Author Topic: Sketchy car insurance increase  (Read 2900 times)

Spondulix

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 656
  • Age: 44
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
Sketchy car insurance increase
« on: March 13, 2015, 01:30:07 PM »
Yesterday I got a doc for my car insurance renewal (Liberty Mutual), and the premium went up almost $150. The doc said that increases are only from govt fees, but in the breakdown, those fees were only about $5.

I emailed my insurance guy, and he said that "we increase the mileage every year for anyone under 12,000, but I can drop it to last year's numbers." That sounds to me like a pretty deceptive way to make money if customers aren't watching closely. We get a much lower premium on the car (it's my husband's car, who drives under 6k, but we legitimately need the second car).

Do they all pull this kind of crap? It's the first time I've noticed them doing it to me, but it's enough to make me want to look for another provider.



JLee

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7512
Re: Sketchy car insurance increase
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2015, 01:31:39 PM »
I'm with Progressive and I don't recall them ever raising my rates unless I moved to a different area or changed vehicles. They generally stay around the same or go down.

GetItRight

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 627
Re: Sketchy car insurance increase
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2015, 02:30:45 PM »
Progressive doesn't, but others do. I can say All State and Liberty Mutual do. The government fee thing is what it is, government makes sure car insurance prices stay high. The mileage you'll have to make sure to confirm your actual annual mileage each year with some companies or they'll charge you more. Just have to jump through their hoops, government enables it.

Liberty Mutual is a particularly sleazy company. It was incredibly unpleasant dealing with them to get a claim paid from an accident caused by one of their drivers. Took over a year and a ridiculous amount of time. Other companies have been easier to deal with and claims paid within weeks or a few months at most. Liberty Mutual just stands out as evil to me.

A little known thing about car insurance is you have to change companies to get a significant discount. Every 6-12 months I shop for insurance. I can literally show my agent a quote from a competing agency and he tells me there's nothing he can do to get anywhere near that due to various policies and regulations he didn't explain in detail. He did say buy their policy for 6 months then come back to me and I'll sell you the same policy and beat their price. Just the way it is apparently, but the lesson is it pays to shop around and not be loyal. Shame as I prefer to stay loyal and deal with the same company or people, but I did end up saving even more by switching insurance a few times.

Greg

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1448
  • Location: Olympia, WA, USA
Re: Sketchy car insurance increase
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2015, 04:26:24 PM »
I've never heard of mileage coming into play when I get my quotes.  This must depend on the company or the state.

Spondulix

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 656
  • Age: 44
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Sketchy car insurance increase
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2015, 08:41:38 PM »
I've never heard of mileage coming into play when I get my quotes.  This must depend on the company or the state.
Yeah, CA allows "pay as you drive" plans.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!