If you’re looking to buy car insurance, you have many choices and picking a good Indiana insurance agent is more difficult than just driving to the closest agent’s office. We’re assuming you’re wanting a decent agent, but also the lowest possible price.
With companies like Farmers, Allstate, and independent agents all competing for business in Merrillville, consumers have a hard time knowing which one will provide the best rates, service and coverage. Thankfully, it’s easy to use online price quotes to assemble a group of insurance agents and price estimates.
Your insurance agent down the street
Good agents can help determine the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find better rates and still have an agent to talk to. Buying from local businesses is important especially in Merrillville.
After completing this simple form, the quote information is immediately sent to agents in your area who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no need to leave your computer since price quotes are sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy!
Auto insurance agents in Merrillville come in two varieties
When finding a reputable insurance agent or broker, there are a couple of different agency structures that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents can either be independent or captive. Both insure your vehicles, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them since it can impact your agent selection.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency.
When shopping rates, it’s recommended you include several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection.Many can place coverage with different regional companies which may provide better rates.
Listed below is a short list of independent agencies in Merrillville who may be able to give you comparison quotes.
- Crowel Agency Inc – 251 W 80th Pl – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 756-4707
- Elite Insurance – 5760 E Lincoln Hwy – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 942-1515
- Walter Cook Insurance Inc – 7195 Broadway – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 769-2387
- Rothschild Agency Inc – 8979 Broadway – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 769-6616
- Walker Agency – 8660 Broadway – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 756-3700
Captive Agents
Captive insurance agents write business for a single company such as Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes so keep that in mind. Captive agencies are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Consumers sometimes choose to use a captive agent partially due to the prominence of the brand and strong financial ratings.
The following are captive insurance agents in Merrillville willing to provide comparison quotes.
- American Family Insurance – 6004 Broadway – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 980-7951
- Allstate Insurance – 1449 E 84th Pl – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 769-3658
- Farmers Insurance Group – 2480 W 81st Ave – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 736-2438
- State Farm Insurance – 3606 W 80th Ln – Merrillville, IN 46410 – (219) 769-4261
For a full directory of captive agents in Merrillville, go to this page.
Deciding on a car insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. These are valid questions to ask:
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
Upon receiving reasonable responses to these questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you may have just found an insurance agent that is a good match to properly service your car insurance policy.
Don’t forget about online companies
Car insurance agents serve a purpose, but Indiana car insurance can also be bought from online companies direct. A few companies, such as Farmers Insurance and State Farm, who sell through agents in Merrillville also permit you to buy online, and consumers should do that to possibly find a better rate.
If you’re uneasy about not having someone to ask questions, don’t be too concerned. Companies provide toll-free numbers to answer your questions.
When shopping for low rates, the only way to find out if agents have better prices than online companies is to make apples-to-apples comparisons of both. Even though it sounds odd, people frequently get different pricing from the same car insurance company if you compare an online quote to agent rates. It’s difficult to tell where you can get the lowest rates unless free rate quotes are compared each way.
Do online companies have better rates? That question is hard to answer since there are so many factors that determine the price you pay. It’s a logical assumption that a consumer who buys direct lowers rates due to not having any agent compensation. For most online online companies, however, getting their brand in front of customers is expensive and this tends to eat up any savings.
Final thoughts
When you buy insurance online, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where an insured cut full coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
People change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as an unsatisfactory settlement offer, delays in responding to claim requests, poor customer service and even extreme rates for teen drivers. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new car insurance company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
Some additional reading
More information is available on the Indiana Department of Insurance website found here. Indiana drivers can read industry bulletins, download brochures, and learn about insurance regulations.
