Product Review: Esurance Car Insurance
About the company:"Over half a million people have trusted Esurance
with their auto insurance coverage. That's because, along with our commitment to quality customer service, our insurance credentials ensure that you have coverage you can count on. Esurance is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, a leading, independent rating organization. Our corporate parent provides extensive industry know-how and financial stability, so you know we'll be there for you when you need us."
The big pitch: 24/7 customer service, instant online approval and proof of insurance, save hundreds on your auto insurance today!
One of the beautiful things about the internet is that it has the ability to make many of the tasks that used to take us months, happen instantaneously. Or at least, it should. Yet, oddly, many car insurance companies still work the old-fashioned way, asking you to bring or fax in copious copies of forms and applications so they can take weeks figuring out your rate. But not everyone is slow off the mark when it comes to taking full advantage of the online world for insurance, and at Esurance, they're forging a big reputation by making things
fast, simple, and pretty darn cheap.When you click the Esurance link and go to their main page, you won't find a dazzling variety of options and animations... you just find one single box. Put your zip code in it and hit 'next'. Congratulations,
you're one step closer to getting your automobile insured!But while there's precious little to confuse you about Esurance's front page, don't be fooled - there are LOADS of options under the surface, but the way Esurance works the process is that they only ask you what they need to, while allowing you to make alterations to your policy AFTER you get your quote, to bring it down in price, or to
fit in with your budget.We found this to be an insanely clever, simple, non-confusing move. We simply gave our name, date of birth, how many cars, how many drivers, etc - about a minute of easy information entering - and we were looking at a comparison screen with
four different company quotes on offer.Now, let's be clear here - Esurance's estimate was NOT the cheapest deal listed. In fact, it was the second most expensive out of the four rates shown, with another company coming in at less than half of the price of Esurance, but the fact remains that every single policy has so many variables that, while this company wasn't in the ballpark on our first test quote, it was the
cheapest by far when we tried it for a second quote on another car.
What we love about Esurance is how quickly it cuts through the crap and gave us full control of our policy. By tweaking factors after the quote was given, such as bodily injury limits and additional personal injury protection, and by lowering our property damage limit and raising our collision coverage deductible,
we knocked a hundred bucks off the 6-monthly cost of a policy.
When we decided we were ready to buy, that too was simple - just enter your personal details, such as driver's license numbers etc, and
then print off the proof of insurance, and that's it!
Esurance is absolutely a good starting point whenever you need auto coverage. They may not give you the lowest quote, but they will allow you to figure out ways to reduce your rate, and they're open and honest enough to show you what their competitors will charge, which you simply have to love.
The Product Trends rating: Esurance gets a big four stars. An absolute pleasure to work with.
To try Esurance for yourself, click the image below:
Product Review: AccountNow Vantage Debit Credit Card
About the company: "AccountNow
, headquartered in San Ramon, California, is the premier provider of financial solutions for the millions of US consumers who do not have established credit or traditional banking relationships. Our money saving offers give consumers an alternative to "traditional" checking accounts and access to the financial and payment systems, including Debit MasterCard cards, and Pay Anyone bill payment Customers can rest assured in knowing their money is safe - protected by FDIC Insurance and the MasterCard Zero Liability Policy for unauthorized use."
The big pitch: An easy approval, no paperwork, simple enrollment debit credit card with guaranteed approval.
If you've ever tried to set up a bank account in the USA without great credit or proper ID, you know that it's nearly impossible. Every single bank in the land will refuse you a bank account if you don't give them several copies of ID, and when you have your account, they'll charge you a fortune in fees just to get to your money.
Recently, because many people don't like their SSN being available to anyone who works for a bank, or anyone who buys customer information from the bank, or anyone who hacks customer information from the bank, a new trend has emerged - that of the
easy approval, no paperwork, easy enrollment debit credit card
.
How does this help you? Simple. It means that you can have a bank account that is totally secure, linked to a credit card, usable in ATM machines, has easier access, lower fees, is FDIC insured, and requires no credit check for you to be approved.
The AccountNow Vantage debit Mastercard can save you hundreds of dollars in check cashing fees, bill paying expenses and paycheck direct deposit costs, because it's designed to do what your bank just won't.
First of all, it works exactly like a credit card, in that you can withdraw money from any of over 900,000 ATMs, or just swipe your card like any other Visa or Mastercard purchase. You can write up to 7 free 'online checks' to pay bills, you're guaranteed approval, so there's no credit check and no security deposit, and the card itself and the bank behind it is 100% insured with the FDIC, and also adheres to Mastercard's Zero Liability plan, which ensures that should anyone use your card illegally,
it won't hurt your hip pocket.
Enrollment is simple as you can imagine. Just give your name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, whether or not your employer uses direct deposit for your paychecks, and what design you want your credit card to have. After you've done that, the system will approve you automatically, right there and then.
Your previous banking history just doesn't matter. Your credit history? Irrelevant. Previous bankruptcies? No problem. All they want to know is that you're real person, over the age of 18, and that you actually reside in the US.
Now, the only question left is, 'Why is it so easy with AccountNow?' and the answer is simple. This is a 'debit' credit card, which means you must deposit $100 to activate the card, and you'll be drawing from the money that is already deposited in your account. No, it's not as good as being given a $10,000 credit line, but if you just want
an easy to use bank account with an easy to get debit card that works like a credit card, this is the plan for you.
But before you kick in for one, you should know the deal with fees. Firstly, when you send them a wire transfer to deposit money in your account, that'll cost you $10. You can avoid this, however, by banking online or sending a check, so no problem there. Next, if you go over your limit, they'll hit you with a $29 overdraft fee, which is nasty, but if you keep a positive balance, again that's not an issue. The aspect of the AccountNow Vantage Debit Mastercard that gets us more than a little annoyed is that if you try to use your card and it gets declined, they'll charge you 50c. Why? What's the point in that? It doesn't cost them anything to refuse your card, so why charge you for the privilege?
Aside from that minor piece of extortion, most of the other fees are reaosnable, if they even exist. Online web service is free, so too is your monthly online statement. If you want a paper version, that's a $5 charge, and if you need to talk to their customer service people, they'll charge you $3... and they'll ALSO charge you $9.95 in monthly maintenance fees.
Deposits are free, signature purchases are free at stores and restaurants, but ATM purchases range between 25c and $2, and even if all you do is ask for a balance inquiry, they'll STILL charge you for the privilege, in this case $1.
The Product Trends rating: The risk here is negligible, because you're only using your own money, which makes interest rates irrelevant, but the downside of that is that AccountNow will burn you on little fees and charges at Every. Single. Turn. If you're smart, you can avoid most of them, but not all, which leaves us thinking that if you can't get a bank account elsewhere, and you're prepared to take a few fee hits to get one, then
this is the card for you. Otherwise, you might want to keep looking. Two stars.
To try AccountNow Vantage Debit Mastercard for yourself, click the image below:
Product Review: MoneySearch Loan Search Engine
About the company: "At MoneySearch.com
, we are a Loan Search Engine, and we're commited to helping you find a wide assortment of lenders and brokers. Our purpose is simple... to provide you with a simple way to find a local lender and view updated rate comparison surveys from hundreds of lenders and brokers nationwide."
The big pitch: Get quotes from multiple lenders with the lowest rates.
Yet another in a long line of money lending websites that don't actually lend you any money, but rather send your details to companies that might, at least we have to give
MoneySearch.com credit for not disguising their true situation like so many others of their ilk do.
MoneySearch says it right up front - they are not a financial lender, they are a Loan Search Engine. And to that end, they do an okay job. If you only want to use their system to ensure a handful of potential lenders contact you with their offers, by all means,
go to MoneySearch.com and knock yourself out .
But, and here's the rub... if we just wanted random lenders to call us, we could flip through a phonebook and call them directly, you know?
The best 'loan search engines' will take your information and give you back a stream of data on who has the best rates today, and who specializes in your area/credit situation/type of loan. They take your info and process it, giving you back
a list of good stuff that you can then take the to the next level.
"Oh, it says here that Money Lenders Inc can give us a lower rate, with no money down... let's give them a call," - that's helpful. "Oh... they say four lenders will cal us sometime in the next five days..." - that's not so helpful.
At least not to me. What is helpful is the literal overload of lending information that you can find on the MoneySearch.com website.
They handle a lot more than home loans - they do home equity loans, debt consolidation loans, auto loans, commercial loans, student financing, insurance, first home buyers, less then perfect credit, prequalified, credit cards, construction loans, FHA, VA, no documentation, credit repair... basically anything you could ever really want in terms of borrowing money from a bank, lender, or other associated usurer.
They have
mortgage calculators, info on how to decide whether you should buy or rent, refinancing assessment tools, investment calculators, lease calculators, instant credit reports... Or rather, they don't actually have any of that... but they
link to it really well.
So if you're in the early stages of deciding whether or not you're going to be a borrower, perhaps this is a good place to get all the information you'll need. And then, when you've sucked them dry of info, maybe then you can find a website that takes you to the next level, because though
MoneySearch is an honest, successful, straight-up, above board company, it just doesn't do as much as, ultimately, we'd hoped it would.
The Product Trends rating: Plenty of information, but that's about all.
Three stars.
To try MoneySearch.com for yourself, click the image below:
Product Review: The Star Wars Shop
About the company: No matter whether you're looking for video games, toys, games, standees, soundtracks, home furnishings, gift certificates, convention items, DVDs, collectibles, clothing, books, stationery, artwork or posters, if it has something to do with Star Wars, you'll find it sold at the officially mandated, Lucasfilm-owned Star Wars Shop
.
The big pitch: Discounted items for sale everyday, including exclusives that you won't find anywhere else.
I have to admit, I hated, hated, hated the last three Star Wars movies. I know certain people love them and get all up ins, but to me, they were some of the worst big budget filmmaking in the last thirty years, like a trio of Waterworlds all lined up in a row. But hey, what do I know? I have a life that doesn't involve Yoda-talk, so maybe I'm just missing out.
For those that aren't missing out and worship the ground that George Lucas walks on, there's the Star Wars Shop,
the official Lucasfilm merchandise outlet that sells everything from 'holiday edition Darth Vader statues' to something called a 'Lando in Skiff Guard Disguise Mini-Bust'.
I have to say, I wouldn't know a 'Covert Ops Clone Trooper Figure' from a 'Star Wars Porcelain Character Ornament Set', but one thing I can tell you is that the items on sale at the Star Wars Shop are a lot cheaper than you would expect, especially seeing as much of it is limited edition collectible gear. I don't know that I'd personally spend $279.99 on an 'Attackus Wicket Statue' or $399.99 on a
15 inch 'Attackus Tusken Raider Statue', but presumably someone out there will be saving every last penny of their summer babysitting money to do just that, in the expectation that one day it'll be worth, like, $405 or something. So good luck to 'em.
But you don't have to be the geekiest geek of all geekdom to shop at the Star Wars Shop. Even a Star Wars hater like me can geek out a little at the
General Greivous Bobbleheads (for just $16.99!), or the Framed Episode IV Film Cells (a snap at $69.99). And yeah, okay, I'll admit that I wigged out a little at the Dark Side basketball jersey, though there's no way I'd meet the hundred-dollar price tag for it.
All in all, what could have been a giant nerd rip-off is actually a collection of
reasonably priced merchandise (for the most part) that will find a warm place in the hearts of those who dig it. We abide.
The Product Trends rating: It's not our scene, but credit where it's due, some of this is good stuff, especially to those who have The Empire Strikes Back memorized down to the last line, or have hung an Attack of the Clones poster over their john. If you go to sleep at night thinking about scenes from Return of the Jedi, then
this is the store for you. 3.5 stars.
To try the Star Wars Shop for yourself, click the image below:
Product Review: Musicmatch Jukebox Software
About the company: "Musicmatch
's combination of personalized music software and services lets music fans manage their music and listening environment in one place. With Musicmatch Jukebox and music services, consumers can buy, record, burn, download, discover, enjoy and organize an entire music collection. At the same time, Musicmatch delivers exceptional personalization through technology not available elsewhere. The patent-pending Musicmatch personalization system learns from millions of community members to deliver tailored music, artist recommendations and valuable services unique to a listener's own tastes."
The big pitch: The internet's best (and free!) music jukebox software. Play and organize your music collection, create custom playlists, burn and rip your own music CDs, and transfer music to your MP3 player - at no cost!
When people talk about music software, they inevitably either mean Windows Media Player, or Apple's iTunes. But those people are missing one very big, very good, very free addition to the jukebox software field - Yahoo's incredible
MusicMatch Jukebox 10.
Never heard of it? That's kind of the problem -
MusicMatch leaves iTunes and Windows Media for dead in just about every category, from the free music playing software, to the 'pay per download' music store that sits behind it. But the real beauty of Yahoo's MusicMatch store is that, even without paying a cent, you can get a whole lot of value out of it, including an hour per day of MusicMatch's Artist Match radio, which is AWESOME.
Here's how it works. When you start up
MusicMatch Jukebox 10, you click on the 'radio' tab, which gives you a whole host of free radio stations that you can listen to to your heart's content without spending a cent. These range from hip-hop to comedy to world music to techno, but the real gem in the rough is the Artist Match option.
First, type in the name of your favorite band. Let's say you're digging Dashboard Confessional right now (I know
we are), so you type them in. What you get next is a page of their music that you can, if you want, sample for free, or download. But hit the 'artist match' button and you get
one hour of random music from other bands that MusicMatch says are very close to Dashboard Confessional's style. In this case, we get music from The Shins, Something Corporate, Jimmy Eat World, The Ataris, Brand New, Matchbook Romance, Death Cab for Cutie, The Used, Senses Fail, Incubus, Boxcar Racer, John Mayer and the always amazing Bright Eyes, among others.
Now in case you don't understand the gravity of this, remember all those times you got
bored of commercial radio playing the same bands over and over? Haven't you ever wanted a way to find new bands that are similar in style to stuff you already like? Well here it is.
MusicMatch's Artist Match radio, even if you decide not to spend a cent on monthly subscriptions and pay-per-download tracks, gives you a litany of bands you've never heard of, but which you will absolutely like enough to pursue in the future. And if you REALLY like what you hear,
you can purchase the track for download with a single click of the mouse.
And even if you don't, an hour per day of music focused on your own likes and dislikes is an incredible deal - especially for free.
We LOVE this software, and the service behind it is a heck of a deal too, at just $19.95 for the premium service, but because we're cheapskates we use ArtistMatch to find new bands, and then we download the hell out of them, using MusicMatch to play the downloads later. It's a great deal, and MusicMatch also allows us to burn CDs, rip tracks, send music to an MP3 player, burn MP3's, and they even offer personalized tech support.
Yahoo may be a huge company devoted to eating all their competitors and spitting out the bones, but in the case of MusicMatch, they simply have
the greatest piece of jukebox software available. And it's free!The Product Trends rating: Absolutely five stars. This is a piece of software that leaves iTunes and Real Player in the dust, with a music store behind it that competes very well with anyone else out there. MusicMatch gets our strongest recommendation.
And it's free - try it now!To try MusicMatch for yourself, click the image below:
