Posts Tagged ‘Car Insurance’
Since 2002 I have been running insurance and self catering holiday home advertising websites as an introducer agent under the terms of the UK’s FSA regulations. This means I cannot offer advice, speak to any clients or accept money on behalf of an insurance provider. This is of course not at all bad with an automated system like at jml.insurance.co.uk, as this means people can find a product and then access the insurance company’s own site for more information and even contact them direct about any concerns.
One of the problems of being an introducer affiliate is actually making sure that you receive commission for affiliate sales as some companies tracking systems are not as good as others.
I have found with certain providers we instantly get a notification of a sale, others might have this but in addition have established agents areas where you can actually see day to day activity. I have also had to monitor their payment process.
Fortunately the majority pay directly into our bank account and we receive a notification saying payment will be made on a given date. Occasionally they forget (not intentionally but by a clerical upset) and have to be reminded.
Over the years I have purchased landlords property insurance, travel insurance, car hire excess insurance and overseas property insurance using the online links. This has been a great way to see if the system works or not and it is most reassuring to know it does.
As technology has improved in most cases the tracking has improved as well. Recently I was sent a household insurance reminder and wanted to change the level of cover from the renewal date. The insurance broker told me about the revised price and I thought I would shop around.
I immediately went into the jml-insurance.co.uk site and followed the link to an insurance company that specializes in overseas property insurance, holiday and second home insurance and also main residence insurance.
I filled out their online questionnaire and within a few minutes was phoned back for the adviser to obtain further information. A quote was emailed within minutes. As this was a lot more competitive, but covered exactly what was covered by the original insurance company, I arranged car payment on line and it was all set up.
A couple of days later the policy documents arrived in the post. Prior to that I had logged into the agents area of the insurance company’s website and saw the word “sale” recorded. Had nothing happened with this transaction or others that I and my family had carried out I would have been onto the company in question very quickly. I certainly don’t want to be in a situation whereby the website is generating enquiries and sales for insurance companies without our receiving our commission.
Whenever I need to rent a car I usually use a car hire provider that advertises on the jmlvillas.com site and again keep any eye out for commission from these companies as well.
When it comes to saving money on car insurance, there are some obvious things that will help you out. As I’m sure you heard before, it always makes sense to get more than one quote. That way you can compare the rates from different companies and save. But there is a lot more that will help besides just comparing rates.
Did you know that California has set up laws for auto insurers? These laws are meant to protect drivers from fraud and abuse by insurance companies. The state of California is one of the best states when it comes to protecting its drivers from fraud and abuse from insurance companies.
One recent law to help consumers save is Proposition 103. Proposition 103 was passed in 1988 to change that, but went into affect July 14, 2008. The law states that that auto insurance companies must provide you quotes based on your driving record, not your zip code. Previously, drivers paid their premiums based on their location. So you could have been a better driver (and lower risk) than someone a mile away, but you would have had to pay a higher premium based on your zip code.
Another law meant to protect drivers in the state of California is Assembly Bill 2677. This law was passed in 2005 and says that auto insurance companies in California must provide drivers with the lowest rate available to them. If they do not show you your lowest possible rate, they are violating the law. Be sure to always ask to see the lowest rate available to you.
California has also regulated the rates that insurers can charge to drivers. Recently California mandated that Allstate must lower its insurance rates by 15.9%. Allstate covers roughly 10% of all California drivers, so the mandate was a huge win in helping California drivers save even more on car insurance.
Another benefit to California drivers in need of cheap auto insurance is the California Low Cost Auto insurance program (CLCA). This program is a minimum coverage insurance that helps drivers in dire economic circumstances get affordable car insurance. Through the CLCA drivers can get insurance for as low as $400 a year.
The more you know about auto insurance laws in California, the more educated you will be on your rights as a consumer. Knowing your rights will help you save money. Of course, don’t forget to compare your rates.
We all flinched, moaned and sympathized with Chevy Chase when “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” came out. Nobody likes the idea of psychotic relatives coming by and ruining their perfect Christmas, but let’s face it. It could have been a whole lot worse! He could, for example, have gone on vacation only to find out his car insurance had been cancelled!
Not exactly the Christmas you’d be hoping for either, is it? Unless you happen to work in the insurance industry, car insurance isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Christmas. That’s too bad though. Not knowing what’s going on with your insurance can lead to some nasty surprises when you’re out on the highways!
There are three things you have to know when it comes to Christmas and car insurance.
1) Is your state part of a no-fault or tort system? This is going to be extremely relevant if you find yourself in the middle of bumper to bumper traffic that looks like something out of “Death Race”! Peace and goodwill aside, people drive like maniacs during the holidays. If you can walk away with your car and your dignity intact you’re already three steps ahead of the game.
Since there’s a better than average chance you’re going to find yourself trapped in a fender bender this Christmas, it pays to know not only what your coverage includes in your own state but also what’s covered when you travel. That way you’re never taken by surprise when you’re 700 miles away and find yourself filing car insurance claims on the first day of Christmas!
2) Does your car insurance travel past U.S. borders? While some areas of Canada and Mexico will accept American car insurance, most won’t. Since sitting around in a Tijuana jail cell makes for a great story but an unpleasant holiday experience (and a gastric nightmare), do yourself a favor and make sure you pick up a local policy ahead of time. There are multiple companies in the U.S. that have their fingers in all matters abroad, and they can put you in touch with all the right people to make your Christmas vacation flow as smoothly as possible.
3) Car insurance companies have almost nothing to do with items stolen out of your luggage when you’re traveling, even if they were in the car when someone walked by and decided to liberate them from the tyranny of ownership! Normally your homeowners insurance would be the one to pick up the slack here, but travelers find themselves wading into a grey area because suitcases and purses are in and out of the car and it can be almost impossible to tell when, where and how they were cleaned out.
If you’re traveling with enough “stuff” that you’re actually worried about the long term effects of being ripped off you might want to consider picking up a holiday insurance policy to complement your car insurance. Not only does holiday insurance pick up where car insurance leaves off when it comes to protecting you, it will also help absorb the costs if you have to cancel your reservations (you don’t usually get that money back), your flight’s delayed or you miss it completely and you have to book a room overnight/eat out/buy another plane ticket.
It’s a worthwhile investment that will go a long way toward giving you the holiday celebration the Griswold family Christmas was meant to be.