Three Pitfalls To Watch Out For When Shopping For Auto Insurance Online
As a driver, it is important to know that you are properly protected from personal loss from any possible car accident for which you are at fault. Auto insurance rates vary and can be costly. Many people believe that they can get the best rates by shopping online and in many cases this is true. Unfortunately, there are also potential pitfalls to shopping online for the best auto insurance rates. Here are three common ones.
Because everyone likes to save money, discount car insurance providers a popping up all over the internet, offering great rates for coverage. Some are legitimate but many are not. They represent themselves as being comparable to the larger and more expensive carriers but with better auto insurance rates. If you don't ask the right questions you may not be aware of the real difference until it is too late; when you file your first claim and it is not paid. Their prices are lower because their coverage is lower or nonexistent. Often, they delay payments for so long that you can wind up paying for necessary repairs and then fighting for your money. This type of online insurance does no more than meet the basic legal requirements for you to keep your car on the road. If you decide to add more extensive coverage, the cost of you policy is no longer so cheap.
The top quality companies are concerned with good customer service and easy access to agents and answers to questions. Those services cost money. Most of the companies you find shopping online that offer the cheapest auto insurance rates can't afford to offer such services. Their customer service and claims department are the most basic and do not provide the important services that higher priced companies do because of their dependence on automated services instead of live people. Live people cost more. This becomes a very real issue when you have had an accident and are in need of speedy help and quick answers to important questions.
The third potential problem of cheap online car insurance is the lack of security involved with the entire process. You are giving them sensitive information about yourself including social security and credit card numbers among other things. With the demonstrated lack of concern for customer service, it is reasonable to assume that the online company will not take extra care to ensure that your information is safe from theft by hackers and others who profit from stealing such information.
To get real, first quality car insurance it is necessary to pay for it. The few dollars you save at first can become many dollars lost if you are not careful.
