Arizona Auto Insurance Quotes - How to Avoid Sites That Sell Your Personal Information
Getting Arizona auto insurance quotes can be an overwhelming process.
Everywhere you turn, you see a company claiming they can save you $400 a year on your auto insurance.
A recent report from the Arizona Department of Insurance indicated that there were 152 insurance companies actively seeking new customers in 2008.
And 21 of those companies had been in the state for 3 years or less.
There's no doubt about it, the competition for your insurance dollar is fierce.
So if you want to shop online, where do you start? What sites are reputable? How can you get a good rate without spending days doing it? Unfortunately, the answer to these questions isn't always straightforward.
One of the biggest obstacles you'll face is knowing what a site is going to do with your personal information.
This may seem like a trivial detail at first, but submitting your information to the wrong website can lead to months of harassment.
By the time you finish reading this article, you'll have a much better idea of how you can shop for auto insurance online.
The 3 Types of Insurance Websites If you want to get Arizona auto insurance quotes online, you'll find 3 different kinds of sites: 1.
An insurance company's official site.
Naturally, almost every major insurance company has their own website.
You can get safely get quotes at these sites, but the process is time consuming.
You can only get one quote at a time.
2.
Independent Insurance Agencies.
Independent insurance agencies are authorized to quote, service, and sell the insurance products of multiple insurance companies.
In my opinion, they are the best way to get accurate quotes for multiple companies at once.
They routinely represent 10 or more companies.
And the rates you receive are the same that you would get directly from the insurance company.
While there are hundreds of independent insurance agencies in Arizona, only a handful offer online quotes.
3.
Lead Generation/Referral Sites.
These are the kind of sites you need to be careful using.
If you don't know what you're getting into, these sites can create some major hassles for you.
While these sites can do a good job matching you with agents that specialize in the type of insurance you need, you must realize that their "free referral service" makes money by selling sales leads to local agencies and insurance companies.
Some of these sites will immediately sell your information to 8 or more local agents.
Keep in mind, these agents are paying a few dollars for every lead they get.
Naturally, they want to see a return on their investment and they will usually try to contact you by phone and email numerous times.
You can imagine the number of calls and emails you'll receive if you accidentally submit your information to one or more of these sites.
How to Avoid Sites That Sell Your Personal Information Once you know what to look for, it's easy to identify whether or not a site will sell your information.
When you find a site that offers multiple quotes at once, look at the About Us page first.
This page will tell you about the company and the services they provide.
Keep in mind, insurance is a highly regulated industry.
Websites are required to disclose what they plan on doing with your information.
Here are a few indications that your information is about to be sold:
Reputable insurance companies will have user-friendly sites.
It shouldn't be a hassle to get the information you need.
Even if you are dealing with a well known insurance company, it's always a good idea to pay attention to the fine print at the bottom of the quote form.
Arizona auto insurance quotes usually require a lot of personal data and you have the right to know what they plan on doing with it.
Everywhere you turn, you see a company claiming they can save you $400 a year on your auto insurance.
A recent report from the Arizona Department of Insurance indicated that there were 152 insurance companies actively seeking new customers in 2008.
And 21 of those companies had been in the state for 3 years or less.
There's no doubt about it, the competition for your insurance dollar is fierce.
So if you want to shop online, where do you start? What sites are reputable? How can you get a good rate without spending days doing it? Unfortunately, the answer to these questions isn't always straightforward.
One of the biggest obstacles you'll face is knowing what a site is going to do with your personal information.
This may seem like a trivial detail at first, but submitting your information to the wrong website can lead to months of harassment.
By the time you finish reading this article, you'll have a much better idea of how you can shop for auto insurance online.
The 3 Types of Insurance Websites If you want to get Arizona auto insurance quotes online, you'll find 3 different kinds of sites: 1.
An insurance company's official site.
Naturally, almost every major insurance company has their own website.
You can get safely get quotes at these sites, but the process is time consuming.
You can only get one quote at a time.
2.
Independent Insurance Agencies.
Independent insurance agencies are authorized to quote, service, and sell the insurance products of multiple insurance companies.
In my opinion, they are the best way to get accurate quotes for multiple companies at once.
They routinely represent 10 or more companies.
And the rates you receive are the same that you would get directly from the insurance company.
While there are hundreds of independent insurance agencies in Arizona, only a handful offer online quotes.
3.
Lead Generation/Referral Sites.
These are the kind of sites you need to be careful using.
If you don't know what you're getting into, these sites can create some major hassles for you.
While these sites can do a good job matching you with agents that specialize in the type of insurance you need, you must realize that their "free referral service" makes money by selling sales leads to local agencies and insurance companies.
Some of these sites will immediately sell your information to 8 or more local agents.
Keep in mind, these agents are paying a few dollars for every lead they get.
Naturally, they want to see a return on their investment and they will usually try to contact you by phone and email numerous times.
You can imagine the number of calls and emails you'll receive if you accidentally submit your information to one or more of these sites.
How to Avoid Sites That Sell Your Personal Information Once you know what to look for, it's easy to identify whether or not a site will sell your information.
When you find a site that offers multiple quotes at once, look at the About Us page first.
This page will tell you about the company and the services they provide.
Keep in mind, insurance is a highly regulated industry.
Websites are required to disclose what they plan on doing with your information.
Here are a few indications that your information is about to be sold:
- They tell you that they are not an insurance company or licensed to sell insurance,
- They mention they have relationships with thousands of local agents,
- They are a "free referral service"
- There is a section on the site that entices agents to buy leads.
Reputable insurance companies will have user-friendly sites.
It shouldn't be a hassle to get the information you need.
Even if you are dealing with a well known insurance company, it's always a good idea to pay attention to the fine print at the bottom of the quote form.
Arizona auto insurance quotes usually require a lot of personal data and you have the right to know what they plan on doing with it.
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