Auto Insurance: I found a good deal.
My six month auto insurance renewal was coming up so I decided to use an on line service to solicit quotes. I’ve been with Progressive, through a local agent, for about ten years but always felt that their premiums were a bit high. Now I’m sorry that I didn’t check around earlier.
I received several replies within 24hrs. The best rate came from Geico, $274 vs $539 from Progressive. Needless to say, I jumped on that immediately. The coverage is $100K/$300K and $50K with no collision/no comprehensive. I drive an older truck so collision and comp aren’t very important.
Part of the difference in rates comes from purchasing my Geico policy directly from the company, not through an agent. That’s fairly easy to do, using their web site to fill out the application, then the phone to finish up. I paid with a credit card so it was a simple, quick transaction.
Geico has already been very helpful, anticipating my need to officially cancel my previous policy and Emailing a form letter to me for that purpose.
My former agent has been much less helpful with the cancellation procedure. Not smart, IMO, as I have HO insurance with them which I will also review now, and look for other quotes.
Both the new policy and the insurance cards arrived within a few days.
Edited 7/24/2009 9:18 am by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Replies
Funny how that service plays a role huh? I had Nationwide before buying my new house. Bought house, came with a pool, two weeks after settlement, Nationwide cancels me because of pool. I call agent, he says its a mistake and he'll fix it. 2 weeks pass with no action on his part. And in the meantime, they've notified my mortgage holder and created lots of headaches for me. So I say screw Nationwide and start shopping. Took auto, home, and business policies and wound up with Erie. WOW what a difference. 11 years now and nothing but happy with rates and service.
Funny thing is if Nationwide hadn't canceled the policy in error and / or the agent had actually followed up like he promised, I probably would still be with them and he would still be getting residuals from all of my policies.
Guess who I will NEVER do business with again?
Edited 7/24/2009 9:38 am ET by frontiercc2
Insurance agents, mine and yours anyway, don't seem to be reading the writing on the wall.
The internet is making it much easier to do business directly so if agents want to keep their clients and the commissions, they're going to have to step up the service a notch or two.
My agent doesn't know that I received that form letter from Geico and that I printed it up, filled in the policy number, then sent it off to Progressive. I've continued to try to get her to do her job, mostly because I want to see how diligent she is when things aren't going her way.
It's been a week now and, even after three Email requests to confirm cancellation, she's still dragging her feet. What she doesn't seem to get is that I'm testing her...and that she's failing.
currently with nationwide myself, service sucks but they are the cheapest.
So that pile of money with the eyeballs in the commercials has $265.00 in it. I am with Progressive and have been thinking of switching. Thanks for the heads up.
Constructing in metric...
every inch of the way.
So that pile of money with the eyeballs in the commercials has $265.00 in it
Yep and the Geico Gecko is telling the truth too.
I'll toss another insurance transaction out there...
I've been with State Farm for 25 years home and auto. Like many here never shopped until motivated. One call to AAA we have identical coverage at 50% the cost...exactly 50%! We're talking a SAVINGS greater than $650 in house premiums alone.
We moved the cars and home to them...and have never been happier...with just a bit more $ in our pockets.
Don't know how they will be with a claim...but I don't care who I'm with...I'd just as soon not use 'em.
Edited 7/24/2009 11:55 am by RippySkippy
We went from Statefarm to Progressive, saved a load, then to AAA and saved more, now AARP ( wife is retar, retired) and get even better prices.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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I got travelers out of maine, that beat progressive here in alabama
just about anybody beats Progressive and their service...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
I found where they are trying to pay for the OP.
Payin' 580.00 right now - Geico quoted 876.00........????Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
I've had nothing but excellent service from Progressive.
try it here....
different world...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
his is getting really strange sounding! The quote I got from AARP was double what I pay with SF
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
That is odd alright. We dropped SF 6 yrs ago when we moved here from NC, they wanted to raise the rates due to more uninsured drivers!Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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Not sure, but having seen discussion here about discounts on HO I have the feeling that Company 1 with focus on items ABC to things to uprate for and XYZ for the things to discount.Company two will uprate for DEF and discount for TUV.And company 3 with uprate for A&F and give discounts for SYZ.And thus with one company you might get all uprates and no discount, but another one with idential situation give you a disocunt and no uprates..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Something that will be worth following up on this is how steady those prices remain.I know a guy who got a lowball quote from an onlune insurer - not sure of the name brand - and then six months later, with no change in his personal history rates jumped fifty percent!Similar with my Daughter. When she got out on her own, part of declaring personal independence is to follow your friends advice instead of Dear Old Dad's ( DOD - is that where the term 'Doddering' comes from, LOL) so she got insurance from Geico when they quoted her 59 a month instead of 64.But a month later, the first bill came in and it was for something like 89. She assumed there was an initiation fee or something. next month, same deal, so she called - oh, well, we had to adjust your rates because of the accident five years ago....which was already off record with State Farm who had covered it back then...So she changed back again.My conclusion so far is that it appears that these places are like lowball contractors who submit a low bid, then hit the customer up with lots of change orders and extra fees.BTW, my service from SF is superb
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I know there are variations by location and number of miles driven and whether listed as student, pleasure, or business, and your driving record of course, but I pay $167 for my '85 van six months.
Wife's 05Toyota Highlander is 468/year with full coverage!
I've heard of young men with a DUI on record and a hot car paying 400-800 /month.
that is with state Farm so a ten% discount applies for having home and auto with them, and some sort of additional no accident discount
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I know there are variations by location and number of miles driven and whether listed as student, pleasure, or business, and your driving record of course, but I pay $167 for my '85 van six months
That's a wake-up call, $167 for six months. I assume that, living in a really remote area as you do, the rates trend downward. Makes me wonder what would happen if I got a PO Box in a town where I own property, which is farther out in the boonies.
My current address in NY State is at the outer fringe of commuting distance to NY City, so now I'm thinking that may have an effect on my premiums.
BTW, I haven't had a ticket in well over five years but I've been hit by others twice during that time. Neither accident resulted in any pay outs by my insurance company but, according to the Geico person who gave me the quote, both accidents are regarded as "incidents" which raise my premiums, even though I was standing still when hit.
I've had $1 million in liability on my truck for years. I started that when it was required to be on commercial sites; although I really don't do much commercial anymore, I kept the million liability- it's only another $75/yr and 100/300 really doesn't go that far now. If you were to rear-end a family or disable someone for life, you may find yourself way underinsured, and that $75 is going to look really cheap.
That's an excellent point. I bumped my liability up to $100K/$300K from $10K/$20K about thirty years ago, using the same reasoning, but I haven't really thought about the rising cost of medical care since then. It's certainly worth the few extra premium $$ to have $1million liability.
every one of our trucks has one million, we cannot go on jobsites without it
I've kept that high coverage ever since a job where it was required for the same thinking
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, Geico counts incidents that SF ignores, at least for long term State Farmers. Not first time I've heard that.Maine does have good rates in general. Mostly rural, and fairly polite drivers overall. I can recall at least twice in the last few years getting a notice that rates are going across the board because of the State's good driving record.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, Geico counts incidents that SF ignores, at least for long term State Farmers.
It's an underwriter's approach, something like the difference between airlines that have a low basic price and charge for additional baggage and those that charge more per seat and include more contingences. My "incidents" are baggage, something that might suggest a trend to an underwriter.
Considering my new rate with Geico, the piecemeal approach seems to have its benefits.
I AM AFRAID TO TELL YOU WHAT WE PAY. i THINK i HAVE TO MOVE.
Car insurance 4 vehicles driven about 10k total per year. 279/mth. Both wife and I are good drivers Nationwide, which was the lowest quotre 3 years ago.
Our states rates on average are pretty high!!!
I've never understood why they add on so much for each additional vehicle, when the number of covered drivers remains the same. Maybe they get burned that way by parents who don't want to declare their kids on the policy.
FWIW I used a service like http://www.2insure4less.com/ to get quotes on my insurance. I'm not sure if that helped so have a look at the site before making a decision. It was easier to enter my information on just one form, to get a bunch of quotes.
BTW, check your spam folder after sending in your request. Some of the quotes sent to me ended up getting dumped in the spam can by my ISP.
Edited 7/24/2009 8:32 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Thanks will check!