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SmartFinancial is one of several car insurance comparison sites that allow you to compare car insurance quotes in one location. However, many wonder how accurate their services may be. They wonder if it is worth the time to use a one-stop-shop or if they would find better results on their own. We will show you how the process works and what you can expect from your results. You will even learn how their customers rate their services.
Founded by Lev Barinskiy, SmartFinancial's (also known as Contactability.com) website boasts a belief in full transparency, integrity, and accountability. The website offers the ability to compare car insurance quotes from numerous insurance outlets around the United States. Users can compare quotes and insurance options to determine the best choice, both financially and based on the coverage options. Another available tool compares life insurance rates.
SmartFinancial promises to provide honest service and reliable insurance quotes for users. They boast an easy-to-use quote calculator that helps users find the best insurance options for their needs. This guide will provide an in-depth review of the SmartFinancial online insurance calculator to help guide your insurance buying decisions.
How does SmartFinancial work?
You go to Google to find your next car insurance policy. As you scroll the results, you find Smart Financial and its insurance quote tool. When you enter the site, you see a lot of information, but where do you start?
As with most of these sites, you need to start by entering a zip code. The very next page asks for the year, make, and model of your vehicle. Then, you are asked if you have a second vehicle so you can save money on insurance. Continuing on, you’ll see several more questions asking you about all sorts of important factors that will play into how much you can expect to pay on your next car insurance policy. These include:
Drivers
- First and last name
- Birthdate
- Gender
- Phone number
- Marital Status
- License status
- Address
- Own or Rent Your Home
- Current Insurance Carrier
- Insurance Coverage Length
- DUIs
- Past accidents, claims, or tickets
Vehicle
- Your car's make, model, and year
- Add a second vehicle
- Add a second driver
*For our sample quote, our driver is a female driver, age 30, with a 2017 Honda Accord LX. She has one at-fault accident on her record and has maintained her coverage for over 5 years with her current carrier.
I entered my information. Can I compare quotes now?
We completed the form questions and were then offered to receive a call to provide insurance quotes over the phone. The offer is a pop-up that blocks the available quotes.
You can remove the pop-up by clicking the escape button. The website does not ask for your insurance preferences, such as the level of coverage. These questions are saved for individual company quotes.
Our search received two different clickable options and an option to speak with an agent. Each one gives you the option to click to get a quote from the company you chose.
We were hoping to see an actual quote with a price attached. Annoyingly, we only see options to still "Get a Quote." Because of this, our only option is to click on the individual providers.
First, we clicked the button on Progressive's link. We were redirected to the Progressive website, where we needed to verify the information previously entered. This can be very frustrating and time consuming.
Since SmartFinancial did not ask many qualifying questions, we had to complete everything about our vehicle ownership, employment information, education, and more.
Finally, after several minutes of re-entering information, we get to the quote, which was priced based on the info above.
As wonderful as it was to receive a quote, it would have been nice to receive it on SmartFinancial's website without having to click through to multiple websites and enter information twice.
Next, we try Allstate auto insurance. Allstate ignores all the information previously entered, meaning we have to enter everything all over again. Not the best use of valuable time. This process defeats the entire purpose of using an insurance quote website. We decided to move on since it does not make shopping for insurance any easier.
The third option includes speaking with an agent. We had to receive a phone call and give all your information once again. The process was tedious. Calling was not convenient and was more time consuming than promised.
All in all, the process took much longer than we both expected and was necessary. SmartFinancial did not actually provide any quotes on its website. Furthermore, the options were very limited. To get the best choices, we were expected to call and speak with an agent. These points seemed to defeat the purpose of an online auto insurance quote comparison tool.
Luckily, sites like Compare.com offer quicker, easier and more efficient ways to compare car insurance rates from dozens of companies at once. All you need to do is enter your ZIP code and you’ll be comparing real, personalized prices in just minutes.
Compare Insurance Rates in Minutes
SmartFinancial Reviews: What do customers and employees have to say?
SmartFinancial does not have much of an internet presence. However, their parent company, Contactability.com, is much easier to find. Contactability.com is a lead generation company. They appear to be the primary source for any reviews or ratings regarding the SmartFinancial.
Below are the reviews for SmartFinancial and Contactability.
Google SmartFinancial/Contactability Reviews
Most Google Reviews for SmartFinancial are positive. However, they don't relate much to SmartFinancial as its own entity. Nonetheless, as a lead generation company, the company appears to be well-liked.
Better Business Bureau SmartFinancial Reviews
SmartFinancial has a A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. The firm has over 190 reviews, mostly positive. Once again, the review relates more to the lead generation aspect of the company, as opposed to the insurance quote business.
Some of the reviews are as follows:
Glassdoor SmartFinancial Reviews
SmartFinancial received very positive Glassdoor reviews from employees. 74% of the people who worked for the company would recommend it to a friend. 91% approved of the CEO
Most employees of SmartFinancial had a positive experience in the position. Some admit it was a starting point and moved on from there. Others were not quite as happy.
At the end of the day, how do they stack up?
| Platform | Rating | Total Reviews |
Google
| 4.2/5 |
124 |
|
| BBB | 4.7/5 | 197 |
| Glassdoor | 4.1/5 | 43 |
| Total | 4.3/5 | 364 |
Is SmartFinancial mobile friendly? Do they have a mobile app?
Companies must be mobile friendly to compete in today's marketplace. SmartFinancial's website is mobile friendly. They make it easy to navigate through your mobile device. You can easily obtain your quote, call the company, and even send an email as needed.
SmartFinancial does not have a mobile app. If you are looking for a quick way to access the services like you can through many other companies, you will not find it with SmartFinancial. While their website is mobile-friendly, they have not gone the extra step to create an app for smartphones or tablets to make your auto quoting easier.
Your car insurance journey doesn't need to end with SmartFinancial.
SmartFinancial can make it appear like shopping for quotes on car insurance is a huge hassle. But it doesn't have to be that way. Other companies may make it easier for you to shop online for insurance quotes without being misled and without wasting your valuable free time filling out multiple questionnaires or visiting multiple sites.
Your choices in insurance companies do not have to be limited like they are on sites like SmartFinancial.com. Many companies, such as Compare.com, provide a similar service without a lot of repetitive issues or attempts to sell your data.
At Compare.com, we make it easy to get real, personalized auto insurance quotes all in one place. Our motto is, "seeing is saving," and trust us, you can save big.
We offer affordable car insurance quotes right on our website without any hassles. Go to one spot and find the quotes for your needs. We offer more than two providers and fully protect your information beyond the regulations already in place.
Don't take our word for it. Go to the website and compare our quotes. You will never find another option of buying auto insurance as easy and efficient as Compare.com.
SmartFinancial vs. Compare.com: How do they stack up?
| Compare.com | SmartFinancial | |
| Google Review Rating | 4.8 stars | 4.2 stars |
| BBB Accredited | Yes | Yes |
| Results with Actual Quotes* | 10 out of 10 | 0 out of 2 |
*Quoting profile: 30-year-old female, 2017 Honda Accord LX, one accident, proof of insurance, single and renting
Find your best rate by comparing more than 60 of the nation’s top companies side-by-side
SmartFinancial FAQs
- What is SmartFinancial? – SmartFinancial is an online platform that provides access to insurance quotes for several companies at once. It is not an insurance company or underwriter. However, the platform allows you to research insurance providers in one location.
- How is SmartFinancial different from Compare.com? – Both companies offer access to insurance quotes. However, SmartFinancial has limited access to insurance carriers. In California, only two providers provided quotes for a 30-year-old driver. They also do not provide real prices on quotes, just ads.
- Is SmartFinancial an insurance company? – No. SmartFinancial is a company that pulls together quotes from insurance companies. SmartFinancial does not offer any insurance products and is not licensed to sell insurance products in any state within the United States.
- Does SmartFinancial have physical offices? – Yes. SmartFinancial maintains a main office in California. The firm also maintains offices in Texas, Illinois, and Ohio, but you can’t go there to get quotes. You have to do that online.
- How does SmartFinancial protect your personal information? – SmartFinancial claims to use standard practices to protect personal data. They do not guarantee the information is protected 100%.
- What are the pros and cons of SmartFinancial? – SmartFinancial can help you determine which insurance providers offer policies for your needs and in your state. They can suggest which site provides the best quote for your needs. However, they do not provide quotes on their website. Many times, you must go through the insurance company's site to get the actual quote. Furthermore, you must complete the same forms you completed on SmartFinancial's website. SmartFinancial also offers an option to speak with an agent. However, it appears you must accept the offer or bypass it to even get to the quotes.
- What platform is best to compare car insurance? – When comparing car insurance, Compare.com is voted by thousands of satisfied shoppers to be the best and most efficient company available. Compare makes it easy to find quotes, and we specialize in car insurance, giving you access to more than 60 top insurance companies all in one place.
SmartFinancial Commercials
SmartFinancial markets more towards insurers than the public. They use Google and print advertising and web advertising to attract clients. They do not have any commercials that air on television or radio.
Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more.
As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.
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