Can your company or agent match auto insurance rates?

So, you have shopped for the best auto insurance quote, with all the leading auto insurance companies, as I recommend. I know I’m still searching for that $9 a month auto insurance I see advertised, but I think I am more likely to find Bigfoot before I find it. You can save a lot of money on auto insurance by following my shopping advice, but don’t get fooled by deceptive advertising.

You find an auto insurance company 50% less expensive than what you pay now for the same coverage. But you really like your insurance agent, and your family has been with the agent for years. Can your agent match the rate of the insurance company offering you the lowest price?

Many retail stores can match their competitors prices, so I know why car insurance customers often ask their agents to match other insurance company rates.

Unfortunately, auto insurance & home insurance companies have to file their rates with your state’s department of insurance, and fairness laws require insurance companies to charge all customers, based on the rates filed with the state, and not be unfairly discriminatory by giving savvy insurance shoppers a better deal.

What if your auto insurance company was allowed to match rates? Should less sophisticated insurance shoppers pay twice as much as you for auto insurance, when they have the exact same risk profile as you, but you were able to negotiate a better rate? The government says, “No.”

Think about it: do you want buying auto insurance to be like buying a car, where the purchaser needs to negotiate the best price? If you are a good negotiator, and have the time to negotiate, it might work in your favor. Say you are a hard-working poor person, having 2 jobs, and no time to shop & negotiate better rates every 6 months. Should you pay higher rates simply because you don’t have the time to negotiate?

States regulate insurance rates, so all people are treated fairly. Although you may not think your state cares if you can negotiate a lower price for auto insurance, allowing the negotiation of the price you pay, would mean poorer and less sophisticated shoppers will pay more for auto insurance — not because they are a higher risk of claims, but because they didn’t haggle over price with their insurance company.
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Your agent or insurance company cannot match another insurance company’s insurance rates, but shopping for a lower auto insurance rate is a great way to make sure the insurance company you have now does their best to get the lowest price they can offer you.

I have sold auto insurance to people, saving them a lot of money, only to be contacted by the customer shortly after the sale, to cancel the new policy, because their old agent was able to get them a lower rate.

It often surprises me why the customer wants to stay with their former insurance company. The customer’s old insurance company has been over-charging them for 20 years, and only cared about getting them the lower rate they deserve, when the customer switches to another insurance company.

Does an agent or insurance company behaving like that deserve your loyalty?

You can’t negotiate auto insurance or home insurance rates, but you can make sure you are getting the best price possible, by shopping with all the leading insurance companies each year, and letting the insurance company you have now know they need to offer you the best rates possible to keep your business.

Have you asked an insurance company to match rates? Do you shop your insurance each year? Why not? Tell me about it. 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.