I purchased auto insurance from Unitrin Direct several years ago because my poor driving record forced me to find a company that insures high-risk drivers. At the end of each six-month policy period, I received an invoice from Unitrin that listed required monthly payments for the following six months. As I entered my second year of coverage by this company, I noticed that additional administrative costs were tacked on to my invoice, and that my rates were raised one or two months into my policy period. After receiving my most recent mid-policy rate increase, I called Unitrin to find out what was going on. When I pointed out that I understood a policy to be contractual, the customer-service representative with whom I spoke corrected me. She claimed that the policy was not a contract and the bill for the policy period was only an estimate. (You learn something new every day!) According to her, the most recent rate increase resulted from a lien on my car. Confounded, though not dissuaded, by my argument that there never has been and never will be a lien on my car, she countered that if that is the case, it must be attributable to a year-old driving violation she found on my record.
At that point, I realized that it would be in my best interest to distance myself from Unitrin, so I immediately parted ways with them and purchased a policy with Nationwide that provided better coverage and saved me at least $350 a year. (Because Unitrin’s rates vary with the weather and time of day, I can’t say exactly how much I saved by switching to Nationwide.)
Don't purchase auto insurance from Unitrin if there are other options and you’re a big fan of predictability. If buying from Unitrin is your only option, go with them as long as you have to, and dump them as soon as you can.
0 comments