Site Details of: Electric Insurance Company

Site Title:	Electric Insurance Company
URL:	http://www.electricinsurance.com/
Category:	Insurance Carriers
Description:	Beverly, MA based Electric Insurance was founded in 1966 to serve the needs of General Electric employees and now offers its products to the general public. This quarter Electric re-launched its site and added a number of helpful new features as part of its ongoing commitment to the Internet. Electric issues automobile and homeowners insurance policies, supporting the former with instant online quotes. Consumers in select states can complete an automobile policy purchase entirely online, and the site boasts a password-protected area for viewing and making changes to a policy. Clearly a work in progress, Electric`s Web offering does not yet support instant online homeowners insurance quotes. The company does not issue life insurance.
Benefits:	Electric ranks among an elite (but growing) group of firms that enable consumers from more than ten states to purchase automobile policies online via a major credit card or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). As of the time of this review, this function was supported for residents of FL, OH, NY, VA, CT, MD, and AZ (among others). The site also contains helpful tips for reducing auto insurance rates and a secure policy management interface that allows auto policyholders to view coverage details and initiate endorsements (policy changes) online.
Shortfalls:	Electric does not offer instant online auto quotes for several states in which it issues policies, including the large-population states of NC, PA, and TX (the company does not issue any auto policies in HI, MI, NJ, or NV). At the time of this review, Electric was not offering instant online quotes for homeowners policies. Surprisingly, at the time of of our review, Electric`s updated site did not provide a clear link from the homepage to information on how to file a claim (one can find it by clicking "about us" and then "faq"), and does not offer consumers the benefit of a site map. While Electric now supports a live-chat feature, it was not working consistently during our tests.
Review Scores:	Category Scores Ranks Overall 1.35 90 Ease Of Use 0.00 356 Customer Confidence 0.00 356 On-Site Resources 7.00 27 Relationship Services 6.50 152 Cost Effective 0.00 356