Online vs. Offline Auto Insurance Quotes
Getting your quotes online has its share of advantages over the traditional, brick and mortar approach. It does come with some downsides too, but they are definitely outnumbered by the positive sides.
Pros
- The whole process is blazing fast. You fill in one application that gets forwarded to as many insurance companies as you choose. The approximate quotes are then displayed on one page, so that you can compare them head to head. You can then pick the best offer and close the deal. Everything takes less than half an hour.
- You get to do it from the comfort of your office or home. You don’t have to drive around from one insurance store to another, spend hours in traffic only to find that you arrived there after their working hours.
- Companies with fewer brick and mortar offices can usually afford to offer better rates. They have fewer expenses related to rent, utilities or sales and administrative personnel, which can translate into better rates for you, while they can still keep a good profit margin.
- More offers to choose from. Even if you don’t use an auto insurance comparison site, all insurance carriers are literally at a few mouse clicks away. If you live in a large metropolitan area you probably have easy access to most of the insurance operators on today’s market, but if you live in a rural area you may find that there are only a handful of companies within your reach.
- Most insurance companies have an extensive knowledge base on their website. Whenever you don’t understand a term or how a certain concept works, you can always look it up and read it as many times as needed. You can’t spend hours in front of an insurance agent to ask all kinds of questions you want -- he probably won’t have the time to help you out with everything.
- You get to close a deal at any time of day or night. If you want to get a quote at 3 am then you can do it -- the whole process is automated, there is no need for a human operator to do the math and make you an offer.
Cons
- The Internet is impersonal. If you prefer face to face meet-ups over the screen of your computer, then the Internet isn’t probably a good option for you.
- Spending half a day calling up insurance agencies can be fun if you are doing it with your friends or family. It can be a good moment to socialize with the dear ones. You don’t have this with online quoting, because everything will be over in less than half an hour.