Posted on 11/11/2012 7:01:31 PM PST by RKBA Democrat
If you have been with your auto insurer for several years, your faithfulness might be costing you a bundle. That's the conclusion of a new report from the Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel, which represents consumer interests. The longer customers stay with a company, the more likely they are to pay more than they need to, said the agency, which looked at pricing and other data from large auto insurers.
The analysis found that the insurers' risk of loss is less the longer you stay with the company, meaning you become more profitable to the company the longer you stay around. While the savings will vary from person to person, long-term customers are likely to be paying too much.
The report was meant to be a siren call to shop around for home and auto policies. Not only might consumers be paying their own insurer more, but they could be missing out because other companies often aggressively price new policies as "loss leaders"—selling them at a loss or only a small profit—to draw in new customers, the report found.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Been pricing around but still can’t match what my current rates are. For you searching, check out the Mutuals.
We’ve been with AAA for home and auto for years. This article has really sparked my curiosity. With the drop in home values, I imagine we’re paying too much in homeowners insurance. About to add a teenager to the auto too.
Any advice is appreciated.
I pointed out that I planted the ivy to keep seepage out of the basement. Ivy has been used for hundreds of years along walls to draw moisture out of the soil. Mine was highly effective against doing exactly that. We bought the house at a slightly discounted rate because the basement had the beginnings of mold problems near the foundation which is facing a downslope. We moved the drain field just enough to eliminate those problems naturally by building up the area around the foundation with mulch and sandy soil and planting English ivy to draw moisture out.
But it was either remove the ivy or no insurance, so I told them to stick it and I'd stay with the current, more expensive insurer.
I want to get our of liberal “Progressive” insurance
Been with GEICO for 26 years.
Shop for better prices every three. With all the big players and discount players.
Always get the same answer.
“We can’t come close to those rates. They are giving you
a huge discount for your time with them.”
I have Safeco, I will be making my last payment period this week and thats it. I’m dropping all insurance period. I need the funds for traveling expenses, and its not by truck.
Some types of Ivy can be destructive. This ivy can grow under concrete sidewalks, up stone walls and under siding causing some pretty severe damage over time.
(GEICO - you can now send me a $1,000 check for my testimony here)
[Anyone who goes to GEICO tell them I sent you so they can send me a check too...]
;-)
Not to criticize but to inform - GEICO means "Government Employees Insurance Company" and is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company run by Obama ass-kisser Warren Buffett. Savings is savings, but conservative GEICO customers are doing business with people who hate their beliefs.
It sounds like you might be heading down under soon, right?
Free Republic will hopefully escape their national website filter. Tell us how it is there!
They are the BEST company to deal with in my opinion. The only insurance company who tries to keep the customer happy.
FR will be OK in Oz, but it will be a veritable maze of snoopers more so than ever, HS will really want to get a feel of what right wingers are up to.
Personally again I’m not fighting them, they can have my scorched home and the diesel soaked dirt. At the very least i am scouting and prepared to stay permanently. America is NOT going to have a corrective revolution, there won’t be any impeachment over Libya, Obama will find a way to remain in office permanently. We all laughed and scoffed before, now its reality, the nightmares of America begin.
Advice: check out a list of “best” homeowners insurance companies. Getting the absolute cheapest product might be a false economy. JD Powers has a list of the “best” herehere:
On the negative side, here a list of worst insurance companies:
Here is another list by state:
http://www.smartshopyourcarinsurance.com/best-worst-insurance-by-state.html
I’d look up the agents for a few of the “best” for your area and give them a shot at the work. You may end up sticking with who you have, but at least it’ll be informed decision.
ALSO, while there is a lot of hay made about getting a better deal by combining home owners with auto, I haven’t found it to be all that good of a deal for me.
We saved a bundle by switching from geico to USAA. If you are a veteran or a child of a veteran go with USAA.
P.S. Check out the mutual insurance companies as well. The true mutual insurance companies are owned by their policyholders like a credit union or coop. You’re in a relatively low risk area (MN?), so homeowners insurance shouldn’t cost you all that much. Here on the coast, hurricanes are the issue and we pay more as a result and some insurers have red-lined the area/state.
Auto insurance is more a commodity and in my view should be treated as such.
“I want to get our of liberal “Progressive” insurance.”
There are plenty of other choices out there.
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