Eel - You need to consider for yourself what 'value' means before you
can evaluate the different offerings.
Depending on your needs (do you have major assets (home, financial
savings, expensive - or not - autos?); do you live and drive in
high-risk areas (major metropolitan)?; do you have dependents who
need additional protections...etc), you will consider "value"
differently.
Also, what do you want from an insurance company? Do you want a
personal relationship with an agent, or do you feel that for the most
part, you can (and want to) handle things directly between you and the
company?
Companies like State Farm (#1 countrywide) and Allstate (#2
countrywide) pride themselves on their agent-client relationships
(though, both have had MAJOR problems in these areas in the past few
years), while companies like Progressive Insurance (#3 countrywide)
offer more of a choice: you can get insurance from them from
"Independent" Agents (who don't work for any ONE company, but sell
insurance from many), or you can get insurance from them (Progressive)
by calling directly or by purchasing online - which is very easy, I'd
add. It all depends on YOUR comfort level.
Lastly, you should know that the auto insurance "landscape" in any
state changes frequently, due to competitive positioning (companies
deciding to make changes - including their rates - for competitive or
profit reasons), and due to regulatory changes (the state imposes some
kind of change).
It's in your best interest to shop around.
One hint: Progressive Insurance will give you an insurance quote for
their insurance, and will also give you the rates for their major
competitors in your state (Florida). No other company will do this;
effectively, they're shopping for you! You can get the rates online
or by calling. It can save you loads of time, if you give it a
chance. Then, you'll have a good sense of which company offers the
best value and price.
By the way - the best price isn't always the best value. Make sure
you are comparing the coverages you need across companies, so that you
have a good viewpoint.
Hope this helps.
www.progressive.com
www.statefarm.com
www.allstate.com |
