insciodsetco
RF/COMSTOCK
Well
covered
Costco members find
value and security with
Ameriprise Auto &
Home Insurance
By Steve Fisher
NO MATTER WHERE you live, nature has a
way of presenting challenges—hurricanes,
tornadoes, snow, ice storms, fires. No one
likes to think about it, and that’s where good
home insurance coverage comes in. More
than 200,000 Costco members have already
discovered that Ameriprise Auto & Home
Insurance is better than good.
What’s better than good? According to
John Conlon, Costco’s director of insurance
services, “Costco members who were surveyed about their experience with Ameriprise
are consistently ranking our program 4 and 5
on a five-point scale [with 5 the best score].”
Stability
John mentions the stability of the company. “A.M. Best, the leading independent
rater of insurers in the country, has rated the
companies within Ameriprise ‘A,’ ” he says.
Why should the average consumer care
about that?
John says, “The A.M. Best rating shows an
insurance company’s ability to meet its financial obligations, which becomes even more
important in this economic environment.”
Service
One of the hallmarks of Ameriprise Auto
& Home Insurance is exemplary service.
Claim representatives often seem more like
advocates for the insured, rather than for the
company.
One person who experienced Ameriprise
service firsthand is Cindy Coltrane, a Costco
member in Houston, Texas, whose house was
seriously damaged by Hurricane Ike on
September 12, 2008.
“When I finally got cell service the next
day [after Ike hit], I contacted Ameriprise
about a potential claim for the damage. I
spoke to a very nice woman, who advised that
I would be contacted within 24 to 48 hours by
an adjuster. Ten minutes after hanging up, I
was contacted by Teran, who gave me all the
information I needed and offered to arrange
to have a company come out and tarp the
roof to prevent further damage, and further
advised that an appraiser would be contacting
me within 24 hours and said if we needed it
she would arrange to have water and food
brought to us. The appraiser, Beth, called less
than an hour after I got off the phone with
“Costco members who
were surveyed about their
experience with Ameriprise
Auto & Home Insurance are
consistently ranking our
program 4 and 5 on
a five-point scale.”
—John Conlon
Teran. Every Ameriprise representative that I
spoke with was courteous, helpful and seemed
genuinely concerned.”
Ameriprise representatives don’t necessarily wait for a disaster to hit before reaching
out to customers. Lisa Castaneda, Costco’s
manager of insurance services, says that in
many cases when a disaster hits, Ameriprise
identifies the insureds they have in the affected
area and then makes an attempt to reach
them to see if they have any damage.
Savings
One might expect to pay an extra-large
premium for such service, and though individual savings and experience may vary,
Costco members switching to Ameriprise for
homeowners insurance between October
2008 and January 2009 have reported average
annual savings of about $200.
The savings are even more for auto insurance. (See the chart at right for representative
savings.) “Depending on your state,” adds
Lisa, “you may get extra savings for safe driving history, having multiple policies and vehicle safety features. The longer you have your
policy with Ameriprise Auto & Home
Insurance, the more you will save.”
The bottom line: Ameriprise Auto &
Home Insurance is good for not only your
bottom line, but your peace of mind as well.
By the way, if you get a quote during the
month of May, Ameriprise will donate $5 to
the Children’s Miracle Network.
For details and to get a quote, call 1-866-
370-7998 or visit Costco.com and search
“cmndonation.” C
Sample member auto
insurance savings
THE SAVINGS DATA below represent
information provided by Costco members who became new auto policyholders with Ameriprise Auto & Home
Insurance and reported annual savings
between September 1, 2008, and
February 28, 2009. Individual savings
and experience may vary based upon a
variety of factors, including, but not limited to, driving experience and type of
automobile insured.
Original insurer
Amount saved
by switching
to Ameriprise
AIG
GEICO
State Farm
Allstate
Farmers
Progressive
$428.68
$440.17
$470.76
$509.83
$515.52
