The ‘Best and Worst’ Automotive Insurers of 2008: By Dan Kalm

Do you ever wonder how your auto insurance company stacks up against the competition when it comes to handling claims? The level of service insurers provide does not always correlate to the premium you pay.

While some insurers focus on providing quality repairs and service, others focus on reducing their cost to the point of providing inferior repairs and services to their policy holders. To help consumers make more educated purchasing decisions, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) of Arizona released the results of its 11th annual “Best Insurer” survey. Arizona collision repair facilities were asked to rate insurance companies on a scale of one (worst) to ten (best) based on the question; “Do the insurance company’s overall policies, attitudes and payment processes focus on providing quality and timely repairs for the consumer?” The association has listed below the rank and score of 40 insurance companies that insure the majority of vehicles in Arizona. “The most important aspect of the survey is that it underscores the significant variance in how insurers treat their policyholders after a covered loss,” said Luz Rubio, Executive Director of ASA of Arizona.

The top ten insurance companies were: USAA, State Farm, CHUBB, Farm Bureau, AAA, GMAC, Hartford, American Family, CA Casualty, Fireman’s.

The Automotive Service Association of Arizona is a not-for-profit association that includes both collision and mechanical repair facilities in Arizona. Visit ASA at asaaz.org.

(To find out more, E-mail Dan at dan@dankalm.com, call (520) 795-0231 or go to his website dankalm.com. Dan and his staff will be answering various questions about insurance in future editions of the Observer.)