Thinking of switching auto insurance companies

[JohnnyG]

Im willing to bet 99% or more of people with insurance have no clue as to what companies insist on OEM parts, if there are any at all.
Typically individual state laws govern Insurance so you can get 50 different answers. I just dont understand what you mean the savings are not worth it, savings from what? Insurance? or telling your body shop you only want OEM parts? I see nothing wrong with insisting on OEM parts and if one does you hope you get them, kind of like telling an oil change place you only want Mobil 1 oil used.

What I am saying is, I guess for some people its worth it to pay extra money for insurance their entire lives for something they may never need AND they have no clue if what we are discussing is even true. Many states give you a right to insist on OEM parts no matter who the company is.
Other states not and even if they do, they have no idea of OEM was used or not. A simple search shows every insurance companies with complaints mentioned in this thread.

We all buy what makes us happy and there are 50 different laws for 50 different states.
Low price always wins for me, insurance is a safety net that I never need. But I dont hold it against people who want to pay more, but they need to respect the people who pay less.

I'm guessing that the sad face comment is you asking how I know Travelers pays promptly on Property damage claims.
This will help I'm sure:

This person decided to park his BMW in my master bedroom the other night!
So far, Travelers has paid about $12,000 for the repairs, but the project is not yet finished. They have left the case open for final charges.

 

[CKN]

I'm guessing that the sad face comment is you asking how I know Travelers pays promptly on Property damage claims.
This will help I'm sure:
View attachment 129116

This person decided to park his BMW in my master bedroom the other night!
So far, Travelers has paid about $12,000 for the repairs, but the project is not yet finished. They have left the case open for final charges.

I had a flood in my basement and had Liberty Mutual at the time. They paid everything-including hotel stays because we couldn't sleep in our home because of the noise of the drying fans. I mean they PAID EVERYTHING without any games.

 

[Hall]

One of my best friends was with Nationwide for a long time, I'd have to check but I don't think so anymore, supposedly none of the other agents could come close to the rate he was getting from his agent.

Agents (not brokers) have zero control over rates. If you call (5) different agents for insurance company "X", the rates you get from all (5) will be the same. Only way it can vary is if they don't quote the same coverage(s).

 

[eljefino]

When I chatted with Progressive last time they told me they didn't use credit reports to get their pricing on policies

I was either flat out lied to or misled by the agent with Progressive.

When I pulled my credit report, I noticed that Progressive kept "dinging" me during my tenure with Geico.

 

[PontiacHO]

Agents (not brokers) have zero control over rates. If you call (5) different agents for insurance company "X", the rates you get from all (5) will be the same. Only way it can vary is if they don't quote the same coverage(s).

After my old agent retired and handed my homeowners and auto insurance over to another agent (all with Nationwide) it immediately increased the cost and honestly kept increasing frequently after that. I kept my old agent’s cars serviced so there is that. He did keep our costs down. Just my experience….

 

[JGmazda]

No actually I do not, I pretty much answered my own question. I feel like we're being tracked enough as it is, whether it's your phone, apps, etc... the information is always there.

Absolutely. And any data they collect isn't going to be used FOR "You"... If anything, it's used to build a profile and to be used when you decide to make a claim. As others have mentioned here... shop around and go with a company that is reputable. Switching insurance is also a "data point" they collect. Insurance is there to protect you and needed.
I'm not a fan of any company but have found the ultimate test is how they process a "claim" and what repairs/parts/shops and service they provide.

 

[Merek]

After my old agent retired and handed my homeowners and auto insurance over to another agent (all with Nationwide) it immediately increased the cost and honestly kept increasing frequently after that. I kept my old agent’s cars serviced so there is that. He did keep our costs down. Just my experience….

Kinda the same happened to me, when I had the house they gave me Erie which also had homeowners insurance so I switched from Progressive but later I no longer had the house but stayed with Erie and found out they were screwing me over big-time, after a few years I switched back to Progressive directly and they cut it in 1/2 for the exact same coverage. That's the biggest gripe I have with my agent, they didn't contact me to see if they could do any better and they also sold Progressive among other insurers as well.

My agent had retired first so I was then dealing with her husband and I do have a good experience with them but when he retired they sold the company to another individual, last I knew their daughter was still there but I've never dealt with her for insurance and I don't know if she's gotten her license to sell insurance.

 

[64bawagon]

I have my auto and homeowners through an independent agent I went to high school with and have known for over 40 yrs. He knows my loyalty is tenuous and shops my policies at least every other year. About 5 yrs ago my brothers houses (residence and rental) got hit by a mild tornado/hail storm. Both got new siding, new roof, new garage doors with no hassles.

 

[92saturnsl2]

My son had e insurance and had a claim and it was a real nightmare. They speced a Chinese bumper-the body shop told them the quality was terrible and they said to use it anyway. A few weeks after picking up the car-the bumper fell off as the body shop stated it would. They got a better bumper. If you have a house, any assets in the bank-using Internet Insurance is a real risk. Unlike motor oil-when it comes to insurance-I DON'T WANT THE CHEAPEST.

Paying more doesn't necessarily mean you are getting more.

If you want to pay a given company extra for an agent to hand hold you while shopping for insurance, some people see value in that.

Personally I know what I need as far as coverage goes and am very comfortable NOT paying extra for the agent and shopping online to get a better deal. I've not once encountered a scenario where an agent based insurance company was less expensive than an online one. I've been buying insurance online since it became a thing, and was probably one of Esurance's first customers in the early 00's. I had a claim with Esurance in 2005 for $6K damage to my truck. zero issues.

Contrary to popular belief, insurance companies are not obligated to replace with OEM parts unless prescribed by state law (I'm not aware of any, but I'm sure there are some that require OEM for certain parts like emissions/safety). In every state I've lived in (a bunch) OEM parts replacement required a separate rider. Insurance companies are not in the business of giving away money or spending more on parts than they have to-- so if they have a choice between a CAPA certified part that cost $250 and an OEM one that cost $599, which one do you think they're going to use? If you think they're going to eat the $249 dollars when they don't have to, I have a nice bridge (pick your location) to sell you.

Seems these threads pop up every year or so, my position hasn't changed.

I shop around for insurance religiously every 6 months at renewal time. This is the first time in my lifetime that A) my insurance dropped with the same carrier [Progressive] for no apparent reason (driving record the same), and B) I was forced to stay with the same carrier because I simply could not find a better rate elsewhere. Companies must be using a new algorithm or something to reduce churn.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I dont have trouble believing it, the repair shop bought a cheap replacement part and pocketed the extra money. Funny, if you think about it, the insurance company even gets blamed if the repair shop is incompetent! Boy isnt that a great business to be in!

I get that it could be crap, but how does it fall off? If it rusted or bent or cracked or wouldn't take paint or whatever, I get it. Falling off sounds like and installation problem not a chinese part problem. But believe me, I avoid anything made by the CCP to save my life, purely out of principal.

 

[CKN]

I get that it could be crap, but how does it fall off? If it rusted or bent or cracked or wouldn't take paint or whatever, I get it. Falling off sounds like and installation problem not a chinese part problem. But believe me, I avoid anything made by the CCP to save my life, purely out of principal.

The body shop informed e insurance is was a sub standard part- they didn't care- until it fell off. They did not spec the part-the insurance company did. I had numerous dealings (three in total) in the past with this shop-all repairs previously done 100% correct the first time. But it was my own insurance company-and not an Internet based one.

 

[CKN]

Paying more doesn't necessarily mean you are getting more.

If you want to pay a given company extra for an agent to hand hold you while shopping for insurance, some people see value in that.

Personally I know what I need as far as coverage goes and am very comfortable NOT paying extra for the agent and shopping online to get a better deal. I've not once encountered a scenario where an agent based insurance company was less expensive than an online one. I've been buying insurance online since it became a thing, and was probably one of Esurance's first customers in the early 00's. I had a claim with Esurance in 2005 for $6K damage to my truck. zero issues.

Contrary to popular belief, insurance companies are not obligated to replace with OEM parts unless prescribed by state law (I'm not aware of any, but I'm sure there are some that require OEM for certain parts like emissions/safety). In every state I've lived in (a bunch) OEM parts replacement required a separate rider. Insurance companies are not in the business of giving away money or spending more on parts than they have to-- so if they have a choice between a CAPA certified part that cost $250 and an OEM one that cost $599, which one do you think they're going to use? If you think they're going to eat the $249 dollars when they don't have to, I have a nice bridge (pick your location) to sell you.

Seems these threads pop up every year or so, my position hasn't changed.

I shop around for insurance religiously every 6 months at renewal time. This is the first time in my lifetime that A) my insurance dropped with the same carrier [Progressive] for no apparent reason (driving record the same), and B) I was forced to stay with the same carrier because I simply could not find a better rate elsewhere. Companies must be using a new algorithm or something to reduce churn.

What is your experience regarding claims? How many-over what length of time? If you didn't make any claims-that is one VERY IMPORTANT metric you can't speak to. Ant insurance an be cheap and great-until you make a claim.

 

[alarmguy]

The body shop informed e insurance is was a sub standard part- they didn't care- until it fell off. They did not spec the part-the insurance company did. I had numerous dealings (three in total) in the past with this shop-all repairs previously done 100% correct the first time. But it was my own insurance company-and not an Internet based one.

All states are different and I’m just playing devils advocate. Please don’t take my post argumentative.

If the body shop is telling the truth they should have contacted you about the crappy part he says the ins company was specifying.
You are the insurance company customer not the shop and now after the fact you have nothing but what the body shop is telling you and no proof that is what took place.

Even if he was telling the truth.
Depending on state, you the customer has the say in how an insurance company acts not the contractor, you are the one in control if you want to file a complaint not the shop.
I suspect if the shop was telling the truth and contacted you that you could have demanded the proper part and they would have complied.

 

[Tdbo]

Agents (not brokers) have zero control over rates. If you call (5) different agents for insurance company "X", the rates you get from all (5) will be the same. Only way it can vary is if they don't quote the same coverage(s).

This is correct.
However some agents have a better grasp of discounts available and how to apply them.
I found this out when I wanted to change agents within the same company, and the company had to rewrite the policy.
The second agent included several discounts that I qualified for, but were not applied by Agent #1.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Correct, here in VA with myself as the only driver on the policy, I have both comprehensive and collision w/ $500 deductible.

Not bad. From what most folks tell me they paying per 6 mo and what we pay, those seem like the average , decent prices especially if you are a trouble free driver.

 

[Aredeeem]

Have had State Farm for 51 years. Home, cars, the whole bit. Never a problem with a claim. A tracker on my cars to save a few bucks..no way. Something to be said for being 71. You just don’t give a **** about a lot of stuff anymore.

 

[Donald]

We have had GEICO for many years. Have not compared in a few years. But GEICO gives one discounts for being a good driver for 5 years with GEICO. I assume other companies may do the same. Go with another company and you start over

I will get some quotes at some point in the future but not expecting much.

 

[dishdude]

Unless you pay for a rider, you're getting used or CAPA parts.

There's no way I would have one of those trackers in my vehicle, the insurance company would drop me like a bag of dirt. Allstate wanted me to download some app on my phone that monitored my driving, no way! I don't even know how that would work, how can they tell if I'm driving, a passenger or in an Uber or something.

 

[SC Maintenance]

We have had GEICO for many years. Have not compared in a few years. But GEICO gives one discounts for being a good driver for 5 years with GEICO. I assume other companies may do the same. Go with another company and you start over

I will get some quotes at some point in the future but not expecting much.

I had Geico for I think 14 years, no issues at all. Suddenly they started raising my rates for no apparent reason - by a lot. No claims, no points, no reason. After a couple cylces I switched.

Funny thing is I have gotten Geico quotes again and its much less than I am paying now - which is still less than what they wanted in the end. I am hesitant to jump again and start the cycle over.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Unless you pay for a rider, you're getting used or CAPA parts.

Depends a bit on your state. In South Carolina the law is written such that they need to compensate you for your entire loss, including diminished value. So if your car is fairly new your likely getting OEM. If its a decade old then they probably have some leeway. They also make it really easy to take a insurance company to small claims here - they have a special process set up for just that event.

My understanding from others is we pay for these benefits by having higher rates than comparable locations elsewhere.

Its important to find and read your state laws. Years ago I didn't know what diminished value was so I didn't ask for it. Statute of limitations is pretty short, so my stupidity, my loss.