Life

I wanted to begin by mentioning that Hawks Pass is now available in paperback (currently on Amazon and soon through other outlets), though this is not a book-centric post: this post is about car insurance, which might not sound an altogether intriguing topic, but seeing those of us who drive are required to have it, and therefore pay for it, you might find this little caveat more interesting than you’d expect.

I was recently notified by the alumni association of a university I attended that it had partnered with a specific insurance company to offer lower rates to graduates, and I thought, well, why not check it out. Turns out the rate I was quoted was about a third of what I was paying for six months from a rival company, and when I contacted that company to cancel my policy (one of the big seven-or-eight that are constantly running TV ads, in case you were wondering), a representative informed me they would be happy to offer me my current plan for less than half of what they had been charging me.

This made me laugh. Why didn’t they inform me they could offer such a discount when they sent out my renewal notice a month earlier? What had changed so drastically in that short period of time that allowed them to slash my rate?

I suspect the answer is nothing apart from the intention to cancel my service. I suppose it is possible some significant, quantifiable factor in my state actually changed in a way that allowed them to lower my premium (which is what the representative claimed when they offered me the new deal), or perhaps it is company policy to only reevaluate customer rates when a recalculation will add to the company coffer, not when it will result in a consumer discount. Maybe such discounts can only be offered when a policy-holder takes it upon themselves to do a little research, navigate the customer service swamp and call the company’s bluff.

I suspect this behavior constitutes a larger policy designed to enshitify this company’s service, and I doubt this practice is exclusive to a single insurance provider. When oligopolies have the means to screw you over, they will not hesitate to do so. I have heard similar stories regarding the practices of satellite radio services and internet providers who lack sufficient competition in their respective markets, and, given the time and desire to do so, I’m sure one could compile a tome of offenders, a veritable phone book of automated customer service numbers designed to prevent you from ever reaching a human representative.  

The moral of the story is that if you suspect a corporation (insurance or otherwise) is gouging you, threaten to take your business elsewhere and see how its representatives respond.

They might just offer you the price you should have been paying all along.

Until next time,

Cal