experience with Acme.
You should not write off any one company because there is one person who has complained online about that company.
It is very doubtful that any company on earth has not had at least one unhappy customer.
However, if you find entire websites devoted to complaints about a specific company, that ought to be a red flag.
Buying auto insurance online has become so easy and painless, it won't be long before many insurance agents will be out of jobs.
Remember travel agents? There aren't very many of them left because they were made virtually obsolete by the Internet.
The same process, known as disintermediation (meaning the elimination of the middle man), will inevitably happen to the insurance industry.
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