Saydrah is not pleased with her insurance agent!

[donruss]

Geico. Give them my name and we both get discounts.

Good God dont do that or go with Progressive either!!! I was shopping around for insurance for my cars and basically nothing had changed and they wanted 2-3x what I was currently paying. Cheaper and saving money, my ass!!!

[Reyneth]

Good God dont do that or go with Progressive either!!! I was shopping around for insurance for my cars and basically nothing had changed and they wanted 2-3x what I was currently paying. Cheaper and saving money, my ass!!!

Everyone's different. Some companies operate differently, others evaluate risks differently. I saved $250 off of my already reasonable insurance by switching to one of the two you mentioned while my mom would have had to pay $150 more. And I used to have the company she kept.

Was I thrilled to save money? Yes. Would I have given up those savings to go with a company whose track record I know and have confidence that if/when anything happens, I will have no issues with them? You bet.

Check and make sure the policies/deductibles are equal. Those little extras like roadside assistance can really add up! And it's not all the time, but many times, especially away from the "Big Four," you get what you pay for.

[JustADude]

Personally, I'm with HICI (Haulers Insurance Company, Inc).

They're really picky about your driving record and such, but because they only insure people with clean records they can give you one heck of a rate. I'm doing ~$350 for a 6-month policy with some decent trimmings. First time I've been able to afford above-minimum coverage in years.

[powerboy]

My family and I are with Triple A. They are the cheapest ones around my town

[Difdi]

Something to consider about insurance agents...I'm not a lawyer, but from my own experiences and limited reading of the laws...

They're usually called insurance agents for a reason. The agent of a company is able to make contracts on the behalf of the company. This is why customer service types are referred to as representatives, not agents; Agents hold a specific role in a corporation, and a CSR representing themselves as a CSA has some legal repercussions on the company, especially if the CSA really is just a CSR.

A good test of whether you're talking to an agent or a representative is whether they can sign you up for a contract on your verbal assent alone. If you agree to a contract and get papers needing a signature in the mail, it was a representative, not an agent. But if the contract just starts up, odds are you were dealing with an agent.

And ANYTHING an agent claims is part of the deal in the course of getting you to agree to a contract is legally binding on the company. The company can cancel the contract after the fact, but what an agent promises you is a binding contract.

The only problem is proving such a bargain existed; Many a time, the company will mysteriously lack any recording of the conversation in question, making it your word against theirs. This is why it's always a good idea to try to record (as dictated by the local laws where you live) any interactions with a corporation over the phone.

Again, IANAL, but it seems to me you may have a case to sue your insurer over this, if you have been financially harmed by bad advice and/or broken promises made to you by an insurance agent.

[Geek King]

Just chiming in: Another Erie Insurance fan here. My agent has always treated me well, and they have some nice discounts for clean driving records. My agent is a friend of the family, though, so your experience may vary.

[Evil Queen]

Good God dont do that or go with Progressive either!!! I was shopping around for insurance for my cars and basically nothing had changed and they wanted 2-3x what I was currently paying. Cheaper and saving money, my ass!!!

It depends on your driving history and I think your age.

I've driven since I was 15 (almost 7 years now); have had no accidents, no tickets, no calls to Trip A. I'm a safe driver and drive an older model vehicle. Right now my insurance is $75 a month for 6 months, after dropping from 88$ a month at my renewal time.
I also have the Bank of America discount. Once I get RW on Geico, I'll get another discount.

[DistantStar]

I've had USAA since I've had insurance and love them to pieces. I was able to get on with them because my dad was in the Air Force; I'm not sure what the rules are, but I know you have to have some sort of military connection to get on with them. Their customer service, both for insurance and car loans, has been absolutely superb. And their rates seem to be very good, but even if I could go cheaper, I've been so happy with them I'm not changing.