Overnight Shipping Costs don’t get ripped-off!

By admin | Published: January 4, 2009

Have you ever gone to your local UPS store or Fedex/Kinko’s store to send your package by overnight mail. This can truly be a shocking experience. Yesterday I needed to overnight an insurance payment from San Diego to Cleveland. My first stop was Fedex since it was the closest location. I placed the check in a standard overnight envelope and did not request an early morning delivery time. I handed the envelope to the person at the counter and after about a minute he said the cost would be $43. I didn’t want to overreact so I just asked for my package back.

This must have been a mistake, so I thought I would walk down the block to the UPS store and send my package there. After filling out their shipping form, I walked up and handed them my overnight envelope. I waited about another minute and was quoted $47. Now I realized that I was making the mistake. How could these companies demand so much money for such a small envelope? Does it really cost them that much to ship a two ounce envelope?

Desperate to get my package sent and running out of time, I tried one last place, my local post office. I am not a big fan of the post office since there always seems to be a line. Now I know why. After filling out the form one last time and waiting about 5 minutes to get to the counter, I was greeted by a grumpy postal employee. I handed her my package and about a minute later she said the package will arrive by 12:00 p.m. tomorrow and the cost will be $17.00. I was so excited I said “Sold”.

In the future I will be more than happy to wait a couple of extra minutes in the post office line to avoid being ripped-off.

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What is the Minimum Auto Insurance I need to carry?

By admin | Published: January 4, 2009

Times are tough and people have no choice but to cutback on all their expenses including insurance. Reducing your auto insurance cost can be risky but if you have no other choice then consider carrying the minimum coverage as required by the state you live in. If you need to find a low cost car insurance carrier start here, Cheap Auto Insurance Quote.

All states require that you carry bodily injury and property damage coverage. As an example I live in California and the minimum coverages for auto insurance are 15/30/5. This means the maximum my auto insurance will pay is $15,000 for each person injured, and a maximum of up to 30,000 paid per accident. The last number, $5,000 would be the maximum paid for property damage as a result of an accident.

Most likely, you are paying for additional coverage that was recommended by your insurance agent or insurance provider. While these additional coverages may provide you with maximum protection, they are also costing you up to several hundred dollars more per month. If you reduce your coverage to the state limits you may only pay a fraction of your current cost. If you get into an accident carrying only the state limits may not provide you with adequate protection. Reducing your auto insurance to the minimum coverage is only recommended as a last alternative. If your financial situation improves you can always increase your coverage later.

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Geico Auto Insurance Commercials Are The Best

By admin | Published: January 2, 2009

We all know their pitch “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on your car insurance”. Whether it’s the Caveman digging up a Geico key chain in the sand or the Gecko trying to awkwardly drink from the water fountain these guys have created a cultural phenomenon.

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It is rare that an auto insurance company could consistently provide such quality entertainment. In fact, I can’t remember a Geico commercial I didn’t like. The Caveman commercials are probably the most memorable and will most likely continue for years to come. The Gecko is their most identifiable character. The great debate about the Gecko is does he has a British or Australian accent? I think it’s British.

These guys are so creative that you never know what to expect when their commercials come on. Here are some of my favorites. Chatty Cathy in black and white featuring the old Chatty Cathy doll. Mike Wallace and his cousin racing. The Caveman at the airport and the Caveman apology. The Geico Tiny house. The Geico squirrel commercial.

I have already switched to Geico from Allstate to show my appreciation for their excellent efforts to get my business. I would like to offer Geico a marketing idea that may help sign up even more new customers. Before you introduce a new commercial send it to your existing customers first. This way your loyal customers will get to preview your latest creation before your non-customers. I for one will stay a loyal customer for life if I get the first screening. Thanks Geico!

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Auto Transport Online Quotes, How Do They Work?

By admin | Published: January 1, 2009

Many times when you are looking for an auto transport quote online you will find numerous services offering between 5 and 10 quotes. A typical ad will sound like this, “6 Instant Online Quotes, 1 Form Compare Prices & Services”. The big question is who are the companies providing these quotes and can you trust them with your car?

The way these services operate is by sharing information on your transport request with a group of transport shippers. Each shipper will then directly send you a quote. Shippers are not suppose to know what other shippers are quoting so the quotes should vary by several hundred dollars. If the quotes only vary by a few dollars than the bidding process is controlled by the service providing the quotes. The quoting service generally makes their their money by charging each shipper several dollars per quote they receive.

These quoting services are only as good as the auto transporters they represent. Since there are over 5,000 auto transporters it is hard to know who to trust. In general, you should only use these services to estimate what you should pay for your vehicle transport. I always recommend using established transporters that have been in business for many years. If your looking for an established auto transport company start here, Auto Transport Quotes.

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Cost Savings Tips Avoid ATM Fees

By admin | Published: December 31, 2008

ATM fees are on the rise again! Last week I stopped by a local ATM machine to check my Bank of America checking account balance. Big mistake, the ATM was not affiliated with Bank of America so I was charged $3.00 to check my balance. It seems that overnight the standard ATM fee has increased from $2.00 to $3.00 for all types of ATM transactions including checking your balance. Didn’t we just give the banks over 350 billion tax payer dollars. Do they really need the extra dollar?

I am no longer interested in allowing the bank to take my money for the sake of convenience. I know that most of you already know this, but for the few that don’t I will share the simplest way to avoid ATM fees all together. Use the checkout stand at any grocery or convenient store as your ATM machine. Almost every retail outlet allows you to take cash back from your purchase. When you take cash back from your purchase you are not charged an ATM fee. It’s that simple.

Now, when I need cash I just head over to the supermarket and buy something I need and get the cash back. Sometimes I just buy a pack of gum and get back $100 in cash. If you use your debit or credit card as much as I do you will find that you will save hundreds of dollars a year. Why give the banks any more of our money!

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SelectQuote Worst Life Insurance Commercial Ever!

By admin | Published: December 30, 2008

If you’re like me, you like to get your financial news from CNBC every morning. Apparently, that puts us in the demographic group for people needing life insurance. I am not exactly sure why, but I believe that at least a dozen times a day I am told by SelectQuote why “Ned” needs life insurance. I guess I don’t really care if Ned gets life insurance or not. What bothers me, is that really annoying deep voice in the background telling me all about Ned’s life. Ned has a brother-in-law that died, Ted is 41, Ned is ugly, Ned looks like he just got out of the pub and is still drunk, Ned’s kid doesn’t look anything like Ted, Hmm!

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Now that Ned has life insurance how do we know that his family is not secretly plotting to kill him? Probably not, they can wait a few years until Ned’s liver gives out.

Does SelectQuote really believe they can sell life insurance by insulting the intelligence of the CNBC viewers. Sure, we lost all of our money in the stock market, but that doesn’t mean we need to pick the phone and call “SelectQuote” today! I believe SelectQuote is targeting the wrong demographic group. People in the financial industry that have lost all their money will have a much higher death rate. That means SelectQuote will have a much higher payout. That’s bad for business.

Well, I for one have decided that until SelectQuote gets a new narrator and replaces Ted with a really pretty blonde from one of my favorite beer commercials, that I am not buying life insurance from them.

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Who are the Best Auto Transporters

By admin | Published: December 30, 2008

Reputation is everything to auto transporters that want to survive in the very competitive auto transport industry. Prior to the Internet, people with complaints about auto transporters would file them with the BBB (Better Business Bureau). Now, people can go online and post their experiences on numerous transport sites like transportreviews.com and movingscam.com.

Auto transporters that want to stay in business have made a serious effort to improve their overall performance. In addition to competitive pricing, auto transporters have had provide better ordering and tracking information to their customers. Online booking and tracking technology have been key to improving overall better experience for consumers.

I tend to prefer more established transporters that have been in business for more than 10 years. These companies have proven that they can stay in business in any type of economy. When asked, I generally refer my customers or website visitors to this link.

The Transport Reviews website has created a large database of customer reviews for hundreds of transporters. The top 10 transport companies based on overall customer reviews are listed below. Both auto shippers and auto transport brokers are reviewed together. To read all the reviews about these transporters you can visit their site at transportreviews.com.

Top Rated Auto Transport Companies:

Angels Moving Autos, Redding CA

Magic Carpet Auto Transport, Camas WA

Cascade Vehicle Shipping, Inc., Camas WA

Direct Express Auto Transport, San Anselmo CA

Specialty Mobile Systems, Mason OH

Agape Auto Transport LLC, Mt Juliet TN

AutoZipper, Redondo Beach CA

Hilton Auto Transport, Torrance CA

AmeriFreight, Fayetteville GA

All America Auto Transport, Bethesda MD

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