Colorado Insurance Consumer Poll

In 2009, Colorado experienced the second most costly storm season in the state's history with three major hail and windstorms adding up to more than $1.4 billion in insured losses to homes and cars. Colorado insurance companies settled more than 200,000 claims that ranged from completely rebuilding homes to replacing roofs and repairing vehicles and property.

In the aftermath of this record-setting storm season, the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA) decided it was important to monitor overall auto and homeowner insurance customer satisfaction. RMIIA commissioned an independent statewide consumer survey in January 2010 conducted by Talmey-Drake Research & Strategy, Inc., a public opinion and market research firm in Boulder, Colorado.

The 2010 RMIIA Consumer Poll surveys customer experience with insurance companies and agents. It also provides insight into consumer attitudes on insurance rating and customer service expectations on car repairs following a natural disaster or accident.

How satisfied were you with the way your insurance company or agent handled your most recent need or request?

Key findings:
•  87% Very or Somewhat Satisfied

Did the way your insurance company or agent handle your most recent need or request meet your expectations, or did it exceed or fall short of your expectations?

Key findings:
•  85% Met or Exceeded Expectations
•  People calling the most were the most satisfied

Do you think drivers with poor driving records should pay more for their car insurance than drivers with good driving records?

If your car were damaged in an accident, do you know which auto body repair shop you would take it to in order to have it fixed?

Key findings:
•  Majority of insurance customers don't know where to take their car to get it repaired.
•  Excellent drivers knew more where to take it than good or bad drivers.
•  Rural area residents had higher knowledge of auto body shops than urban residents.

If you were in a car accident, would you expect your insurance company to offer you a list of auto body repair shops where you could choose to take your car to be fixed, or would you expect to find a repair shop yourself?

Key findings:
•  60% of customers expect their insurance company to provide a list to assist them in getting their car repaired.

Different things that are of varying degrees of importance to people who have to get their car repaired after an accident. Using a scale of zero to 10, where a zero means it is not at all important to you, and a 10 means it is extremely important to you, please tell me how important each is to you.

Key findings:
•  High value on all areas demonstrates how important repair process is after an accident: high value on process, quality and assistance.
•  Top Three:
        •  Quality of the repair
        •  Guarantees on labor, parts & repairs
        •  Assistance & information received from insurance companies

Colorado 2010 Consumer Poll Methodology

The Colorado Statewide Omnibus Survey was conducted by Talmey-Drake Research & Strategy, Inc., a public opinion and market research firm in Boulder, Colorado. The results of this survey are based on 505 random telephone interviews with Colorado voters, conducted from January 12th to 18th, 2010. Quotas were established to obtain equal representation for men and women, and an appropriate representation from among certain counties. A random sample of 505 has a worst-case 95% confidence interval of plus or minus 4.4% about any one reported percentage.

Quotas were established for Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Pueblo and Weld.

Also visit: National Insurance Consumer Satisfation Poll