Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip (2024)

Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

St. Mary's Co., MD

Woo Hoo!!! A new Tech Tip!!! Yay!!

"There's no such thing as a stupid question." True enough, but folks often forget the second part of that -- "But there IS such a thing as a stupid answer."

And over the years, we have built our tech tips from frequently asked questions. Some are insurance questions.

"What company offers the best rates?" This is NOT a dumb question but in far too many cases in the past, we've seen a LOT of dumb answers to it. By far, the dumbest answer to this question is pretty much any answer that doesn't go something like "You have to shop around for yourself."

New to the hobby or you've been knuckle busting on tired iron for awhile, sooner or later you're going to want to either insure a specialty vehicle, or renew an existing policy. It can be a real chore. But what if you could save some real money and maybe, just maybe, even get better coverage? That wouldn't suck.

Years (decades, actually) in the making, this Tech Tip presents what I've learned about shopping for insurance and saving money in the process for your general edification and reading pleasure. It just might provide decent answers to the insurance questions that pop up regularly.

AND... If you are one of those folks who have steadfastly remained with the same company for years and years and feel you don't need to shop around because your insurance company has always "taken care of you..." Oh boy, this tech tip is *especially* for you!

Discussion about insurance shopping is welcome in this thread, but let's keep it to that and not just your anecdote of any deal or good premium *your* company gave *you.*

Likewise, personal anecdotes about how bad a particular company has treated you or jacked your rates will likewise be deleted for having no relevance to anyone but *you.*

Nor can any of us answer specific questions relating to you and your policy -- those questions must be directed to your insurance company representatives.

Lastly, questions asked in this thread that are addressed in the Tech Tip will also be deleted. Read the Tech Tip, THEN ask questions or make comments.

Thanks and I hope you find it useful.

Shopping for Insurance? Uncle Johnny's Insurance Primer and Shopping Guide. (It's a 15-page "tip" with lots of details. May be slow for some to download.)

Regards,
John

Not an insurance expert, just an experienced shopper

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538432Wed Feb 28 2024 11:00 PM

Nampa, ID

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538442Thu Feb 29 2024 12:06 AM

St. Mary's Co., MD

There is a lot of ground to cover with that one and admittedly, the images probably contribute to its size. But without pictures/illustrative supporting art work, it could be a very dry document. The pictures are there to break up the big blocks of text ("grey ladies" as we call them in the newspaper biz ... )

Thanks,
John

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538443Thu Feb 29 2024 12:09 AM

AZ

Yes to the above except I've never had to use it, so technically, maybe they haven't taken care of me. Kudos and thanks for the amount of work involved in a doc of that length! Did you include lots of pretty truck pictures to keep it exciting?

edit: Downloaded and yes, lotsa nice pics!

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538444Thu Feb 29 2024 12:11 AM

St. Mary's Co., MD

Skooter -- Thanks. There are pictures. As to how "pretty" they are ... only you can answer that. One of the pictures is my ole, beloved "Hoopty Van." Not a pretty vehicle (it looks like one of Lugnutz' parts vehicles ...) but I hope it helps get a point across.

By the way, I sold the Hoopty van to a kid from Fredericksburg, VA who wanted it for his garage band. I couldn't think of a better follow on for it. I practically gave it to him.

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538467Thu Feb 29 2024 02:19 AM

Fredericksburg, VA

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538519Thu Feb 29 2024 07:40 PM

VA

Ok, I read all that insurance stuff and now have a headache!
I'm going to ask a question, but don't banish me from the site if the answer exists in all that wonderful information.

About three years ago I shopped around and ended up dealing with Progressive. They got me Hagerty for my classic coverage.

Question is, they tell me they are always shopping around for the best rates for my coverage. Should I believe them?

Signed, The UnsuredŠ

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538526Thu Feb 29 2024 08:59 PM

Atlanta, Ga

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538528Thu Feb 29 2024 09:06 PM

St. Mary's Co., MD

Victor, Victor, Victor ... sigh ...

Seriously? An insurance company tells you *they* will shop around for you? And that you should trust them to find you the best deal?

My response to that [youtube.com]

Now that I've regained my composure ... Should you believe them? Only if you also believe the Easter Bunny, Big Foot and the Swedish Bikini Team will be handing out free beer and massages under Billy's awning at Winchester this year. Guess which one will be giving you *your* massage??

The words of Ronald Reagan come to mind -- "Trust...but verify." The best way to find out if you should trust them -- Shop around and find out. Put them to the test. And maybe they *do* get you the best deal ... this time. A year or two down the line when your rates start increasing, and you've gotten used to just letting them do your shopping for you, will they still be getting you the best deals? Or do they secretly have some kind of commission deal going with Hagerty?? Try going directly to Hagerty and see if they give you the same deal.

Quick anecdote: We have several policies with a local agent for a major insurer. We like him a lot. He offered me a deal like that so I said "Let's see!" He tried but had to admit he couldn't do better than what I had come up with on my own. I really was impressed by his honesty.

Bottom line --
I put that sort of claim in the same bucket as "Loyalty Discounts" and "Bundling." The file marked "Marketing Hogwashings."

Something else to keep in mind that I didn't exactly address in the Tech Tip is that companies offer better discounts to new customers to attract their business. You know the pitch -- "Switch to our company and save 15% immediately!" Sooooooooo ... Trying being a new customer to someone else and see if you can't beat your Progressive/Hagerty "deal."

Otherwise, you may already be getting a "massage" from Flo

You have to try harder than that to get banned (Peggy likes you). Um, that's not a challenge, though.

Re: Insurance Guide - discussion on the new Tech Tip

John Milliman#1538534Thu Feb 29 2024 09:42 PM

VA