copland007

So I got my insurance renewal package in the mail, and the 6-month premium increased from $871.11 to $1087.34 :wow:

Naturally I called them, USAA, to find out why. I have been an insured driver through USAA since 1997 with no tickets, no accidents, no fees, no claims, nothing.

The answer I got was that the 'symbol' rating for the 2002 Acura 3.2 TL Type S in specific has increased from 16 to 17 causing the increased premium. I am not convinced this is what it seems to be. I tried for the better part of an hour to try and drill out of her why it increased from 16 to 17, and why the car would depreciate 30% but insurance would increase 20%.

She said that number is figured out by a countrywide organization (ISO), and they use it in their calculations. She could not tell me specifically why it increased, just a bunch of common sense that could apply to any car in any situation garaged in any zip code.

So my next step was to contact ISO, they flat out deny my request for information blaming my carrier that, "... it is their job to provide you with such information..."

I asked the devils' advocate question to USAA, that am I being singled out or will every single other owner of this vehicle have a 20% premium increase nation wide? She replied, "Yes, everyone with this same model car"

So I turn this over to you guys (and gals). Has anyone renewed an insurance package since May of this year (when ISO published its last ratings doc)? And has your insurance gone up 20%?

Also would it be possible for anyone to check with their carriers to see what 'symbol' their car is rated. This is a scale 1 to 27; carriers should know what you are talking about.

I tried calling my state commissioner of insurance, but the office was closed for the day. (http://www.naic.org/1regulator/usamap.htm)

I don't want to continue to have my insurance rates increase as the value of the vehicle decreases, that just doesn't make one single bit of sense to me. Are there any insurance gurus out there that could shed some light?


Thanx

-copland007

EmuMessenger

Interesting, I just switched from Traveler's to USAA and went from $1100 to $650.

$250 Coll
$100 Comp
$100/$300, etc...

I am in Tennessee.

Tleast

I just dropped USAA for exactly the same reason as you. My new 6 month premium shot up about $150 for no real, logical reason. Ive had them since 1989.

I called them (USAA) and told them that I got a quote from GEICO that was about $200 less for a six month premium between my wife and I, and they were happy to drop me. ( I found that hard to believe after 13 yrs of coverage, no accidents, all through my prime years --> 19 to 32)

Nonetheless, I went with GEICO even though I know that USAA is probably the best car insurance company out there. I could not overlook the fact that $400 a year for the same exact coverage is a lot of dough.

jwiatt000

I have had USAA insurance and have not had that experience. I added my 2003 TL-S in April of this year and did not notice the increase you complain of. If I do get a big jump, I'll post that on this forum. My claims experience with USAA has been outstanding. They are, in my opinion, a truly great insurance company. USAA was recently awarded a J.D. Powers platinum rating, the best you can get. USAA is routinely rated in the top echelon of insurance companies. Consider this: the reason we have insurance is to protect us against insured risks. The coverage you get is only as good as the company that writes the insurance. Just because you have purchased "insurance" does not mean that if and when you have an incident for which you think you have coverage, that the coverage you expect will be there. Unless, of course, all that you care about is complying with some State law that requires a minimum amount of coverage.

Caveat Emptor!

jenhao

My renew premium is $914/6 month, it was $640 six month ago when I first buy their auto insurance. My insurance company is 21st Century.

I went to i21.com and get a quote pretending I am a new customer last week, and they quoted me for $644 with the same coverage as my current policy. I think they give lower rate to new customer and increase the premium after they got your business.

I am now seeking cheaper insurance company, tried AAA and GEICO, all higher then $914 .

Anyone has any recommendation in Southern California?

Thanks

TheZapper

I was 21st century also.

I just changed to a new insurance co (company who does my homeowner ins).

Savings was 400 / yr... with considerably more coverage across the board and changing from a 97 Ford ThunderBird to a 03 TL-S.

21st century wanted $600 more than a 97 T-Bird.

I also (and my wife) had no violations, clean record, yada-yada yada.. was with 21st since '87. They refused to price match even though I had a written quote...

21st century was good, but seems they've lost it. Dump em.

seqiro

My insurance recently went down about 20%...

But I live in MA and everything insurance is weird here.

drcookie

I switched from AAA to Allstate since I need to combine my house insurance to get a cheaper premium. I still keep AAA membership thou ... just in case I need a tow truck.

Cheeers !!!!

copland007

Thanx for all the replies. I am a little bit glad that it isn't just me. I was trying to dig out of my carrier if the track history of items such as the tranny problem was in any way related. If it was I am going to seriously consider cutting my losses with this car


Seqiro:
Was this expected, like because of your age bracket, or years since last claim, etc... I can't wait until my insurance breaks because of my age bracket.

jenhao:
Yah, that sounds fishy. Just like TheZapper said, dump em, or talk to your state insurance commissioner. From my digging around with this I found them to seem to be a good place to hit up if you think you are getting unfairly treated by your insurance carrier.

jwiatt000:
ISO increased the symbol just after you got insured, will be interesting to see how much you jump during renewal period. Good points about insurance, and I agree, I have had great response with USAA with previous vehicles, and have other family members when they had to call.

Tleast:
I hear you on that note. I went shopping for quotes and geico came in the closest, but was only ~$80 cheaper. I don't think it is worth the hassle for me to switch for a meesly $80, at least not yet

niko14

I switched from GEIDCO to these guys:


http://www.electricinsurance.com/

No on-line quotes for the state of california,
you have to call them up...

Overall saved about $200 a year...

nmbcatch21

I am very sick of insurance companies. I have one at fault accident in 5 years and i am paying 330 a month for insurance. One place even quoted me 14,000 for a year (GE Insurance). I hate car insurance companies.

Ruski

I am using Great American Drivers insurance. They gave me a better deal than GEICO. GEICO increased prices for me after I moved from NYC area to Florida.

Great American is at
http://www.greatamericaninsurance.com

vlam

copland007:
To answer your question. My Acura TLs is listed as P21 under symbols for State Farm in NJ. It's also a tier 6 star Premier. My 6 months premium is $800 with 100K/300K/250K and $100 Comprehensive $500 Collision deductible.

I am paying $80 more for the TL than my previous 99 Accord V6 coupe. The Accord was also listed as P21. I was told it's higher premium because the car is valued more.

I am looking to switch insurance, any suggestion for those from NJ?

absent

I went with USAA for the first time in January. My next 6 month premium, just recently, raised the yearly rate an additional $300. When I called to ask why, they told me they considered the TLS a "performance" car, thus the increase.

That's all I got from them.

I have no tickets, accidents, ever. Was with StateFarm before I purchased the Acura. I'm wondering if I made the right move since the rates/coverage from my Statefarm policy were comparable with my "first" USAA premium.

pianoman41

Matt,

Massachusetts is unique in that it is the only state in the country where the *state* regulates the rates, not the companies. Every year the insurance companies lobby the insurance commission for a rate increase, but they don't always get it. Once the insurance commission sets the rates, *all* companies that do business in MA, regardless of what they charge elsewhere, MUST charge the same rate for the same vehicle, if all other factors are equal. Things like age, driving record, principle place of garaging, installed alarm systems, multi-driver discounts, etc, can change what you pay vs what I pay, but the underlying rate to insure the car is fixed. **THIS ONLY APPLIES TO MA RESIDENTS**. Every other state is how it should be--the companies compete against each other to offer the lowest rates. So for her to say everyone across the country is going to see a 20% increase is a flat-out lie (either that or she doesn't understand insurance in MA).

FWIW, my insurance went from $1200 for 2002 to $1160 for 2003. The only difference is I *added* coverage for substitute transportation, which added to my premium. Had I not, my premium would have been even lower. There were no changes to the car, my location, my driving record, etc. I still carry a surcharge because my wife was in an minor accident five years ago (we weren't even married then), and all accidents stay at maximum surcharge on your policy for six full years. Without the surcharge, I'd be paying about $1000 a year for the TL-S.

Also, don't let them fool you into thinking that the 2002 TL-S is on the high theft list either. In MA, the insurance companies publish a "high-theft" list of cars that are most likely to be stolen. If you go to insure any car on the list, your insurance company can charge an additional 50% to the comprehensive portion of your premium. Acura has a lot of them on there, but the 2002 TL-S is *not*. So if your agent says that's part of the reason for your higher cost, tell her to pull her head out of her a$$.

roadman

You guys must be very young or have some tickets to be paying rates so high. I know with State Farm along with a homeowners discount and no tickets my rates are under $900 (250/500 $1k ded) per year. Also you may want to check into the cost difference between say $500 and $1000 deductable. The cost is roughly $325 per year more. Not such a good thing to be paying $325 for an extra $500 of insurance.

My rep says that the single biggest claim on the TL-S is vandalism, which includes the headlight thefts. The car rates very well in the other areas but is way above normal in vandalism.

vlam

roadman: The old folks always consider me young @33.

I don't have a ticket or accident in the past 7 years. What really get me is the State of NJ. When I was living in York PA 2 1/2 years ago, I paid $760 a year for a Twin Turbo Supra. This was with 300/300, 500 deduct. and 1 million of medical ins. The policy was with State Starm Mutual. When I switched to NJ State Farm, I hardly got any discounts and they started me as a new policy. I currently have 2 cars and a homeowner ins. under State Farm. What really pissed me off is that my policy is considered to be less than three years even though I was with the company for 2 years prior living in NJ.

jwiatt000

I just received my renewal policy from USAA. I have a 2001 Acura MDX-Navi and a 2003 Acura TL-S with Navi. The premium for six months is $ 724.85, with $392.65 for the MDX and $332.20 for the 3.2 TL-S. This is a modest increase from the last 6 month period and not as bad as some other posters.

SpoiledMan

I left the Auto Club and went to www.americanexpress.com and looked into their insureance. Guys, I went from 2100 a year and lying about my address to some REAL coverage, real address and 1800 a year!

samkws

i have 500CAD of increase for next yr...sigh..

copland007

I hope insurance doesn't keep raising

brian-tls

I work in the insurance field - no I don't sell - I run the technology dept.

In short, ISO is one source of info for rating automobiles. It is doubtful you will get them to give you information directly. It is sent to carriers and agents only.

Since 9/11, insurance companies at large took a huge hit - people do not seem recognize this for some reason. Insurance companies are seen as "evil" or whatever - but they lost a ton of money. Simple economics - they have to recover and reduce risk. All rates for everyone are going up. this includes autos, home, etc and commercial insurance, liability, you name it. The amount varies greatly - but everyone and all companies should notice a difference in the coming year or so.

Don't get mad - that won't help. Don't "go after" your insurance company - they haven't done anything wrong. Shop around. Combine coverages, check deductibles etc. Find a better price - move on.

copland007

brian-tls:
Yup, good points. After doing some looking around finding that was pretty much the best deal, I just ended up taking the hit and moving on.

-copland007

smoothnyc

i have USAA also and i live in NYC..my 6 month coverage is for my red accord V6 coupe and my 03 TL-s..both cars full coverage is $1230.00 ...

this is me

wow everybody seems to pay way less on insurance than me. i pay 2300 bucks!!!!!

DMan

Every place I got a quote from was between 1300-1700 a year for the exact same coverage I currently pay 770 with Erie. My insurance went up $100 last period. GE quoted me 2700:wow: online. I'm 30 with a perfect record.
.

spool32

Insurance companies try as best as they can to make their rating a big "black box".

I'm an Independent Agent and represent numerous insurance carriers. We used to be able to get a risk like: 30 years old, clean record, owns home.. etc and say.. oh they'd be great in x company.

The carriers have caught on to this and jumble everything up so we have to try and rate every person with every carrier so they can get a shot at all business.

Example of some of the things that may alter your rate by 1%-30%

Age
Location or even Zip Code where you live
Vehicle type
Driving history (this one can make it vary a lot)
Credit History (can of worms)
Coverage amounts/types
Deductibles
Loss history (claims you've made)
Anti Theft devices

Not all companies are the same on every variable either. I know of a couple that will give 20% discounts for theft recovery devices like lo-jack, and other companies that wont give you anything for it. Some dont care so much about zip code, others will charge you 30% more than living in other zips in the same city. Some weigh credit heavier than others. Some give discounts if you work for a certain industry.

Bottom line is its impossible to compare your rates with other people on this message board. Even if you all drive the same car, you're rates are based on many more factors than that. Also, there is no best insurance company. There are certainly bad ones but no matter who it is there is someone out there thats had a bad experience.

All insurance companies run in cycles, they have the lowest cost for a few years then bump up the rates for a few then go back down. Thats why you are always advised to shop to make sure you arent sitting at the top of a cycle. Theres always a company out there that is trying to bring on new customers and will absolutely murder the rates of everyone else just to bring on new people.. but eventually they will raise their rate and someone else will take over the low price title.

In the end you want a company you can trust will handle your claim and not charge you way too much. One company might be a little more than brand x from time to time, but they will flip flop if you wait a couple years. Its how the game works :/

6speedguy03

Man some of you guys pay alot for insurance. I am 21 with an 03 CL type-S 6 speed and I pay $1300 a year with $100 deduct collision and $50 deductable on comprehansive through State Farm.

fsttyms1

This thread is 4.5 years old

ACURA`TL`TYPE-$

FUCK INSURANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fuckers always fuck me over, if they raise again
i am burning it down.
I am oy 18 a ollege student working 2 jobs, WHAT more do i have to do to satisfy this cruel system that we all live in
WHAT!!!!!!!!
TELL ME WHAT!!!
(sry needed to get it out of me sysem)

TLsMD

why was this thread brought back from 4 years
hollly crappp