People often have questions about how their auto insurance or homeowners insurance works, or how they should handle a claim. In our wired and socially networked world, many people’s first instinct is to turn to the Internet. People will put questions into an Internet search engine such as, “Who is insured to drive my vehicle?” Or, “Can I get money back if I cancel my insurance?” And the ever-popular “How much does it cost to insure…” which I discussed in a previous blog post.

The Internet is a great resource, but not for accurate information about your own insurance policies. Even I, a 20-year insurance veteran, can lead you astray.

The laws and regulations regarding insurance vary greatly by state. For example, a practice like using your credit information to rate an auto insurance policy may be legal in one state, but prohibited in another state.

I have sold insurance in many states in the past, but insurance laws & regulations change frequently. I have no doubt what I learned about New Jersey state insurance law in 1992 is completely different now. I certainly have no business telling anyone what is allowed, or not allowed, regarding New Jersey auto insurance.

You will notice when I talk about insurance, I use words like “often” and “usually” when talking about what most (not all) insurance companies do, and often disclaim by stating, “if not prohibited by law.”

For example, having one year of continuous auto insurance without a lapse of coverage is needed to qualify for auto insurance in many states.

However, it used to be in California (and may still be), auto insurance companies cannot decline to offer auto insurance for not having previous auto insurance. Since I have not sold California auto insurance in over a decade, I should not be considered the best source for what is going on for California auto insurance now. Even if I had stopped my involvement in California auto insurance only 3 months ago, my knowledge could be out of date if there was a change to auto insurance law & regulations a month ago.

Also, each insurance company may interpret the law differently. In Oregon, where I live, auto insurance companies can use only your most recent three year driving record (other than drug or alcohol related driving offenses). But one auto insurance company told me they use a 5 year experience period when I tried to get an auto insurance quote from them. It’s possible this insurance company is not in compliance with the law, or found a way to comply with the law while still using a 5 year driving record history.

In addition, many auto insurance & home insurance companies use different policy language in their insurance policies. This may be expected by people not working in the insurance industry, but there was a time when most insurance companies used the same policy language.

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One major auto insurance company covers a newly purchased car for only 14 days until you notify the insurance company and insure the recently acquired car.

How you are insured depends on the wording of your insurance policy. If I do not currently work for your insurance company, and have access to your policy, I don’t know how you are covered.

I provide a lot of useful information to you, but the only accurate source of information for YOUR insurance policy is someone working for YOUR insurance company NOW. So, when you have questions about your insurance policy, ask your agent or company representative.

Now, it is still possible your agent will be incorrect, or the insurance company may not be properly following the state (or federal) insurance laws & regulations.

If you think your insurance company is not treating you properly, contact your state’s regulatory authority over insurance. Here is a list of websites for each state’s regulatory body, usually called a “department of insurance.” Some states have great information about state insurance laws and consumer information, and all states tell you how to file a complaint against your insurance company.

Use the Internet to get a second opinion, to see if you have a valid complaint against your insurance company, but take any advice (except mine?) with a grain of salt.

A lot of the information on the web about insurance is bad or generic. Message board responses can be completely wrong, too, even from insurance industry veterans. Never rely on only one person’s opinion. But if more than one person advises you the same way, you should consider the advice.

I would love to help you with your insurance questions. Please leave a comment on my facebook page. Or, you can e-mail me at help@smartshopyourcarinsurance.com if you have questions and would like my help. Follow me on Twitter for important insurance consumer news and new blog entries at CarInsWatch.