Auto- Car Insurance in a Perfect world would be as simple as the click of a mouse or the stroke of a pen, and the perfect personal auto or the perfect business/commercial auto policy would print out or simply file itself into a neat PDF.
Considering you may be protecting your life’s work and investment portfolio; We understand the challenges that come from trying to shop thru the internet or making calls to different insurance agencies. It can be a daunting tiring job.
A simple telephone call or email to our offices is all that is needed to start the process of having your own insurance professional working for you. The Agent is who helps you make sure your policy is claims ready.
For young drivers please scroll down to our Article:
5 steps to switching your car insurance
If you’re on the hunt for a new car insurance company, you don’t have to wait until your current policy expires. It’s a driver’s market, and this 5-step guide can help you make a stress-free transition.
Step 1: Research and evaluate your coverage needs
Buying a new car, getting married, moving, or having a child — just to name a few life-changing scenarios — can all impact your coverage needs. And there’s no shortage of coverage options, limits, and deductibles to choose from. If you’re looking for a policy recommendation, spend a few minutes with a counselor. As a general rule, you’ll typically want to get the most coverage that you can comfortably afford.
Step 2: Shop around
When you know what coverage’s you want, check out what insurance companies have to offer. Beware of call centers who give you a quick rate without explaining overages.
- Compare your options with prospective insurers
o Get a free quote to see what you’d pay for a policy.
o Compare coverage’s, limits, and deductibles side by side Find out about all your payment options and check for discounts that might apply to you.
- Research dependability
o Verify the reputation of potential insurers by researching them on websites like A.M. Best.
o Ask neighbors and (real-life or Facebook) friends about their experiences with certain companies.
- Check on convenience
o Since you never know when you might need to speak with someone, 24/7 customer service is a reassuring factor. This way, you can always count on speaking to a real person if you need to file a claim or have questions about your policy.
o With some companies you can manage your policy, file claims, and track repairs online anytime.
o See if a company has a well-regarded mobile app and an easy-to-use mobile site. These can help you manage your policy or file a claim down the road.
- Additional benefits. If there’s nothing to separate similar-sounding insurers, consider other factors that matter to you, like the company’s community involvement or environmentally friendly policies. Visit their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds to get a feel for the community you’re about to join.
Step 3: Make the switch
Once you have a quote on a policy that best suits your needs, buy your new car insurance policy before terminating your old policy.
o In many states, when you drop your car insurance, your insurer is required to report it to your state’s motor vehicle department. Make sure your new car insurance policy starts before or on the same day that your old insurance ends. Even a one-day lapse in coverage could lead to increased rates in the future.
Step 4: Cancel or don’t renew your previous coverage
A few things to consider when you call your prior insurer to cancel or to let them know you won’t be renewing your policy:
- Ask about cancellation fees. If your term’s set to expire, you should be free of any cancellation charges unless you choose to cancel it before the policy term ends.
- Schedule the cancellation date to be no later than the effective start date of your new coverage to avoid a lapse in coverage.
- Ask for confirmation that your policy has been canceled and won’t be automatically renewed.
Your prior insurer will walk you through the entire cancellation process. If you’re switching your policy to a new car insurance company mid-term, you may be entitled to a premium refund depending on your payment plan.
Step 5: Print your ID cards and celebrate
With all that behind you, make sure you swap your old insurance ID cards for the new ones by the time your new policy kicks in. Keep one handy in each car’s glove box (unless ID cards aren’t required in your state). A dedicated team of individuals approach and take on the task of discovery of things such as: Underwriting requirements: Financial Responsibility Questions; Credit Information and Options; Prior Insurance Discovery; Radius Guidelines; Driver Information; Filings; Notice of Assessments; Quotes; Fleet Submissions: Bodily Injury & Property Damage Coverage; Uninsured/Insured Motorists Coverage; Rental Reimbursement Coverage; Physical Damage Coverage; Medical Payments Coverage; Personal Injury Protection Coverage (PIP); Motor Truck Cargo Legal Liability Coverage: Motor Truck General Liability coverage ( General Liability); Non-Trucking Liability Coverage (Non-Truck) Trailer Interchange Coverage; Rental Reimbursement With Downtime Coverage For Truck; Employer’s Non-Ownership liability Coverage (Truck) On-Hook Towing Liability Coverage; On-Hook Direct Primary Coverage; On-Hook Direct Excess coverage: Garagekeepers Legal Liability Coverage; Garagekeepers Direct Primary Coverage; Gargekeepers Direct Excess Coverage; Towing Services General Liability Coverage (General Liability) ; Hired Auto Liability Coverage (Business Auto); Employer’s Non-Ownership Liability Coverage (Business Auto) Any Auto Legal Liability Coverage; Individual Named Insurance Coverage; Drive Other Car Coverage (Broadened Coverage for Named Individuals); Transportation Expenses Coverage; Roadside Assistance; Trailers;
Additional Insured Endorsements; Waiver of Subrogation Endorsements; Permissive Use; Temporary Substitute Auto; Pet Injury coverage; Unlimited Small Accident Forgiveness; Minor Violation Forgiveness; Large Accident Forgiveness; Unacceptable Risks: Business Categories; Vehicle Types; Coverage’s; Discounts; Pain In Full Discounts; Anti-Theft Discount-Standard; Anti-Theft Discount – Recovery; Air Bag discount; Anti-Lock Brakes Discount; Business Experience Discount; package Discount; Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Discount;
Policy Periods; Bill plans; Direct Billing; Remarketing at Renewal Underwriting ; Payment Options; Renewal Rate Changes; General Binding Guidelines; Cancellation Requests; Certificates Of Insurance; Transaction Gridlines; Services; Quote Sheets;
Young New Drivers; Invincible, Excited, Free, and/or Parents Worst Nightmare?
Many parents can’t wait for their children to start driving, particularly those with multiple children in the household. Running to practice, schools and everywhere else can at times seem to be a daunting task, while at the same time the fear of liabilities both physical and financial can leave parents with a paralyzing feeling. One saving grace is that some children due to our electronic age wait longer to get their license. We find that the best way to get ready for these years is simple. Be prepared.
On the financial side, Insurance companies will not disregard the fact that your child or anyone else’s child is a brand-new driver regardless of longevity or type of relationship with that company. Permit only drivers are generally added at no additional cost. Although; It is a shock to most families when the first child gets their official driver’s license, to increased premiums of $300, $400+ dollars per month.
Many factors cause this increase; Young drivers between the ages of 15-20 account for around 8% of all drivers in fatal crashes, in contrast young drivers account for approximately 5.2% of all drivers in the United States. In 2017, 1,820 drivers in the same age group died in motor vehicle crashes. Locally construction of new turns, buildings and subdivisions can be very confusing to all drivers.
Increased automobile costs; a bumper that used to cost $800, may now be thousands of dollars due to technology. Unfortunately, we live very close to Hillsborough County. One of the most auto fraudulent counties in the country. Fraud is high and verdicts are higher. The Model, Year and Make of the car is important. A high-profile SUV may make your premiums lower as opposed to a low visual high-performance sports car. While safety ratings of the vehicle is important, it only speaks to the safety of that car when comes to damage and physical injuries, not to the amount of damage it can cause.
The one thing that your child has control of is grade point average. A good grade point average can help you get a discount and a lower rate on your auto insurance. Although this may seem like a simple point, don’t miss this great opportunity for discussion about what will be happening in the future when they are old enough to drive, stressing safety and financial obligations. A special drivers savings account is recommended. Funded by both children and parents. this is also a great opportunity for financial responsibility discussions.
Although our greatest concern is our child’s physical health, it is also for the other driver’s family.
At times Bodily injury liability becomes a family’s greatest threat. Many children understand that they will be in trouble if the wreck mom and dad’s car. They do not fully understand the financial liability risk they put on everyone involved.
Some options that parents have are things like, waiting until they are older, practicing safe use of Uber, share expenses via summer jobs. Pay insurance in full to save hundreds of dollars.
We encourage you to have your child attend one of our New Drivers’ virtual meetings. They will have an opportunity to have an honest and open discussion on all the positives and liabilities of driving & insurance, including over 70 factors that affect personal injury liabilities, claims, lawsuits and settlements. We find that our educated client’s children always tend to keep both hands on the wheel.
Email info@sorianoinsurance.com for a schedule of our free live interactive webinars. Limited to 10 families/children per session.
We are hopeful that you simply call us or send us a simple email and allow us to do the work for you.
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