Avoid GEICO

[fdcg27]

+1 on a mutual.
We've insured with State Farm for decades and have enjoyed excellent customer service and very fair claims settlements.
State Farm sometimes gets a bad rap, but as a longtime insured, I can personally attest that it's not warranted.
We could probably save a few pennies a month switching, but those savings might prove illusory over a couple of years.
I have an agent I can call about anything at any time.
He has the authority to write checks to settle claims up to 5K and has done so for us.
That's not the case with most insurers and certainly not with the bottom feeders some people go to in quest of a couple of bucks in savings, which evaporate at the first renewal anyway.
Buying insurance isn't like buying an airline ticket.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I've just switched to GEICO after a long time with AAA. The latter used to be cheaper, both in CO and here, than GEICO and everybody else, but then the price increases started kicking in every 6 months. And I haven't had a claim in 7 years and am an older, safe driver with (until this year) an older, safe, not-often-stolen car.

GEICO really did save me -- a lot more than that 15% they tout in their ads. The service people seemed cheerful and smart on the phone; they gave me another discount for taking an online defensive driving course, which was neat; and the local State Farm and Progressive offices quoted much higher rates.

Of course the real proof of the Gecko's pudding will come if I have a claim. Until then, considering I'm mired in the state with the highest auto insurance in America, I think I've done fairly well.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I dumped Geico this past spring...I went to Allstate...and got BETTER coverage (doubled my liability limits) for almost 20% less.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
I dumped Geico this past spring...I went to Allstate...and got BETTER coverage (doubled my liability limits) for almost 20% less.


It's strange how for everyone it's different. Allstate was 3.5X as expensive for the same coverage as Geico.

When I dropped Geico, I switched to a different insurance company, and have significantly lower deductibles for 2/3 the price.

That was a funny conversation, though. I was shopping for insurance for the Focus before I bought it.

"So it will be $360" - Allstate lady
"Oh, for 6 months, that's great!" - Me
"No, a month"
"Yeah ... no thanks. I will keep my 2000 Jeep Cherokee insured with you for the remainder of the policy and switch".

Apparently that was a mistake. I canceled the policy and switched that over to Geico. Got confirmation paperwork from allstate that my policy was canceled.

Then, 6 months later, I start getting calls from collections agencies along with letters from the DMV to surrender the plates on my Cherokee.

They filed paperwork with DMV that I had stopped paying my insurance (which is true, I canceled the policy) and sent me to collections.

What a mess.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
I'm thinking of calling an insurance broker and see what the deals are.

I've had geico for 15 years.

2 claims, zero problems, usually cheapest rate.

I do everything with the policy online, rarely call them.


That is the way to do it. Contact a couple of independent agents and get quotes from a variety of companies. The best value and service is not necessarily from the ones with the highest advertising budgets.

 

[surfstar]

Had Geico since I got off my parent's policy at 18. Shopped around a couple times since and Geico was always MUCH cheaper. No problems, no claims, though.

There's a reason competition exists in the marketplace - be happy you have choices.

 

[simple_gifts]

List of Mutual Insurance companies

 

[JTK]

They're all a khrap-shoot IMO.

We used Allstate for almost 20yrs for both home and auto coverage. Never a home claim and barely an auto, yet our rates kept climbing exponentially. We switched to a broker who hooked us up with Peerless and then Safeco. Both divisions of Liberty Mutual I believe. That was great for 3-4yrs. Not a single claim, yet the rates going out of control. Got a call/quote from Allstate at a huge savings w/ same coverage. Switched back to Allstate.

It's such a pain to switch every few years, but it's the only way to keep your rates as low as possible IMO.