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M$1 January 19, 2009 08:06 PM

Which car insurance company should I go with? Cheap rates and customer service are important!

Looking for some advice on which company to go with.  I'm 23 years old and newly married.  I was on my parents insurance for 8 years with State Farm.  I was really happy with their customer service.  For example, a rock hit my windshield and caused a small crack.  They sent a repair man out and he replaced my windshield in my parking lot while I was at work!  They never gave me the runaround, phone tag, etc.

The problem is that they want to charge me and my wife about $2,200.00USD per year!  This would include 20k coverage in renters insurance as well....but that's not a necessity right now

Which companies have the best customer service?

Which companies have the cheapest rates?

Do you know of any good websites that rank auto insurance companies?
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January 20, 2009 04:58 PM
I've been with progressive ever since I started driving 17 years ago. I've only been involved in 1 accident, but other family members of mine have had several. Each time Progressive is on sight in less than 15 minutes. In my case they were there in 5 minutes. A Progressive truck happened to be in the area and responded immediately to our call -- that's the thing about Progressive. They respond immediately to ANYTHING I've noticed, whether it is a wreck or cracked windshields (and I've had several). There also isn't any hassle about paying for a totaled car. We had our settlement the next day actually. That was Texas's version of progressive. Currently I am with California.

The customer service is great, and they are always helpful and come to you when you have a complain -- office, residence, etc. They also will give you rate quotes for other insurance companies and let you know if any that are cheaper. That's something they advertise.

www.Progressive.com

Also check out this site:

http://www.carinsurance.com/


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January 19, 2009 08:09 PM
You should check out Progressive, yet from my experience Progressive seems to provide the best customer service, and all around service and good rates

http://www.progressive.com/progressive-insurance/honors-recognition.aspx
If you are just looking for low rates, GEICO might be another choice for you.  It seems to have lower rates
Check out J.D. Power for ratings.
Source(s):
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/auto-insurance-provider-ratings


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January 19, 2009 08:10 PM
Honestly, before I read the detailed information I was going to come in here and recommend State Farm. I've been using them since I started driving and they have always been excellent.

One thing I did when I recently bought a new car and was looking into possibly switching insurance companies, was go to State Farm with a couple lower quotes from other insurance companies, and explain that I had been a loyal customer for years but was contemplating leaving because of the lower rates elsewhere. Trust me, they will do whatever they can to lower your rates for you.

So go out there and get all the quotes you can; even if you find a company that has bad customer service but low rates, take the quote into State Farm and see if you can get them to match it or at least come close. Chances are if it means retaining your business, they will.

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January 19, 2009 08:43 PM
Cheap rates are easy to find... any state minimum insurer such as "the general" will insure the walking wounded and do it for the bare minimum. However you've thrown a twist in your requirements by saying customer service (I assume you mean "good" customer service) You are going to have a darned difficult time finding both UNLESS you find an agent that services the book of business. And to be honest since every insurance company thinks the internet is the future for customer contact, you will find it increasingly difficult to find a local agent that will be there for you.

So your options are: (1) learn to be your own advocate and buy low cost (not cheap) insurance. You'll need to make your own decisions on coverages and exposure limits. Handling much of your own claim issues will also be involved. OR (2) bite the bullet and start building a long term relationship with a company such as State Farm, http://emergencyemailnetwork.com/ Nationwide, Allstate, etc. Yes you'll pay more but they will be there for you when you need them.

Good luck

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January 20, 2009 12:43 AM
I have no idea why the link appeared in my comment... Sorry

grimsby50

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January 19, 2009 10:35 PM
I'd suggest Nationwide. As grimsby said, they aren't the low cost provider, but they are also not the low cost provider. Meaning, you might pay a little more but you can be sure you'll get a little more. I've been with Geico and Progressive and their level of service doesn't match what nationwide provides. http://www.nationwide.com/auto-insurance-carrier.jsp

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January 19, 2009 11:03 PM
Unitrin is the cheap and best!
https://www.unitrindirect.com
Source(s):
https://www.unitrindirect.com


Helpful Answer?  (0)   (0)    Tip dattappan for this answer
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January 20, 2009 02:09 AM
I would say whoever you feel will cover you and your car the best..

If you get into an accident, and your car is totaled, will the insurance pay what the car is worth + the balance of the loan? Or no? If not- you need Gap Insurance to cover that so you arent forced to pay on a car that is totaled....

What is the comp/coll ded? Is it affordable for you? If you choose $1000 ded - can you afford that if you got into an accident tomorrow? If so, great. if not, then i wouldn't recommend going with that one....

Make sure you have all the necessaries - such as glass, rental car, towing, etc...
I went with Country Insurance- for $250 comp/coll ded , glass, towing, and excellent coverage - for a 22 year old married female (only me covered, as my husband dont drive) is only $86 a month. That includes a speeding ticket on jan 1 2008, and an accident from back in 2005... I think thats pretty damn good....
this may help.http://www.edmunds.com/advice/insurance/articles/92300/article.html

Weiss rates ins companies... http://www.weissratings.com/HL_Auto.asp
Source(s):
Myself


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