We have all received those offers in the mail from AAA for their Roadside Assistance program, which advertises peace of mind for traveling the open road. While it is easy to see the need for such services, it can seem tempting to choose a similar opinion through your auto insurance carrier in order to save money. After all, this only adds about $3-10 to your insurance bill on a six month policy. Similar coverage will cost you $50-100 per year through a company like AAA. Surely insurance is a better deal, factual? Think again!
What you may not know is that insurers sustain track of your roadside assistance claims and in some cases, you may find yourself paying a higher premium if your car blows a tire one too many times. While it is unlikely that a one-time jump initiate will raise your rates, many insurers judge roadside assistance claims as one predictor of risk, which can impact premiums. Remember the money you thought you were saving by using your auto insurance instead of AAA? You can kiss that money good-bye.
In addition, automobile towing claims are reported to a national database race by Atlanta-based ChoicePoint, which provides insurers with claims information on consumers to help insurers process insurance applications. This database is checked each time you apply for a new policy in order to determine whether or not you have been truthful in regards to your application. However, it can be nearly impossible to distinguish a towing claim made for roadside assistance from one made after a motor vehicle accident. This means that flat tire you had that required a tow could produce future inquirers think that you were in an accident you did not fully disclose. Interestingly, Choicepoint does not keep a record of towing claims made through companies like AAA.
These reasons alone are reasons to choose AAA over your auto insurance provider, but also retain in mind that AAA offers discounts on hotels, car rentals, and other fade expenses which can quickly add up. Plus, you can be guaranteed that your insurance premiums will not increase, and your records will be kept private. That kind of peace of mind is worth a little extra money to me. Is it worth it to you?
Filed under Farmers Car Insurance by on Jan 24th, 2011. Comment. 
When looking for auto insurance we all want the same thing – to place money. This is especially true given the modern economic times. However, the modern trend is to scour the internet searching for the best deal in car insurance. This, while useful at times, is often confusing, time consuming and even overwhelming – it would take days to search through all the available auto agencies online. Therefore, it is often noteworthy easier and more time effective to search the old fashioned way, pull out the phone book and call local agencies for. Searching among local insurance agents often offers various benefits.
Everyone, it seems, guarantees that they will save you money on your current insurance rates. Geico promises 15% or more, Progressive promises to compare quotes for you to find you the best rate; Allstate promises “you will save more”; Site Farm promises the “best rates”; and the list continues on. Undoubtedly, all these companies, and many others, honestly are interested in saving you money, they want your business and in order to get your business they have to be competitive in their pricing.
Nevertheless, almost all these companies’ websites use fairly generic information forms when generating your car insurance quotes. These estimated quotes are often much higher than what they would be if you where to actually visit these agencies in person or speak with an agent. These is because local insurance agents also want your business, often more so than a national company, and are aware of the prices online and are likely to be wiling to do whatever they can to beat any online price you may find. A good example of this is my experience with Allstate.
When I entered my information into Allstate’s online quote estimator the estimate was unprejudiced over $1000 every six months or $180 a month. My wife and I have two cars, and have totaled one with in the last year, and have been in three other accidents (it has been a banner year). However, when I went into a local Allstate agent’s office he quoted me an insurance premium which was much less: $790 for six months or $132.38 a month. I was surprised at the difference. This may not always be the case, but often is. If you are truly looking for the best auto insurance rate available to you it would be worth your while to devote at least half of your looking efforts towards local agencies. Sometimes the best deals are with local car insurance agents who sell for a larger national company.
Filed under Farmers Car Insurance by on Dec 18th, 2010. Comment.
