View Full Version : Anyone recommend a GOOD insurance agent?
I've been complacent (with State Farm for 15 years) and I think I'm overpaying by a substantial amount.
Every 6 months our autos go up by about 5% and I finally called to find out the reason.... "parts for older cars cost more" so our 2012 went up, "the 2014 isn't as safe as first thought" so it went up, etc. To give you an idea, 2012 Tundra, under 10k miles a year, 250/500, $500 deductible $642 for 6 months with all the discounts.
I jumped on Geico and Progressive to do online auto quotes and they're literally 50% of what I'm paying now with what appears to be the exact same coverage.
State Farm has my home, umbrella, and two autos, no accidents, claims or tickets of any type.
Let me know if you've got someone good that works for a reputable company. :)
Wolf.. sounds like your agent is feeding you a line.
I had a 2004 Ford, 2003 Yamaha.. 250/500 +um/uim 250/500.. home owners and $500 deduct.. It was $400(ish) for 6 months.. since upgrading my vehicle I'm only at $450ish..
How's your credit and MVR? That has A LOT to do with rates.. apparently shitty credit means you're a shitty person.
subbed: I have been with USAA for 18 years... Time to do an insurance checkup myself.
However I have a 1991 Mazda, and 1998 Dodge Liability only, and a 2004 Suburban with full coverage. I'm just over $100/month
I have cars that I can't even give away and pay way more than most people on here complain about.
OP, I'd love to have your rates with that new of vehicles.
Liberty Mutual is taking good care of me.
I work for one of the big companies and would be happy to run some quotes. PM for more info.
Online quotes can be misleading. Sometimes, it won't run all the vitals for the rates. It assumes the "best" of everything so you get excited then transfers you to an agent to finish it up and break the news that the magic rate isn't happening. That's not always the case but you're always better to talk to a live person when getting quotes.
Home rates are turbulent, to say the least. That has to do with all the lovely hail storms and fires we keep having. Companies are starting to restrict coverage on roofs or making you have a high wind/hail deductible. Again, this is the stuff an online quote will not tell you.
Uninsured claims are on the rise for cars and that screws everyone. Was bodywork the same cost last year as it is now? Probably not and insurance has to account for that. They have to predict how much they'll pay out for replacement and repairs and adjust. Sure your car is older but 3 hours of bodywork is up 15%.
And yes, the better credit you have, you'll generally see a better rate. The reason is that *generally* speaking, people with good credit have their finances in order and won't have to file claims for every little thing that happens. It's also proven that if you have poor credit, you generally have more on your mind to worry about and may not be focused as much while driving. It doesn't mean you're a terrible person, it's just what the numbers show.
I know people get frustrated with insurance because it's an intangible good. People hate paying for it until they have to use it. Monky pays $450/6 months and if he has a massive accident, his insurance will pay out up to $500,000. When you look at it that way, it's not a bad deal.
Think of home insurance...your average policy is $1,000/year? You have one hail claim for your roof which costs $10,000. It will take 10 years for them to recoup that money from you assuming you have no other claims in that window or don't jump ship after a 10% increase. Now multiply that by entire neighborhoods getting roofs. Its a messy situation.
Do insurance companies make money? Of course. But there are tons of factors that go into why rates do what they do.
I'm more than happy to run some quotes for people and I insure some people on the forum already. I do the best I can and make sure to explain all coverages available. I show people which coverages are worth paying for and which ones aren't.
But yes, sometimes, rates just go up and home office doesn't give us much to go off of. So your agent could tell you "It is what it is" which will make you mad or try to find a way to explain it that makes SOME kind of sense. It's a lose/lose for the agent sometimes.
I've been doing this for 13 years now. Feel free to ask generic questions here and I'll try to answer them as best I can. I don't want to openly post my company name/contact info so PM me for that.
I went with Dave_L. He was not the cheapest but I had an actual agent I could talk to. He's gone out of his way to look at my policy after a post on here, and made recommendations for me to avoid that mistake. I've referred several people to him, and he's treated them well.
Not to mention he's local, a shooter and I've know him for over a decade. He can't drive a manual stick shift without stalling though.
He can't drive a manual stick shift without stalling though.
Oh wow, I think I remember that!
Rooskibar03
04-21-2015, 18:55
I've been with State Farm agent in the Spings I've never actually met. I feel like I'm paying more than I should (definitely more than I want) but the few times I've looked at other options it doesn't seem like much savings and I'll pay a little more for an agent who always responds when I need them.
He can't drive a manual stick shift without stalling though.
Haha, you're killing me!
Bailey Guns
04-21-2015, 19:19
I dumped State Farm several years ago and I'm glad I did. I went with Country Financial...by far the best homeowner rates and, at the time, killer auto rates. Then the auto rates started to rise so I went with GEICO. So far it's the best I've found. We have clean records (for decades) and 800-ish credit scores. Some companies quote literally over twice what GEICO charges. I wish I knew how the insurance industry worked.
I actually just added my wife's 2014 GTI. Only went up to about $145.
I most likely am not being covered correctly either.
Dave_L, can you do must of the review via e-mail? IE I e-mail you my Policy and you make suggestions?
Wolf.. sounds like your agent is feeding you a line.
I had a 2004 Ford, 2003 Yamaha.. 250/500 +um/uim 250/500.. home owners and $500 deduct.. It was $400(ish) for 6 months.. since upgrading my vehicle I'm only at $450ish..
How's your credit and MVR? That has A LOT to do with rates.. apparently shitty credit means you're a shitty person.
I have a minor dispute I'm trying to resolve as co-signer on student loan with that POS outfit ACS, on an otherwise spotless credit record, and a 4-point speeding violation also on a 10+ year clean MVR, never an at fault claim, and Progressive has been ass-raping me over it for 6 months now. Apparently I've only recently turned into a shitty person.
Thanks for the advice, I've reached out in a couple directions...
Joshua Riehl 303-346-0028 (tel:303-346-0028) ext.58985
I've been with him for a very long time and I've never complained once .
And he's in Highlands Ranch .
Liberty mutual
One thing I found in the last couple days was some of the policies some might have. I went to Amica. They asked if I had any guns, then said they would require them to be unloaded at all times when in the home. Then when stored the guns and ammo must be separate. I didn't think it was any of there business.
Might be shopping again next month!
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