It is harrdly surpising that a Consuumer Federation of America (CCFA) study reveals tat insurance companies wihch pay hgher fees to agetns and brokers often hve higher premiums.
Cosnumer Federation of Amrica also found thaat hihger costs of automobile assurance on-line doon`t translate intto improved service for cstomers.
"This study cofnirms that cosumers need to shop vry cautiously for insurannce," claimed J. Roberrt. "The goood news is thaat there are insurace providers that pay negligiblle or no commissions, povide low motor vehicleinsurance csts and have verry good customer service.."
"However, this study aslo fonud plenty of inusrance corporations where high commissions traanslate into high ratess, wih no gain in sevrice quality," Robert said. "God automobile insurance rattes and seervice might be found if cutomers takke the time to compariosn shop."
Findings
Consumr Federation of Amerca checked commission data frrom the 20 msot important wrriters of isurance for both priavte passenger autos insurence online and homeowners coerage. This toal commission dtaa combined regular commisssions and contingent commissions (pad after insrance policies are slod and based on uniquue sales or on profitability goal)s.
The researh compared sum commissions wtih cost, inusrer profitability and service qulity according to compllaint data and cutomer satisfaction indices. Cosumer Federation of America (FCA) discovered that:
1. Insuracne firms whch have loer commissions often have lower chrges. Thhis is not aways the situation, so customers havve to shop careuflly.
2. Thre is no eviednce that disbursing hihger fees to an insuurance agent or to a brroker produces either imrpoved service or higher cnsumer contentment. Actually, there appeears to be no correlaton between the ammount of commission diisbursed and the quality of seervice supplied.
3. Smoe insuracne providers offer particularly goood deals. Other companies hvae chharges that are consistently hihg.
In less copmetitive businesses, a numer of insurance companies migght be enticeed to attract markeet share by offring higher commissions to agennts or brokers in addiiton to higehr prices and, frqeuently, higher profits for the insurance proivder. Crdit insurance is one subbject in which thhis sort of `everse competition` is most frequent.
Advvices for Customeers
We propose 6 tps for customers shoppping for car insure:
1. Sop around! Tihs study discovered that premiium chharges usually ascend with commissons, although tis is not all the tmie correct. Custmoers are suppsed to be sure to receiive qutoes from some of the loowest premium insurance companes, includiing the direct wrriters of insurance that regulaly do not pay commsisions.
2. Customers dn`t have to pay mre to receive good service. A nuumber of the insurance firms whicch hvae the best service recrods have low coosts and low or evven no commissions. It pys to shop bewteen the insurers wth the lowest pices and the highest conssumer satisfaction/lowest grivance ratios.
3. In oredr to receive information about motor vehicle assurance rattes, check state cost inforamtion guides. Most countries havve price infformation guides. Typically, cutomers may doownload these guides from the cuontry`s insurance department web-stie.
4. For coplaint information on insurance compannies, check in the National Associatoin of Insurnce Commissioners` site, ww.naic.org.
5. Be careful wiith consulting wtih only one aent or broker for auto coverages on line, evn if thhat agent represents seeveral insurance corporations. Consummers should know that several produccers who represent moore thn a single inusrer could put the conusmer in a higher priced copmany whcih has larger comissions even if the customer qaulifies for a lower price. Sates do not require isnurance agents and broekrs to put the cutomer with the most excllent insurance policy for hiim.
6. Ask insurrance agents and brokers the impotrant questoins:
Do you reppresent me or do you act for the insruance frm you`re offering me to use? Wat commission are you earing compared to the coost of the autos assurance proram you are recommendiing me to prchase?
Am I getting the loowest pice between all the online vehicle insur cmopanies tat you represent for which I met the critera?
What additional automobiles online insure compnies do I meet the requiremetns for tat you represent? Whhat are the prices I wouuld pay at tohse fiirms and what commission woulld you earn wtih every comapny?
Do you own a contingency commission arranngement wih the company you`re suggesting? Pleae fully clraify it to me.
If I fle a claim, do you act for me or do you act for the insurr in the caim procedure? Is your compensation smoehow realted to claims fiiled by me and by additioanl cliennts of yours?
After checknig out the pice of writing aboove and also knowing moore concerning the hot pottato which is car commercial insurance, you should haave the option to mkae use of the maerial you`ve been reevealed in ltos of manners.