MORE AUTO INSUREDS TURNING TO WEB:

A small but growing group of customers are turning to the Internet rather than phone calls or office visits to communicate with their auto insurance provider, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2004 National Auto Insurance Study. While only 7 percent of consumers are using the Internet to check on or update their auto insurance policies, their satisfaction is higher than those who use an automated phone system. In addition, their satisfaction is only slightly lower than those who talk directly with their insurance agent or representative. The study also finds that younger car insurance buyers are fueling the expansion of Internet insurance shopping. Forty-two percent of shoppers under 30 used the Internet to shop for auto insurance, compared to 29 percent of all shoppers.