Good tip on the mileage thing. Honestly, I was skeptical about smaller insurers at first—figured they'd be even worse at customer service—but my buddy swears by one local company. Says they actually answer the phone and everything. Haven't pulled the trigger yet myself, but maybe I'll try mentioning my lower mileage too since I'm mostly working from home now...worth a shot, I guess.
I've heard good things about smaller insurers too, but honestly, I'm still a bit wary. A friend of mine switched to one of those local companies last year—said the rates were great and customer service was solid at first. But when he had a minor fender-bender, things got messy fast. Took forever to get someone out to assess the damage, and communication kinda fell apart after that. Could've just been bad luck or a one-off thing, but it made me think twice.
Still, if you're mostly working from home now, definitely mention your mileage. I did that with my current insurer (one of the bigger ones), and they knocked a decent chunk off my premium. Can't hurt to ask, right? I'm open to trying a smaller company eventually...just gotta hear more consistent good experiences before I jump ship.
"Still, if you're mostly working from home now, definitely mention your mileage."
Good call on mileage—I always remind my clients about that too. Curious though, has anyone here had luck bundling policies (like home + auto) with smaller insurers for extra savings?
Mileage is definitely worth mentioning, but honestly, bundling hasn't been the magic bullet for me—especially with smaller insurers. I've got a luxury sedan, and when I shopped around last year, I thought bundling home and auto would be an easy win. Turns out, it's not always the case.
I initially went with a smaller insurer thinking I'd score some hidden gem of a deal. They offered a pretty tempting bundle discount up front, but once I dug deeper into the details, things got sketchy fast. The coverage limits weren't as generous as my previous standalone policies, and some of the fine print exclusions were borderline ridiculous. For example, their definition of "OEM parts" was pretty loose—something that's critical for higher-end cars if you ever need repairs.
Ended up going back to separate policies after crunching numbers and realizing the savings weren't worth the potential headaches. That said, I'm not totally dismissing smaller insurers—some people swear by them—but you've really gotta do your homework. Don't just look at the initial discount; consider how smoothly claims get handled and whether they'll cover your car properly if something actually happens.
One hack I did find useful: mileage-based discounts are legit, especially now that I'm working remotely most days. My current insurer was surprisingly flexible about adjusting my annual mileage estimate downward, which shaved off a decent chunk of my premium without sacrificing coverage quality.
Bottom line: bundling can work sometimes, but don't assume it's automatically better—especially if you're driving something pricier or specialized. Always read the fine print carefully...trust me on this one.
Same experience here—thought bundling would simplify things, but the quotes I got were pretty meh. Ended up going with separate auto coverage that rewarded low mileage, since I barely drive anyway. Definitely worth comparing standalone policies before committing to a bundle.
