Switched car insurance today.

[mountainmommy]

We have been with StateFarm the entire 15 yr we've been married. But our rates were just too high.

 

Clean driving records...older cars.. deductibles 1000, low liability limit on one car (one was 100/300/100 the other was 25/50/25)and we were paying $175/mo

 

Switched to Farm Bureau $110/mo with 500/100 deductible and 100/300/100 on both vehicles! I hope they are good to us. It was hard to switch but almost $800/yr savings for wayyyy better coverage!

[HoldenMcGroin]

cool deal...it definitely pays to shop around.

 

the companies aren't going to be loyal to you, so why be loyal to them?

[MrMut]

Congrats! I need to shop around as well with insurance...

[Repairerer]

Congrats!

 

Funny, I just switched yesterday TO State Farm. I dunno why I didn't have the cars there before, I've had homeowners there for 11 years. I'm paying the same price for 250/500/250 as I was for 25/50/25.

 

I want to shop even more, but there is a claim processing against homeowners right now. I will also be adding umbrella but I can't do that either with the claim in process.

[Uncle Leo]

the companies aren't going to be loyal to you, so why be loyal to them?

Yep.

 

Insurance is one of things where loyalty to the company rarely works in your favor. They value new customers more than existing customers, so it's best to take advantage of that and change from time to time.

[HoldenMcGroin]

This thread inspired me to start looking for a better rate. So far I've checked three companies and no one is really beating the price I already have.

[Repairerer]

Don't forget to see if they can beat their own price. Sometimes as time passes without claims you become eligible for additional discounts, but they don't give them to you unless you ask.

[road2freedom]

I was thinking about this very thing last night... search today and viola - it's been discussed!

 

I've been with State Farm for about 10 years now, with Home, Auto, and a small Life policy. It seems that our rates never go down. They always renew at roughly the same amount (usually within pennies) but then for fun they tack on a $1 service charge each time. I keep getting mailings from competing companies with what I assume are teaser rates, literally the same coverage at 1/3 the price.

 

I can't figure out if State Farm is just taking me for whatever they can or if I'm just anxious to find any additional cost savings. I'm afraid to switch over and regret it or get rate-jacked at renewal. I also have my recent BK to consider and how it could affect actual rate offers. Could it be minimized by listing my wife as the "primary insured" (did not file BK)?

[Uncle Leo]

I also have my recent BK to consider and how it could affect actual rate offers. Could it be minimized by listing my wife as the "primary insured" (did not file BK)?

I have a 3 yr old BK. My wife does not. We get better rates because of her. According to my agent, the company we are with goes by the person on the policy with the best credit report/score. That saves us $300/yr on our homeowners policy alone. I would presume that many companies are the same.

[TroyP]

I've always been amused by State Farm's commercials. "The average driver saved $500 a year by switching to State Farm." No kidding? Think that stat is colored by some selection bias? Like the fact that the overwhelming majority of auto insurance shoppers aren't looking for a more expensive policy?

[Polaroy2]

I just switched from State Farm to Country Financial. I had only 2 claims in the past, rear-ended(minor repairs) and equipment damage(wooden pallets fell off a passing truck killing my DS passenger door).

 

I had $1000 deduct., life insurance, homeowners insurance, 1 full coverage truck, 2 liability cars and had been with SF for 10 years, all for $189/mo.

 

I got the same coverage at Country with a higher coverage limit for the truck, liability for the other cars and life, higher coverage for the homeowners policy, etc. for $129/mo.

[snowpuppy]

This thread inspired me to start looking for a better rate. So far I've checked three companies and no one is really beating the price I already have.

 

I had SF for about 10 yrs as well and figured out they weren't exactly giving me breaks for being such a loyal customer. I started switching around in 08 and currently with Liberty Mutual.

 

I started shopping around again this year and I'm not finding any price breaks the way I used to. I checked 3 other companies and not saving a penny by switching.

[Gudziel]

What do you guys suggest is the best way of shopping around? Online filling out the questionaires or in person? And am I wrong in thinking that the checks go onto your reports?

[Gudziel]

What do you guys suggest is the best way of shopping around? Online filling out the questionaires or in person? And am I wrong in thinking that the checks go onto your reports?

I'm dumb and do not answer!

[Nana83]

I saved significantly by switching from SF to Progressive and then finally to Allstate. When I switched to Allstate, I added condo insurance and ended up paying less for auto/condo combined than I did with auto only at Progressive.

[Baddies4Breakfast]

Switched from State Farm to USAA today. Cheaper for more coverage, even without the loyalty discounts I had for being with SF for 4 years. I'll probably switch Renters insurance too. My credit scores are higher than they were in 2007 too.

[TiredMom]

Farm Bureau in TN does not do a credit check. We pay 75 monthly - 2 drivers,full coverage,2 vehicles, 500 deduct.

[graphickellie]

To everyone shopping for car insurance: I work for a large insurance company and here are a few tips I would suggest

 

1. ALWAYS make sure they are running a MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) BEFORE they sell the policy. There are a lot of companies out there that just ask you what is in your report for the past 3-5 years and quote you based on that. But, if you forget about a ticket when the MVR comes back your rates could be jacked up!

 

2. Try playing around with your coverages. Comprehensive is extremely inexpensive compared to Collision. I always suggest looking at doing something like a 100 ded for comp and 500 or 1000 for collision. Here is why: Comprehensive pays to repair your vehicle in the event of: Fire, Theft, Wind, Flood, Vandalism, or collision with an animal. those types of claims are typically far less than a collision claim (which pays to repair your vehicle when you collide with anything other than an animal) So if you're carrying a 500 or 1000 ded for comp and the damage is less than that you're out of luck, you pay out of pocket. And honestly the difference between a 100 ded and 500 or 1000 in most cases is the matter of about 10-20 dollars A YEAR. very worth it.

 

3. Ask about loyalty programs that the company has. There are a few companies out there that will non-renew your policy if you file a claim. Leaving you with having to shop around for car insurance AGAIN in 6-12 months.

 

4. ASK ABOUT DISCOUNTS! there are sooo many discounts that you may not even know you're eligable for! Such as educational and occupational discounts. My company gives discounts for a lot of occupations such as: nursing, teaching, police, fire fighters, etc. And the higher your education level the less you pay (I know the arguments here... But it is statistically proven that the higher your education the safer driver you are. I understand that that doesn't mean that someone who didn't graduate high school can be the safest driver, these are all statistics)

 

And last, if you don't understand insurance ASK! I know before I worked in insurance I did not understand any of it. I never mind explaining the coverage to the insured, they need to know what their policy covers and DOESN'T cover!

[biznerdjm]

I know for sure State Farm has loyalty programs