says: My Allstate policy is about to expire, so I figured I'd do a little digging to see what kind of rates I might be looking at this year. I went over to Comparison, plugged in all my info, and the system tells me I'm sitting at a 130% malus. So, I went to check another insurance company's website, and it’s the exact same story. 😲 Last year, when I registered my car for the first time, I went with State Farm and ended up with a 35% bonus. I haven't been in a single accident. I honestly have no idea what's going on here. I really hope it's just some kind of glitch.
I guess I'm wondering what you based that 35% bonus on? From what I understand, when you're switching providers, Lloyd's of London doesn't usually handle premium tiers in a way that makes perfect sense—I mean, as far as I know, there isn't an insurer out there that would give you the exact same tier for a transferred bonus as they would for a brand new one, though they do look at two things: either whatever is printed on the policy itself or the official proof from your previous carrier.
If you really are stuck with a malus, I suppose someone who's actually looking for a workaround will probably find a solution eventually. 😁
I honestly feel like we're overlooking a massive point here—the whole question of which specific policy (and whose neck is actually on the line) is being used to claim damages. I mean, are we talking about employer liability, third-party coverage, an auto liability policy, or maybe just some private accident insurance? It probably matters quite a bit because the entire legal procedure could end up looking completely different depending on that answer 🙂
Look, it really just comes down to personal preference. Personally, I wouldn't dream of shelling out more than $6.75 just to keep a bonus intact. If they throw it in for free, then hey, great. There are people out there who actually pay up to $43 for it (I haven't heard of anyone paying more than that, though maybe 😁 does).
As for roadside assistance and stuff like that, it's a bit hit or miss. For me, it’s actually pretty important—even if my car has only broken down once so far, that doesn't mean I won't be stranded again—but again, it all hinges on the cost. If it's already baked into the premium, it's worth it. But if you have to cough up an extra $100, I don't think it's worth the hassle.
Everyone has their own set of priorities, I guess. Back when I was with my previous insurance provider, even though my policy had coverage that the competitors couldn't even match if they tried, everyone just looked at the bottom line. They were basically just checking if the price for $6.75 was lower or higher than some basic policy that only covers the legal minimum and accident protection.
Sure, that approach works for a handful of people, I guess. But when it comes to those online quotes you see floating around, they can be pretty vague, and honestly, they might not even give you a remotely accurate picture of what's actually going on. On the flip side, one silver lining is that if you're looking at a massive premium, you actually have more leverage to haggle the price down. Especially if the agent isn't strictly picky about who gets a discount—like, maybe it makes more sense for them to burn a limited 10% discount on a policy from $1000 rather than wasting it on some tiny $1,000 plan, right?
Honestly, there isn't much of a difference between calling me or meeting up in person—if I’m in a position where I can offer you a discount, I’ll give you that same price whether we talk over the phone or face-to-face, though I guess the main perk of the phone is just having a direct line if anything suddenly changes. Just... please, don't go rushing into things with the very first person you happen to stumble upon.
@Hannah Allen5, I just sent that breakdown over to your inbox via DM.
I mean, I was just saying that it’s doable. For my purposes, the specific car model makes all the difference in the math, so I guess I can probably get back to you with those details tomorrow.
Look, I mean, seriously, a dent in the fender on an '89 Chevy Cavalier is enough reason to fail a safety inspection. Faded paint? That’s plenty of reason to fail. There are so many aesthetic issues that nobody is actually going to care about, yet they're enough to cause a failure during inspection.
So now I’m sitting here wondering, does 90% of cars really fail the technical inspection, or am I just exaggerating? Because I’m telling you, there are so many ways to get flagged; honestly, even brand-new cars get rejected sometimes.
Of course, you basically have two types of drivers: there are the ones who actually use the inspection to figure out what's wrong so they can fix it, and then there's the other group—the people who just scrape by, driving a VW Golf for five years and 60,000 miles with maybe three total oil changes and swapping a filter every other time, and absolutely nothing else.
In certain situations, you just don't have any other choice, so people are forced to improvise. In my opinion, it’s probably smarter for someone to just pay for their insurance and the registration fee rather than spending that exact same amount of money fixing a dented door—something that doesn't even affect how the car runs, even if it might mess with the vehicle's design integrity. 😁
Or they just go ahead and ask, "What about those monsters they call insurance agents?" 😁 Because usually, those things pass the inspection during the technical check, but then the premiums get maxed out—I was talking about a policy $133 that was way more expensive than mine, since most people don't even bother checking the price when they're just looking for a quick way through the gates.
Why bother? Honestly, you can find much better liability policies out there, or even cheaper ones depending on what you’re actually looking for. If an average customer just walks through their doors asking for a quote, I’m pretty sure anyone could put together a much more competitive deal than they do. Now, if we're talking about extreme edge cases, that's a different story, and who knows where the actual limit is on those .
For instance, look at a client who has everything set up here in the US, paying for a bundle that includes liability, collision, property insurance, and so on, totaling xxxx USD. A massive chunk of that premium is swallowed up by the liability portion, specifically $407. The price I can offer anyone in that same age bracket for the exact same policy is $6.75 lower—and honestly, I could probably push the discounts even further. Though, to be fair, the real price gap shows up when you look at voluntary coverage; their collision rates were absolutely ridiculous compared to the liability costs.
Even that higher price tag might make sense if we were living in Germany, where you actually have some semblance of choice regarding reliable insurers (though, if you listen to what people are saying on the ground, even the reliability of companies here in the US is sometimes up for debate)
The main advantage these US companies have is purely sentimental, because people have this deep-seated trust in them since back in the 1800s. It's the same vibe as Allianz, Generali, Ergo, and plenty of others 😁. Their other big edge is just the sheer volume of technical inspections they manage to run.
So, what exactly are you looking for here? It’s kind of a mixed bag because most companies offer these extra riders that you can totally skip if you want, though I guess for some people they're essential while others just see them as a total waste of money.
Then there's the whole price issue—you could honestly talk to three different agents at a place like State Farm and end up with three completely different quotes for the exact same coverage. Plus, some insurers just happen to be better than others depending on things like how old you are or what kind of car you're driving.
Oh, and just a heads-up, if you look up on the banking and insurance subforum, there are already two threads about auto insurance, and then there's a third one over in the "cars" section.
Amanda Peterson4 said:Is that even a real possibility? An AO at 66 kw $379? I mean, sure, if you’re counting on a 50% chance ...
It could honestly be even lower, I guess, even if we're talking about NYC. And of course, you'd probably have to toss in another one or two questions. Some people are looking for the owner's details, while others want the specific car model too.
If you're hanging out in the DA area, I don't know, but maybe $233 isn't totally out of reach 😬
That car isn't worth even $2,000, honestly. I mean, I guess nobody is even going to bother you if you just list it for maybe $500 or $600. That makes the tax around $30-$$133. If saving an extra $100-$$67 really makes that much of a difference to you, then go ahead and play your games, but I personally don't think $133 is some massive, life-changing amount of money anyway.
Should I go with an Alfa Romeo 156? Or maybe a 166? Those are the two that immediately jump to mind, specifically looking at the 2.4 engine with about 135 horsepower. Besides that, the extra perks matter too, and which city in that part of the country are we talking about—maybe somewhere near Chicago, Detroit, or maybe Atlanta? Also, how old is the driver, and if they aren't from one of those spots, what’s their age and what kind of car are they driving right now?
Edit: I just realized the car model is actually listed on the other side of the forum 😁 but everything else I asked is still totally relevant to me 🙂
They basically force accident insurance on you because if they didn't include it, the whole calculation would look like a scam just to drive down the price. The real issue arises when they charge you for it anyway, even after you explicitly told them you didn't want it—I mean, I actually dealt with this recently while setting up a policy where the client was super clear about skipping that coverage. Of course, there were always those people who ended up wanting the premium package instead, so they got charged 😁
If you’re looking to get a quote (or maybe try to negotiate a better deal), I’d just need to know the vehicle model, the state where it's registered, and the owner's details—you can just shoot me a DM if that's easier.
I mean, I just threw out that price point for $465 purely for the sake of information, but honestly, it’s kind of pointless to even talk about it without knowing all the fine print—especially since, if you ask some people, the cost could swing by more than 20% depending on the circumstances.
I guess someone could actually learn a lesson here and just bother reading what’s written on the policy before they pay for it, you know, just to avoid all this unnecessary headache if they even decide to go through with an online contract in the first place 😁
ironjackal2 said:I have no clue regarding what you wrote in point 2, 😁 but as for point 1—mistakes happen. Machines glitch too. Though, I'm betting a computer makes way fewer errors than a human being. 😁 😁 Even at a local agency, a salesperson could punch in the wrong VIN, and then what? It happens, damn it. Given how I live my life—always on the move, rushing through everything—I really don't have the patience to trek to an office, wait in lines, or hunt for parking unless it's absolutely necessary. Slowly but surely, we'll be able to do everything online. So far, my experience with online shopping has been solid, and for stuff that isn't trivial (but is still important, like insurance), I plan on doing it all digitally in the future. It saves time, and hopefully, money too. At the end of the day, time is the one thing you can't get back. There you go.
I'm just saying, in that specific scenario, the machine was bound to glitch. Of course, there are people (in the insurance industry) who use systems that automatically pull data, so an agent would probably end up making the exact same mistake—it actually happened to a colleague over at State Farm, where they pulled data from a previous policy in Florida, and they wouldn't let the car pass inspection because of the error.
As for the bonus, there are practically only two choices if you aren't trying to finalize a policy on the very last day. You either try to sort it out with your old insurer if you're thinking about switching, or you just stick with the old one (if you're short on time, that's really the only option left).
Charles Stewart60 said:Of course there are people who think like that, but thankfully not many 😁 at least for now... You can't do installment plans or credit without a card online (unless you're using money orders) nor can you handle technical issues. And you definitely won't get any help when damage actually occurs. Sure, third-party liability insurance is mandatory, but people still call me when they run into problems with their other coverage...
Basically, if you don't have a policy through me, you're on your own. 😁 🍿 In theory, if I'm not being petty, if they didn't sign up with me, they don't really have a leg to stand on when they want help.🥱☕
Regarding offering installment plans without coverage, you really need two things for that: significant capital and unlimited trust in people (because there are plenty of folks who, for good reason, can't manage credit card installments. If the bank doesn't trust them, why should I?)
I mean, props to them if it actually works like that, but honestly, I feel like anyone could just pay for a policy easily enough; the real headache starts when things actually go sideways. Right now, I can think of at least two major issues that could pop up.
1. What happens if someone just fat-fingers a digit in the VIN? I know a guy on a different forum who ended up losing an entire day plus his ferry pass because of a typo—basically, he gained a little here but lost way more there, which is just common sense you’d think people would learn by now. It could happen to anyone, but honestly, a machine shouldn't be making those kinds of mistakes.
2. And what about the mess with the no-claims bonus? I think I asked this on another thread once: why does the system jump straight from the first discount tier to the tenth? You can usually get that sorted out with a person at a local State Farm branch, but the comparison tool might just fail to recognize you have a bonus at all, or worse, it just calculates everything from scratch as if you're a brand-new driver 😁 That might actually be a decent loophole for someone who's currently stuck with high rates due to a recent accident or something.😬
Of course, if the price comes out way too high on the comparison site because of a glitch, you probably wouldn't even bother finishing the policy online; you'd just head straight into a physical office instead. 😁
I'm trying to figure out which insurance provider I should go with for my mandatory auto coverage. I've got a 2006 model with a 50kW engine and a solid 50% no-claims discount, so I'm really just looking for the most budget-friendly quote out there!
Thanks so much!
If it’s not super urgent, I can shoot you a DM once I have all the details needed for a quote. To be honest, I can't run the numbers from home, so it might probably have to wait until Monday 😁
ironjackal2 said:Check out a comparison site like Progressive or Geico Personally, I just grabbed my policy online through one of those sites—super easy, didn't ask for a million details, and it actually ended up being $167 cheaper than last year. You can get covered the same day, usually within a couple of hours. I paid by credit card, but they have standard billing options too. Even if you don't buy through them, at least you'll see what everyone else is charging. Cheers.
Just a heads-up though, one guy on this forum had a massive headache because of an online policy setup. Basically, last year the insurer messed up the VIN number, and then when they did it online this year, the exact same wrong data was pulled right back in. Also, you should definitely double-check the quotes at a physical local agency for the same provider (or ones not listed on the comparison site), because these aggregator sites don't always have identical pricing to what the actual branches offer, and they aren't necessarily cheaper either.
For what it's worth, I personally locked in a policy that was $307well below market value before the industry deregulation.