When buying auto insurance in Palatine, you have many choices and picking a good Illinois insurance agency is not as easy as just picking up the phone. You require a good agent, but also affordable rates.
Since consumers have many different company options, it’s nearly impossible to pick the lowest cost insurer.
How to find Palatine insurance agents online
Professional agents can answer important questions and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain better rates but also keep your business local.
Upon completion of this quick form, your insurance data is immediately sent to local insurance agents in Palatine who will give you bids for your coverage. You never need to leave your computer due to the fact that quote results will go to the email address you provide. It doesn’t get any easier!
Deciding on a car insurance agent should depend on more than just the premium amount. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Illinois?
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
Different types of Palatine car insurance agents
When finding a local agent, you need to know there are two types of agencies to choose from. Agents can either be independent or captive. Both types can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn the difference between them since it can impact the selection process.
Captive Agents
Captive agencies are contracted to one company such as Liberty Mutual, Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They are unable to give you multiple price quotes so keep that in mind. Captives are usually quite knowledgeable on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents.
Listed below are captive agencies in Palatine that can give you price quote information.
American Family Insurance – 317 W Northwest Hwy – Palatine, IL 60067 – (847) 359-2770
Farmers Insurance Group – 835 N Sterling Ave # 220 – Palatine, IL 60067 – (847) 991-4600
Allstate Insurance – 224 E Northwest Hwy – Palatine, IL 60067 – (847) 359-5591
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you are not satisfied with one company, an independent agent can move your coverage and that require little work on your part.
When comparing rates, it’s recommended you include several independent insurance agents for the best price selection.
The following are independent insurance agents in Palatine that can give you price quotes.
ANP Agency Inc – 50 N Brockway St – Palatine, IL 60067 – (847) 934-2497
Dan Korvas Agency – 724 N Victoria Dr – Palatine, IL 60074 – (847) 368-9400
CFM Insurance – 50 N Brockway St – Palatine, IL 60067 – (847) 934-0200
Country Insurance and Financial – 1 E Northwest Hwy # 109 – Palatine, IL 60067 – (847) 934-5125
To view a complete directory of licensed insurance agents in Palatine, visit this site.
After receiving positive feedback to all your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that can properly service your auto insurance policy.
Isn’t it cheaper to buy direct online?
Insurance agents can be invaluable at times, but you also have the option of buying direct over the internet. Some car insurance companies who have local agents in Palatine also give you the ability to buy online, and online price comparisons are easy.
If you’re apprehensive about not having someone to ask questions when buying online, that shouldn’t be an issue. Companies that allow you to purchase coverage provide customer service for getting the best coverage.
Will auto insurance cost less online? Many people swear by it, but it’s difficult to answer due to the fact that there are multiple individual factors that impact your rate calculation. It would make sense to think that a shopper who purchases direct saves the cost of an agent commission. But that assumption is generally incorrect because advertising and marketing take a lot of money so the rates may be similar to buying from an agent.
If the best price is important to you, the most effective way to determine who has the best deal, local agents or online insurance companies, is to compare price quotes from both. Even though it sounds odd, people frequently get different pricing for the identical company when comparing online quotes to a quote from an agent.
Even more information can be read at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Illinois drivers can learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, report car insurance fraud, and download brochures.
Affordable insurance is out there
Consumers leave their current company for a number of reasons such as unfair underwriting practices, lack of trust in their agent, questionable increases in premium or policy non-renewal. Regardless of your reason, finding a new company can be less work than you think.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later they didn’t have enough coverage. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
