Insurance Revelation

[Lake5er]

I have been with my (major company) insurance agent for over 30 years. My wife and I are at the age we want to begin downsizing; part of this is going over our expenses to make sure we are being smart with our finances. Just last week we saved $90 per month with Direct TV after I called them to let them know that I was willing to either change or drop entire service and operate on an outside antenna if they didn't do something. Had me talk to their loyalty group and found they wanted to keep me around.


Worked out so well I decided to test my insurance costs. Found out that my agent had his back; not mine. On my new 5er and two autos, I saved over $240 per month moving to another (major company) Crazier was that my new coverage is FAR superior than current. Checked my boat insurance and also saved over 35%; $120 per year moving it over.

So, two phone calls and a savings of right at $4000 per year. I wonder how many of my fellow RVers could do the same?

[jgahlhoff]

I did the same thing and my savings was unbelievable. Jerry

[The Evil Twin]

We reshop everything every year.

[jenandrand]

We did the same exact thing with Direct TV and our vehicle/ rv insurance. Lower cost and better coverage.

It does pay to check every 6 months or so.

[OldGal3]

Am in the final stages of renewing my RV/Truck insurance (fulltimer). Interesting thing is the folks I've had the past 3 years were brokers who supposedly give you the 'best deal' they can. Called a new agent/broker who I've seen mentioned in various RV forums....they used the SAME insurance company, got the standard coverage, then added/upped a couple values and still saved over $450. per year! I'm a happy camper!

[Larry0071]

I hate insurance.

For 5 cars, 1 travel trailer, 1 utility trailer, 1 equipment trailer and a Kawasaki Mule (all comprehensive) I pay just over $500 a month.

Then add Verizon Wireless at almost $300 a month. Great cell service though.
T-Mobile for $130 a month for crap service.
Xfinity X1 at almost $300 a month... 4K programming,Basic/Expanded/HBO/Showtime/Cinimax/DVR

$1,200 a month in that stuff. It sucks.

[Iwritecode]

Loyalty to a single company for years and years just isn't rewarded anymore. Most of them just expect their customers to accept their yearly price increases without a word of complaint.

Insurance is a big one for this. It's often recommended to shop around every year or 2 to make sure you are actually getting the best deal. Same with TV/satellite providers, cell phone providers, internet providers... basically anything with some sort of yearly subscription or contract.

In most cases if you threaten enough to leave, they'll start lowering their prices in an effort to get you to sign up for another 6 months or a year. Then you just call back after that and do the same song and dance all over again.

[67L48]

Insurance companies are long known to penalize loyalty. Every year you stay is another data point to corroborate the hypothesis of "this guy ain't goin' anywhere." If you're not leaving, then crank up the rates. And, that's what they do. People should be shopping and switching at least every 2-3 years. It's sort of a hassle, but it's necessary to save money. Geico, Progressive, Farmers, and so on. Coverage is about the same, service has been relatively standardized, and it's just about your cost.

DirecTV and cable is more varied. I was with DirecTV for over 10 years. It was getting too expensive and I asked for something better or I'd have to leave. I read lots of stories and even had friends who would get things like NFL Sunday Ticket for free. Maybe I wasn't animated enough ... I don't rant and rave. They just transferred me to the cancellations department and I closed my account. Done and done. I've been on OTA since and I love it.

But, it's not automatic. Some people get the royal treatment. Others, like me, simply get a polite "sorry to see you go" message. YMMV.

The insurance thing is definitely not YMMV. With incredibly few exceptions, people who stay with their auto insurance companies longer than about 4 years are getting screwed on their premiums.

[Artspe]

Our insurance either stays the same or goes down a little most years.
Good thing, because my daughter is our agent. I KNOW ITS PROBABLY NOT THE CHEAPEST!

[TitanMike]

One thing to consider when shopping for insurance to save money is what happens when you actually have a claim.

Some companies are noted for their ability to take care of the Customer with little effort on the customers part. Others expect the customer to do all the work.

My company is a little more expensive but when I did have a claim, everything was handled in one phone call. No chasing around for estimates, finding a repair shop, calling a tow company to get car moved from lot where car was towed after accident, etc.

As for Cable/Satellite TV companies, their worse than government that is constantly raising taxes.

[Just Mike]

Shopping around for insurance is a good idea in my book. I do so every five years or so, and if I bundle all my insurance (car/home/motorcycle/camper) I can count on finding a company that will significantly reduce my insurance cost.

BTW - despite the fact that I do change insurance companies, I've never had a problem getting a claim handled.

[DaGrinch]

Was with one insurance company for several years and really liked the agent. We bought the Sunseeker and got our yearly premium which was outrageous! Agent said, "Larry, you've got 3 vehicles and one has a house on it." So, I started looking around. Now pay $1K LESS per year with different company.
Yep, pays to shop around. [emoji106]

[whj469]

67L48, that is so true regarding loyalty and they will not lower it if you complain. You have to jump around for the best rates.

[Mr Towed]

Originally Posted by whj469

67L48, that is so true regarding loyalty and they will not lower it if you complain. You have to jump around for the best rates.

Bringing all the insurance threads back from the dead tonight! 🤣