When shopping for car insurance, you have many choices and choosing the right North Charleston car insurance agent is not as easy as just picking up the phone. You require a decent agent, but also need the lowest rates for car insurance in North Charleston.
There are many car insurance agents to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, having more car insurance agents makes it harder to find the best rates for your vehicles.
Why do I need an agent?
Insurance agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you peace of mind. One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain better rates and still choose a local agent.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, the quote information is immediately sent to agents in your area who will battle to get your business. There is no reason to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent to your email. How’s that for easy!
Selecting an insurance agency requires more thought than just the price. Some important questions to ask are:
- How long has their agency been open in North Charleston?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Who are their largest clients?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
Different types of insurance agents in North Charleston
When researching a reliable agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). Both insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know the differences since it may influence the selection process.
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents can only place business with one company and examples are Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agents are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Some consumers prefer to buy from captive agents mostly because of the brand legacy and strong financial ratings.
Listed below are North Charleston captive agents that are able to give rate quotes.
- State Farm Insurance – 5150 Ashley Phosphate Rd – North Charleston, SC 29418 – (843) 552-9777
- Allstate Insurance – 2138 Ashley Phosphate Rd # 101 – North Charleston, SC 29406 – (843) 572-5511
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents are not locked into one company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency. When comparison shopping, we recommend you include price quotes from multiple independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices. They often place coverage with smaller companies which can save you money.
Shown below are independent insurance agencies in North Charleston willing to provide price quotes.
- A Patch Insurance Inc – 3250 Tile Dr – North Charleston, SC 29405 – (843) 744-4221
- Insurance Agency Inc – 5081 Rivers Ave – North Charleston, SC 29406 – (843) 747-6358
- Altman Agency – 4138 Rivers Ave – North Charleston, SC 29405 – (843) 747-6383
- Beach and Beach Insurance – 5500 Rivers Ave – North Charleston, SC 29406 – (843) 744-6273
- P C and L Agency – 3125 Ashley Phosphate Rd #115a – North Charleston, SC 29418 – (843) 552-3812
For a full directory of car insurance agents in North Charleston, please view this page.
Once you have answers to your satisfaction to your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you may have just found a car insurance agent that meets your needs to provide car insurance coverage.
Can you save money by buying online?
Car insurance agents are important to many people, but you can also buy South Carolina car insurance from online companies direct. Some car insurance companies who employ agents also let you buy direct on their websites, and consumers should do that and can also potentially find you lower rates.
If you’re anxious about whether or not you’ll have guidance when buying online, that is normal but is not a big issue. Car insurance companies all have client service departments to walk you through the process. Most companies also provide live help and an extensive research center to help with the buying process.
If you’re trying to save the most money, the best approach to discovering if prices are better online or from an agent is to make apples-to-apples comparisons of both. It’s not unheard of to actually get different prices from the same car insurance company from their agents and their website. But you can’t find out if the lower rates are from agents or online unless free rate quotes are compared for both.
Is car insurance cheaper online? The answer is complex due to the fact that there are many factors that can increase policy rates. It’s a common assumption that shopping direct cuts out the middleman. For the majority of companies, however, marketing their products costs a lot of money and that can cost more than having to pay agents.
In conclusion
When shopping online for car insurance, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later they didn’t have enough coverage. The aim is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price.
Insureds change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, policy cancellation, being labeled a high risk driver and unfair underwriting practices. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company is actually quite simple.
Even more information can be found at the South Carolina Department of Insurance website. Consumers can read consumer alerts, learn about specific coverages, read state legal mandates and laws, and read industry bulletins.
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