Comments on: Esurance Quote Update

By: andy

andy — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 14:20:32 +0000

Forgot to mention that when I presented Geico with the quote I got from Allstate, they couldn’t make any counteroffer that even came close.

By: andy

andy — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:44:38 +0000

I am starting to think that the “low-cost” insurers really aren’t – they’re only “low-cost” for people who don’t want to spend an hour or two shopping around. Call it a convenience penalty. A very high penalty.

When I got my first vehicle, I went direct to Geico. At the time, it was quick, and the price was good – under $1200/year. I stuck with them for nearly 7 years, through an accident, one minor moving violation, several vehicle changes, over 100K miles, and getting married. My premiums topped out around $1600/year.

A few times, I checked out rates with other companies – Liberty and whoever Chase Auto Financing farms their insurance stuff out to. Both times, I got quotes that were double my current rates. So I figured I’d stick with Geico. I checked out Progressive, and they were lower, but not by a large amount.

Last December, when I was shopping for homeowner’s insurance (bought a house), I tried to get multi-line discounts by combining my auto and homeowner’s with one company. I had previously done this with renter’s insurance (Geico farms it out to Travellers), so I called up Travellers and their quote was ridiculously high for homeowner’s, so I kept calling around. Eventually I got to Allstate, and when all was said and done, I got our auto insurance down to under $1200/year – right back where it was 7 years ago, but with the addition of a second car, second driver, more miles, and more coverage. The accident rolled off my record right at the beginning of the coverage period.

A little shopping around pays off huge.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:30:54 +0000

Esurance is a total scam. You need only go to Google and search for ‘Esurance’ The first or second hit will be a large web site dedicated to horror stories of how they low ball quote people and then aggressive post-sales policies adjusters go in and jack up the rate for any reason possible, usually 2-3 times over a 6 month period.

Stay away from these clowns at all cost.

By: Tool Man

Tool Man — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:14:21 +0000

This post is about my experiences. One thing I didn’t say was that I asked the operator (I like to talk to real people) how they calculate their prices. She couldn’t tell me much, she said she didn’t more, but the online Esurance quotes are based on the highest insurance score possible. This score’s formula includes your credit score, where you live, claims, etc. I think there is one more that I am forgetting.

By: Rian Trost

Rian Trost — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:11:33 +0000

I’ve found the same is true for all insurance websites. I used e-surance in the past, and their rates have been the best I’ve found, but the customer service was so poor I had to cancel my account.

Now I’m using Progressive and feel like I’m being given the shaft because of how much more expensive it is for the same coverage.

…so I guess it’s back to the hunt.