If the info for the client that's presented at the different offices is identical, then the quote that the central computer spits out should be identical, as well, it seems to me.

ole joyful

There is no way for an agent to "pad" a premium.

The difference is how where you live is rated. I received a higher premium when the area became a higher risk area because of teen activity.

Here's the sad fact - you have to change insurance companies from time to time or else the one you have will slowly jack up your rates every renewal. So shop around. Shopping different agents for the same insurance company will not help you.

Three years ago I managed to save over $1000 by shopping my homeowners, two auto policies, and umbrella policies to a new company. But now it is time to do it again because my rates have gone up every year despite no claim experience.

You don't get any points for loyalty these days.

The Association of Trial Lawyers has a publication about insurance companies. I wish I read it prior to needing to use my homeowners insurance.

http://www.bulmanlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/TenWorstInsuranceCompanies.pdf

A "trial lawyer" is their preferred euphemism for "ambulance chaser". They are the lowest of the low, personal injury lawyers who sue anyone for a percentage fee and are happy to settle claims out of court (to reduce how much time they have to spend). Their game is extortion, not justice. You need to know what you're looking at.

Any insurance company they say is on their crap list would be one i would want to deal with. Stubbornness in kowtowing to the litany of suits they receive daily can only serve to keep premiums low.

I agree that it's good to get insurance quotes every once in awhile, maybe every 5 years? It's easier to do that than in the past, just send (or enter online) the key facts from your insurance cards. I've kept an eye on the national company I've used for over 25 years. They seem to pay attention to competitors, their premiums have remained competitively priced.

There are loyalty points--they're called long term discounts. Most major insurance carriers put the highest premium on retaining customers so that's where they put the biggest discount. It doesn't hurt to check to make sure your premiums are in line, but as an ex-agent, I found any given year one company would be slightly up or down, but over the long haul they often evened out. There are some companies who get you in with a low price and then start to have major increases because they don't have enough premium to pay their claims. Rates go up, not because YOU are having claims, but how many other people are that they are paying out.

I've been with the same Company for 50 years - USAA. I have periodically compare rates and see absolutely no sign that they have been raising my premiums "just because they can." Make no mistake, my premiums do go up most every year even with no claims, but so does everyone else's rates.

7 or 8 years ago, I switched our homeowners insurance to USAA to get a premium savings, several hundred dollars. A few years after the switch, as the policy year end was approaching, I got a letter from them, asking to schedule an in-person visit. It said they like to regularly check in on customers' insured dwellings to be sure that coverage levels are adequate, etc., Sounded like a good idea. A guy came out, walked around, made some measurements, took pictures and then left. It was never clear if the guy was an inspector, or an appraiser, or what. About one month later, I got my premium notice for the next year - the price had doubled. Not 1.5 X, or 1.8 X, but literally 2X. That was the end of my own insurance relationship with USAA.

Over the years, I've had other dealings with them, and two of my kids have bank accounts with them, but phew, their insurance practices left me shaking my head. I switched back to the company I'd left (with which I'd kept my auto insurance) and we've all lived happily every after.

Snidely,

I've been with USAA for fifty years

Back in the day they were great as far as service and cost goes.

Nowadays, not so much.

Salti

I forgot to mention before in talking about USAA, I got a $1500 discount from the purchase price of a new BMW strictly because of being a USAA "member". It's apparently a Support the Troops program of BMW-USA. They provide a direct reimbursement to dealerships, with amounts that vary by model, so that the discount amount can be subtracted from the customer's final negotiated price.

If I hadn't happened to do a test drive in a town that has a still-lingering active and retired military population (Monterey, Calif), I might not have known. I was happy about that. I don't forgive them for trying to double my house insurance premium, but this was a good consolation.