Insurance Quotes?

[porkpistol]

Hey all! Just wondering if anyone has suggestions on insurance companies? I live in the midwest. Our homeowners insurance just skyrocketed and my agent can't really explain to me why other than the amount of storms over the past year that have caused damage. They had me switch to Safeco last year to save money on my home/auto and one year later my home skyrockets and my auto went up a little bit too. Do you all use agents to find your insurance or do you shop around yourself?

[snafu]

We had State Farm Insurance for 15 years when 2 problems cropped up. 1st State Farm cancelled their relationship with the agent for reasons I never understood. We were abruptly switched to a 'mystery' agent, never available to respond to a question and who didn't bother to return calls. 2nd, while we'd had a claim three years earlier as a result of a B & E, I naively called State Farm's 1-800 number to ask how best to remediate floor and wall where the washing machine hose popped out of it's drain. A year later I called the 1-800 number again to ask if any specific brand of external door lock unit was better than others. There was no claim, none needed BUT, when renewal date came up, they renewed 3 cars and cancelled house insurance as it was viewed over risk tolerance.

I contacted original agent who was now an Insurance Broker working with all companies. He explained that rather than selling a package they worked with client to customize coverage based on client's needs and 'put it out to bid.' As I understand it, all the insurers work with a giant re-insurer to reduce risk. Companies 'bid' at different price points for your contract. The hard work is figuring out how much coverage you need for your risk factors and what deductible is best for your budget. You could compare with on-line insurers or agents who represent specific companies.

http://www.aaos.org/news/aaosnow/jun10/managing3.asp explains re-insuring principles

[bjl584]

This question comes up a lot on the boards. Insurance rates vary greatly based on geography and various other factors. The best advice that I can give is to shop around. Call as many places as you can and get quotes. After you have a policy it's not a bad idea to shop around again every couple years or so to make sure that your rates are competitive.

[porkpistol]

Yeah I have started shopping around today. I guess I was more or less asking what experiences people have had with certain insurance companies. Good or bad? That is more what I want to know. Cause a lot of these brokers deal with companies I have never heard of. I have yet to have to make an auto/home claim at all. The brokers reassure me that these companies will not make claims a hassle but I have never had to experience it to find out.