I have been with State Farm for about 15 years now. Recently got an unfortunate traffic ticket which nullified my previous PJC. Our insurance jumped to $1100/6 months!

Decided to call around today, starting with AIG. Got quote of $866. I asked them to make sure they accounted for the past tickets, and they verified it via our Drivers License #s. I asked if this rate can be locked it and that it's not going to jump once I sign up. I even asked to make sure this ain't a gimmick or "introductory offer".

I'll be calling Geico, Progressive, Erie, and a few others to shop around before decided but wanted to ask:
1. how painful is it switching companies
2. are there any strings attached to why other companies would offer much lower
3. why am i getting reamed by a company i've been with for 15 yrs!
4. any experiences with these companies?

I'm going to call State Farm and bitch as well. If they offer something competitive, I don't suppose they would reimburse me? or be liable for not saving me more when they could have all along?

1/18/2007 3:05:30 PM

My insurance already costs that much and I've never declared an accident.

1/18/2007 3:12:32 PM

progressive isn't cheap at all, at least to me.

geico wasn't as cheap (relatively) to nationwide and allstate.

the ad's you see are bs.

the insurance companies are not liable for your laziness. sorry. you are free to jump ship at anytime.

if your coverage hasn't expired yet, you are entitled to a refund, but they will never give you money that you could have saved. what kind of economic sense would that make?

i'm amazed that you would even consider that.

1/18/2007 3:40:54 PM

well the reason it jumped is becasue you now have at least two points on your record. that will raise your insurance by 75%. Also keep in mind with your car insurance your credt rating is taken into effect. If you are looking for something cheaper play with your deductibles and make sure you have all possible discounts. If you bought the cars new, own a home, have a renters policy, etc. This can all reduce your premiums. But your liability will still be high becasue that is set by the state of NC.

also if you cancel befoe your renewal date they will charge you a fee. you are better off canceling a your renewal date but make sure you have insurance in place

[Edited on January 18, 2007 at 4:29 PM. Reason : forgot]

1/18/2007 4:27:57 PM

Try Farm Bureau (member owned, think SECU of insurance). The other thing you can do is add somebody with a good driving record as a driver of your vehicle.

[Edited on January 18, 2007 at 4:32 PM. Reason : ?]

[Edited on January 18, 2007 at 4:34 PM. Reason : ?]

1/18/2007 4:31:02 PM

only thing i don't get is how state farm after being with them for 15 years would be significantly more than signing up with a new company......i would be able to understand if other companies came in slightly under....or even higher since i haven't been with them at all...

...but to come in significantly lower...i'm wondering if there's a catch ....

1/18/2007 4:39:18 PM

No quotes are made in stone, some companies do not put in all the info needed for a full policy to give a quote. The amount of time does matter a little bit but the main thing is your driving record, credit score, vehicles, and your amounts of coverage.

1/18/2007 4:44:22 PM

as bclarke35 said, there is usually an early termination fee if you drop prior to your renewal date. ask your current ins co how they calculate that early term fee and include it in to your calculation of savings.

Quote :

"The other thing you can do is add somebody with a good driving record as a driver of your vehicle. "

In north carolina, the driver with points is added as the driver to the car with the highest insurance rating. IE: the worst driver is placed on the most expensive car to get the most out of you possible. My wife and I are dealing with this right now and planning on changing companies when our renewal is up since this company is treating us like shit.

1/18/2007 4:44:22 PM

thanks for the useful info

^^ that's what I suspected that's why I asked the AIG guy if the rate he quote was locked in and I signed now and he said yes...also i made sure I gave him all info same coverage as state farm..and made sure he told me what driving records he were able to pull up based on my DL#s......to make sure everything was apples vs apples in comparing with state farm....

i'll call state farm tomorrow and see what their explanation is..stay tuned

1/18/2007 4:50:02 PM

look at liberty insurance company


They gave me the best rates and are pretty good customer service wise

1/18/2007 4:54:17 PM

once you switch, make sure that your new policy starts at least day before your current policy terminates. If you wind up having even a single day gap in coverage, the state will come at you like a banshee.

This happened to me when i switched, and inadvertently wound up with a one day gap, and had to pay a fucking fine. it's fucking ridiculous when you get hit by an uninsured mexican, and when the cop shows up he tells you they can't do anything about it, but when a law abiding citizen makes an honest mistake, they fuck you in the wallet.

1/18/2007 4:57:39 PM

if you switch you can do it the same exact day, State Law in this state is that all insurance policies are effective at 12:01 am that day. Sounds like a screw up on that company's fault ^

But if you do miss a day the DMV will fine you big time

1/18/2007 5:01:33 PM

Quote :

"once you switch, make sure that your new policy starts at least day before your current policy terminates. If you wind up having even a single day gap in coverage, the state will come at you like a banshee."

A friend of mine wasn't covered for an hour gap and got pulled over. xD

1/18/2007 5:02:48 PM

wow these gap stories are interesting...thanks for the heads up...i'll take the tip and overlap a few days just to be safe.

1/18/2007 5:12:53 PM

switching auto insurance is easy easy

also look into Travellers auto insurance, thats who i go through, they had the best rate

1/18/2007 6:36:53 PM

We have Metlife - home and auto - we've got pretty good rates. We switched from Geico after a car accident and didn't have any problems. Give the new company your old company's info but also make sure you call and cancel with your old company.

1/18/2007 7:21:54 PM

i switched to GEICO, after the first 6 months, it was basically the same as my old insurance. I think it was 5 bucks cheaper. It actually went down some thw third payment.. I plan on going back to my old insurance when my pts come off. I was too lazy to check the difference last time i renewed it.

1/18/2007 7:48:24 PM

Geico is a pain in the ass if you have to make a claim ... sure, they have a 24hour line, but that line also has lots _and_ lots of voicemail. Our account was assigned to one particular claims person who never seemed to be available. Maybe she just sucked, or maybe that's how they operate. I couldn't get anything out of them until I called and got all pissy threatening to sue them.

1/18/2007 7:51:51 PM

I have USAA, and as much as I'd like to keep with that...it's crazy expensive and I won't be able to afford it after I graduate. It's higher than the legal limit and I had to sign a waiver for them to continue covering me.

1/18/2007 8:43:46 PM

Quote :

"In north carolina, the driver with points is added as the driver to the car with the highest insurance rating. IE: the worst driver is placed on the most expensive car to get the most out of you possible. My wife and I are dealing with this right now and planning on changing companies when our renewal is up since this company is treating us like shit."

All I know is when Farm Bureau added my dad as a driver on my insurance, the price dropped like $30. Maybe your insurance is just trying to screw you over. Also, I know when I was on my parents insurance, I was listed as the driver of the oldest car, not the newest which I drove. I think this is your company, not NC.

[Edited on January 18, 2007 at 8:57 PM. Reason : ?]

1/18/2007 8:52:57 PM

Farm Bureau is a fucking joke. they have the highest rates of anyone out there, and then they stick you with member dues on top of that. Shop around and see what you can find. Progressive was cheapest for me when compared against Geico, State Farm, and Farm Bureau. I never contacted Allstate or AIG.

1/18/2007 9:11:29 PM

That's why they are the largest property insurer in NC. When you have to file a claim, you'll wish you had an insurance agent.

[Edited on January 18, 2007 at 9:30 PM. Reason : ?]

1/18/2007 9:29:53 PM

I've filed claims with them before, and their agents are fucking worthless. don't think you're getting something special from them.

1/18/2007 9:46:42 PM

AIG is great, they also have roadside assistance at no extra costs.

1/18/2007 10:00:40 PM

farm bureau is pretty bad. didn't like them when i tried them out for 6 mos.

1/18/2007 10:52:28 PM

whatever you do, make sure you have double coverage for a few days. do NOT lapse converage for even one day.

You will probably receive a fine in the mail, no matter how you did it, from the state saying you have lapsed insurance. I think you can take it to the DMV with policy information from your former and new carrier to have it fixed. It used to be a pain in the ass. I just got quoted a $400 every 6 month increase on a new jaguar i want to buy, so I am probably going to be switching...

1/19/2007 7:19:59 AM

this isnt hard to do people, just set the active date of you new policy at midnight of the night your old one goes out... not hard to do, say you cancel at jan-19 at 11:59PM and your new one starts at jan-20 12:00am... no lapse... trust me both our old agent and new one will know what needs to be done... or 12am 12:01am, however it works

i shop insurance companies about every 3-5 years to see if there is something better for me, usually is and then i switch, not a big hassle as long as you are not dealing with a total fuckup of a company or insurance agent


[Edited on January 19, 2007 at 8:37 AM. Reason : ]

1/19/2007 8:34:18 AM

Quote :

"I have USAA, and as much as I'd like to keep with that...it's crazy expensive and I won't be able to afford it after I graduate. It's higher than the legal limit and I had to sign a waiver for them to continue covering me."

Call them and find out why it's so expensive. I checked just now to make sure that the statement I was going to make (cheaper with them than anyone else, at least for me) was true, and it's $15 more every 6months to go with Progressive, but I'll stay with USAA.
It's insane that USAA would be the most expensive. It sounds like they have inaccurate information.

1/19/2007 9:00:32 AM

^^ having a day or two of overlap is worth not having to deal with the gigantic hassle of getting find if one or both insurance companies fucks up. Insurance companies don't care about their customers, so they will fuck up often. it's not like you're saving hundreds of dollars by canceling that existing policy a couple of days later.

1/19/2007 9:11:16 AM

^^No, it's entirely valid. Remember Kevin totaled my car?

1/19/2007 9:15:08 AM

Quote :

"^^No, it's entirely valid. Remember Kevin totaled my car?"

No, I didn't. Unless he was on your policy, I'd think what he does wouldn't affect your rates.

1/19/2007 9:20:03 AM

^^^i agree, but insurance companies already charge and arm and a leg so i dont want to give them more money then i have to

just wanted to point out it isnt hard to switch insurance companies in the middle of a policy

1/19/2007 9:37:30 AM

Quote :

"All I know is when Farm Bureau added my dad as a driver on my insurance, the price dropped like $30. Maybe your insurance is just trying to screw you over. Also, I know when I was on my parents insurance, I was listed as the driver of the oldest car, not the newest which I drove. I think this is your company, not NC."

did you have any tickets or accidents? If no one on the policy has any tickets then you can assign any driver to any car. In your case, you'd put you (the most inexperienced driver) on the cheapest car.

What i'm saying is that if i drive my car (a subaru with a highish rating) and my wife drives her car (a saturn with a lowish rating), when she gets a ticket, they switch her to my car and me to her car so that her ticket points combined with my car's ins rating make us pay more than if she remained as the driver of her car and me the driver of my car. I asked about this and said that she never drives my car and should not be listed as the primary driver of that car and they told me that in NC the driver with the most points gets put on the car with the highest rating.

maybe it was a bullshit answer, but that's why we're gonna start looking for new insurance and cheaper rates.

They also said that rates dropping at 25 is a myth (age discrimination). Rates drop based on experience and i think they said that it was after 3 or 5 years of driving experience.

1/19/2007 9:49:29 AM

Quote :

"They also said that rates dropping at 25 is a myth "

its definately not.

1/19/2007 9:50:48 AM

depends on what state from what i hear in talking to insurance agents in both NC and NY

1/19/2007 9:55:05 AM

Quote :

"No, I didn't. Unless he was on your policy, I'd think what he does wouldn't affect your rates. "

Nope, my insurance was brought up because it was my car, apparently it doesn't matter at all as long as it's your car. We called his insurance as well, but mine covered it. He didn't even get a ticket, he got off REAL lucky.

1/19/2007 10:06:17 AM

god.damn.

1/19/2007 10:07:56 AM

i get my car insurance through farm bureau, pretty low deductables, i have 2 cars insured which are both 2-doors with V-6 engines and i'm only paying $830 every 6 months

1/19/2007 10:26:51 AM

Quote :

"did you have any tickets or accidents? If no one on the policy has any tickets then you can assign any driver to any car. In your case, you'd put you (the most inexperienced driver) on the cheapest car. What i'm saying is that if i drive my car (a subaru with a highish rating) and my wife drives her car (a saturn with a lowish rating), when she gets a ticket, they switch her to my car and me to her car so that her ticket points combined with my car's ins rating make us pay more than if she remained as the driver of her car and me the driver of my car. I asked about this and said that she never drives my car and should not be listed as the primary driver of that car and they told me that in NC the driver with the most points gets put on the car with the highest rating."

I had a ticket, but it was 9 over. I don't think I had any points. So yea, that makes sense. My case must have been about experience, not points.

1/19/2007 11:54:25 AM

It's definitely not a myth about the age 25 drop...

My husband and I have USAA (greatest company ever!) and our premium just dropped by $86 because my husband turned 25 in November.

1/19/2007 6:30:04 PM

I've got NC Farm Bureau too, I shop around for insurance every couple of years but all the usual players can't beat them.

-- Dave

1/19/2007 8:06:47 PM

Find a lower quote

Get it verified

Then go to your insurance agent and ask if he can match it.

Note: Insurance agent. A call center might not be able to scam you in.

I

1/19/2007 10:01:30 PM

It is a myth about the 25 year age thing, In this state of NC it is allabout driving experience and how muchyou have. 5 years of driving experience is themagic number in North Carolina where you qualify for many more discounts with your company.

1/20/2007 2:40:30 AM

With USAA each year nothing bad happens you get your rate reduced, I'm paying $59 dollars a month for full car coverage including max rental and tow on a 2004, renter's insurance on the apartment, and watch insurance.

Get with them at all cost if you qualify.

[Edited on January 20, 2007 at 2:59 AM. Reason : .]

1/20/2007 2:56:43 AM

^ That is amazing, I work in insurance that is really low, it is a good idea to have renters because if you decide to get a home your claim free discount from having renters insurance that will save you 20% on your future homeowners

1/20/2007 3:08:44 AM

Make sure there is NO LAPSE!! You will wind up in insurance court..and it is a bitch....

However, we use farm bureau and only spent 800 for a full year, for 2 people, one who has not been driving more than five years and has 2 accidents and 1 ticket. We also have 3 vehicles on the policy- One Truck, One Red Sports Car convertible, and a luxury car. I think thats pretty awesome, but I don't know what average rates are.

1/20/2007 4:31:28 AM

^^ Military or their kids only and not for profit thats why.

But a lot of people who qualify don't know it or their parents never signed up.

[Edited on January 20, 2007 at 5:04 AM. Reason : .]

1/20/2007 5:02:19 AM

Quote :

"3. why am i getting reamed by a company i've been with for 15 yrs!"

because you are an out-of-control driver.

1/20/2007 8:43:15 AM

GET AN INDEPENDENT AGENT ... THOSE COMPANIES LIKE GEICO, ALLSTATE, FARM BUREAU, PROGRESSIVE SUCK B/C THE AGENTS WORK FOR THE COMPANY! THEY WILL NOT FIGHT FOR YOU TO HAVE A CLAIM COVERED, BUT AN INDEPENDENT AGENT WILL.

THE INDEPENDENT AGENT ALSO REPRESENTS MULTIPLE COMPANIES, SO YOU FILL OUT ONE APPLICATION AND GET 4-5 QUOTES.

(yes i was yelling, b/c people don't realize this)

(and no, i'm not an insurance agent)

[Edited on January 20, 2007 at 8:59 AM. Reason : no]

1/20/2007 8:59:01 AM

My experience with Farm Bureau is that they are a little better than average for just straight up car coverage, but can save a lot of money if you have renters or anything else with them. When I lived in Roanoke Rapids, I was with Progressive. They had a pretty good deal on me, my 97 Blazer, and my 97 Z-28 Convertible. I asked a family friend who is an agent and he gave me a quote that was a bit higher than Progressive. Then I moved to Scotland Neck and all of a sudden my fucking rate like tripled. Apparently it was tied to the zipcode, and they don't like the lower fire rating, or auto thefts were higher or something. Anyways I went to my next door neighbor whose a Farm Bureau agent and got another quote. They were less than what they had been in Roanoke Rapids. So I switched. I got a fat discount when I bought my house and got homeowners through my agent too.

1/20/2007 9:37:51 AM