Newsletter - January 2010

Auto Insurance Companies – Which is Best?

You might think most auto insurance companies are the same but from the body shops point of view insurance companies are not all alike in how they handle your claim or authorize repairs. Lower premiums become much less important if a company refuses a claim, is slow to settle, immediately raises your rates, uses mostly non-original parts, or makes an unsatisfactory payout to name a few policy holder complaints. Repair shops were asked by Automotive Body Repair News “Who’s the easiest insurance companies to work with” and here are the results.

How to Choose Auto Insurance?

Online Reviews – Search online for local reviews not national opinions. An insurance company may have a good rating in one particular market but a terrible reputation in the Denver market that is why we suggest to locally search Denver auto insurance buyer’s opinions. However, remember, that people who’ve experienced problems are more likely to post comments than those who don't have problems.

Consumer Opinions – Probably the most current and complete opinion research was done by J.D. Powers & Associates whose study measures customer satisfaction with auto insurance companies. They also issued a press release describing their study.

Ask the Body Shop - Nobody knows about car insurance companies better than body shops. We’ll tell you which insurers are the best to deal with – which are the least trouble when settling claims and paying for proper repairs.

The Automotive Service Association asked collision repair shops in the state of Arizona to rate insurance companies on a scale of one (worst) to ten (best) based on this question: “Do the insurance company’s overall policies, attitudes and payment processes focus on providing quality and timely repairs for the consumer?”.