I just saved a fortune by switching to…………….

[Dangermouse]

I am contemplating switching my DD insurance to Geico. My current insurer jacked up my rates (due to ‘general rate increase’). After some on-line research, Geico are 30% cheaper.


I know that everyone’s insurance costs will be different based on age, location, history etc, but it still amazes me how far apart quotes could be. In the past I have got comparable quotes from various companies including the lizard but they have never been cheaper than my current insurer so I never switched.


Anyway, my question is has anyone any feedback on Geico that may be useful. I’m not looking for “I switched and saved $xxxx”, but more after experiences filing a claim – are they easy and honest to deal with? Do they just get you with a cheap entry price and then ratchet the premiums up soon after. When something seems “too good to be true” ............etc.


thanks

[Marigolo]

I am contemplating switching my DD insurance to Geico. My current insurer jacked up my rates (due to ‘general rate increase’). After some on-line research, Geico are 30% cheaper.


I know that everyone’s insurance costs will be different based on age, location, history etc, but it still amazes me how far apart quotes could be. In the past I have got comparable quotes from various companies including the lizard but they have never been cheaper than my current insurer so I never switched.


Anyway, my question is has anyone any feedback on Geico that may be useful. I’m not looking for “I switched and saved $xxxx”, but more after experiences filing a claim – are they easy and honest to deal with? Do they just get you with a cheap entry price and then ratchet the premiums up soon after. When something seems “too good to be true” ............etc.


thanks

My 2c. would be to suggest you focus on coverage rather than premiums... Ask if coverage is for "Agreed Value" or "Stated Value", I think it has been covered extensively in other posts. I don't know what you have right now, but it makes a BIG difference in the event of a total loss or theft. :goatee:

[Dangermouse]

For clarity, this is for my daily drivers. The coverage quoted by Geico are the same numbers that I have had with my current insurer , so I can compare apples to apples (but I do need to review those).

My D is on a separate "agreed value" policy with a different collector car insurance company.

[elfking]

I had Geico for about 8 years. ( age 19 to 27)
( I'm 29 now)
I had the minimal coverage needed for California ( which by the way that coverage 'required' is next to nothing and I wouldn't recommend it)

I never filed anything that was my fault but I had to fight a few times as other people lied and tried to pin an accident on the 'young driver'.

They fought for me I also took lots of pictures when something happened ( cellphone or had crappy digital camera in the glove box sometimes)

One claim took 3 months for me to get my money as they totaled out my car but this lady hired a private investigator. She was trying to get out of not yielding on a left turn across traffic thinking she had the rightaway! She had prior crap so I guess trying to avoid higher rates for an at fault...

They suprising paid me out higher then bluebook for the car ( 88 Turbo II Mazda RX-7 ) but I had pictures and documents showing me ' restoring it' !

Anyways just giving you a few examples they
fought for me but I also was not driving too much like an idiot when things happened. (Luckily)

I switched away was I bought a house in different county and it was more expensive then another carrier when I raised my coverages to try and protect against someone going after the house!

Hope that helps!

[NightFlyer]

My current homeowners policy is with Allstate.

My current DD policy is with Allstate.

The D policy is with StateFarm (Allstate wouldn't touch the D).

Over the years, I've also been insured with Progressive and American Family.

In the 18 years that I've had auto insurance, I've never once had to file a claim, so as far as claims handling goes, I don't have a clue. Premium wise, Progressive was expensive to start with, but at the time, they were the only company that I could find to insure the D in Wisconsin at my age (wasn't old enough for collector insurance yet). I dropped American Family as they were jacking the premium and refused to compete with other similarly situated companies.

Otherwise, I usually just put together a list of all insurance providers in the state. You can usually obtain the list from your state's website pertaining to insurance regulation. Once a year, I call every company on the list and request a premium quote at the coverage level that I want. The cheapest reputable name wins my business.

[DMCMW Dave]

I am contemplating switching my DD insurance to Geico.


thanks

They will "negotiate" much harder on repairs than others such as Haggerty and State Farm, but they will pay. This may be OK on your Toyota, but probably not what you want on your DeLorean. I'm not sure about Geico, but State Farm has developed a bit of a reputation for forcing shops to use Non OEM parts, obviously not much of a problem on a DeLorean but if you are fixing a 1 year old Ford you probably don't want Chinese fenders on it.

A very good way to research this find a good quality body shop in your area and ask them the same question - what insurance companies provide the best coverage and which ones beat you up to short cut the work or use crummy parts? You'll get your answer.

[adam_knox]

If you do decide to use Geico just keep an eye on your rates over time. We initially saved with Geico but after 4 years Geico was much more than competitors when we shopped around.

[Dangermouse]

A very good way to research this find a good quality body shop in your area and ask them the same question - what insurance companies provide the best coverage and which ones beat you up to short cut the work or use crummy parts? You'll get your answer.

Great idea Dave!


If you do decide to use Geico just keep an eye on your rates over time.

I always do. This time around one car went up by 15%, over the last 6-month premium, and my newest one went up by 32% over the quote they only just gave me 4 weeks ago when I added it to the policy. Hence my looking around.

Interesting note: when I called to complain and see what they could do to get my rates lower, the agent could offer me nothing concrete except a half-hearted "have you signed up for e-bill?".

I replied that I hadn't but I couldn't see how it would save me much as I get 4 letters from them every year, 2 of which have my insurance cards, which they would continue to send in the mail.

He ran the numbers and was able to drop my premium by about $100 !! Must be some pretty expensive paper they use.

[Farrar]

21883

[Shep]

Interesting note: when I called to complain and see what they could do to get my rates lower, the agent could offer me nothing concrete except a half-hearted "have you signed up for e-bill?".

I replied that I hadn't but I couldn't see how it would save me much as I get 4 letters from them every year, 2 of which have my insurance cards, which they would continue to send in the mail.

He ran the numbers and was able to drop my premium by about $100 !! Must be some pretty expensive paper they use.It's more than just the cost of paper. Receiving "Electronic Documents" means your invoices are provided to you immediately rather than after the time it takes to get it in the mail, which on average means premiums are paid sooner. The most important part however is the fact that when you sign up for electronic documents, the company can prove that they sent you the email for your invoice, NSF paperwork, etc. whereas they cannot prove that you received a physical copy. I have seen a few customers who had their documents physically mailed to them fight late payments to the death claiming they never got the invoice in the mail, and "only noticed" after their policy was cancelled for nonpayment! The lower price is more incentive than anything, and doesn't leave much leeway for waiving late fees or cancelled policies since they sent it immediately with proof of exactly what was sent to who and when it was sent. And if your email was "hacked", then it's your fault for not keeping it up-to-date.

This, of course, is a PITA for the poor chap doing the programming work behind it when something goes wrong without the chance to intercept it before it goes out in that day's mail :swear1:

[eagle-co94]

I want to say that it was GEICO that I had several years ago when my wife had an accident. The other driver admitted fault to both her and the officer, but told a different story to his insurance company. With our statements, photos and information provided GEICO fought for us and sent a nice letter to the lawyer for the other guy that basically stated "Do not take this to court, you will lose." I actually asked them to let it go to court so he could get charged with perjury and filing a fraudulent suit. The service was very fast.

Are or your parents military or ex-military? If so I'd recommend checking out USAA. I left GEICO for them. With my homeowner's policy I got a multi-policy discount that beat everyone.

[Jonathan]

Not sure if this option is available to you in the US, Dermot, but I have had some good luck with using an insurance broker over the last couple years. I had some troubles with moving to a different province a year ago, and it was ugly for my DD, home, and DeLorean. I found a broker that I trusted and whom had my best interests in mind and she found me solutions that made everyone happy. Might be another idea for you.