Shopping around for top insurance companies is simple enough. “Shopping around”, however, is the operative phrase. Why? Because assessing insurance cover is very subjective in nature; the “best” insurance is not necessarily the cheapest or most readily obtainable – it is the one that most appositely satisfies your requirements. In other words, the old adage “horses for courses” manifests itself.
That agreed, it must be acknowledged that you also need accessibility, credibility and affordability.
Accessibility to you might mean the insurance company with a shopfront in your main street, a business into which you can walk and where you can discuss your needs with a “live” staff member. The younger set, accustomed to internet banking, and on-line trading for everything from books to fishing rods, might regard accessibility as the company most prominent on the internet for 24-hour e-mail contact.
The issue of credibility is a delicate one. Here the potentially “best” insurance company can let itself down through Flash Harry characters in its television commercials, misspellings in its print ads or mispronunciations in radio spots. Slips such as these cause a prospective customer to wonder if the company is up to scratch. Then there could be inconsistencies in the company’s claims, or it might just be that you’ve never heard of the insurer. Anything about the “fine print” in an insurance company’s prospectus that causes you doubts? Get some good advice before you make a decision.
Affordability, of course, will always be a contentious issue, because any two insurance companies that appear to offer identical benefits and inclusions (or wondrous “extras”) will always ask different premiums; this leaves you wondering whether the cheaper insurer is on the level, or if perhaps it is true that “you get what you pay for”, and so should you opt for the dearer option?
So, without abandoning any of those considerations, the issue must come down to one of convenience and practicality.
The internet is the way to narrow your search, and the top insurance companies that market themselves most effectively will be those in the top order on the search engine’s first page. Their benefits, packages, add-ons and premiums will all be clearly stated – as clearly as if set out before you verbally by a live rep – and you will have the opportunity to transact all the business you want concisely and conveniently via your computer.
Insurance is a highly competitive business, and the company that is serious about meeting your needs will work hard to gain and retain your business.
It follows logically that after-sales service is a cogent consideration, and a point to keep in mind from previous dealings with top insurance companies. Listen to what your friends, relatives and neighbours have to say on the matter. It does count.
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