Insurance - Chicago,IL

everyone's has gone up! it sucks all round.
i really dislike geico. i got hit by a geico-insured kid a few years ago and had no end of mizry trying to get them to do WHAT THEY'RE IN BUSINESS TO DO.
and i hate hate hate their stupid gecko. why does it have an accent? why does it think it's funny and clever?
i'd like to run over it.
khairete
S.

Having insurance with a company for 25 years is a long time. The best way to save more money with your insurance company is to make sure all of your insurance polices are with the same company as you can receive more discounts this way. Geico is the company that you see on television that has the super low rates. But can you trust they will back you 100% when something goes down. Allstate would be A rated company. To my knowledge almost every insured in our country will see an increase in there insurance premium. With all of the claims from droughts, floods and severe storm damage it makes it harder for the insurance companies to pay out. In order for an insurance company to indemify they need to have the money to do so. The money that is used to pay out for losses is the premium the insurance companies collect from us. The weather has been crazy the last two years and I believe it will only get worse. I think your better off sticking with the company you are with rather than going to Geico. You can look into some of these companies that are also A rated. Pekin Insurance Company and Auto-Owners Insurance Company. Goodluck.

we have USAA. LOVE THEM!!!

People that I know who have had GEICO - ended up getting canceled after an accident or having a boatload of trouble getting payout and things fixed. You get what you pay for!!!

We had State Farm for YEARS - my parents loved them. They didn't have USAA because at the time, USAA was only for officers not enlisted. They changed that in the 1990s. So if you have served, your husband or father - call and check them out.

I would go back to my agent and ask why the umbrella policy went up. If you've been a long time customer - they may be able to fix it. You never know until you ask!!!

My friend was hit by a geico insured 3 weeks ago. It was a minor fender bender but she is having major trouble with them. They seem to be very lax & lazy about getting her car fixed. They haven't even called their insured yet. Geico even told her that maybe she should just go thru her own insurance because her $500 deductible isn't much at all.

Im an independent agent in AZ. Geico is not my favorite company, they have a reputation for lowering coverage to get people to sign up and then they realize they have lower coverage, or worse, NO coverage for something only when its too late. Why don't you go to an independent agent like myself? We are contracted with many companies and can find the best rates for you at the same coverage you currently have. Plus we have one-on-one relationships with our clients. Just google "independent insurance agent in chicago". Good luck!

It's a good time to leave Allstate. They are now depreciating your roof. If you have a hail storm and need it replaced, they are reducing what they pay on the claim by how old your roof is. That's huge!

Go to your states Department of Insurance website. There is a section for consumers that lets you compare companies. You can compare coverages - they vary widely on homeowners policies! You can look at how much they paid out in claims last year, how many complaints they had, etc.

Go to an independent insurance brokerage. There are many insurance companies that are represented by independent agents. They are cheaper than the big name companies because they don't spend so much money on advertising, which is also why you may not have heard of many of them. But it doesn't mean they aren't good companies. A brokerage will get several quotes for you at once.

All insurances have gone up. I wouldn't change if I were you. What you'll find is that after a certain amount of time, Geico will do the same. Then you'll be back to square one and without this good insurance agent.

Dawn

We had Allstate for years and left them about 10 years ago. At the time we switched to Mercury, we got more coverage, added a wave runner and still saved money! While we were in the process of switching the cars, we got the renewal and the auto policy was going up. I was glad I was already switching. 5 years ago we switched again to Allied, a division of Nationwide and saw even better savings. I wouldn't go to Geico, Progressive or any of those, they have never been less for us. USAA would be great if you are eligible, unfortunately my FIL never joined so we can't be a part of them. =( Good luck, shopping for insurance isn't fun.

Great answers here. I would add that this is a very serious subject and you should do all the research necessary to make sure that you are actually covered to the fullest extent. With insurance, you get what you pay for-it's dangerous to be penny wise and pound foolish.
You absolutely need to be sure that when you have an accident in your car or when a tree falls on your roof your insurance will pay in a timely and efficient manner. I agree with the post that said to go back to your agent and find out why your policy went up. See if you can make some kind of deal, and tell them that you are considering switching policies-that might get them to offer you a deal. I would run, run from Geico or similar companies-they obviously just want to sell policies and have no interest in actually paying up. Best of luck!!

Edit: I just switched from my insurance I had for over 12 years, I used an insurance agent that was reccomended to me....My bill was half of what I had been paying before for better coverage and it's a fixed rate.
I suggest seeing if you know of anyone that can recomend an insurance agency locally that can brouse all the local companies and find the best foryou! I wish I would have done it sooner.

We've had Farmers for years. Although it is expensive, I just got our umbrella and it did not go up this year, SHOCKER!

We pay about $4000 a year on cars. We have a 17 yr old and driver and we all drive fairly new Mercedes, mine is the high end sport convertible so it is pricey to insure.

Our house is around $2800 a year which includes an extra $1000 rider for my jewelry.

All in all, yes it is pricey. We have enough coverage and we are not over covered. Never any claims as of yet and we've been with them about 20 yrs.

I love Geico! Believe me we all had accidents and they were wonderful.

Allstate has screwed several people in our office recently. I have told them all Liberty Mutual. I switched to them three years ago when I was screwed by State Farm.

I have never heard anything good about Geico. Perhaps they have got better but as of two years ago they were awful. One of my coworkers had them and was hit by an uninsured motorist. Of course she had uninsured motorist coverage but they made her spend quite some time trying to go after him, like she did all the work, before they would pay out her claim. She still didn't get near what her car was worth and it was only two months old.

We switched a few years ago because Allstate was getting so high. We looked at all the others and ended up with AAA. They were by far the cheapest for both auto and home. We have liked them. Our agent has always been helpful and available when we needed him. He even encourages us to shop around. We also had a minor fender bender(hubby's fault... Oops) and they took care of it quickly and even shelled 2k for other person's car to be fixed and it was like 11 yr old car. Yes, our rate went up, only slightly. Speaking of rates, this is the first time that either home or auto went and it was only a modest amount and still much cheaper than Allstate. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

We switched from allstate to farmers about a year ago. We were paying $650 a month for two adults and a 20 year old son for our car insurance, and about $80 a month for our home insurance. With farmers, we are paying under $200 per month for the same coverage. Thats about $4000 a year in savings. I understand that a lot of companies give a great rate to get you to switch, and then slam you with a big increase later on. Whatever you do, continually check your rates, and compare, compare, compare.

I have had progressive for my car insurance for 10+ years and love them. I have never looked in to home owners insurance with them because I thought I was getting a good rate with the company I already had. Today I got a letter increasing my rate another 100 bucks. So I called and had my car and homeowners buddled and I saved 400 on my homeownders alone and they said I would also be getting a discount on my auto. I am so sad I didn't call progessive sooner.

I work for Farmers Insurance and have been with the company for 13 years. The price for insurance is rising across the board with all companies. When shopping around,make sure you ask about all the discounts. There are lots of discounts out there that people aren't aware of. Farmers gives an extra discounts to people who are nurses, dr's or teachers. I would not suggest Geico...I've heard they are a nightmare! As someone else stated, you get what you pay for!

Good Luck!

Good luck and I hope you find

We shop around for insurance thru an agency - around 16 A+rate insurance compnay - farmers, travelers, allstate, countrywide etc) . I am also the broker dealer of the firm and can help you get the good rate. I ahev had three accidents in past no issues - most ofthe claims were settled amicable and cleanly for me personally.

YOu will be getting insurance thru these companies and you dont have to pay to me anything. Generally speaking an insurance is a factor of - Demographics, credit history and driving history. And each of these company have a sweet spot - their ideal market, you will not know which company suits your profile. With so many company under umbrella, there is a greater chance of you coming in that sweet spot of a the company hence get a best rate.

If you feel like giving it s shout out - send me a private message, we will need the declaration page to get comparable rates.

Good luck with your search!!

I have been with California Casualty since 1997. The staff are extremely helpful and they pay out immediately. We have checked into other insurances and haven't found anyone that can beat the rates we have with them. We insure our home, 3 vehicles, and 2 motorcycles. I also love the convience of paying monthly through my bank.
They offer discounts for people involved in the education field as well.
Maybe they can help you.
http://www.calcas.com/

I think all insurance is on the rise! Whatever you do be sure and move both! If you move the auto without the home your homeowners is going up significately because you'll be losing the supporting auto discount!

I had been with Farmers for about 25 years when the auto coverage had creeped up slowly and then was suddenly a big increase. I shopped around and discovered that almost every other carrier would insure me for hundreds of dollars less. It was about $300 less every 6 months, and it made me very nervous to change wondering if that was too good to be true. Turns out it was true, and I was really overpaying for my auto. I've heard that you should check prices every few years to be sure you're paying a competitve price. Geico is an excellent carrier, as is Progressive.