Auto Insurance Loyalty

How loyal are you to your auto insurance provider? Do you check pricing at each renewal? Have you ever had to file a claim and did it go well?

I am just wondering. I have no loyalty to insurance providers and when my insurance is about due for renewal I start price checking. So, I was wondering if others do the same.

My agent shops around for me. He reps about three companies and works with another broker who has access to several more. Best price wins. I'm currently with travelers. No issue on my only claim with them (shattered windshield)

It doesn't pay to switch insurance often. Insurers are much more likely to give you a better settlement if you are a longtime, established client with a record (with them) of stability. Unless you got a quote that was ~15-20% lower somewhere else, I wouldn't recommend changing carriers. And even then, definitely not more than one change every five years or so...

I have had several claims with Allstate in recent years and they have been great. Loyal at any cost, no, but right now I don't plan on switching.

We have been with Progressive for about 12 years. We have had to file claims (2 at fault (one a double when I backed my wife's van into my car), 1 for hail damage, 3 broken windshields) and our premiums have never gone up. The couple times I shopped around they were less than everyone else, so at this point they are giving me no reason to shop it around. Their service and responsiveness has always been between acceptable and excellent, so at this point I am pretty loyal. It would take a major price break to make me leave at this point.

I was with Farmers for years and had a great agent, however several years ago we started watching our money a little closer and doing a little shopping around saved us about 30% per month, we carried full auto coverage, home owners and several riders to cover shop tools and other high value items, we still have all that stuff just for less money per month. I do miss my old agent though, he and his wife are both into motorcycles and we used to have some fantastic rides together, we still keep in touch and maybe someday I will go back to Farmers. I can't remember where I read it but several financial advisors recommend checking your auto insurance options every few years and changing if needed to fit your budget goals.

I had AAA for 20 plus years, no problems, filed claims, everything. My wife and I felt that prices were creeping up and that we could do better. We did a lot of pricing with other companies. Most did not do a lot better for us. We decided to take the plunge with Liberty Mutual. The agent was fine. Overall, we were on track to save some, not a ton. We paid in a lump sum, deal done, cards received, everything electronically documented. After two months, Liberty Mutual starts sending us bills for amount owed, for hundreds more, saying that they don't do deals like we got. Say what? After a month of arguing with them, we threatened to sue, and to report them for false advertising. They "allowed" us to keep the deal that they gave us. However, the manager actually told us Liberty Mutual will recoup their loss, and raise our premium on the next years renewal. They have also tried to charge us more for things that were okay when we signed "their deal" but Liberty Mutual doesn't want now. Think that we will renew? Fat chance. We pay every year in a lump sum, have stellar driving records, and very few claims. Adios Liberty Mutual.

I had coverage for home and car through a local agent and company. They started getting really picky about stuff on the home policy, and finally cancelled on me. I kept their car coverage, seeing premiums steadily rise. I did a quick on-line search and found Geico saved me over $200/year, but with more features. I switched when the policy was due to expire. The old company kept sending me snarky postcards, which only served to reinforce the correctness of my decision. They had no loyalty towards me, in fact I think they came to expect my business without working for it.

My wife had State Farm along time ago and the day before we got married I got a small speeding ticket. After the wedding she went to put me on her policies and they canceled here. We both had a good driving record up to that day I got a ticket. I think it was because we where young and in our mid 20s.

I was with AIG for about 15 years then, they got in trouble. Next I went with State Farm, good price. At renewal time the rate increased a lot. Then, I went to Amica for a year and when it was time to renew they nearly doubled the rate. So, I went to Progressive, they basically did the same, after one year the price went up. Then, I went with Liberty Mutual and they were good for a few years. The price increased this year because of a move and my agent could not make it any less expensive so, now I am with USAA.

I have never had an insurance claim my entire driving career.

I have been changing insurance a lot the past few years. I do shop for insurance when it is time to renew and if I find something better, I move.

Have been with Progressive for quite a few years, have had a mixture of at-fault and not at-fault claims (and not at-fault involving both insured and "underinsured" drivers) over that time. They've generally been responsive and easy to work with. Most recently my youngest daughter (age 21) was rear-ended and the other driver ran off! Progressive has been good with medical for both her and her fiancé (who was with her at the time) though the medical adjuster has been uncharacteristically hard to get in touch with sometimes. Rates have not climbed inordinately and actually have fallen a couple of times. So....will stay with them unless somehow I get a significantly better deal in the future.

I've had Amica on my car since 1978. Added renter and condo insurance as I've lived in both.
They've always been good and fair about the claims and have gone the extra mile for some services.
When making a claim some years back, I casually mentioned another incident that had happened in the previous year that I had paid out of pocket. The claims person told me it was covered under the comprehensive portion of my policy; I sent them the receipt and got a check from them quickly.
I like dealing directly with the company rather than a local agent; no telling what the companies they are representing are pushing them to sell.

I insured with State Farm for many years, but got a better deal with Farm Bureau and switched. Had several claims in the past few years--all the other guy's fault--also a car/deer accident. All went okay.

RocketT.Coyote said:

I insured with State Farm for many years, but got a better deal with Farm Bureau and switched. Had several claims in the past few years--all the other guy's fault--also a car/deer accident. All went okay.

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I've been with State Farm for several years. Had two accidents recently (not my fault on either one). Found State Farm to be very "hands off" helpful. They were like, well we can do a claim, or you can wait for their ins. So, I asked for their advice. Again, not much help as to which way to go. Now on the second accident, all three of us involved had State Farm (what are the odds???) so no big deal. The first accident I dealt with the other peoples ins (Pekin Ins), I'm pretty sure I got hosed, but I don't know and my ins wouldn't tell me, if things would have been better if I had done a claim through them. They're all a necessary evil IMHO.

Adrian

I got a different car and had my rates jump, so shopped around. To get the best deal I also changed my renter's insurance. A month later my home was broken into. The claim was paid but Allstate immediately dropped me. 6 months later I bought a house and a year after I was shopping for a better deal on homeowners and no one would cover me due to that claim and being dropped. I don't know if there was a chance the mortgage company wouldn't have been able to find me a policy (at the time the company they used was affiliated with them, although it isn't now), but if that had been the case I wouldn't have been able to buy a house because of what started with changing car insurance.

Just something to consider.

I WAS loyal to State Farm up until 2 years ago.
I filed 1 claim because someone hit my car in a parking lot.
$1500 damage with a $500 deductible. The following renewal; they wanted to raise my rate by $700 a year!
I said good-bye to them.

JD

State farm for 8 years. Someone rear ended me in stopped traffic, their ins picked up the entire tab but my premium suddenly jumped.

So I switched car insurer, which lost me the discount on my home insurance, so I switched that too.

I was with State Farm for 13 years. They could not match USAA so I have been with them for all of insurance needs for 16 years. \

Cheap and quick to pay.

USAA here for 30+ years. Ever since second year of AFROTC....

USAA as a dependent for almost my entire driving life. Good premium rates, though not always the best, but service is far and away the best I've encountered. No issues with claims (One at-fault and two or three not-at-fault accidents over 15 years), haven't had premiums jump without reason. Also have homeowners insurance with them. Interesting item was that when we bought our most recent house, they didn't have the best premium. We called and told them and they reviewed and lowered the premiums.