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I need to shop for insurance. I had a no pay claim about 3 years ago that ended up on my driving record and it falls off within the next several days, or at least my record will be spotless for the last 3 years. Anyone have any recommendations on where to look or who to call? Thanks in advance. That stupid no pay claim cost me a lot on insurance over the last 3 years....
When I moved to Texas last year, I had to switch to Texas insurance. I had been with Statefarm for 10 years, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to get a couple other quotes. I talked to Jimmy Black at Home Team Insurance in Addison. He writes for several different companies and found that the best rate was on a policy covered by Travelers Insurance. The 6 month premium on 2 cars (92 Miata, '00 MPV) was $650. This was $300 less then State Farm wanted to give a customer who paid $20k in premiums over the last 10 years with no accidents and less then $1500 in claims (windsheilds, 2 car stereos). Goodbye Statefarm.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigDstars
Jimmy Black
Home Team Insurance
972-980-9484
I've gotten some good quote from Travellers, too.
We currently use Amica. While they're not exactly TCB, they're outstanding when it comes to claim service and customer care. They're also a cooperative, which means their profits get distributed to their insureds at the end of every year (except in Texas; something to do with state law).
They have some unique practices. For instance, they total your car out at 65% of its book value, rather than the 80% other companies use.
I like that. If my car is worth $10,000, and has suffered $7,500 in damage, I don't want them to fix it. They have other pro-consumer policies, as well.
My wife totalled her Corolla last year (cheap car, not a bad wreck but not worth repairing). When we got our renewal this month, our rates had actually gone down. In other words, we've been loyal customers for a long time. Even though we were totally at fault in this accident, they didn't drop us or raise our rates because it's the only claim we've ever had. Good people.
S.
This Amica company of yours sounds interesting!! I'm gonna have to look into this...
Aren't they the ones that were recently rated as having the best customer service and least problems with claims?Quote:
Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
According to their own website, sure!! :grin:Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
They've got great info so far though....
I think I saw the write-up about them (and other insurance companies) in Consumer Reports.Quote:
Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
Strange there was a comercial on WB33 last night about Amica! :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Now what makes you think I'm watching my own commercials? :tongue:Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
Well seeing how it was WB33 that would mean only my wife and I saw that commercial!Quote:
Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
It could be a sign from above!
Are you sure you guys were alone... we had several more viewers last night! Maybe onething was hiding behind your couch. :alien:Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
This Amica sounds like a good deal... and they give several discounts for home, auto, good driver, and fleet!!
State Farm has distributed rebates or profit checks in the past also.
I can tell you that Prudential has done no such thing... at least in the last ~10 years that we've been with them.
Yep... I have gotten some from them, but somehow paying $600 more a year to get $100 back each year didn't make sense. The customer service didn't do much for me either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathews2004
What time did the commercial air? I cannot/ will not verify anything until I have an exact time and consult my calendar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
Thread drift OFF
One thing to think about when selecting insurance is what's gonna happen when you file a claim... It's tempting to think of insurance as a commodity -- like milk or something, you know... milk is milk regarless of whose name is on it or how much you pay for it -- but it's really a pretty complicated service product.
Ok, I'll admit it. The reason I say this is that people have a predilection for hitting my '97 Jeep GC. :( It's been in the shop 8 times (only one of them my fault). My '93 Miata got backed into by a guy without a driver's license or insurance as well. (Just cosmetic damage to the front, BTW.)
Anyway, in the process of dealing with all that, I learned that you really find out how an insurance company works when you file a claim. Some of them run you through the wringer, make you jump through hoops, and play all kinds of games with you. With some of them you just drop your car off and pick it up.
I'd recommend checking the coverage carefully as well. That uninsured motorist coverage can really kick ass. It's saved my butt twice: once when the guy backed into the '93 ($250 for a new nose/hood/good paint) and again when a guy backed into the JGC in a parking lot then gave bogus insurance and tried to blame it on my girlfriend. (FWIW, he thought that by saying "it's not my car, I'm broke, and I don't have insurance" he'd be good to go. Not so. State Farm tracked him down, culled his BS, and set him up on a payment plan 'lest he lose his license. I even got my $250 deductible back later that year.)
I also recently rethought my limits on liability. I used to carry $50k property (+$250k med/$50k per occupant). Then after I got caught in stop-n-go behind an orange (chrome?) Murcielago on the Parkway (you've seen this car, right Bean?) -- right after I saw that Rides episode where they showed the build and claimed that the bumper's worth $17k -- I thought maybe $250k property would be a much better idea. You could probably fit all 4 of my cars in $50k, but I'm also probably the only guy in my development without a $50k car. It's more fun to have a bunch of Miatas. :)
Anyway, just some stuff to think about. Another thing to be careful about with State Farm is their discounts. They have tons of them, but you have to ask. I get a pretty hefty discount for the flashy-light-security-thingie on the JGC dash. They do multi-car, though sometimes the "competitor's quotes" don't reflect that.
In the end, too, you kinda have to ask how much difference $100 over 6 months will really make to you. We're talkin' about the price of lunch out once a month here. But just be sure and balance it with the quality/service of what you're buying and you're good to go either way.
Chuck
Call it coincidence, but my wife and I had this same conversation after seeing that same damned car (or whatever other blaze orange Lambo lives up here)...Quote:
Originally Posted by ccage
Strange...
Thanks for the numbers and good advice. I do value good service...
I had a problem with my treatment from State Farm, but I won't go into that. I was a 20 year customer, but won't consider them anymore, at least not my past agent.
I have farmers. It is ok, the claim service has been good. And the rates, considering my age, car, and record arent too bad either.
I'd rather drive around with no insurance than have Farmer's. I've dealt with them on two claims - once as a policyholder who who was hit by another policyholder, and once when I was with another company and was hit by a Farmer's policyholder. Both experiences were - without a doubt - the most miserable, painful, and arduous experiences I've ever had with auto insurance claims (and I've unfortunately had more experience than most with auto insurance claims over the last sixteen years). I won't bore you with the details, except to say that I once threatened the Vice President of North Texas Operations at Farmer's that if he couldn't cut my &$@#%() claim check, I'd come down there and keep yelling at people until he found someone who could. :evil:Quote:
Originally Posted by Majik
State Farm is expensive, but from my experience with making claims with most of the majors (State Farm, Farmer's, Allstate, Geico, Progressive), State Farm has usually been the easiest and most hassle-free to deal with. They also have the best response time.
That said, we're currently with GMAC, because it saves us over $500 a year (~$800/6 months for the fleet - '99 Miata, '00 Accord, '05 CR-V) compared to State Farm. I haven't had to file a claim in the two years we've been with them, so I don't know what they're service is like. Hopefully better than their cars. :razz:
Iain:
FWIW, I've had the same kind of problem even with State Farm when it comes to policyholder vs. policyholder. I think most all of the companies try to force those into "no-faults" so they can get the most deductible.
My experience involved a 16 y.o. skidding entirely through an intersection and tagging the right rear of my CRX hard. She admitted guilt at the scene (it was painfully obvious), but then her father got into play and tried to blame me. State Farm declared it a no-fault despite ample evidence (location/type of damage on the cars, skid marks all through the intersection indicating speed MUCH greater than the limit, etc.).
I learned a pretty good lesson from it: Your insurance company isn't responsible for your liability in accidents -- you are. Your insurance company only contracts with you to cover it. Seems like splitting hairs, but makes a difference in cases like this. I just filed in small claims court against the girl/father. They flipped out and called State Farm (who's obligated to defend them). When State Farm called me (promptly). I explained that if they can't see from the ample evidence, I'd just take it to the judge. Realizing that even if they did manage to successfully defend in the stupid small claims court their $500 gained from my deductible would be long gone, they changed their mind and declared it the girl's fault. Go figure. :)
I can't help but think that even $500/year is the equivalent of ~$41/mo. A meal out, once a month. I'm not necessarily recommending that everyone jump to State Farm, but at least a widely-recognized company that can support a claim. (Like, for example, one of the companies large enough to have no-adjuster-required or onsite adjuster agreements with major repair facilites.)
As far as which company, heck, I think they all probably have ups and downs. I suspect that YMMV more because of the agent than the company (assuming it's one of the majors). As far as me personally, I've had the same agent since I was 15 in Burkburnett, TX, and they've carried me through some tough times so I'm pretty stuck on them. To put it in perspective, if their office was to say, "Oh, we're XXX company now," I'd be right on board...
Chuck
PS: For those of you wondering why a guy with two Miatas is spending time writing War-n-Peace posts about bull instead of Miata-related stuff, rest assured I'm wondering, too. Damn. I think it has something to do with not being able to get outta the house recently, much less able to drive the Miatas. I'm truly bummed I missed the Frisco-start drive. I'll be on-board for the next one for sure.
That is a very good point to make. My best friend has several cars and to save money put some of them on different insurance companies. Recently a guy ran a red light and totaled his 93 Viper. It took 3 months and a lot of hassling to get his money and it was the other guy’s fault. He has had several other claims from vandalism to a stolen car and has often received a lot of trouble from all 3 companies he uses. I know he has Allstate, Progressive and someone else. I would not recommend Progressive after seeing what he has gone through with them on several occasions.Quote:
Originally Posted by ccage
My parents have been with State Farm for around 20 years and they could never be happier. I am lucky enough to still be on their policy. One cool thing about State Farm is that they do not charge more because it is a sports car and do not increase your rates with a few tickets. I’m sure they would if you get a ton of tickets but they have not increased mine and I just had to get a license suspension overturned for too many tickets in a short time. :oops: Another great thing I have always experienced with State Farm is great claim service. Last Thanksgiving I got stuck in a flash flood and water locked my motor. Only one day to get a guy at the shop and 2 days later I had a $2000 check for a new motor, which paid for my wonderful 1.8 swap!
I would take Mr. Chuck’s advice when deciding on an insurance company. Nothing worse than paying for insurance then to have them not pay up when you have to make a claim.
Glad you came out good in the end Chuck. I almost has a problem similar to that with my neighbor hitting me head on while I was at a stop sign in front of my house…in a cul-de-sac none the less! Unfortunately my knee was hurt so I ended up having my friend, best injury attorney in Dallas, take car of everything and it’s a good thing I did. This was maybe 8 months after I bought my first Miata for $4900, not to mention the $2000 I put into it, and her insurance was only going to pay $1800 for the totaled vehicle! :shock: And I still got the short end of the stick with my knee injury. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by ccage
Never hesitate to contact an attorney to at least discuss whether they can help you out, and in most cases they can do a lot of help.
I am! :jocolor: That Aimica sounds like a good one too.Quote:
Originally Posted by ccage