In fact, these "middle men" make their livings by being the "negotiator for both ends". Now, however, times have seemed to change, at least in certain respects. The growing Internet has made much information available to citizens, who would otherwise not have this information at their fingertips.
Now, back to the question. Are you paying too much for your car insurance? Here is a case of a woman almost paying too much for car insurance. This young lady would like to remain anonymous, so I will refer to her hereafter as Donna.
Donna's car insurance is due to expire in August. She paid $350 dollars for six months of liability coverage for the one vehicle at the one insurance company. The insurance is through Progressive. Upon speaking with her insurance agent, she discovered that the next six months of coverage was going to cost her $400. The agent wanted about $100 down and 4 monthly installments. This seemed extremely expensive, as that she was with the same insurance company with the same car. So, Donna and I went online to www. progressive.com, where we did an online auto insurance quote. The quote came up with $252 for 6 months. We then called progressive's 1-800 number to inquire as to what the down and monthly payments would be. This quote and the agent's quote were a difference of almost $150.
Keep in mind that Progressive would insure the vehicle, whether Donna went through her agent or purchased the policy via phone or Internet. According to Donna, as soon she related to her agent that she received a quote by Progressive online for $252 dollars, the agent stuttered, "Was that a quote?" Donna said, "yes," and explained she didn't understand why the prices were so different considering that the same company would be insuring the vehicle. The agent told her that he would call her back.
When he called her back, he offered her 400 dollars for the entire year of coverage. Donna is a divorced, single mother of three children and is currently unemployed. She receives state assistance and child support. She did not have the entire $400 dollars to pay at once. In the end, Donna made a deal with her agent that did near the $252 dollar Progressive quote mark.
Go To Page: 1 2
