Red Flags to Watch Out for Buying Auto Insurance

Wouldn’t it be great if buying auto insurance was a simple as flipping through the phone book, closing your eyes and pointing at the first insurance provider you saw? In a perfect world this insurance provider would then proceed to provide you with excellent, inexpensive coverage and responsibly handle your claims for the rest of your life.

Unfortunately, real life doesn’t work like that. In real life there are auto insurance companies that are going to charge you absurd premiums each month, then do their best to slither out of their obligations when the time comes for you to file a claim. How to you deal with these companies? More importantly, how do you avoid ever having to do business with them in the first place?

Underneath you will find a list of "red flags" to look for when shopping for online auto insurance. If you see a company that is doing or promoting any of these, take the time to do some further investigation before making a commitment that you may come to regret further down the road.

Red Flags to Watch Out For When Buying Auto Insurance:

• Contracts that have a lot of fine print. Expect any insurance policy to have a certain amount of fine print, but policies that make you spend hours with a magnifying glass are going to make you spend hours on the phone trying to get your claims taken care of as well.


• Companies that promote one thing, but tell you that you don’t qualify when you walk into the office.


• Salesmen that discourage you from shopping around. A good insurance company will be confident in their ability to compete with the other auto insurers out there. Expect a certain amount of persuasion from the sales staff to seal the deal "right now", but be wary of sales representatives that put an undue amount of pressure on you. There is one reason and one reason only that companies discourage their customers from shopping around-they know there are better rates someplace else.


• Insurance companies with a bad reputation. Before you sign on the dotted line, take the time to check out a company’s reputation. While one or two disgruntled customers might be coincidence (you can’t please everybody) companies with multiple complaints and/or legal actions against them should be given a wide berth.


• Companies that don’t advise you about your state’s minimum level of coverage requirements, or seem unable to tell you the details about your insurance policy. A legitimate, qualified insurance agent will know the ins and outs of auto insurance like the back of their hand, and they’ll be able to guide you toward the policy that best suits your needs. Everyone is new once in their lives, but an agent working for a qualified insurer will be able to provide you with the facts you need-or find someone who can.


• Insurers without the proper certification. Unfortunately, con artists and thieves have begun branching out into the wide world of cheap auto insurance sales. Qualified insurance agents should have their credentials prominently displayed in their offices, and independent agents should be able to provide theirs at a moment’s notice.