Griffin-Owens and Associates

“You get way you pay for”.  That’s it.  These famous words have lived as a part of our vocabulary for as long as anyone can remember.  Another one is “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.  Recently, a major insurance company has been selling the idea that it’s customers can name their own price.  This sales tactic is disingenuous and perhaps downright deceptive.  The truth is, that you can alter your price with any insurance company by simply changing the coverage.  Too often, we see other insurance companies undercutting our prices by selling policies that have inferior coverage.  Coverage that could leave their policyholders dangerously exposed.

Do you remember those old AIG commercials that began “Attention drivers statewide”.  After AIG’s name and reputation was and still is tarnished in the evening news, those commercials disappeared.  Well, they are back, but not with the same name.  Now, the company is called 21st Century Auto Insurance Company.  But, if you go to their website, you will see that their policies are underwritten by AIG.  When a company is too ashamed to use their own name in advertising, you need to ask yourself, “Is that the kind of company that I want to do business with?”

When you are shopping for an insurance policy, it is up to you to find out who you are doing business with and what you are buying.  If you were able to compare all of the major insurance company’s premiums for car and homeowners insurance over the course of the last 20 years and average them out, you would find that there really is not that big a difference.  The critical differences are with the details of the contracts and the people that you are doing business with.  A good insurance agent can make the difference between having a claim that is settled quickly and with very little disruption to your life and a claim that can become a nightmare and alter the course of your life significantly.  You really do get what you pay for.  Don’t get caught up in the hype and tell them to keep their price gun in it’s holster.  Look for a good value, not just a low price.