When buying car insurance in Conrad, finding the best Montana insurance agent is not as easy as just driving to the closest agent’s office. For the sake of this article, we’ll assume you require not only a friendly agent, but you also want the lowest possible price.
With insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers and independent agents all competing for your business, it can be hard to know which will provide you with the best service and rates. To help decide, you can use insurance quotes online to build a list of agents to choose from.
Why do I need an agent?
Good agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is you can get the lowest rates but still work with a licensed agent. Supporting local businesses is important particularly in Conrad.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your insurance data is submitted to agents in your area who will battle to get your business. You don’t have to leave your computer since price quotes are sent immediately to your email address. Now that’s easy!
The type of insurance agent you choose is important
When looking for a local agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are classified as either independent or captive. Either one can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them because it can influence the type of agent you choose
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agencies do not work for one specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with many different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent. When searching for an agent, we recommend you include several independent insurance agents to have the most options to choose from.
Shown below are Conrad independent agencies that can give you comparison quotes.
Stockman Insurance – 420 S Main St – Conrad, MT 59425 – (406) 278-5513
Jim Morren Insurance – 400 S Main St # 100 – Conrad, MT 59425 – (406) 278-3773
Agency Captives
Captive agencies write business for a single company like Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They usually cannot compare other company’s rates so they have to upsell other benefits. They receive extensive training in insurance sales which can be an advantage.
Below is a list of captive insurance agents in Conrad that can give you rate quotes.
State Farm Insurance – 314 S Main St – Conrad, MT 59425 – (406) 278-3222
To view a full list of Conrad captive insurance agents, go to this page.
Picking an insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- How long has their agency been open in Conrad?
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
Upon receiving positive feedback to these questions and a low price estimate, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that meets your needs to adequately provide car insurance.
But what about Geico, Esurance and Progressive?
Auto insurance agents are a valuable resource, but you can also find affordable Montana auto insurance directly from online companies. A few companies, such as Farmers Insurance and State Farm, that are more known for using agents, also give you the option to buy direct on their websites, and that can save time and can also potentially find you lower rates.
If you’re anxious about whether or not you’ll have guidance when shopping online, that is quite common when buying online the first time. Insurance companies that allow you to purchase coverage have customer service departments to help you decide which coverages are appropriate.
Can buying online lower your premiums? That question is hard to answer since there are so many factors that impact your premium. Some people will tell you that a customer who purchases direcly from an online company saves the commission normally paid to an agent. In many cases, it’s expensive to advertise so rates may not be all that different from traditional agents.
Online resources for education
Additional car insurance information can be found on the website for the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance found here. Montana drivers can find out industry alerts, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and read industry bulletins.
More quotes mean more savings
Drivers switch companies for a variety of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, policy cancellation, policy non-renewal or even delays in responding to claim requests. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching companies is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
Cheap car insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Conrad insurance agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
