The latest J.D. Power survey brings surprising news about how we feel about insurance claims departments.

How would you have rated your claims department?

Have you had a car insurance claim lately and come out of the experience satisfied with the claims department you were working with? If not, you probably weren’t one of the many people that J.D. Power surveyed recently about claims satisfaction then. From their survey results more people are happy with their claims department dealings, and the satisfaction rates are up even more than they were last year.

How Claims Department Satisfaction Ratings Were Determined

Because I can’t say it any better than J.D. Power did in their press release, here are the details of how the results of this claims department survey were gathered.

“The 2012 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 12,508 auto insurance customers who settled a claim within the past 6 months. The study excludes claimants whose vehicle only incurred glass/windshield damage or was stolen, or who only filed roadside assistance claims. Survey data was collected between November 2011 and September 2012.”

What Was Rated for Claims Department Satisfaction

J.D. Power used 6 different factors for people to rate the claims departments on at the insurance companies. They were rated by:

• Overall Satisfaction: Score is based on how the survey participants rated their overall claims experience.
• First Notice of Loss: Based on how survey participants, that were claimants, rate the insurance company itself based on the claims process.
• Service Interaction: Rated from how the survey participant felt about how their claim was handled by the claims department or adjuster.
• Appraisal: Score based on how the survey participants rated the insurance company’s handling of the appraisal process.
• Repair Process: Score based on how the survey participants rated the insurance company’s handling of the repair process.
• Rental Experience: Score based on how the survey participants rated the fairness of the settlement for the claim by the claims department that was handling the claim.
• Settlement: Score based on how the survey participants rated the insurance company’s handling of the appraisal process.

Overall Findings of the Report

J.D. Power used a 1,000 point scale when compiling the results of their survey for each of the different factors that they had survey participants rate. They found that overall claimant satisfaction was at 852 which is a 6 point increase from last year. In fact, most of the factors that were rated saw an increase in satisfaction from the survey participants.

This increase in points means that people are more satisfied with their claims experience this year than they were last year.

(to be continued in part 2)

Allstate’s Mayhem brings us the nightmare situation most of use fear during the holidays

Allstate Commercial

Commercial opens with a close shot of Mayhem and a broken picture frame being dropped in the shot that says “Home Sweet Home”.

Mayhem: I’m the holiday get together that you can’t leave because your car’s battery is dead. And since you don’t have Good Hands Roadside Assistance, you’ll have to stay another night while your parents argue whose fault it is that your brother is such a huge disappointment and your Uncle keeps telling you how impressive your thigh muscles are.

Oh, and wait until you see who I am flying in later tonight. Here’s a hint – Cousin Mike was granted parole (doorbell rings). Get Good Hands Roadside Assistance from Allstate and be protected 365 days a year from Mayhem, like me.

Screen changes extremely quick to a contact screen with where you can sign up for Good Hands Roadside Assistance.

Point of the Allstate Commercial

This commercial was from December of 2010, so Allstate was playing on the whole dreaded family gathering for the holidays that many experience. I bet that it made many people think about whether they already had a roadside assistance program on their vehicle when they saw this commercial.

If they didn’t, they probably thought about contacting Allstate so they didn’t get stuck.

What Allstate Wants You to Do

Allstate wants you to know about their roadside assistance program.

Many people already have it through AAA or other sources, so the competition for this coverage goes beyond other insurance companies for Allstate. I know that we have roadside assistance through Toyota for free on our truck and Rav4, so we turned down our insurance company when they offered theirs to us.

I am sure that Allstate hears similar statements from their clients.

My Thoughts on this Allstate Commercial

I like most of the Mayhem commercials because they drive home a point and they do so in a way that makes you laugh. I actually chose this commercial because I was looking for holiday commercials to bring to you this month and this one fit the bill.

This will be just one of a handful of Christmas commercials this month for your entertainment. So I will not be giving out ratings this month, I just want you to sit back and enjoy the festive insurance commercial fun.

The 2012 Mini Cooper is a small car that runs along an average path.

The adorable 2012 Mini Cooper

When people first see the 2012 Mini Cooper, the country of England most likely comes to mind. These foreign cars were first introduced to us colonists through movies and television, and we don’t see them in person very often in most parts of our country.

They are a novelty that we point out to our kids when we see one on the road, and for some reason they make us happy to see them. My neighbor owns one and I can’t help but smile every time I see her drive by. Maybe because as an American I am accustomed to larger vehicles and the Mini Cooper is the equivalent to a cute baby car.

But with the increasing popularity of buying smaller, more environmentally friendly vehicles, the Mini Cooper has slowly started the vehicle version of the British Invasion.

Safety Ratings for the 2012 Mini Cooper

The 2012 Mini Cooper has just slightly above average ratings when it comes to safety.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2012 Cooper two acceptable ratings and two good ratings. The good ratings were given for front crash tests and rear crash tests. The acceptable ratings were given in side impact crash tests and rollover crash tests.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration only tested the Mini Cooper with one test and that was the rollover test. The vehicle did earn 5 out of 5 stars for this test; which is interesting since it only earned an acceptable rating with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Insurance Thoughts for the 2012 Highway Safety

About average, is the best I would think the insurance cost would be for the 2012 Mini Cooper.

There is not much to the car as this car is the ultimate example of the label “compact car”. However, the price ranges from just under $20,000 to just under $35,000 so the cost of totaling or fixing it has a large range. On the lower end it would be rather cheap in the comprehensive and collision coverage, but that would most likely raise as you got up in the more expensive versions.

The medical payment and PIP coverage is also where you will most likely see the coverage hover at about average. The vehicle is not a Top Safety Pick and its safety ratings are on the upper end of average. This means that you are still well protected in your vehicle; you are just not excellently protected.

Where owners of the 2012 Mini Cooper are going to fair best in their insurance premium is with the liability. This vehicle is not known to be popular with driver’s who have bad driving records and the 2012 Mini Copper is also not going to be able to do a lot of damage to anything that it hits.

Antelope with night vision goggles are the latest animals to grace the GEICO menagerie in their commercials.

Commercial

Commercial opens in the African Plains at night. The moon is out and you see a black figure lurking out in the darkness.

Antelope #1: Look whose back?

Antelope #2: Again?

Antelope #1: It’s embarrassing.

Antelope #2: It’s embarrassing.

Screen changes to where you can see two antelope wearing night vision goggles.

Antelope #1: We can see you Carl.

Antelope #2: We can totally see you.

Antelope #1: Come on, you’re better than this – all that prowling around.

Antelope #2: Yeah you’re the king of the jungle.

Antelope #1: Have you thought about going vegan, Carl?

Lion turns away and antelopes start laughing.

Scene changes to two guys on a stage talking back and forth, both have a guitar.

Man #1: You know, folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to GEICO sure are happy.

Man #2: How happy are they Jimmy?

Man #1: Happier than an Antelope with night vision goggles.

Man #2: Nice

Announcer: Get Happy, Get GEICO. Fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more.

Point of the Commercial

GEICO continues to roll with the commercials to make people laugh. In this one they are very visual for their point and then cap it off with a short vaudeville act to explain the joke.

GEICO’s point? That you will be happy switching to them.

What They Want You to Do

GEICO wants you to switch to them from your current car insurance. They always want you to switch that is really to only message they ever use. Heck, their slogan “Fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more” is built on the premise of you switching to them.

My Thoughts on this GEICO Commercial

Overall, I like this “Antelope with Night Vision Goggles” commercial. Yes, I did find the antelope talking funny when they were egging on the lion.

I guess I am really just tired hearing about GEICO, it’s like the saturation campaign that never ends. At this point, I would probably not move my insurance to GEICO because that would open me up see information from them even more.

However, since we are here to talk about a specific commercial and not the company itself. I do have to give this GEICO “Antelope with Night Vision Goggles” commercial to thumbs up.

DTRIC Insurance introduces the Akamai Rater.

Commercial

Commercial opens with a white screen that has DTRIC, AKAMAI RATER and “How you drive is how you save” on it.

Announcer: Akamai rater, sign up, plug in, and start saving.

Screen changes to show the DTRIC mascot, Deetric, holding the device.

Announcer: Akamai rater is the revolutionary device that helps people save on auto insurance and DTRIC is the first to offer anything like it. Akamai rater lets you be in control of what you pay. Drive safely and you can save up to 40%. It’s easy.

Deetric climbs into a green car that just about matches his green hair.

Announcer: Just plug Akamai rater into the port of your car, and start saving.

Deetric shows you exactly where to find the port of your car.

Announcer: Akamai rater, how you drive is how you save.

Commercial closes with a screen showing the Akamai Rater and the 3 ways you can contact DTRIC for insurance, as well as “Sign up. Plug in. Start Saving.”

Point of the Commercial

This DTRIC commercial is extremely simple; they are announcing that they have a new tracking product that could save you money. The tracking program basically reads your car and analyzes how you drive. If the rater says that you drive safely, then DTRIC may cut your insurance premium up to 40%.

However, as some people that have used other raters have found out, if the rater says that you are not a safe driver you could actually see your insurance premium go up. So you may want to take that in to consideration before you sign up for this, currently volunteer, program.

What They Want You to Do

DTRIC wants you to try out their new gadget. But, in order to try out the new gadget you have to have insurance with them. So while the commercial is generally meant for all drivers, whether they are currently with DTRIC or not, it is aiming to get new DTRIC customers.

My Thoughts

I picked this commercial as DTRIC is one of the newest insurance companies to recently be added to our Car Insurance Reviews. Many of you may have never heard of them because they only write insurance in Hawaii.

For me I like the commercial because it is simple. They don’t say they are cheaper or better than any other company, they only offer you a way to save on their own insurance premiums. The commercial is to the point, they tell you exactly what they want from you and I honestly like this little Deetric character better than the GEICO gecko or Flo. Deetric kind of reminds me of one of the little Troll dolls I had when I was growing up.

So for its simplicity, to the pointedness (not sure if that is a word, but going to use to anyway) and the cute mascot that reminds me of my childhood and makes me want to go sit on a tropical beach, I give this DTRIC commercial two thumbs up.