[Prosze]

Shop around, I have Metlife no problems so far and they are a heck of a lot cheaper than Allstate, for us.

[icarian]

Resurrecting the thread because it definitely helped in my search / being persistent.

Currently living in SE Calif and own a 2005 Infiniti FX and 2012 Hyundai Genesis sedan. When we moved from AK, USAA bumped our rates a little bit more at ~$800 per six months (how being in the middle of the Mojave and definitely off the beaten path can be a higher risk than driving around on roads where the asphalt is covered by packed snow for 8 months of the year I never did figure out?). Anyway, obvious bad taste started with USAA's insurance...and I have been using their auto coverage for 18ish years.

We are getting ready to move to Henderson and I started shopping for both auto and homeowner's.

On the auto, USAA bumped us again: $916 semi annual. Called Amica and their quote was $1034 semi annual. Just got off the phone with Geico and their quote was $556 semi annual. This was for 100k/300k Bodily Injury, 100k property liability, 100k/200k on uninsured motorists bodily injury (also have govt medical), 1000 deductibles on both vehicles for comp and collision, and all the assorteds (towing, rentals, etc). The same criteria was given to each insurance provider for their respective quotes.

Geico was able to beat both other companies by about $200 annual for homeowner's, too. Not a Geico fanboy (never used them and in OTHER locales, their quotes were higher). So key to the search is to shop around if you aren't happy with what is quoted. Definitely some rather large variances between companies out there.

[von949]

I would be careful about shopping by quotes alone. I have had USAA for about 15 years now and will admit that they are not the cheapest but are kick ass when it comes to filing a claim and service.

- got a rental car for 10 days because of issues with a certified used vehicle 2 weeks after purchase.

- a rock shattered my windshield while driving in Okinawa. I was behind a UNCOVERED pick up truck full of rocks and boulders. USAA waived my deductible to go after the company that owned the uncovered pick up truck. Window replaced, no cost to me.

- Up to 3 free windshield chip repairs each year for each vehicle insured

- Check in the mail each year I don't get in an accident.

- Insurance automatically covers myself and my wife any time we rent a car. No need to purchase car rental insurance.

- Gap insurance coverage seems to be cheaper than the other guys.

- and from what I have seen in the valley the past couple of years, they handle claims much more efficiently and twice as fast as their competitors.

All those IC with commercials are cheap in the beginning, yet more expensive in the end. It's not my personal experience, just the experience of my coworkers who were going through a big hassle when their vehicles got stolen, totaled or broken into who didn't have USAA.

I have watched State Farm screw a lot of folks.



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[icarian]

Yep, they (USAA) are normally good. Banking especially. Insurance has been hit (especially overseas!) or miss in later years (my coworkers and military forums I frequent opinions as I have had exactly one minor collection in that 18 year span and luckily can't speak to it).

That said, shop around.

[Kaiminani]

Geico has a really bad reputation for handling claims. I've never used them, so I can't speak to it personally.

[Willy702]

Rates are just a reflection on claims. Reality is whoever is cheapest right now will almost certainly get passed in the not too distant future. I work in the industry and can tell you all a lot of things to think about:

1. Stay with the same company/agent for a long period of time and you get the benefit of the doubt more. The company will see a longer term customer and be willing to side with you more often with limits of course. Believe it or not, adjusters and agents really will bend to help you out even if it costs the company more. They know if you aren't satisfied after a claim you are gone.
2. On the other hand shop around every so often and you get the best rate. Insurance commission looks at every companies profit and loss over a 5 year period. If a company is too profitable they are told to lower rates, if they lose too much money they are told to raise rates. So what I tend to see is a certain company will be unbeatable on rate for about 12-18 months and then suddenly they are more expensive and vice versa. One downside to shopping a lot is every agent and company who gets their hands on your contact info will try to contact you often to sell you their policies. If you don't like dozens of sales pitches by all means avoid getting one of the internet leads companies involved. Your contact info will go out to 15-25 agents and they are by law allowed to contact you for up to a year, the do not call list does not apply when you requested information.
3. Many of the cheapest rate providers like USAA and AAA want to keep their books squeaky clean of risks to avoid having to raise rates. They take good care of you when you have a claim because their risk management means they get relatively few claims. Its good to be on board with such a company until you are the one with a claim. Claims at such companies are reviewed very stringently both for making sure they don't pay out too much and more importantly if they deem you worthy of keeping around. Countless customers of USAA and AAA have been told to get their car insurance elsewhere because of a single claim. When you have a fresh claim on your record is a very bad time to be shopping around for a new policy.
4. While our instinct is certainly to save, by all means remember what you are doing. You are paying a small premium to prevent a catastrophic loss. The Geicos and Progressives have instilled this mindset of insurance as being this pesky cost that must be lowered. There certainly are cases where people are paying too much and occasional targeted shopping is not a bad idea. But don't cut corners and go with state minimums and liability only coverage on cars still worth something to save a couple of bucks. Insurance hopefully is not used much, that's a good thing. I hear too many people whine about not having a claim in 15 years and wanting their money back. If you think like that, then you have been misled in what you are really buying.

[von949]

^^^^
Good break down.

Quick question, do the Geicos and other big companies allow you to customize your coverage? For example, can you deny road side assistance to save a few bucks yet add 2-4 weeks of rental car coverage for a little extra?

With USAA I can chose how much medical expenses will cover my passengers and or the passengers of other vehicles involved that are injured in an accident. I can also choose how long I can use a rental. From 3 days to two months after theft, totaled or accident repair.

Three days is too short for a claim settlement plus possible car shopping while a full month is more ideal. 2 full months is unnecessary. I work with people who haven't had these options and have had to bum rides till their car is out the shop or they buy another.


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[von949]

Originally Posted by Kaiminani

Geico has a really bad reputation for handling claims. I've never used them, so I can't speak to it personally.

They have some of the worst reviews/comments online when it comes claims but some of the best when it comes to quotes/rates. I did a little shopping around a couple years ago. They were able to cut my rates by a third but I would have lost a lot of coverage.


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[icarian]

Originally Posted by von949

^^^^

Quick question, do the Geicos and other big companies allow you to customize your coverage? For example, can you deny road side assistance to save a few bucks yet add 2-4 weeks of rental car coverage for a little extra?

With USAA I can chose how much medical expenses will cover my passengers and or the passengers of other vehicles involved that are injured in an accident. I can also choose how long I can use a rental. From 3 days to two months after theft, totaled or accident repair.

Three days is too short for a claim settlement plus possible car shopping while a full month is more ideal. 2 full months is unnecessary. I work with people who haven't had these options and have had to bum rides till their car is out the shop or they buy another.


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Yes. See my original post in this thread for coverage.

That stated, there seems to be a fixation on Geico (because that is who I quoted as giving me a better personal rate I can only assume). I was very clear that the bottom line is to shop around if you want better rates, NOT a specific company. Thread drift if you want, but that was clearly not my intent with resurrecting this thread. I am very happy to have the same coverage limits on both auto / homeowners as I would have if I hadn't shopped...and saving the $1100-$1200 combined annually definitely meets my opportunity costs and risk allowance.

Everyone's mileage varies.

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by von949

^^^^
Good break down.

Quick question, do the Geicos and other big companies allow you to customize your coverage? For example, can you deny road side assistance to save a few bucks yet add 2-4 weeks of rental car coverage for a little extra?

With USAA I can chose how much medical expenses will cover my passengers and or the passengers of other vehicles involved that are injured in an accident. I can also choose how long I can use a rental. From 3 days to two months after theft, totaled or accident repair.

Three days is too short for a claim settlement plus possible car shopping while a full month is more ideal. 2 full months is unnecessary. I work with people who haven't had these options and have had to bum rides till their car is out the shop or they buy another.


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Every online provider allows for this, it just is not the default setting when you get a quote. One thing about Geico I have heard some complain about is you cannot buy over 100/300/50 liability coverage. This level of coverage is good for most, but people with a lot of assets are concerned about it especially those looking for umbrella level protection. Geico's business model is just different than others. They don't directly do home insurance because its not as reliably profitable as cars. Geico wants volume and lower limits because they are counting on most claims to be modest. As many know Geico premiums help fund the Warren Buffett empire and they don't want to take big hits hence the desire to sell you low levels of coverage. If you get in an accident and hurt someone they want to be able to cut the other party a check and be done with it with no further legal representation.