Tell me about your insurance.

The problem with shopping for insurance by price alone is that you may end up with a company that does not pay, or makes it really really hard for you to collect. For this reason I stick with the company that has treated me A+++ for several decades: State Farm. You really should not leave State Farm out of your consideration, just because Allstate has such a bad reputation.

"Can't remember which company with 'State' in it's name" is a good reason to do research. But a very poor reason to narrow your choices arbitrarily. I cannot remember ever hearing anything good about Allstate, or anything bad about State Farm. I have all my insurance with State Farm, including my Xebra, which here in Washington State most other companies are refusing to insure at all, perhaps because they don't know how to classify it, or perhaps because it's too new to have statistical risk information yet. State farm here in WA was not merely willing, they were happy to support EV technology by offering insurance at a very reasonable price.

 

Just FYI--both State Farm and Allstate were/are under investigation for wrongly denying claims in Lousiana related to Hurricane Katrina.
State Farm Agrees to Re-open cases
State Farm settles class action lawsuit

I don't think this should necessarily influence Godiva's homeowners/auto choices, but the facts are the facts.

Also, I think it would be difficult/impossible to get new coverage with Allstate in CA:

Allstate Stops issuing CA policies as of 7/1/2007

I can't find the articles right now, but *I think* they are also dropping many policyholders in FL and the Gulf Coast to reduce their risk. Most insurers are also re-evaluating their pricing all over the country, so prices all over California are rising due to earthquake risk, in New England and New York insurers are reassessing the risk of hurricanes, and many other areas. Your rates are not increasing to reflect damages from hurricanes in other states, but are a reflection of re-evaluated risks in your own area.

Please beware of companies that are trying to force you to keep both your auto and home together or risk dropping your HO coverage--that is ILLEGAL. Make sure you make the best choice for each auto and home separately, you can sometimes save money by keeping them together, but often you can get better service/coverage and save by going to different companies.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 3 2007, 12:33 AM) [snapback]454253[/snapback]</div>

Google for AARP's insurance name and the words "problems and complaints." A co-worker had there insurance and had a lot of problems with settlement. He actually had roofing missing and gutter damage and it took FIVE months to get it settled.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(heavenleigh @ Jun 3 2007, 10:25 AM) [snapback]454432[/snapback]</div>

Insurance law is probably set at the state level, meaning that a given practice that is illegal in one state may be legal in another. But Godiva is in CA, and I think CA is supposed to have pretty strong consumer protection law.

But generalizations about laws are often unreliable, due to differences from one state to another.

 

The following information is from Indiana Insurance from Loveland, OH on our cars and home in Illinois!! :wacko:

I got my policy change on the Prius yesterday.
05 Prius: $776 per year, $1000 deductible collision.
07 Honda Civic Hybrid, $973 per year, $1000 deductible collision
00 Honda Insight $680 per year no collision insurance but with 19 yr old male listed as principal driver
The Prius is symbol 14
The HCH is symbol 16
The Insight is symbol 17

The Prius has the best rate of all three hybrids.

I have Homeowners included in the package. They also gave a LARGE discount for the payment set up on monthly auto deduct.

 

I've had State Farm auto insurance since I learned to drive and they've always been good to me. So I went with them for homeowners because they offered the multiline discount. I've had two claims with them in almost 12 years of homeownership and highly recommend them.

 

We got Safeco for both our house and cars, as the discount for having multiple was really nice.
Also, when we sent the inquiry to Safeco, they looked at the documentation of the remodeling we did a few years ago (extensive) and adjusted our rates to reflect our house as being much newer than it was listed previously... so, we have much better coverage than before, and our premiums are actually a little less!

 

I've been a State Farm person for just over 20 years now. Many cars, 2 homes, several different states. Always been good, always got multi-policy/ no accidents/ no claims discounts.

Currently, we just sold a house in S. Dakota and bought one in PA. Transferring cars and homeowners: My 2004 Prius is now $520/year, Heather's 2005 Prius is now $550 (only 15 years with State Farm), and our new (well, 107 years old!) house is $434/year. I've no idea how that compares to those in a higher income bracket, as we are very working middle-class.

Rates here in PA are about $20 cheaper per year on all policies than S. Dakota.

 

Are you sure that the insurance premium is going up, and not just your escrow increasing the 'reserve' ?

Asking for anecdotal recommendations is not very helpful, because pricing is regional if not local. It is very common to find a company offer the best price in one region, and uncompetitive pricing in another. I suggest finding the most recent CR that discusses car/home insurance, and calling ALL the companies you are comfortable dealing with, that overall have reasonable customer satisfaction.

I have Amica for home, and American Express for car here in NM. If prices were the same, I'd opt for USAA.

Keep notes, because a smart consumer goes through the exercise every couple of years.

addendum: You may find this thread informative: http://www.fatwallet.com/t/52/569815/

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 2 2007, 10:33 PM) [snapback]454253[/snapback]</div>

Depends on your age, but Wawanesa has always been great for us (you mentioned AARP; they don't insure drivers over a certain age ... 65 I think ... unless they have had their policies previously). The web site is at http://www.wawanesageneral.com/

They only offer insurance in CA and OR (and Canada). They insure good drivers only, and we have been very happy with them over the past 20 years or so. We have never been able to beat their rates with any other carrier, and claims have always been handled very quickly and professionally. Over the years, we've had 2 or 3 auto claims (but no homeowners claims). Their offices in California are there in San Diego.

 

Duped - ignore.

 

I too have heard good things about Wawanesa from friends and family.

 

If you are eligible I would go with USAA. They always seem to be in the top 5 of the insurance company ratings from Consumer Reports. I pay someware around $920 yr in VA which is higher because I have a exterior hot tub (Kids drowning you know). We pay $1200yr for a Prius, Civic, Tacoma. If not then I would go with allstate/Nationwide.

 

I live in Pa and have Erie Ins. A great Co. We have our vehicles, boat and home insured with them. I just received my new home owners policy for next year and Erie is now offering Identity Theft insurance for $20.00 extra for my wife and myself. I think that is very reasonable.

 

Home owners insurance is an extortion racket.If you make too many claims (more than a few)you run a risk of having your house "blacklisted".Your insurance would be canceled and no other company will insure you.Your property becomes unsalable because the prospective buyer cannot buy insurance either.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/02/...ain535039.shtml

 

Um, it's been a while since I took my class but I think "Broad Form" coverage provides the most comprehensive coverage for your home. If this is of interest to you, just ask 'em for a policy that provides coverage for all perils. Specifically, I'd ask about wind (which isn't traditionally covered. If a tree limb breaks and damages your structure, you're out of luck from what I remember) water damage, flooding, theft, fire. Also, check on coverage percentage for your foundation. If your house has to be reconstructed ground up, I believe that you'll encounter significant out of pocket expenses for the foundation. I think all insurance companies handle this event in a universal manner, but check to see if you can locate differences between companies.

If you have an unattached structure for which you receive income like rent, I believe you'll need to request coverage for this as well. You can even have coverage for lost income, if requested and paid for.

Here's the Best Rating site to look up carriers rated strength. Keep in mind that the paper your seeking may be lower rated, but that a parent company may exist that provides significantly more financial strength. They also "trend" carriers by categorizing them as stable or not.

http://www.ambest.com/

Basically, I'd think of anything that may go wrong with your structure and ask specifically if it's covered. Don't assume anything.

I use Travelers and I've never had to call on them for a dime, so I can't comment on their resolution of claims. In business, I work with them on bonds and can comfortably say that they're very easy to work with, service is excellent and they're very friendly and approachable.