This is in Massachusetts. I have a brand-new Prius.

I just drive an old Ford Aspire and mine jumped be an even larger percent. I wonder if this is because of all the hurricane damaged cars?

Find a lower rate - then call your current insurer and tell them you're going to cancel because you've done nothing to deserve the increase. You may discover that they will suddenly find a reason to offer you a much better deal.

I've been with this company for 25 years, it kind of pisses me off.

After 25 years - and I would stress that - they need to give a little. Good luck.

by nearly 75% after some earthquakes hit years ago. My broker said it was to discourage business ... eventually they pulled out of the state.

There is NO loyalty with insurance companies. You might feel it, but most insurance companies could give a F about you. You are just a number with a P&L, nothing more, nothing less. They are NOT your friend.

I canceled my car insurance with another company I had for about 30 years. Their rates were going up too fast. They did not give a F, just said OK, here's the effective date. Not even a question about why I was canceling after about 30 years with them. Not even a card or something in the mail saying thanks for your business.

Anymore, I just go through a broker and work with them to get the best rates and with companies that pay out when needed. I do trust the insurance broker I'm with now. She's super smart, knows what she's doing and my rates/coverage are great.

In most states, insurers have to file their rates with the state and they can't deviate from what they've told the state they're going to charge. And if the rates have gone up, it would only be after they filed new rates with the state.

My insurer (Geico) raised my rates; not by much - about $9/mo., but it was annoying and unnecessary. I found a better rate with another company, called Geico and told them I was going to cancel. I was transferred to someone whose sole job appears to be keeping customers who no longer want to play their little game and after staying firm through the "but we're wonderful" speech, they offered me a better deal - dropping the rate almost $15/mo., so I wound up paying less than I had before. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

If you're satisfied, that's all that matters.

Whether or not it "works that way" is irrelevant - since it clearly did.

And yes, I'm satisfied. Thanks.

I've negotiated with insurance companies about rates and have gotten significantly lower premiums...maybe not the same in all states?

Kept my same policy and got a lower rate with just a phone call.

fire & theft....Aspires were only made from 94-97 and you maybe over insuring it.

The car is just a high mpg beater worth about $400.00 - I just carry the liability policy required by the state. I make just 1 trip a week out of town to teach so I average about 600 miles a month on the car. I use my bicycle for most in town errands.

No accidents or tickets and a very good credit score. I got my renewal Thursday and haven't had a chance to call yet to see what's up.

It's quite an increase and with no explanation or forewarning.

I'm planning on calling on Tuesday and seeing what's up. That's the first chance I'll have to deal with the situation. Honestly, I don't deserve this and there are a lot of other carriers out there.

It is a real nightmare here in Florida. Some stats say 1 in 5 are uninsured. Many more have minimal coverage.

People think I am kidding when I say I am more scared of other drivers than I am about terrorists.

by switching insurance companies every couple of years. Once you've been with them 2 years or more they "reward" you for being a loyal customer with a rate increase.

It is just what you have to do these days.

salesman. He said the best suckers were returning loyal customers for another new car. He said they were easy to rip off because they thought the same sales guy/dealership were their friends. He loved returning customers. The guy was a sleaze ... I think the same of insurance companies.

but I could probably pay less if I shop again.

off my insurance bill by switching....it was for my homeowners and car insurance.

When the insurance I have now goes up, I'll switch again.

I switched from Allstate to State Farm about a year ago, and even though I had zero claims with Allstate, State Farm was able to get me a MUCH lower rate.

I'll have to keep my eye on them in a year or two.

around December. This is my second year with my current insurance so I'm expecting an increase next year.

Not quite sure why, but I'll take it.

Could be that they aged your vehicle.

I think it's probably due to some sort of discount when I added the 2014.

That and I recently passed the magical 25yo mark.

People are being absolute psychos. Too many to not notice. Sick sign of a very sick culture.

and since it was part of our "multiple policy thingie" our other policies went up.

Why did they cancel?

We had a slab-leak which required jack-hammering up part of our $4k new floor in the living room and about $3k in costs to us.. State Farm paid NOTHING, but since we filed a claim and they had paid out a measly $165 check for the nearly $1k of stuff lost that was inside our car when it was stolen a year earlier...they determined that we were suddenly "high risk"..

They paid ZERO for the stolen car, since it was recovered, and we had to pay the impound fee..we did not even have them pay for a rental or the repairs afterward (minimal)..

We have been state farm customers since 1969...but not for much longer.. When we move in a few months, we are DONE with them..

Years ago my car was legally parked and some retired general ran into it and his insurance was ... STATE FARM. They wouldn't do a thing about it either.

I had to get a lawyer and sue them for the damages done to my car.

After 5 years, yes 5 years, I finally got my money out of them.

I would never recommend them to anyone!

the Big Three (State Farm, Allstate, Farmers) in market share. When you are involved in an accident with one of the other clients it does create a conflict of interest in reaching a settlement. The insurers say that they separate the handling of the claims to avoid the conflict of interest, but realistically they are always going to low-ball any settlement offers and do everything possible to avoid attorney involvement.

Due to the conflict of interests I always had coverage with an insurance company that had smaller market share. It's actually worth paying a slightly higher premium to avoid situations like what you encountered.

I have a company now that is not one of the Big 3. Rates went up about 30% last year but I dropped my husband from the plan as he can no longer drive due to his failed eyesight.

After I removed him from the plan, I ended up with the same plan and it was maybe about $50.00 more a year but this was for just one person, me.

I have $500,000 in liability, $500 deductible for collision, $500 for fire/theft/vandalism and a automobile emergency plan for on the road needs should they occur. My car is an older Honda Accord in excellent condition w/very low mileage on it as I do not drive much any more.

Frankly, I'm afraid to change insurance plans for a number of reasons, the main one being the cost. I pay about $375.00/year for the coverage I mention above.

I was paying over $1,000 a year to insure two cars when I lived in San Francisco over 20 years ago and when I moved north, the rate dropped to less than half the amount (same company). I beefed up the policy when I got the house I'm living in.

No accidents, etc. in my 40+ years as a driver. Nada, nada yet the price went up.

I have AAA for my Home Owner's insurance which seems a bit pricey as I have to pay for a AAA card as well as part of their deal. It is not a cheap plan but it covers 150% of the price of the house which is something I've yet see other companies offering.

Thanks for you help. I mean that ... you've saved me a lot of time/effort. I think I'll stick with what I've got for now and you are so right, why continue to patronize these companies that really do not give a darn about their customers? They care about one thing and one thing only -- their pocket books and that is it!!!

because it is really water damage.

I guess we were supposed to jackhammer through the slab to check on buried pipes....on a regular schedule

My rates are the same, and I just got the new policy period paperwork. Actually, I just checked and this policy period I'm paying a few cents less than last time.

And this was on a 2007 car!

So I called my insurance company to complain and -- amazingly -- the agent "found" $350 worth of discounts to knock off the price!!

I do have to say that the agent was extremely helpful.

I have a perfect driving record, good credit rating and had been with the company for 25 years. I found a replacement for much less and didn't look back.

I'm still angry that there was no explaination for the increase. My homeowners policy will change if that goes up also!

Those living in Louisiana have had their share of hardships in recent years, with the most recent being tabbed as suffering with the most-expensive auto insurance premiums in the nation. According to a just-released study conducted for Insure.com, Louisiana residents were found to pay an annual average of $2,536 to insure their cars. That’s more than twice as much as a typical driver will pay in states like Maine, Iowa or Wisconsin.

The 10 states the study determined as having the highest annual auto insurance rates are:

Louisiana: $2,536
Oklahoma: $2,047
Michigan: $2,013
West Virginia: $2,002
Washington, D.C.: $1,866
Montana: $1,856
Rhode Island: $1,830
Wyoming: $1,732
California: $1,709
Georgia: $1,694

the good student discount for my kids. In the past, you just sent a copy of the latest progress report. Now I have to get the school to complete the forms and stamp them with an official seal.

The last time I saw that document was 44 years ago.. It was easier to pay for a duplicate from the state ..I have NO idea where our copy was.. That's the ONLY time anyone ever asked to see it..

people won't do it.