How local car insurance companies can save you time and money

Insurance agents, believe it or not, are not sneaky, manipulative middlemen out to take all your hard-earned money like they're so often portrayed. On the contrary, they're just like you and me. They just happen to know more about something that most of us don't understand — insurance.

We've all seen dozens of television ads touting the ease and speed of web insurance dealers, but you may want to weigh the pros and cons of national versus local insurance companies before choosing.

"Many people think it's great to quickly click around and buy their policy on the Internet," said Phillip Sanouvong, owner of InsureMyVehicle.com. "But when they have a car accident, they are annoyed by all the 1-800 numbers, poor customer service, and the absence of a personal advocate on their side."

Consider researching your local insurance agents for advantages that likely include the following:

• Setting up your auto policy face-to-face with an agent who can give you the best balance of coverage and pricing for your individual situation.

• Talking to the same person every time you call with a question or need to make changes to your policy (and knowing them by name!)

• Getting answers quickly when life-changing events happen like when your child gets his or her drivers license.

• The ability to drop off payments to an office and save a stamp.

• Getting advice on your territory rating that only someone who lives and works in your area would know about.

• Having someone who understands special risks and possible coverage issues specific to your area that you should consider when contemplating your policy. (For example, areas highly affected by flood, theft, etc.)

• Personal attention during a claim or car accident.

• Having a personal advocate on your side to help with a claim.

• Supporting your community by supporting local businesses.
  

Overall, your car insurance is simply too important of a purchase to not consider all of your options. Search the internet for listings of local insurers, or log onto InsureMyVehicle.com for a directory of car insurance agents all around the country.

(Source: InsureMyVehicle)