Maybe its time for a new agency?
My HO insurance agent started laying on the BS about how my insurance had to keep up with replacement costs. I told him, not really. If my house burned to the ground, I could find a much nicer home for a lot less then it would cost to rebuild what I had. He told me his "hands were tied" until I told him I guessed I would have to find someone who's hands were not so tied. A couple weeks later he called me with a replacement coverage from a different company for a lot less then he could offer before.

About every 6 years, I check prices of both HO and auto from different agents. I'm not jumping ship unless the cost savings is significant, but I'm not letting the old agent rip me off either. Gene

pb.....do you know on a list of the most DISRESPECTED PROFESSIONS .... where insurance agents are ?

3 ... 1st are politicians ... 2nd - car dealers

Nuff said

Both policies are full replacement cost up to available limits. The policies also provide liability coverage, med pay coverage for guests, coverage for personal property (this is replacement cost as well), coverage for property off premise, trees, out buildings etc. I could go on and o I'm not willing to type my policy in full. Deductible is $1000.

What are types of covered losses, in Ohio pretty much everything except flood or wear tear and deterioration Considering the home location that risk is zero for flood and no policy covers wear and tear.. In Florida I only have to worry about anything outside the drywall and my improvements as well as my personal property. I will tell you that our association's condo premium is 54k. That works out to $675 per unit. All are townhomes and the premium does include hurricane coverage. I've never had a claim in Ohio and our association hasn't had a claim since 2006.

What you don't seem to understand is premiums are based on risk and claim history. My condo isn't on the beach its 5 miles away. We are also located on the highest point in Volusia County. In Ohio I'm no where near a flood plain, lake, river or stream. My property isn't low lying, I'm close to a fire department as well as hydrants (less than 100').

Handled insurance claims for 28 yrs, read your policy, know your policy. If you don't have an insurance check up every couple yrs that on you. If you don't check for better rates every couple of yrs thats also on you.

my agent called me last month n told me to expect a 'large' HO increase- didn't know how much, but said prob 50%-

insurance co's r like the old roach motel commercials..... the monies check in... but never check out...

I was under the (false) impression that loyalty is rewarded early in my life. Found out years later that doing so resulted in a creeping rate that felt like a game of “how high can we sneak up before he gets pissed and leaves”. Eventually I started shopping around and found I not only could get a better deal, but a far better deal by going elsewhere.

Nowhere was this more appearentl than when my boys began driving, I would change policies as needed, often yearly. It appeared as if some would give a good introductory offer then stick it to me at renewal. Now that it’s just the wife and I, things have quieted a bit, but I keep a close eye on things and will never hesitate to jump. I’ve been insurance shopping for at least 15 years, I check with a broker who handles 15 different companies and check with at least 4 major carriers each time.

I don’t care to add up what I’ve spent but can say that in 38 years of being a customer I have had 2 claims totaling about 2k dollars.

Problem is insurance isn't a loyalty industry. It is all about the risk. When your kids started driving the risk of a claim went up. Also agents have almost nothing to do with what your policy costs. The only impact they have is looking for available discounts. What your agent will do, well a good one is fight for you if you have a claim and are having issues with the claim rep.

Point in case, my entire family has coverage with the same company but different agents. I told them they should switch to my agent they asked why. Told them their agent was an ass, he never fights for his policyholder, is a straight up corporate man and he was more than likely not giving them the discounts they qualify for and recommended deductibles that were too high. They all pooh hooed me. Then they had a claim. I just laughed. They finally switched but by then it was too late and they lost money.

I really enjoyed showing them my coverages and rates compared to theirs. They said the agent stated the higher deductible saved money. I said it did but did you ask what the savings was. They said no. I told them it was $6 per 6 months for their higher deductible. Explained that it would take 12.5 yrs of premiums to pay for the difference in the deductible. They still argued I was wrong. I finally got my dad to sit down with my agent. One of the first things he asked was what did Tom tell you? My dad repeated it and was told I was exactly right and why would he argue with me. I still rub it in.

Back to loyalty I learned early in life there really is no such thing when it comes to money. So if its a business you can expect them to lool out for them 1st. Loyalty is only between a man and his dog and maybe not even then if there are treats involved.

I shop for insurance every few years. Just did so again this year, stayed with my current insurer even though their claims service sucks. No one came within $400 of them this year for home/auto combined. That said, I would never recommend them (Met Life) to anyone who didn't have extensive claims experience because the service is so poor. I can deal with it for $400/year, but if I didn't have the background I do, the $400 savings wouldn't be worth it.

WHO COULD POSSIBLY KNOW ...

That an insurance pro would run into a CLAIMS that SUX !

I had good service from Allstate (surprisingly) when their insured opened his door into my wife's car and dented the fender. I had good service from Progressive (twice) when their insureds hit my wife's car. None of these accidents were her fault.

I had terrible claims service from Chubb when I was rear-ended by a Chubb insured. I had terrible service from Met Life when my wife was involved in a disputed lane-change accident,and we went through our own Met Life policy for the repairs. I had terrible service when my wife's car was hit on the freeway by a hit-and-run driver, and we went through our own Met Life policy for the repairs. I also had terrible service from Met Life on a homeowners claim.

I don’t even bundle anymore, I’ve found that the best price from two different companies is often far batter than a bundle where a company has a good rate for one and not the other.

My last switch was when my home insurance went up 40%, called the insurance company and started asking questions. First we argued what 40% was and after a little math lesson I was told the increase was due to all the California wild fires . . . WHAT, I live in AZ, not looking to subsidize the CA folks (sorry to the wife’s family if any are reading this). I ended up going to another company for 50% of what I was paying.

Funny story, When I was 18 and in the military I had a couple speeding tickets (2), while living in NC. A couple months later I went to a bar and had someone decided to do a tap dance on the hood and break the front window, total claim in 1983 after my deductible was $800. Within a week of the claim being settled I received a cancellation notice. At that point I made a lifelong commitment that under no circumstance would I ever use that insurance company again. Problem is I’m about 70% sure it was State Farm but I’ve had to eliminate Allstate as well since the memory is a little foggy.

Funny how a brief encounter can affect a lifetime of decisions.

Excellent point.

I’ve had Erie insurance on my cars for 49 years and on my house and shop since 1985.

Nothing wrong with that either. If you're happy with the price and the service, that's all that matters.

I've been with USAA for 34 years, but after reading this thread it might be worth checking around

No downside to checking.

unfort u have to shop for just about anything.... we heat with oil in our house... we get a good price in the 1st year, the renewal price always goes up, but if u r a new customer, the price is cheaper... so much for loyalty... hence every year we change ...

ANYONE reading here get the LPG propain deals ?

Way more sinister than heating oil

i have also been with erie.[since about 1972ish ?] also with the house when we bought it in 1983.
on the car insurance, we have been with them long enough now, they have frozen the rates forever.......unless we move or change cars. [luckily, that ain't gonna happen ! ]

That have been more than fair with me. I think my house and shop for new replacement insurance is around 550.00 for my house and shop. I had a chimney cap leak years ago and mess up the paint on my living room wall. When the appraisal guy came he looked at my cathedral ceilings that ran into the dining room, kitchen, and hall and said where the heck do I start and stop. Lol. I said paint it all and he said I’m going to have to. 2 days, 2 men later they were done painting. I paid the painters a little extra and they hey painted two doors for me.

on the beach we own the 1000gall tank, so again gotta shop around... the big local is paraco, and they are always at least a buck a gallon over the small guys - a few cents i can understand but a buck... sometimes more... guess a lot of people don't care to shop it