I'm back. Hiatus over. And let's start back with a rant on one of my most favorite things to hate. Insurance companies. You can't escape them. They're on every TV network. Commercials from Allstate, Cure, Farmers, GEICO, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, Safeco, State Farm, et cetera. You see their ads in magazines, online shopping and on the bus sides and stop kiosks and taxi domes. Basically, we are beat over the head by their ads. It doesn't bother me that they advertise or that we really would be screwed both legally and financially if we didn't subscribe...yes, subscribe, like a magazine, because once you pay for it; it's gone. It bothers me that there's no return. Even if you have a claim, you don't always benefit. There's deductibles. More out of pocket costs. There's always the chance of a claim denial. At least with a paper product you can wrap fish or cat poop in it.
So what? We get beat over the head with commercials. What's your deal, buddy? I'm glad you asked and don't be so damn rude. I don't like it when they lie to us. LIES?!?!? Yes, lies.
GEICO claims they have the best rates and 15 minutes will prove that. Bullshit. I had GEICO back in the 1990s. I moved from Berks county (PA) into Chester county (PA). My insurance nearly doubled. I moved from one rural town to another in suburban Philadelphia. Their excuse: I was getting Philadelphia rates because I was so close to the city. I was an hour driving distance from the city line. Ridiculous.
The new gimmick: Accident forgiveness. Everyone of these companies have some sort of accident forgiveness program. Allstate gives you money back. Most of them won't increase your rates. Liberty Mutual boasts that they'll not only not increase your rates but will give you enough money in the event your car is totaled to purchase the same model in the current year.
The truth is the rates are already inflated. Giving you a refund or stipend is equal to receiving a tax refund from the IRS. It's not a gift when all they're doing is returning your money. You pay income tax with every paycheck. If you're lucky, the government returns some of it. The same goes for Allstate's safe driver program. You pay them $1,000 to $2,000 a year and they return $500 for a safe driver program. If they gave you the better rate in the first place, you would be none the richer. What they did is get to use your $500 (like the government) and made you wait for them to return it. Sort of like gambling. Place your bet on a roulette wheel number and hope the wheel stops are your number.
I was with Allstate also back in the early 1990s. I had an accident. I was not at fault. I was given a citation and went to court and beat it. (The officer admitted in court he misunderstood at the time of the accident that I had already been in the lane in the attempt to cross the road. It was an unsafe and crowded area and I should have gone the long way around to get home, but I have made that turn many times before without incident.) But, my insurance company had already decided I was at fault. They paid out my claim and the asshole who T-boned me. Shortly after that, I received a notice in the mail announcing they were increasing my rates. Mind you. I had a clean driving record for years. The kid who hit me was 10 years younger and driving in a lane where he shouldn't have been. I never got to learn whether this kid had a clean driving record, but he was driving aggressively and unsafe and I was the one that received the ticket.
All the companies succeed to entertain and inform with their commercials, but are we being gassed about the savings and service? An excellent ad campaign is Progressive's Flo. You can at least verify if they are honest about their competition's rates. GEICO commercials with the gecko are entertaining for a computer generated character but I think their 15 minutes can save you 15% is a crock. I like the new online competition that pokes fun at GEICO's 15 minutes commercials, Esurance (backed by Allstate now), where you can save as much at half the time. It takes me back to the time when bashing or having fun at your competition's cost was not allowed or frowned upon. Humor is one of the carrots they use to bait us into considering them. No one is bored into purchasing a product. When the time comes to choose what makes you remember your choices? The answer: The companies with the most memorable ads. I'm insured with State Farm. I have been with them for 15 years. Truthfully, I don't know if I have the best rates or not. I haven't been diligent enough (lazy) to go through the process and research my choices. I could have been for years been overpaying. Why did I choose them? Because all the other companies I used before either pissed me off or pissed me off and screwed me over. By default. The company who hasn't fracked me over wins. Side note: State Farm commercials are the lamest.
The other lies? "Customers who switched to blah-blah insurance saved on average $Tons of money." The truth is all insurance policies are written a la carte. You can save money with your current insurance by raising your deductibles, choosing to take the state minimum coverage that will cover you legally, but could hurt you financially in the event of an incident or not opt for optional benefits like car rental or towing. In Pennsylvania if you opt out of Full Tort you can save more money. Pennsylvania instituted the Full Tort or Limited Tort choice "in an attempt to decrease the number of pain and suffering lawsuits in Pennsylvania courts. Concerned about the high rates of automobile insurance, Pennsylvania enacted mandatory personal injury protection (PIP) insurance coverage in the attempt to reduce the number of lawsuits resulting from automobile accidents." (Pennsylvania Insurance Department)
Bottom line. You have to consider also what happens when you need to make a claim. For instance, can you trust a no name or unknown insurance company, like Erie Insurance, to process your claims smoothly. Will your claim be denied because of some loophole? That could happen with all insurance companies. When you choose insurance companies, first, do the math. Compare costs for the exact coverage (like Progressive proclaims they do). Second, ask your friends, family and co-workers who they have and what their experiences have been. Bear in mind, no two experiences may be the same. You might have to weigh that result a little less. And lastly, be comfortable with your agent. If he or she comes off as a slimy scumbag, chances are, they are a slimy scumbag. Truly stick with a reputable person and company with a high customer rating. Check the internet. There's lots of sites pro and con to insurance companies. Just don't put all your trust and faith in catchy little commercials.
One of my favorite commercials, starring J. K. Simmons:
And another one:
So what? We get beat over the head with commercials. What's your deal, buddy? I'm glad you asked and don't be so damn rude. I don't like it when they lie to us. LIES?!?!? Yes, lies.
GEICO claims they have the best rates and 15 minutes will prove that. Bullshit. I had GEICO back in the 1990s. I moved from Berks county (PA) into Chester county (PA). My insurance nearly doubled. I moved from one rural town to another in suburban Philadelphia. Their excuse: I was getting Philadelphia rates because I was so close to the city. I was an hour driving distance from the city line. Ridiculous.
The new gimmick: Accident forgiveness. Everyone of these companies have some sort of accident forgiveness program. Allstate gives you money back. Most of them won't increase your rates. Liberty Mutual boasts that they'll not only not increase your rates but will give you enough money in the event your car is totaled to purchase the same model in the current year.
The truth is the rates are already inflated. Giving you a refund or stipend is equal to receiving a tax refund from the IRS. It's not a gift when all they're doing is returning your money. You pay income tax with every paycheck. If you're lucky, the government returns some of it. The same goes for Allstate's safe driver program. You pay them $1,000 to $2,000 a year and they return $500 for a safe driver program. If they gave you the better rate in the first place, you would be none the richer. What they did is get to use your $500 (like the government) and made you wait for them to return it. Sort of like gambling. Place your bet on a roulette wheel number and hope the wheel stops are your number.
I was with Allstate also back in the early 1990s. I had an accident. I was not at fault. I was given a citation and went to court and beat it. (The officer admitted in court he misunderstood at the time of the accident that I had already been in the lane in the attempt to cross the road. It was an unsafe and crowded area and I should have gone the long way around to get home, but I have made that turn many times before without incident.) But, my insurance company had already decided I was at fault. They paid out my claim and the asshole who T-boned me. Shortly after that, I received a notice in the mail announcing they were increasing my rates. Mind you. I had a clean driving record for years. The kid who hit me was 10 years younger and driving in a lane where he shouldn't have been. I never got to learn whether this kid had a clean driving record, but he was driving aggressively and unsafe and I was the one that received the ticket.
All the companies succeed to entertain and inform with their commercials, but are we being gassed about the savings and service? An excellent ad campaign is Progressive's Flo. You can at least verify if they are honest about their competition's rates. GEICO commercials with the gecko are entertaining for a computer generated character but I think their 15 minutes can save you 15% is a crock. I like the new online competition that pokes fun at GEICO's 15 minutes commercials, Esurance (backed by Allstate now), where you can save as much at half the time. It takes me back to the time when bashing or having fun at your competition's cost was not allowed or frowned upon. Humor is one of the carrots they use to bait us into considering them. No one is bored into purchasing a product. When the time comes to choose what makes you remember your choices? The answer: The companies with the most memorable ads. I'm insured with State Farm. I have been with them for 15 years. Truthfully, I don't know if I have the best rates or not. I haven't been diligent enough (lazy) to go through the process and research my choices. I could have been for years been overpaying. Why did I choose them? Because all the other companies I used before either pissed me off or pissed me off and screwed me over. By default. The company who hasn't fracked me over wins. Side note: State Farm commercials are the lamest.
The other lies? "Customers who switched to blah-blah insurance saved on average $Tons of money." The truth is all insurance policies are written a la carte. You can save money with your current insurance by raising your deductibles, choosing to take the state minimum coverage that will cover you legally, but could hurt you financially in the event of an incident or not opt for optional benefits like car rental or towing. In Pennsylvania if you opt out of Full Tort you can save more money. Pennsylvania instituted the Full Tort or Limited Tort choice "in an attempt to decrease the number of pain and suffering lawsuits in Pennsylvania courts. Concerned about the high rates of automobile insurance, Pennsylvania enacted mandatory personal injury protection (PIP) insurance coverage in the attempt to reduce the number of lawsuits resulting from automobile accidents." (Pennsylvania Insurance Department)
Bottom line. You have to consider also what happens when you need to make a claim. For instance, can you trust a no name or unknown insurance company, like Erie Insurance, to process your claims smoothly. Will your claim be denied because of some loophole? That could happen with all insurance companies. When you choose insurance companies, first, do the math. Compare costs for the exact coverage (like Progressive proclaims they do). Second, ask your friends, family and co-workers who they have and what their experiences have been. Bear in mind, no two experiences may be the same. You might have to weigh that result a little less. And lastly, be comfortable with your agent. If he or she comes off as a slimy scumbag, chances are, they are a slimy scumbag. Truly stick with a reputable person and company with a high customer rating. Check the internet. There's lots of sites pro and con to insurance companies. Just don't put all your trust and faith in catchy little commercials.
One of my favorite commercials, starring J. K. Simmons:
And another one:
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