When you bought insurance through a car insurance agency, you gave yourself the benefit of personal assistance with your insurance needs anytime the need arises. Rather than try to handle complicated situations on your own, you have the luxury of calling up your agent for advice or support instead.
Today, we are taking a look at 7 ways car insurance agencies help their customers and when it might be a good time to give yours a call.
When You Need Help with a Claim
While this may seem like the most obvious reason to contact your car insurance agency, however, it is not a benefit that all drivers take advantage of. Sometimes, filing a claim is as simple as calling your insurance company. Other times, the process can be a bit more complicated. Your agent can act on your behalf to facilitate good communication with the adjustor and help ensure the claims process goes smoothly.
When You Get a New Vehicle
There’s nothing quite like getting a new (or new-to-you) car, but doing so means you’ll need to call your agent. While you may keep the same coverage on your new vehicle as your old one, your agent can help remove the old vehicle from your policy and replace it with your new one. Better yet, independent car insurance agencies can help ensure you are continuing to get a competitive rate on your coverage by shopping multiple insurers on your behalf.
When Your Coverage Needs a Change
Maybe you need to add a driver to your policy. Perhaps you need to add coverage for after-market parts that were added to your vehicle. Or maybe you finally decided to increase your liability coverage to a level that your agent has been recommending for years. Whatever the reason, car insurance agencies are used to providing advice and assistance when your coverage needs change.
When You Retire or Change Jobs
The average American worker changes jobs once every 4.4 years. That is more frequently than the average driver purchases a new car. While you may not correlate your job with your car insurance, you should still give your agent a call if you move to another employer, become self-employed, or decide to leave the workforce altogether. Changes in your commute, yearly mileage, and the ways you use your vehicle can all have a direct effect on your coverage.
When Your Teen Leaves for College
If you have a teenager preparing to leave for college, consider leaving the vehicle at home. Many students live and work on and around their college campuses, making it easy to walk or take public transportation instead of a personal vehicle. Leaving your teen’s car parked at home each semester could result in lower premiums.
When You Move
Whether you move down the street or across the state, you’ll need to give your agent a call. Not only do insurers need your updated billing information, but it is also important that they know where you are parking your car at night. Things like neighborhood crime rates and whether you park your car on the street or in a garage can all affect your coverage.
When You Purchase a Home, RV, ATV, Boat, or Other Insurable Asset
Your car insurance policy could be the key to better rates on other insurance policies. Many insurers offer discounts for combining auto insurance with other forms of coverage, such as home, RV, ATV, boat, and life insurance. When the time comes to purchase a new policy, make sure you talk with your agent first to find out which insurer will provide the best coverage at a competitive rate.
There are many other reasons that you might want to contact your independent insurance agent. The point of this article is to let people like you know that having an agent in your corner is important. If you’re in need of an agent that will be there for you, give us a call. We’d love to meet with you.
