When the Star team needed to compare auto insurance quotes, we figured we should probably take a look at the brokers and not just the auto insurance companies directly. After all, brokers can provide shoppers with not just one quote, but multiple quotes at once. NetQuote, one of the larger auto insurance quotes sites on the Web, was a natural choice. Their site seemed pretty simple and intuitive, but continue on for our whole experience below.
What’s New with NetQuote?
- Online quotes and comparison
- Multiple insurance types available
- Access to many of today’s top insurance providers
StarReviews' Favorite NetQuote Feature:
Hands down, the thing we liked best about the NetQuote website was the fact that we could literally have access to quotes from over one-hundred of the country's top insurance providers. We felt this meant that we could be sure we were gaining access to some of the best rates around.
About NetQuote:
Founded in 1989, NetQuote originally began as a company known as Auto Insurance Shopper. Since then they have been in the market of providing a link between insurers and the insured. NetQuote has been able to connect over 25 million people to their insurance providers and there are more connections made every day.
What NetQuote Offers:
- Automobile Insurance Quotes
- Auto Insurance Buyer's Guide
- Auto Insurance Glossary
- Compare Auto Insurance Quotes
The NetQuote Experience:
The NetQuote landing page is the epitome of modern business design. It's well laid-out and not cluttered with flash effects or other unnecessary content like some of the other auto insurance quotes sites on the Web.
The option for getting a quote is easily visible that the top of the page and the process starts by simply entering your zip code into the provided box and clicking a button. Once we entered our zip code, we were brought another page that require a bit more of information, such as name, address and other personal data needed to provide us with a quote. From start to finish, the quote process is pretty fluid and contains five easy steps including basic information, insurance information, driver info, coverage types and the final page.
NetQuote provided us with smooth sailing throughout the entire process – until it came to the final page. We had been anticipating receiving instant quotes but, instead, we were sent an email that provided a link to a page that gave us means to contact various auto insurance providers and assurances that those providers would be contacting us. Needless to say that is not what we were expecting.
We wanted instant quotes, not telemarketing calls from numerous insurance providers or emails telling us how to contact them. We could have gotten that from the yellow pages. All in all, we began to wonder if NetQuote was nothing more than a site that collected our personal information so they could sell it as a “lead” to the insurance providers in our area.
We do, however, have to give credit where credit is due. The NetQuote website isn't all bad. There are some very helpful links to be found on the site including links that explain how auto insurance works and what type of policy you should look for. If you don't mind having your information given to numerous insurance agencies, the NetQuote site might actually work out for you.
NetQuote Pricing:
Pricing varies according to auto insurance quote customers sign up for.
NetQuote Customer Service:
The customer service at NetQuote, like most insurance providers and brokers, was friendly and knowledgeable – but was only available via email. We found it a bit discouraging that we could not actually get a hold of a live body. Instead we had to rely on a FAQ sheet and an online email form that could be sent to them. To give them credit, however, we did get an email response within 1 business day. Our assumption is that any questions that one might run into could be addressed by the agents that contact you once they get your information from NetQuote.
Upside:
- Access to multiple providers, quick response time via email.
Downside:
- This service saves very little time because you still need to talk to each insurance provider individually.