I have noticed more people interested in buying auto insurance over the internet or through an 800 number.

As an insurance professional, I find this trend very intriguing.
After all, buying auto insurance is not like buying a computer, cell phone or any other commodity. 

So, with this in mind, I wanted to find out for myself what type of advice I would get attempting to purchase auto insurance.    I decided to call a well known company you see on TV, radio and everywhere.    

The sales rep was very friendly and polite.  As we began, she was more interested in quoting a comparison price based on my current coverage versus offering me advice on what coverage I should have.   When I asked her recommendations, she asked if I was a homeowner and promptly recommended $100K/$300K bodily injury limits and said I could go LOWER to save money.  $100,000 of liability coverage does not go very far if someone is severally injured.  Amazing, I thought, her goal was to save me money instead of protecting me.   Our agents would have used these limits as the minimum and would have recommended higher limits. 

Next discussion was about collision and comprehensive coverage.   She recommended no collision on 2 of my older vehicles even though their value is $4,000 and $7,000.  Our agents would have reviewed the additional cost to have collision versus the financial impact of losing $7,000 after an accident.  

In the end their rate was higher than my current policy, $1,496 vs $1,236 with considerably lower liability limits and higher deductibles.  So, all the offers of saving money may be appealing but not when it’s at the expense of reduced coverage. Consider the value of advice from an insurance professional as a key ingredient in making a buying decision.