An awesome advertising company that happens to sell insurance. Every week of the year your mailbox is likely infiltrated by a mailing from Geico. Not always a letter, sometimes just an insert in something else but they are there. The message is always the same ” How much could you save on your car insurance?” They use that goofy gecko, a pig, a caveman, random “b list” celebrities, etc in order to try and get your attention in a crowded place and they do a really good job at it. This is based on them recently being ranked the #2 car insurer in the United States.
So good for them! They actually make it easier for me to stand out with a commoditized product. The thing is they completely dumb down what is more often than not an important piece of a financial plan. Let’s look at this weeks mail; 5 Important tips to help you save money on car insurance
1. Insure more than one car on your policy; Is that the best you can do for number 1? Really, insure another car? In many cases it is actually considered fraud to not disclose other vehicles in a household NEXT
2.Make sure your car is equipped with safety features: Come on man(thanks CC) you then point out Anti-lock brakes, air bags and anti theft systems. 2 of those three are basically standard features of any car 2000 and newer. As far as anti-theft, the discount is so small since it is a percentage of comprehensive which is your least expensive coverage.
3. Find out if your alumni association, credit union or professional group partners with Geico. Ok now you are offering something, nice play. Enjoyed this for years at Liberty Mutual until I realized it was more of a marketing ploy than an actual discount.
4.Insure more than your car with Geico. Great a multi-policy discount, how original.
5. Educate your young drivers, or encourage them to get their own policy. Although I like this idea from an overall responsibility perspective there is a small chance of savings. See do you think the 18-22ish year old can afford the rate? If the parents still need to subsidize the cost where is the savings?
My key take away on this and anything else Geico presents is this; They do what they say they are going to do. They do not promise a solid policy, they do not promise great coverage they do not promise that this policy is a great piece of your financial plan.
Good for them, but most people want better value not better price.
Just some thoughts.