Discount!

Discount!

Have you noticed how many television ads there are for insurance companies these days?  There is the lizard with the funny accent, the insurance store clerk who loves her job, the dignified actor who makes his pitch from the middle of the road, mayhem jogging or driving through your neighborhood and the class of new agents that watches the giant dust ball go up in flames.

That isn’t even half of the strange commercials trying to sell you insurance these days.  And while you may have trouble remembering what company any one of these quirky characters works for, you do remember the message…  “We can give you better credits and discounts than all of the other companies out there”.

Those ads throw a lot of information at you in just 60 seconds.  They talk about accident forgiveness, safe driver credit, or a multi-policy credit, low mileage discounts, new car discounts, new home discounts, renovated home credits, online credits, disappearing deductibles, good student discounts, distant student discounts, air-bag and anti-lock break credits, anti-theft device credits, monitored alarm system credits, full pay discounts, retired driver discounts, mature homeowner discounts, the list goes on and on and on… and they all promise that their company will give you these credits that your current company won’t, if you just call or go online.

Before you cancel a policy you have had for several years check with your agent.  You may lose a discount you are eligible for, just by switching.  Sometimes called a renewal credit, sometimes longevity or merit credit, you could loose 5 to 15% by switching companies.  And all of those credits the spokesperson make sound like only their company has?  They are likely available from your company, in fact, you may be receiving them and don’t even know it.  Or if you aren’t receiving them, it may be because your agency isn’t aware you are eligible for them.

The lizard is cute and discounts are great, but so is the relationship you have with your insurance company.  Give them a chance to show you what they’ve got and what your agent can do for you.