Point, Click, Save!
Starting Today, Massachusetts Drivers Have New Choice for Car Insurance as Progressive Opens for Business
Award-winning Web site makes it fast and easy to get accurate comparison rates from Progressive and up to three top competitors
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio — May 1, 2008 — For years, Massachusetts drivers saw national advertising for a product they may have wanted to buy, but couldn't: Progressive car insurance. But today, that comes to an end as the country's third largest auto insurer begins offering policies to Bay State drivers online at progressive.com.
"We've wanted to offer car insurance to Massachusetts drivers for a long time and we're so excited to finally be able to do it," said Cathy Wilton-Bransch, Progressive's Massachusetts product manager. Wilton-Bransch said Progressive decided to enter the Massachusetts private passenger auto market because of recent regulatory reforms that allow companies to compete for customers with their own products and prices.
Visitors to progressive.com can take advantage of its unique comparison rating feature which offers individual drivers accurate rates from Progressive and up to three top competitors. Consumers can simply enter information about their vehicles and driving history, as well as the coverage they'd like to purchase, and Progressive can provide its rate and the rates of up to three other companies including Commerce, Arbella and Liberty Mutual. Because the competitor rates are based on actual rate filings submitted to the Division of Insurance and are generated based on the consumer's specific information, the rates are not samples, but actual rates consumers can expect to get from the competitors. The quoting process only takes a few minutes.
"We want to make comparison shopping as easy as possible. That's why we show our rates right alongside the rates of other top carriers," said Wilton-Bransch. "For some drivers, our rate may be the lowest, but other drivers will get a better rate somewhere else. Our goal is to give shoppers the information they need to make the insurance decision that's right for them. Of course, we hope many shoppers will find that Progressive is their best choice."
For shoppers who have questions while getting a quote, progressive.com has a feature called "Talk to Me." The person clicks on the Talk to Me icon and can be instantly connected to a licensed insurance representative who can answer any questions they may have.
Innovations like Talk to Me and accurate comparison rates are the types of features that have earned Progressive an industry-leading position in the Internet space. Progressive.com is ranked #1 among auto insurance carriers by Keynote® Systems (Nasdaq:KEYN), a company that evaluates Web sites on how well they conform to online customer experience best practices.
Progressive also holds the top spot for positive Web-based customer experiences according to The Customer Respect Group (CRG). Progressive earned a 7.5 on a 10-point scale — an "Excellent" rating — on the Customer Respect Index, which measures customers' online interactions with a company. The auto insurance industry as a whole earned a 5.5 rating. CRG called progressive.com "strikingly interactive and innovative" thanks to its RSS feeds, blogs and other features.
Progressive is phasing in its buying options for Massachusetts drivers over time; starting today, policies are available only online, but eventually consumers will also be able to shop by phone and through independent agents. Progressive has been offering commercial auto insurance, which operates under a different regulatory system, to Massachusetts business owners through independent agents for more than a year.
About Progressive
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since 1937, is the country's third largest auto insurance group and largest seller of motorcycle and personal watercraft policies based on premiums written, and is a market leader in commercial auto insurance.
Progressive is committed to becoming consumers' #1 choice for auto insurance by providing competitive rates and products that meet drivers' needs throughout their lifetimes, superior online and in-person customer service, and best-in-class, 24-hour claims service, including its concierge level of claims service available at service centers located in major metropolitan areas throughout the United States.
Progressive companies offer consumers choices in how to shop for, buy and manage their auto insurance policies. Progressive offers its products, including personal and commercial auto, motorcycle, boat and recreational vehicle insurance, through more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies throughout the U.S. and online and by phone directly from the Company. Private passenger auto products and prices are different when purchased directly from Progressive or through independent agencies. To find an agent or to get a quote, go to www.progressive.com.
The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, are publicly traded at NYSE:PGR.
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