You Better (Not) Shop Around

22 Feb 2007 By

My car insurance policy renews tomorrow. My rate is going up by a few dollars a month. No biggie, and the price isn’t outrageous or anything, but considering it jumped up when I got the new car, I’d rather not see it go up anymore.

So I figured I’d shop around. I filled out all the necessary info both at esurance.com and at insweb.com. That’s the smart consumer thing to do, right?

All of the quotes I got online were at least $15/month more than I’m paying now. And I’ve been getting crazy phone calls. One call I got directly from an agent with a company I specifically solicited a quote from. One call I got from an agent who got my name from a “leads service.” One call I got from some operator who then connected me to a broker that works with 12 different insurance companies. Stop with the phone calls people.

And for as much info as I’ve already handed out online, you should mainly be confirming my info, not asking as if you don’t already have it all.

Also, I think it’s kind of ridiculous that your car insurance rate should be at all related to your credit rating. Your car insurance payment history does not factor into your credit rating, so why should it influence the rate you get? And that’s some shit I’ve been paying faithfully and on time for YEARS.

I would, however, really like to switch to a company that offers renter’s insurance, because Progressive doesn’t. But they’re all so much more expensive. I know, I know, it’s really bad to not have renter’s insurance. I suppose it takes one major burglary or household accident to make it worth it.

The only place I haven’t called is AAA. I should try them again. I don’t have much hope, though.

  • http://www.east-lake.net/ Moe

    Some friends of mine had their renters insurance information on their dining room table when the kitchen started on fire due to some hot empanadas. Smoke damage throughout the apartment and some $10,000 later, they really wish they would have mailed in the form!

  • http://www.thirtyo.com/ mel

    we wound up getting a ridiculously cheap quote from The Hartford.

    Good luck. I know how frustrating that all can be.

  • http://www.swirlspice.com Erica

    the kitchen started on fire due to some hot empanadas — Dang, how’s that for irony? (Is it irony? I can never quite tell.) Now I’ve been adequately scared into forging ahead with my research.

    Mel, thanks for the suggestion. That’s one company I’ve not checked with. I don’t even mind paying for the renter’s insurance. It’s pretty cheap. I just hate that the car insurance has to be so much more expensive.

  • http://mysocalledblog.com Lachlan

    Usually, when you get a policy with say, State Farm, and then get another (like renter’s ins), the prices go way down.

    Hang in there, I know how aggravating it is.

  • http://www.lazydogpub.com lazydog

    “I think it’s kind of ridiculous that your car insurance rate should be at all related to your credit rating.”

    It is?!? Holy shit. I had no idea. But then, I haven’t had to shop for car insurance in years and my rate, when combined with my homeowner’s insurance, is pretty good. Definitely try to go with a company that will discount you for multiple products.

  • http://www.swirlspice.com Erica

    Yeah, they check your credit and it influences your rate. Though it doesn’t ding your FICO score because you are requesting they check your credit when you request a quote.

  • http://www.popcultist.com/blog TK

    As Lachlan said, rates usually go down in toto (and I had to look that up to make sure it wasn’t “en toto”) when you buy multiple types of insurance from the same company. Brandy and I go through Met Life for auto and renters’. Best of luck.

  • http://www.swirlspice.com Erica

    I learned today from a very helpful agent at Liberty Mutual (with whom I can get a U of M alumni discount) that the premium is actually way cheaper for 100/300 liability coverage than for 50/100 liability coverage, to the tune of $400/yr. She said it’s because it’s just that much better and less risky for you to carry the higher level of coverage.

    $400! I don’t know if that’s the case everywhere (I don’t think it is with my current insurer), but it would certainly explain the large discrepancy in the quotes I’ve gotten. I really appreciated her telling me that, and she even encouraged me to go back to the other places I’d shopped at with that information and see if it helped. I’m ready to sign up with Liberty Mutual right now, just because she was so nice and helpful.

    I’ve got a couple more places to check, but I’ve gotten the best quote from her so far. It’d be an extra $20-ish/month over what I pay now for both auto and renter’s.

  • http://www.caterwauling.com dawn

    In the county where I live, renters insurance is mandatory. Tell that to the fuckwits at Erie who I told years ago to bill me for it, and yet they haven’t in seven years given it to me. And don’t get me started on prices for insurance. Erie is gouging me for $145/month (and I have a clean driving record, thank you accident forgiveness, but even though other places may shave off a few bucks, the coverage is more comprehensive. Even AAA was pricey, come to think of it. I’ll be curious to hear who you end up going with.