Geico would save me $150
May 12, 2008
Sense was right. Even though I was relieved that PaDucky had taken the initiative to request quotes for taking MaDucky off the insurance policy, I couldn’t help myself: I had to look up other quotes because I’d wanted to compare rates anyway.
Geico’s rates were about $150 less, for the same coverage, and even better, the deductibles were only $500 for each car. I was really tempted to switch on over without further ado.
Luckily, I called my repair shop to ask about ease of service and transactions with Geico first. It turns out that while I have the legal right (it’s CA law) to go to any repair facility of my choosing, my preferred repair shop is “not longer a direct provider for Geico” because they had difficulty doing business with them. The guy that usually helps me said that they’d stopped working with Geico a couple years back because they charge premium prices for their work and Geico doesn’t like paying them. I understand the principle of that, obviously, that’s how they pass the savings along to the customer. It’s just ironic because they were the cheapest of three quotes for my car repairs from the accident last year!
I asked him what not being a direct provider meant to me as a customer. He explained that while other insurance companies allow them to take the photos, email them, and proceed with repairs, Geico requires the adjuster to come to the facility to take their own photos, and then to return again when the car is torn down if/when there is more extensive damage. Basically, not being a direct provider means that we’re looking at an extra 50% time premium. Nooo buddy! I don’t think so. If I’m going to have to use their services in the next six months, I want to use my own shop, and not have to wait three weeks instead of two. Aside from being impatient, I also never opt for the rental car benefit, so we’d be down to one car instead of two.
It looks like I’ll be sticking with Mercury for now, even though they’re a bit more expensive.
