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10 Signs You Need to Switch Insurers

Did your car insurance go up without warning? Yeah, you need to switch insurers.

By Iggy PaulsenPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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Today, I woke up peacefully. I saw my husband sleeping next to me, and then I checked my phone. This was a terrible mistake that threw off my mellow morning, since I noticed that my rate change went up by a total of $50.

And that's when I had enough.

I called up my insurance company and decided that it was time to change my policy. After too many hiccups, I realized that there was absolutely no point in dealing with an insurance group that continually found new ways to upcharge me.

Believe it or not, I blame myself here. I should have noticed the signs it's time to switch insurers months ago! Not sure if you need to switch insurers? Check for these warning signs.

What you want in your insurance company isn’t what you get.

Does your insurance company fall short when it comes to amenities and access? Do you feel like you’re just not getting enough for what you pay for? You might want to reconsider using that insurance company.

Most insurance companies will have some sort of app or easy-to-use upgrade that makes placing a claim easier. If you feel like you're not getting your worth, it may be time to make a switch.

Their network no longer covers you.

Contrary to popular belief, not all insurance companies are nationwide. If it’s a matter of health insurance or a matter of car insurance, there’s a pretty good chance that you will not be able to keep the same coverage if you move to another state.

Obviously, if your insurance company is no longer available where you live, it’s time to switch insurers.

You can no longer afford the coverage you got.

Budgets matter, and in an ideal world, we would all be able to afford massively secure insurance policies that come complete with golden glove customer service. However, this is real life, and sometimes income levels decrease rather than increase.

When this happens, you really don’t have much of a choice in the matter. You need to switch insurers and downsize—or possibly consider relinquishing whatever coverage you have if it’s a worst case scenario.

You can now afford better coverage.

Let’s say that you have been in a financial rut for the past couple of years. Let’s say that you have been coasting along with really anxiety-inducing car insurance coverage, coupled with a silent prayer that you wouldn’t ever be in a car accident.

Now that you have more money, you can afford better things. Treating yourself to better auto insurance may not sound fun, but it will definitely pay off should something happen while you’re on the road.

You’re fairly certain that you can get a better price for similar coverage.

Sometimes, you can have a good company that offers insurance at a bad price. Such is life. Just because an insurance company has been good to you doesn’t mean that you shouldn't look for ways to save money on your auto insurance.

It doesn’t make financial sense to stay with the same car insurance company for years if you could get better coverage elsewhere. So, why stay with them?

You had a claim and your insurance company was useless.

Okay, let’s say that you have pretty cheap car insurance and one day, that neighbor of yours decides to ram your car. With most auto insurance companies, you would call them up and their customer service would assist you. With yours? Well, they pretty much denied your claim and told you to get lost.

Though this often comes into play with car insurance, it can also happen with health insurance as well. One of the things you should understand about car insurance is that when this happens, it’s a sign of what you’ll get when you continue to have insurance through the carrier. If that isn’t a sign that it’s time to switch insurers, I don’t know what is.

Trying to get into contact with your insurance agency is a nightmare.

True story: I heard of one person who bought insurance from one of those call centers, and then had a claim. They had to call about 12 times in order to get through to an agent. Even then, it was an absolute hassle to find out what was going on with their claim.

If this happens to you, you need to switch insurers. That’s not acceptable from any kind of company.

You really can’t seem to understand what your coverage is.

Does it seem like your insurance agent doesn’t really want to educate you on what you’re buying? Insurance already tends to be a confusing mess, and if you have a service that really doesn’t care about trying to educate you, you’re in trouble.

A good insurance company will try to educate you and explain your premiums to you in terms you understand. A bad one won’t care, or worse, may even try to use your ignorance against you. Not asking a lot of questions is one of the more common mistakes to avoid when buying car insurance, but that doesn't mean it has to be if you're considering making a switch.

Whenever they promise a rate decrease, it only happens temporarily—if ever.

When I first signed on with my car insurance company, they claimed that I would only have to pay a single deposit, and then I would have a reasonably low rate. Well, six months later, I still have only a single bill that went on at the rate that was quoted.

If this sounds like what you’re dealing with, then you definitely need to switch insurers. Life is too short to be taken for a sucker, and you can find a better fit to your needs.

They can’t seem to get your billing right.

This is the most glaring sign you need to switch insurers sooner rather than later. My car insurance kept getting double charged, and at one point, my parent’s car ended up on my individual plan. It was a nightmare, and I kept having to call them to straighten things out.

Eventually, after the third time this happened, I realized that there seemed to be an ongoing problem. Sadly, it was one that I just couldn’t seem to get them to fix.

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About the Creator

Iggy Paulsen

Iggy Paulsen is a fan of anything and everything wholesome. He loves his two dogs, hiking in the woods, traveling to Aruba, building DIY projects that better humanity, and listening to motivational speakers. He hopes to eventually become a motivational speaker himself.

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