After three decades using the same independent insurance (home/auto) company, I felt that we really needed a change. The current agent assigned to us was sorely lacking. There was a complete lack of communication, along with errors. Last year, she made a mistake on the cancellation date for one of our policies, which caused us to not get the refund check for months. After switching homeowner's for a better rate, she failed to mention that an inside appraisal would take place. Afterwards, we were billed an extra $70/year, which basically canceled the savings anyway. And there were other issues too tedious to go into.
Anyhow, I was unhappy for a number of years, but was too lazy to look into changing. I mean, is there anything more boring than looking over insurance quotes?? I finally decided to bite the bullet, so I went online a few months ago to research some local agents. Found a guy who had great reviews and was nearby, so I waited until six weeks before our current policies were due for renewal and contacted the guy.
He spent a lot of time gathering information from me and providing me with multiple quotes from three different companies so that I could compare and contrast coverages. Week 32, I sat down with him at his office for an hour and a half and we went through everything line by line so that I understood what our exact coverages would be. It was nice to have the computer screen pointed in my direction so that I could see the options and the effect on the total price of each change we made. An added bonus was saving $255/year!
My new thing for week 33 was a visit to an art exhibit, FUSED, showing this summer at Stan Hywet Hall in Akron. I've blogged about the mansion and gardens before, so I won't go into its history again. The exhibit featured four local artists who created metal and wood sculptures fusing modern methods to complement the painting techniques of Gertrude Seiberling, who lived in the mansion. Basically, they recreated her paintings into something new. We were given a map of the 15 locations of the pieces, but it was still a bit of a scavenger hunt, as the property is quite large. Here are some of my favorites from the day:
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| Hillside Aurora - The copy of the painting on the right is the inspiration for the larger piece. |
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| Botanical Gigantus - Picture in the center is the Manor House. |
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| Medicine for the Soul - Displayed outside the window of the Music Room. We could hear someone playing the piano inside. |
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| Gertrude Bench - Named for Gertrude Seiberling. |
Sometimes we have to take the time and we do save. Crummy sob agents where I was kept jacking up my insurance every year even as my car gets older and worthless. So after 3 years of that crap I went to another and saved $700 bucks.
ReplyDeleteSure quite the neat exhibits indeed.
Mine went up every year, too. Even homeowners, with the excuse of so many natural disasters happening across the country. We will see what happens with this one, though it's not the independent agent's fault when rates go up. It's just their job to find me a better rate!
DeleteThose were cool exhibits to see! I think I would enjoy seeing them in person!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had the savings with the insurance after all your diligence to find a new company! I was complacent with Geico for a few years after they denied a claim I thought they should have paid. Not a fan of State Farm either for that same claim (I backed our car into the garage wall of the house we were renting and neither Geico our car insurance nor State Farm (renters insurance) would pay for the damage to the garage wall. Geico paid for the damage to the car. Anyway, after Geico did another screw up a few years later, I bit the bullet and got AAA (Auto club) insurance for our cars, house, and rental house. So far they've been fair and relatively reasonable. Its a "damn if you do, damn if you don't" because you need the insurance but they sure like to mess with you at times.
betty
You have to wonder about the purpose of the renter's insurance if they didn't cover the damage to the garage wall! We've been fortunate to have only filed one claim since we've been married, so I don't have much experience in knowing how well they actually pay out.
DeleteI love the sculptures. They've certainly created something new, as you say.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth shopping around for insurance. In the UK, companies tend to hike up the premiums by huge amounts if you're a regular customer and they think they can get away with it. This year I changed our car insurer and saved about £150 ($181).
It was neat how they made her art their own. And it certainly seems beneficial to shop around for insurance. I agree, they do raise premiums just because they can!
DeleteNice sculptures, Bijoux. And I give you credit for finally tackling the insurance problem. I run from all things financial until it's absolutely necessary to do something, so I admire how faced this problem and saved over two hundred bucks!
ReplyDeleteWell, I did put it off for a number of years, but last go round was the final straw. I'm waiting to see if I get a survey or email from that agency regarding why I left. Probably not!
DeleteI know how tedious insurance quotes can be. I switched our Renter's insurance when the price went up because we didn't have a car to bundle it with and it was a hassle finding one that didn't want to bundle it with something else.
ReplyDeleteYeah, my son had a similar situation when he canceled his renter's after he moved in with his gf and his car insurance went up more than the amount of the renter's! Such a ripoff!
Delete"An added bonus was saving $255/year!" WOW...that's AWESOME! That's a HUGE savings!
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny that you posted about renewing your insurance because I too just did the same thing. I have to get renters insurance every year because it's in the lease. And the property manager is VERY strict about making sure all the tenants renew each year. In fact, I got any email LAST MONTH saying that my insurance needed to be undated in August. I renewed mine a day early because I'm so OCD about paying my bills on time that I usually pay them early. Renter's insurance is very inexpensive. I pay only $81.00 per year.
The photographs you shared of the art exhibit are FABULOUS! I love how that first one almost blends into the surrounding scenery, making it look all in one!
LOVE the bench!
Thanks so much for sharing, my friend! Hope you're having a fantastic week!
It's been a bit cooler here the past few days, so I'm not minding August at all. So far LOL!
Wow! You got a good deal on your renter's. My kids have always paid around $110/year.
DeleteI really liked the first photo, too. It was a fun day with Middle Child. Have a great rest of your week!
Good job on the new insurance. I've had the same agent for years and years and fortunately he is always helpful.
ReplyDeleteCool outdoor exhibit.
I'm hoping this new agent lasts me the rest of my life. He seemed to be in his late 30's, so maybe it will happen.
DeleteYou're right. There is no way to make insurance fun, short of dipping it in chocolate or cheese. But sometimes, you've gotta power on through for a better deal. Glad you bit the bullet and got 'er done!
ReplyDeleteIt's a necessary evil!
DeleteWhat wonderfully creative art. I especially like the Gertrude Bench - but I would worry about leaving all these creations out in the elements.
ReplyDeleteAnything to do with insurance can be exasperating, but it pays to shop around.
The exhibit ends in October, so the art will not be displayed in the snow and ice! Of course, since it's for sale, I'm unsure where people will display it! They were all quite large.
DeleteI recently went through this--changing homeowners as haven't had our insurance "bundled" since moving here for at the time State Farm wasn't writing any more insurance on the "islands." Now all our insurance is back in one place.
ReplyDeletewww.thepulpitandthepen.com
The bundle method does provide a good discount.
DeleteInsurance companies are not my favorite people. I did a debt restructure, and my auto-ins company (who I'd been with for over 30 years) TRIPLED my premiums (what my debt status has to do with the risk-level of insuring my car, I'm not fully sure). Needless to say, they quickly became my ex-company. . . Now they want me back, and I just laugh. . .
ReplyDeleteYes, most use a credit based insurance score for your premium. I asked my new guy if there would be an issue for us, since we've frozen all our credit reports to prevent fraud. He told me they obtain the info elsewhere and nothing ever came of it.
DeleteWe did exactly the same thing - after many, many years with the same insurance company and paying higher rates every single year, we finally switched and ended up paying a much lower premium. My frugal hero, Clark Howard, recommends to evaluate your insurance needs every year and get quotes from different companies every year.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be an issue with every company - loyal customers get the worst deals.
You're right about that last line, especially with Internet and cable companies.
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