Why Most Insurance Quotes Are Boring

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There is no reason getting an insurance quote should be boring! You are doing something that will help to protect your family and hopefully is going to help you get a better value along the way.

Why should you go through the repetitive task of comparing exactly the same coverage over and over and hoping you come across a good deal?

There is a better way to shop for insurance. It starts with having several options and companies to chose from and ends with building a relationship with a trusted agent that can help you to make the best decision on your insurance.

Whether you prefer to call us on the phone or complete your quote online with Crosby and Crosby you are going to get several quotes with different options to compare. You can save time and compare options from great companies like Travelers, Kemper Auto and Home and Safeco Insurance.

You can call and discuss your quote with one of our agents at 661-327-5531 or if you prefer you can quote online now.

What Should I do if I am in a Auto Accident?

First off take a deep breath! Surely there are a million thoughts going through your head. If you have done your homework and chosen to protect yourself with a great insurance agent, like Crosby and Crosby, your insurance is adequate and standing by to assist you in getting you back on your feet.

Once you have taken a big breath and accessed any immediate medical concerns for yourself and your passengers the following steps will help you to be safe and gather the information that you need.

1. If possible move your vehicle to a safe location out of traffic.
2.  If needed call 911 for medical or police.
3.  Gather a pen and paper or even better yet your camera cell phone.
4.  Document the time, location, conditions and the names of any witnesses available.
5.  If you have a camera phone take pictures of the location, damage to any vehicles and with most newer phones you can even take a photo of the other parties documents.
6. Exchange information with the other party. Do not admit fault! It is best to settle your emotions and let the police and insurance companies sort out fault.
7. Turn your claim in. We are available to help, check out our claims page.

A great tool for those with an i-Phone or a Blackberry is Travelers (you can use with any of our companies for free) new app that can walk you through everything you need after an auto claim and help you to get the claim started right on your phone. You can find the apps and the mobile site available to anyone with Internet on their phones here.

What to expect from us once you have turned in a claim?

After you have turned in a claim with us you will hear from a claim adjuster within 1-business day. The adjuster will help to get your vehicle repaired and handle any bodily injury damages that occurred. They also can help you to get a rental car if you have chosen to carry rental car coverage.

As your agent we are always your independent advisor and can help to answer any insurance questions that you have, help to explain the claims process or help to solve any issues with your claim.

What to do before your claim!

The time to worry about your insurance coverage is certainly not when you are sitting in your wrecked vehicle. The best thing you can do for your own peace of mind is discuss and/or review your insurance needs today. We can help to evaluate you current needs in our 5-minute insurance review.

We are waiting for you to call us today to review your coverages. Go ahead and test us, I will bet we answer on the first ring! 661-327-5531

What is Going on with Bakersfield Home Insurance?

I was speaking with a potential new customer on the phone last week about her 20+ year relationship with her current insurance company. Her current agent represents a single company. Over the years her rates have been going up but this newest renewal she had an increase of over 20%.

For the last 5 years insurance rates have been fairly steady. Within the last year many companies have had substantial increases in their premiums.

While speaking with this customer I explained to her the simple but effective way we have been able to help our customers when insurance rates rise.

- Maximize discounts! Many times when a company files for a rate increase they may change or add a new discount to keep the premium attractive to their preferred customers.

- Offer multiple companies! By representing multiple companies we can offer other options. I couldn’t imagine being able to only offer our customers a single insurance company. If one company raises rates we can shop around for the best value for our client.

- Review our clients needs! Sometimes by spending 5 minutes  we can better access our clients changing needs. Many people that were only comfortable with a $500 deductible 10-years ago may be better served with a $1000 deductible today and so on.

By taking advantage of the simple things that I have mentioned above you can make sure you are getting the best value for your home insurance.

Give us a call today 661-327-5531. Ryan, Scott, Larry and Paula are waiting to help you with all of your insurance needs.

Should I Purchase Earthquake Insurance?

Should you purchase earthquake insurance for your home? That is a question that we hear often because homeowners insurance companies in California are required to offer

USGS Earthquake Map

earthquake insurance to their policy holders. You will always receive an offer when you write  a new policy and at least every other year after that.

Should you take that offer?

You should make that decision based on the following 2- questions:

Could an earthquake destroy my house?

Would a earthquake destroying my home cause me to go bankrupt or have great financial pain?

Both of those answers are clearly; YES! If you live in the Western United States we are always waiting for the “big one” that would destroy our home in seconds. The damage or destruction of your home would cause the vast majority of us to go bankrupt or have great financial pain in trying to recover.

“Isn’t Earthquake Insurance very expensive”? Earthquake insurance rates have been falling in recent years and are quite affordable. Most homes in California can be insured for earthquake coverage for a few hundred dollars per year. Insurance Companies tend to have short memories and the Northridge Earthquake in 1994 was the last major earthquake event in California. In fact the Northridge Earthquake completely reshaped the California home insurance market with as much as $25,000,000,000 in damages.

“Isn’t Earthquake Insurance very limited in what it covers”? As rates have fallen, the coverage offerings have also improved. You can now purchase a policy with a lower 10% (as opposed to 15%) deductible, increased coverage for personal property, loss of use and building code upgrades.

“How do I purchase coverage”? Most earthquake insurance is required to be written through your homeowners insurance policy. Many companies allow you to purchase earthquake insurance at any time during your policy (prior to a loss of course). Some companies only allow you to start an earthquake policy when they offer it each or every other renewal.

“If I have a big loss and my home is destroyed I am sure the state or federal government will help me to rebuild”. It is actually a very common response when talking about earthquake insurance. We help our customers protect themselves and their families and it certainly is not prudent to “hope” that the government will step in to help when you need them.

If you have questions you can talk to us by phone 661-327-5531 or by email at agent@crosbyandcrosby.com. You can also complete an instant quote here.

The $10-Spot, Great Insurance Coverage Enhancements That Cost You Less than $10 Bucks!

$10 doesn’t quite go as far as it once did. It can go surprisingly far to make sure that you have the proper insurance coverages. We wanted to put a list together of 5-coverage

$10 still goes far in insurance

enhancements that will cost you less than $10 per month!

Personal Umbrella Policy- There is no better bang for your buck than a personal umbrella policy. Like an umbrella, an “umbrella policy” protects over your underlying coverages such as home and auto. If you had a loss that exceeded the coverage of your home or auto liability your umbrella would kick in. Umbrella coverages start at $1,000,000 and up to $10,000,000 in coverage is available. With new multi-policy discounts most customers can add an umbrella policy for much less than $10/month.

Enhanced Home Policy-  All of our companies now offer multiple levels of coverage options. Benefits include personal property coverage for breakage, increased policy limits, identity theft protection and increased valuable items coverage. The cost? Less than $10/month.

Scheduled Valuable Items Coverage- Valuable items like jewelry, firearms, and silverware have limited coverage. You can purchase coverage for $5,000 in valuable items for less than$10/month.

Identity Theft Protection Coverage-  Your insurance policy is the best way to purchase Identity Theft Protection. Travelers and Kemper have both recently increased the coverages for their Identity Theft Protection. The increased coverage better protects you if you should become a victim of Identity Theft. In addition to coverage the policies also help you to recover and repair your Identity.

Repair/Replace Coverage- Available for newly purchased vehicles “repair/replace” coverage will replace your vehicle if you are involved in a collision. If the vehicle cannot be safely repaired your vehicle will be replaced with a brand new model year. For example if you have a 2009 model year vehicle and it is “totalled” in an accident in 2011, you will get a brand new 2011 model year vehicle. Cost varies between vehicles but it is less than $10/month.

There are lots of great ways to get valuable coverage without spending a lot of money. By taking advantage of multi-policy discounts many coverages cost much less than you would think.

Want to talk to us about other ideas? 661-327-5531 in California or 208-366-8366 in Idaho. You can email us at agent@crosbyandcrosby.com.

Savings Alert: New Occupation Discounts with Safeco Insurance

Safeco Insurance now offers up to a 15% discount for certain occupations on their auto insurance. Safeco expects that up to 25% of its customers will qualify for the discount ranging from 10%-15%.

Highly Skilled Workers 15%- Doctors, Attorneys, Pilots, Accountants

High Educated Workers 10%- a broad range of occupations for those with 4-year degrees

Contact us today to find out if you qualify for the new discounts.

By Phone: 661-327-5531

By Email: agent@crosbyandcrosby.com

Learn more online: www.crosbyandcrosby.com

For other ideas about  Safeco Insurance view our Safeco Blog Posts.

To stay up-to-date on our newest ideas on how to get better insurance and save check out of Facebook page.

Other things we are reading today about insurance:

Winter Weather Tips for the Insurance Information Institute

Update: Travelers Insurance Enhances Coverage for Identity Theft

In 2009, 11.1 million adults were victimized by Identity Fraud. In addition to the $25,000 in coverage offered Travelers has added additional coverage to meet insureds needs. Some of the coverage enhancements that have been added include the possible reimbursement of expenses such as:

• expenses related to medical identity fraud,
• expanded attorney fees for tax and employment fraud,
• travel expenses up to $1000/week for up to 5 weeks when victims are required to travel to the jurisdiction in which the identity fraud took place,
• expenses and fees associated with acquiring new identification cards, drivers licenses and passports.

In addition Travelers provides customers access to a consumer fraud specialist that can assist in the process of restoring their identity. Joe Reynolds, Identity Fraud Product Manager for Travelers said, ”a survey of Travelers claims data show that most people fall victim to identity theft through old-fashioned tactics such as stealing someones license, passport or Social Security card and then committing complex frauds with the easily acquired information.”

Remember to keep your important documents secure- if you haven’t done so speak with us about Identity Theft Insurance. It is available for all Travelers homeowners, renters, and condo customers  for $25 per year. We also offer Identity Theft Protection for our customers insured with Kemper Auto and Home and Safeco.

Call us at 661-327-5531 in California, 208-366-8366 in Idaho

Come to see us in Bakersfield at 111 “H” Street

Or email us at agent@crosbyandcrosby.com

You can also chat live with us below-

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How To Insure Your Teenage Driver

Crosby and Crosby Insurance has always focused on providing  insurance for families. An important time for families and a stressful time for the budget is when a teen driver gets their license. Let’s, face it, young and unexperienced drivers are expensive to insure. Insurance companies cannot base their rate on the age of the driver but they do base rates on the “years of experience”.

We have always represented great companies that offer a good value for families with first-time drivers. Fortunately there are some great tips to make sure that your insurance is up to par without breaking the bank.

- Take advantage of every multi-policy discount
We now have discounts up to 30% for combining multiple policies such as: home, auto, umbrella and valuable items. Combining your accounts is simply the best way to get a better value.

- Review your coverage limits carefully

With a teenage driver on road you need to make sure you have reviewed your coverage limits with a great agent. Inexperienced drivers are more likely to cause an accident and if inadequately insured your financial interest may be at stake. Consider different coverage options as well as a personal umbrella policy.

- Choose your teenagers vehicle carefully

A large part of the cost of insuring a young driver is the physical damage coverage or the coverage to their vehicle. If you can find a trustworthy vehicle that you can insure without physical damage coverage you can cut the premium by up to 50%. A 4-door vehicle as opposed to a 2-door is likely to be more affordable. The same for a 4-cylinder over a 6-cylinder.

- An Indepedent Agent Can Offer More Options

We love the fact that we have multiple companies to offer our clients. A company that is very competitive for less experienced drivers today may not be next year. We have the flexibility to provide mulitple coverage options with several great companies.

- Need to know more? Let’s talk!

We love to talk about all things insurance and are available to answer your questions. We can be reached at 661-327-5531 in our Bakersfield office, in our Idaho office 208-366-8366 or by email at agent@crosbyandcrosby.com . To chat live with us use the link below.

Not Another Boring Single Option Insurance Quote

Getting insurance quotes may be the most boring and tedious thing to do next to watching paint dry. We know how it usually goes; get an agent on the line, spout off your current coverages, hear some typing on the other end, and cross your fingers that it saves you a few bucks. Is that really the best way to purchase insurance? Isn’t it an awful lot like purchasing your insurance from a vending machine? That may work for some people but quite honestly it doesn’t work for our clients nor is what they have come to expect from us the last 47 years.

“Quote” or “Needs”?

Think about this, how many times when you get a quote is there even a faint mention of assessing what your actual needs are? Whether you are a millionaire doctor or a college student the agent in a montonious tone spits out a “quote” all the same. But don’t you have actual insurance “needs”? We certainly know that value is important to everyone. But what else is important? Could you afford a $2500 deductible if you had a loss on your home? Would the state minimum auto insurance protect your family and your wealth if you were involved in even a minor accident? Would having to pay to rent a car while your car is being repaired from an accident strap your budget? If that great wedding ring you cherish were to lose the center stone would you be able to replace it without great financial difficulty?

The Single Company Quote

Buying insurance through a virtual vending machine is bad enough. But, what if that vending machine had only a single choice? We have always believed our customers deserve the choice of several highly rated insurance companies. Some companies provide a better value for a certain zip code or age group. One company may provide the exact set of coverage options that you need. We always quote several great companies to meet your individual needs.

A Single Coverage

Did you know that raising your auto coverage limits for example, from 100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident to $250,000 per person/$500,000 per accident, may cost you less than $100 per year. Or that adding valuable items coverage, for $10,000 in jewelry, may actually save you more money on your auto policy, with a mult-policy discoun,t than the premium for the additional coverage? There are many options that you should consider when purchasing your insurance. Insurance is too valuable to look at only a single coverage option.

Not another boring insurance quote

We talk to plenty of people that are doing the tedious task of flipping through the phone book and checking on insurance. Usually, those people are half asleep with their eyes surely glazed over waiting for another boring insurance quote. They quickly awaken as we take a different approach to their needs. You see, we don’t look at the person on the other end of the line as someone we can write quick, make a few bucks and then is going to ride off into the sunset in 6-months. We are more concerned with assessing what your actual needs are and finding you the very best company to meet those needs. Our clients become a long-term and trusted relationship that we cherish. More than often they become friends and we simply wouldn’t write friends with anything less than coverage that actually met their needs.

Our process is pretty simple and it doesn’t take a lot of time, just a little bit extra that can go a really long way. After our review that usually takes less than 5 minutes we will have several great options with different companies for your review. Even if you ultimately chose not to use us as your agents, our needs review can be very valuable.

Now doesn’t that make a lot more sense than flipping through the phone book all day and hearing exactly the same pitch?

Not for everyone

We certainly know that this approach is not for everyone. But, it is the right approach for people that value really great insurance and options. We value each one of our current and our future customers and always intend a relationship that is based on mutual trust and value. We focus our time and resources on the best customers!

Start a different approach to your insurance needs today

We would always love to talk to you about what we offer. You can give us a call at 661-327-5531 (California Office) or 208-366-8366 (Idaho Office). You can email us at agent@crosbyandcrosby.com or stop by our Bakersfield office at 111 “H” Street.

You can start an online quote or read more insurance ideas on our blog

Can’t talk at work but would rather chat online? We are available during normal business hours here.

3 Questions Answered About Insuring Your Firearms

1. Does my homeowners insurance cover my firearm collection?

Answer: A regular homeowners policy provides limited coverage for your firearms. That coverage is usually limited to $1500 for losses caused by theft. The coverage also limits the losses your collection is insured against to, “named perils”, such as theft and fire.

Solution: We offer enhanced home policies with many of our companies that provide more coverage for firearms, up to $5000. We also offer both scheduled and blanketed firearm coverage. A schedule or a blanket can cover your firearms for “all risk”. Your firearms are covered beyond, the normally covered perils, to include things like losing a firearm because of a capsized duck boat or damages from breakage caused from dropping a weapon while hunting.

2. Do I have to give you each individual firearm’s serial number and other details?

Answer: If you are scheduling a firearms collection each firearm and it’s information would need to be listed on the policy.

Solution: By covering your firearms on a blanket policy you can insure your entire collection without giving the details of each firearm. Your entire collection would be covered up to  a certain value. This works great for all but the most expensive individual firearms.

3. Is it expensive to insure my firearms?

Answer: It is more affordable than ever to insure your firearm collection and there are better options than ever.

Solution: By combining you home, auto, and firearms collection under the same company you can save up to 30% on your home and auto. Your firearms collection can be insured for as little as $10 per $1000 of coverage.

We can be reached by phone in California at 661-327-5531, in Idaho at 208-366-8366, by email agent@crosbyandcrosby.com or live chat below.

Crosby and Crosby Insurance has been helping our customers find great insurance since 1963. We are licensed to write business in California, Idaho and Wisconsin.