Utterly Ridiculous - Higher Auto & Rental Insurance in No. GA burbs? Relocation from Chicago So. burbs. (Sandy Springs: credit)

[futrMrsJ]

We're relocating to either Suwanee or Buford GA. We've received a quote from Allstate - b/c it's our current carrier and we wanted to stay with them, however there's an increase in our policy of $500!
When I spoke with my agent here he said he'd expect that insurance in GA would be cheaper but clearly this isn't the case.
I'm pretty sure the quote will be the same with all Allstate offices as they use the same system (I think) and with that said I refuse to move to GA where practically everything is cheaper than here in Naperville/Aurora, IL and pay MORE for auto insurance. That's just plain crazy! Am I being bamboozled or has anyone else experienced this?

Just to give you an idea I moved from Chicago to Aurora and saw a decrease in my coverage by $300. Now with all things equal (policy-wise) I'm being told it'll cost more to cover me in Buford or Suwanee which are both well outside of the "inner-city" or city limits where crime is often higher...I just don't get it. Can anyone offer any advice here - other places to try or similar experiences and what you've found or learned in this instance? I just don't see how I'd pay more there - maybe an equal policy but NOT More. geez!

Please Help!

[doubledot]

Interesting. I relocated from LA to Lawrenceville/Suwanee and my insurance stayed about the same. I'm with Allstate as well.

[futrMrsJ]

Originally Posted by doubledot

Interesting. I relocated from LA to Lawrenceville/Suwanee and my insurance stayed about the same. I'm with Allstate as well.

Doubledot - would you mind telling who your agent is? Feel free to pm me...

[Go Blue 99]

My insurance recently changed from a suburb of Boston to Alpharetta, and the premium stayed the same.

[BobKovacs]

Hmmm...our insurance with Allstate went down almost 30% from the NJ rates we had. I guess it all depends on where you're starting from.

Bob

[futrMrsJ]

Ummm... Okay...so who are YOUR agents? We haven't had any moving violations or otherwise in at least two years, no accidents since we've been with them - I've had one accident and that was in '95 or '96 and my fiance has had one also but even further out than that.

Maybe it's the agent???

[Padgett2]

Maybe the incorrect info was used??? Wrong model year or something?

I think we are going to see a lot of insurance rates go waaaayyy up, thanks to the big loses due to Katrina. Both our car and home insurance went up this renewal period which was September. I just got the bills.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by futrMrsJ

Ummm... Okay...so who are YOUR agents? We haven't had any moving violations or otherwise in at least two years, no accidents since we've been with them - I've had one accident and that was in '95 or '96 and my fiance has had one also but even further out than that.

Maybe it's the agent???

I don't think it's the agent, as they all use the same software that pulls the rates based on your age, record, car and zip code. It's possible that Chicago just had low rates to begin with (surprising, but possible). You can also have them check some different zip codes- maybe you're looking at a really dense area that experiences alot of car theft or accidents or something. If it makes you feel any better to check with different agents, though, we use Brit Vincent out in Canton.

Bob

[BillWagner]

How's your credit score, they base rates from your credit score. maybe this is the case. When you purchased your insurance in Chicago maybe your score was alot better?

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by Go Blue 99

My insurance recently changed from a suburb of Boston to Alpharetta, and the premium stayed the same.

Interesting ... I went from Sandy Springs to Boston (Newton) and my insurance increased by $2200 -- and that was for only 2 cars instead of the 3 we had in Sandy Springs.

EDIT: I just remembered, Georgia only looks at your past 3 years of accidents, so I had 0 points. MA looks at the past 6 years of accidents and moving violations. That opened up my college record of 3 accidents, 2 speeding tickets, and 2 moving violations. THAT'S why my premium spiked! Maybe something like that happened to the OP. You don't know the exact formula they use to calculate your insurance and it's different for everyone depending on when they got their points and how severe their violations were. Another possibility is your credit score. Many insurers take that into consideration now; when you first applied for insurance w/your current carrier, they likely didn't take credit scores into consideration.