Company Overview
If you watch much television at all, you probably know from the popular television commercial ad that you can get a quote for auto insurance online in only seven minutes. This claim of quick insurance quotes available online goes along with the company slogan of “Insurance for the Modern World.” The company making this claim is one of the largest online direct writers of insurance in the United States, Esurance.
Known for providing discounted insurance products, Esurance is part of the Allstate family and offers its customers personal insurance products including auto, homeowners, renters, health, life, ATV, RV and motorcycle insurance. The company is a leader in innovative products including its usage-based auto insurance program, DriveSense, designed to save safe drivers up to 30% on auto insurance premiums.
Esurance has been in business since 1999 and was co-founded by a group of five; Jean-Bernard Duler, Jeffrey Goodman, Huyen Bui, David Griffin, and Charles Wallace. In the beginning, the company only offered personal auto insurance in four states as a direct seller through its online website. Now, it has expanded its products lines and writes insurance in 43 states. Esurance has annual revenue of over $1 billion. Allstate acquired Esurance in 2011. The company has kept its San Francisco, CA location as its corporate headquarters.
Financial Strength Ratings and Company Awards
Esurance has a financial stability rating of “A+” from A.M. Bestinsurance rating organization.
In addition, it also has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
The company has received numerous awards and recognitions including:
- Silver Award of Distinction from the Better Business Bureau in 2010. This award is given to companies that have a demonstrated high priority on honesty and integrity in the marketplace.
- INNovators Awards in both 2008 and 2009 given by Insurance Networking News as being an innovator in the online auto insurance field.
- 2013 Ace Awards for communication excellence for its design and social media teams.
Pros
The insurance rates provided by Esurance are competitive and you could end up saving some money by buying an insurance policy online. The company is able to cut out some expenses by eliminating the need for a middle man, an insurance agent, as it sells its insurance policies directly to the customer.
Esurance offers its insurance customers a website that is among one of the best provided by an online insurance company. It is user friendly and you can access it at any time to make policy changes, payments or print ID cards. Esurance also has a mobile application to take care of your insurance needs while on the go.
The company also has a strong social media presence including a Facebook page where customers are allowed to post any comments to the company. I found this a gutsy move as you never know on any given day what a customer may say about you. The surprising thing to me was to find that the company accepted all comments and responded in a positive way. This willingness to address and resolve customer complaints says much about the customer service you can expect to receive. You can also address any concerns to the company through Twitter via @esurancecares.
Cons
As with any online insurance company, you lack the ability to meet with an insurance professional face-to-face. Depending on your preferences, this may or may not be a factor. While the company does offer telephone assistance, you will not be able to meet one-on-one with an agent since Esurance is a direct writer and does not use insurance agents.
Contact Information
To learn more about its insurance products or to receive a quote, you can visit the Esurance website or call 1-800-ESURANCE (1-800-378-7262).