by Lenora Reynolds

Created on: May 03, 2008   Last Updated: June 09, 2008

There are several things that determine good auto insurance. The first to look at is price. Having recently moved to Pennsylvania, I thought it might be a good idea to get on line quotes. Not because I was not happy with my insurance company, but was curious about rates from other companies. It was stunning to me what some popular companies had on their quote request form. They wanted social security number, credit history, criminal background check and a lot of other personal information. This was for an auto insurance quote. I never finished the forms to get the quotes.

Shopping around for a good price can show big differences in premiums. This can be a difference of hundreds of dollars. Also my insurance company gives multi car discounts. If two or more cars are on the policy, there is an automatic discount that lessens the cost of the insurance. Having an anti-theft device on the car can usually lower the premium as well. It is worth asking about what type of discounts are available and how much money can be saved.

While no one wants to be in an accident, it happens. How the insurance company responds is extremely important. How long does it take an adjuster to arrive and inspect the car. How accurate is the inspection of the car. What does the accident do to determine future premiums. There used to be a formula based on the damage whose fault the accident was. The person assumed to be at fault would be responsible. Now we have no fault which is really everyones fault. That way everyone gets to have their rates increased instead of just the driver considered at fault. Some companies do forgive one accident but the second one is not forgiven.

Driving history determines what company will offer insurance, the rate and type of coverage. There are companies advertising on television for customers with bad driving records. Most of the time, the better the driving record, the better the rates and choices are. This not only includes accidents but moving violations as well.

Good customer service is hard to find these days. It always helps to have a real person answer the phone. The person should be able to answer questions with the right answers. It is better to hear "I don't know. Let me ask someone.", then to get wrong answers. Also a nice conversation with someone who does not get defensive and angry when asked questions is a major bonus.

A good insurance company has the right price, good customer service, and a friendly atmosphere. All three are not impossible to find in the same company.

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