Auto Insurance Help

[globe9]

I have been with State Farm since I was old enough to drive, but this past January I sold my personal car and since I had a company car that allowed me to use it for personal use, I waited until March to buy a new personal car. During this period, from late January to mid-March, I did not have auto insurance as I did NOT own a car.

When I bought the new car, my GF put me on her auto policy since we live at the same address. Her agent told me $557 for 6 months with 150/300/150 coverage(basically that much b/c GF owns the home and since I was on her policy I also had to carry that much)...no problem b/c $557 is dirt cheap! GF also got a big discount for multi-policy.

We paid half of the premium then and just got a bill for the rest of it. Well my premium seems to no longer be for $557 but has gone up to almost $915 every six months. We've contacted her agent and he's been fighting with the underwriter, but they won't budge. The increase is b/c I didn't switch from another company. If I had stayed with State Farm, even though I didn't own a car, I would have got some discount that would have made the premium $557, but since I switched to them without having a previous insurance co., I don't qualify for the discount. This seems ludicrous to me as I was only without insurance for a little over a month. I haven't had an accident in over 10 years, no violations on my driving record, and only drive approx. 5k miles a year. I DID have insurance via my company, but agent says that the insurance company won't recognize the business insurance and I must have had personal insurance.

Oh well, I'm shopping for new auto insurance. Now that I've seen the $557 quote, I know I can get insurance for cheaper than $1800 a year. I've done many quotes online and right now I'm debating between All State and State Farm. My old State Farm agent retired last year, so the agent I was with until January is new to me and I really don't have a sense of loyalty to her. State Farm quoted me $577 for 6 months with 25/50/50 and 500 deductibles.

Allstate has given me a quote of $629 for 6 months with 25/50/25 and 500 deductibles, but I also get the platinum package which takes $100 off deductible immediately, so $400 deductible now, and $100 off each year with no accident, mulitple accidents forgiveness beginning immediately, new car replacement for 3 model years(until 2013 I will get new car if car is totaled), 5% of premium cash back every year with no accident.

I'm thinking of paying extra and getting the Allstate b/c of all the extras I get. I figure the 5% premium back I get every year will help pay the difference, or if I do get in an accident, the forgiveness will.

Do any of ya'll have any experience with Allstate claims/customer service etc? Just want to make sure I'm making the right decision.

Also can't believe how much cheaper auto insurance is elsewhere. La really does suck insurance wise.

[bdavid]

We switched from AllState to Progressive a couple of years ago and have been very happy with them. We're saving several hundred a year. We switched because AllState was such a pig after the storm.

[RouxTheDay]

I recently got online quotes from several companies. Progressive even beat out American National who claims to be giving me a nice discount because I have my mortgage insurance with them. I currently have GEICO (I'm a sucker for their marketing ) but am about to switch it to Progressive.
It seems like they all have the tendency to creep up the premiums after you've been with them a couple of years. You'd think they'd want to hang on to insuring folks who rarely or never file claims. I gave GEICO the chance but they couldn't do it. Almost $400/year differnce.

[Isabella Maja]

I've had State Farm forever. I'm happy with them, so I'm not switching.
If I were to switch I'd go with Progressive. The way they handled a claim in which one of their insured hit my car was most civilized.

I've also had encounters with Allstate.
I would never, ever, get Allstate.

NEVER.

Why do you think they are trying to give you a better package?

[Gourmondo]

If you're eligible for USAA, definitely check them out. Eligibility rules have changed in the past year so it's worth looking into even if you were previously ineligible. Very good service, competitive rates. Great to deal with after our losses in Katrina and Ivan.