Posts by urbanharbor95

rapidstag2 said:A quick question for the group: in my city, there’s an agency representing Allstate, which seems to operate as its own distinct entity—handling its own payroll and functioning independently from the main Allstate corporate group.

Is this standard practice? Should I be concerned about whether claims will actually be honored if an accident occurs and I need to collect on a policy?

Actually, Allianz hasn't really used a traditional agent network for quite a while now. Instead, they've pretty much pushed their top-tier agents to set up their own dedicated agencies that work exclusively for them.
It’s kind of like a fancy way of saying they're outsourcing, I guess.☕

Anyway, it's perfectly legal... and honestly, most other insurance companies are probably looking to follow that same model sooner or later.

driftinggardener15 said:I don't see an option for comprehensive coverage on Komapre.hr?
How does one even go about sorting that out—assuming it can be solved—and which insurance carriers actually offer it?

Thanks

You can get it from pretty much any insurance provider, though I guess it just makes the most sense to bundle your collision coverage with your basic liability policy at the same place.

Ever since they started duplicating bonuses, having a status with Lloyd's of London is basically worthless.
The only thing that actually matters there now is whether you had any claims—or, you know, if you actually caused some kind of damage—during the previous period.

Most insurance companies, or rather their agents, have been told that the Lloyd's data isn't even relevant for calculating bonuses anymore; they’re supposed to look at the original policy instead. That said, if you do have a claim on file, pretty much everyone is still going to dock your bonus—it just happens based on the original policy rather than whatever shows up on those Lloyd's web pages.

Andrew Booth2 said:Hey there! Does anyone have any inside scoop on what the pricing is going to look like once those new 180-style license plates roll out? I'm wondering if they'll keep the costs uniform across the country or if we're looking at different rates depending on the state or even specific plate types—that would be a headache, right? I’ve actually got some moving plans coming up soon, so I'm trying to figure out whether I should get everything registered at my current address or just wait until I settle into the new place. Any advice? Thanks!

There's really no word on that yet.

slyskipper11 said:Quick question... if a car is already deregistered, do I still have to deal with that 5% transfer tax, or is that off the table? Just wondering what kind of fees I'm actually looking at for a vehicle like that.

You definitely still have to pay it.

Yeah, I think that works for coastal areas too—so I’m guessing Aetna probably does the same thing.
Also, starting this month, insurance companies here in the States have updated their terms. Basically, if there's one car in the family covered at 50%, everyone else can grab a 25% discount right off the bat. Before this change, it was just limited to spouses, but now... I guess sons and daughters can get in on it too.

Honestly, right now, it’s just one giant circus.
Every single insurance company seems to have its own little rulebook and pricing structure—it's honestly almost laughable how messy it is.
I mean, you can see massive differences between branches of the exact same company, let alone when you start comparing different providers.

If you’ve already locked in a maxed-out bonus from before and you're looking to renew, I think Mount Rainier is probably your cheapest bet at the moment.
If you don't have any kind of bonus history yet, you'll likely find it easiest to pick one up with State Farm, Aetna, or General Electric...
If you had a bonus way back when—like ten years ago—General Electric might be the easiest place to get that reinstated.
And if you're trying to pull off some crazy workaround, like transferring a bonus from a business to an individual, or from a truck to a car, you'd probably end up heading back to State Farm.

Basically, nobody is actually following the rules strictly anymore. There's no guarantee that if one office turns you down, another branch of that same company won't just say yes. Like I said at the start—it's a total circus.

Allianz might give you a 5-year bonus, maybe something like State Farm or Liberty Mutual would offer 7 years—and I think GEICO actually goes as far as 10 years in some cases

Roger Cooper91 said:I could really use some advice here. I need to renew my car insurance soon, and I’m looking to add collision coverage to the mix as well.

A few people have told me straight up: don't you dare split them up—get your liability and your collision from the same carrier. Others, though, say it doesn't matter at all. As I've been shopping around, I've noticed that some companies offer killer rates on liability while others are much more competitive on the collision side. It looks like it might actually be cheaper to bundle different policies from different providers, so I wanted to reach out and see what your experiences have been with this?

Just to clarify, none of the insurance companies I've spoken to so far have required me to tie the collision coverage to their liability policy.

In my opinion, it's usually better to get both your liability and comprehensive from the same provider for a few different reasons—though, obviously, it isn't a requirement.
Also, just something to keep in mind: the cheapest option isn't always the best or most reliable one, especially when you're looking at comprehensive coverage.

I'm guessing the waiting period is also 30 days—though I'm not entirely sure myself, since I actually have one of their policies on hand

coastaltinker24 said:I’m on the hunt for the cheapest auto insurance I can find. I’ve got a 50% safe driver discount, over ten years of driving under my belt without a single accident or anything, so my record is clean. Right now, I’m sitting with State Farm, and they’ve been charging me $767 for a 175hp car. Meanwhile, I just got a quote from an Adriatic provider for $600. Where else should I be looking?

What’s the license plate number?

darkmaker94 said:A couple of days ago, an agent from State Farm sent me a quote for $967. It's for an 85kw car with a Zg registration—first time registering it, so I'm at 0% bonus, and I'm 25. Usually, the standard rate sits around $1333.
I'm gonna shop this quote around to other providers now to see if I can snag a better deal. 😁

Honestly, if you really don't qualify for any kind of discount, there's probably no point in shopping around. This looks like a pretty solid offer to me.

Jose Diaz3 said:I wasn't even thinking about the discount; I'm not particularly fond of the USA anyway. I have Allianz, and I noticed it would cost me nearly $67 more than last year. Is that just because I turned 26? Apparently, I should start looking into those roadside assistance programs. Fine. 🙂

Given your age, I'd probably suggest checking in with Mount Rainier. They offer a 25% discount on your earned bonus regardless of how old you are, which—honestly—could result in a pretty significant price difference compared to Allianz. With what you save on the base premium, you could probably afford some extra coverage. Plus, I think they include some basic protections for free too.

Jose Diaz3 said:I’ve been shopping around for the best AO rates over the last few weeks. Honestly, it feels like everyone is charging pretty much the same; there aren't any real deals out there, unless you count the 5% discount for paying in cash.

I haven't filed any claims, so I'm sitting at a 50% bonus. I usually opt for the extra hail and glass coverage plus a $100k/$200k accident limit, and the price stays roughly the same regardless of the provider.$800. 🤷

State Farm offers some discounts at certain retail stores, which gives them a slight edge, but otherwise, nothing really stands out.

It's not quite like that, though. I think you can bring the base price for liability down to a similar level almost anywhere—unless you're a super young driver, in which case some companies are actually charging even more than they did last year. That said, you'll see a big difference in the "perks" they throw in. Things like roadside assistance, various accident coverage, or bonus protectors... personally, I think those retail discounts they offer as a perk are probably the worst option when you're just trying to insure your car.☕

Jeremy Sanders64 said:A woman driving with out-of-state plates hit my car while it was parked perfectly legally. Her door is totaled. Since we actually know each other, we didn't call the police at the scene. However, after three days, the situation has shifted. Now she’s refusing to pay for new doors, insisting instead that her local mechanic just "straighten them out." I’m not having it—I want brand new doors, or we involve the cops. The police are already being noncommittal, suggesting they aren't sure if I can recover damages since we didn't report it immediately, even though she already admitted fault. What are your thoughts on whether I can actually collect on this?

Of course it’s possible. I mean, if you filled out a standard accident report properly, that should be enough—especially if she isn't disputing that it was her fault. With that report in hand, you just head over to your insurance provider here in the US, which will coordinate with her out-of-state insurance. You file the claim and that's pretty much it. It might take an extra week or two for the paperwork to clear, but usually, there shouldn't be any issues.
Since you waited a bit to reach out to the police, I'm guessing they didn't come out to do a formal investigation or write up an official report, right?!

Charles Stewart60 said:I mean, I can't just sit here and stay quiet...
Look, I’m not out here defending Atlantic; honestly, they’re my favorite competition 😁 but let's be real—they were dumping bonuses. It happens. I personally saw piles of State Farm shelves marked down by 50%. So what? 😛

There’s this new loyalty program rolling around now, and man, it is top-tier. The commercials pretty much spell it all out 😁😁😁

That's kind of a silly argument... I mean, obviously everyone was selling bonuses back when the regulators just looked the other way, but nobody did it quite like State Farm, and they did it when nobody else was even allowed to. That's basically how they built their entire empire.
And regarding that new State Farm model you mentioned—trust me, I'm well aware. If you really think a TV commercial is a reliable benchmark, then hey, go ahead and believe it if you want.
As for the rates State Farm is offering right now? At least four other insurance companies have better prices than them, based on the rate sheets I actually have in front of me and know how they apply them.
Plus, I know of two others that definitely have lower rates, though I don't have their specific paperwork on hand.

I'll say it again: my advice to everyone is this—you'll get the best deal by going directly through an agent. Right now, there's total chaos over at Geico, and honestly, it's probably going to stay that way all year. I doubt they'll ever go back to their old, slow-moving ways.
As long as your liability insurance covers the other guy rather than you, price is the main thing, though even that is about to change...☕
If you also have collision or comprehensive coverage on your car, well, you should probably be extra careful about which company you choose.

Emily Wilson92 said:Up until now, I’ve been with State Farm, and I probably would have stayed there too if I hadn't needed to pay my premium online. When I called them, they gave me an estimate that was very close to what I paid last year, but they told me I could only settle the bill in person at a local branch. We're supposed to touch base tomorrow to confirm the final amount.

So, here I am, scouring Google to find a way to pay without having to leave my house.

I stumbled upon a site called Kompass, which acts as a sort of broker—but one that doesn't charge any commission (which sounded impossible to me). On their site, I saw that I could actually get a policy for $133 less through GEICO if I used the Kompass platform.

However, going directly through GEICO, the discount is only $33 less...

I reached out to GEICO to see if this was some kind of scam, and they insisted it isn't. They claimed that sites like Kompass don't carry the same overhead costs that a major insurer does. I suppose that's possible, but I'm naturally skeptical.

Then, I spoke with a representative from State Farm, and she suggested that those other companies offering lower rates often sell policies with insufficient coverage. She warned that I might end up having to pay out of pocket for certain claims because the policy doesn't fully protect me. 😕

Honestly, I told her, "Come on, we have regulations here; we aren't in Ghana."

Now I'm left wondering... maybe the insurance market in Ghana is actually better regulated than ours is? 🤷

I have to say, there's a certain irony in an employee from an insurance company—in a country where the rule of law is barely a concept—telling you that. If things were actually legal, she wouldn't even have a job at that firm. Here is one link regarding that. This data is from 2012. You'll also find data from 2012 right there regarding State Farm.
I'm giving you facts here, not just hearsay from some lady on the phone telling you absolute nonsense about mandatory auto insurance lacking coverage. ☕
As for the pricing, it's hard to say much, except that you'll likely get a better or at least similar price by dealing directly with an agent at any major carrier.
With Atlantic, the specific issue is that they recently got new pricing models and new software that allows agents to drop the price to match competitors, or even go lower. But once they hit a certain point, a red light flashes on their screen, meaning they aren't hitting the margins required by upper management. So, the agent has to try and upsell you on extra coverage until a yellow exclamation mark—or ideally a green checkmark—appears on the screen. By then, the total price is already higher than the competition.😂

Chloe Barrett said:I just finished up at State Farm for $533(with a bit of an extra discount), so I've been scanning around for something more affordable. It looks like Progressive is sitting under $433 on Compare.com...
A '92
with a 47kw engine, maybe around 50% coverage.
Is there anything I'd be losing out on by switching providers? Any real reason why I shouldn't just make the move over to Progressive?

All your rights and obligations follow you, regardless of which insurance company you decide to go with.

It seems like everyone keeps circling back to that 75% figure, but the thing is—most companies don't actually lower the premiums for younger drivers. At State Farm, for instance, that 75% applies to cash payments across the board, regardless of how old you are.

Douglas Wilson said:I have just one specific question I need to clear up. My registration is set to expire on March 27th, and I’m in a bit of a bind because I have an urgent trip planned. Am I legally allowed to drive on the actual day of expiration, or am I cutting it too close? I didn't want to clutter the board with a whole new thread for such a niche situation, so I figured I'd just ask here. Thanks in advance! 😁

You're good to go for the entire day on the 27th. Also, you'll still have coverage for the next 30 days under your old terms if you renew your policy with them. I think the new rules are changing depending on which insurance company you use now.