When pricing car insurance in Kirkwood, Missouri, you have many choices and selecting the best Kirkwood insurance agent for your needs is more difficult than just using the same insurance agent as your neighbor. The chances are good that not only do you want a decent agent, but you also want to find affordable coverage.
With insurance companies like independent agents, Allstate and State Farm having local Kirkwood offices, it’s difficult to determine which provider will give you the best service and rates. To help decide, consumers can use online quotes to assemble a group of insurance agencies and thier coverage prices.
Neighborhood insurance agents
Licensed agents can answer important questions and give you peace of mind. The biggest benefit of price shopping on the web is you may find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to. And providing support for local businesses is especially important in Kirkwood.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, your insurance data is transmitted to participating agents in Kirkwood who will battle to get your business. You won’t need to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide. How cool is that?! It’s the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
Insurance agent types
If you’re trying to find local Kirkwood agents, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents from which to choose. Agents can either be independent (non-captive) or captive.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, the business is moved internally and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When comparing rates, it’s recommended you include price quotes from multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection.
Listed below are Kirkwood independent agencies that can give you comparison quotes.
Beth Travis Insurance Inc – 12201 Big Bend Rd – Kirkwood, MO 63122 – (314) 965-2967
Charles W Rea Insurance – 117 N Kirkwood Rd # 219 – Kirkwood, MO 63122 – (314) 965-0501
Agency Captives
Captive agencies are contracted to one company like Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Allstate and AAA. These agents are not able to provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. These agents are very knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents.
The following is a short list of captive agents in Kirkwood willing to provide comparison quotes.
Shelter Insurance – 632 W Woodbine Ave – Kirkwood, MO 63122 – (314) 909-0077
State Farm Insurance – 244 W Essex Ave – Kirkwood, MO 63122 – (314) 821-1151
Allstate Insurance – 12203 Big Bend Rd – Kirkwood, MO 63122 – (314) 821-6512
American Family Insurance – 10702 Manchester Rd # 204 – Kirkwood, MO 63122 – (314) 821-1920
For a complete listing of captive insurance agents in Kirkwood, click here to link.
Selecting an auto insurance agent should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Some important questions to ask are:
- How are claims handled?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
- Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Missouri?
- Are they full-time agents?
- If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
Once you have positive feedback to all your questions and an affordable coverage quote, you have narrowed it down to a car insurance agent that is a good match to insure your vehicles.
Alternatives to buying locally
Licensed agents are important, but Missouri consumers also have the option to buy from online companies direct. Some specific companies like State Farm and Allstate who employ agents also give you the ability to buy a policy online, and online price comparisons are easy if finding the best price is important.
If you’re concerned about not having someone to ask questions when buying direct, that should not be a issue. Insurance companies provide phone numbers and online resources for getting questions answered.
Are car insurance rates lower online? It’s difficult to provide an answer due to the fact that there are many factors that influence your rates. You may think that shopping online for auto insurance reduces premiums because there is no agent. But truthfully, online and traditional media advertising are expensive and that can quickly cost more than paying an agent.
The best approach to find out if car insurance prices are lower online or from agents is comparing rate quotes from both. You may actually get a different price when quoting both agents prices and online prices from the same company.
Online resources for education
Much more information about car insurance in Missouri is located on the website for the Missouri Department of Insurance located here. Missouri consumers can discover disciplinary actions, view a list of available companies, find out which companies have the most complaints, and view agent and company licensing information.
Other informative sites include Wikipedia and this link where you can make Kirkwood car insurance comparisons.
Smart consumers save more
When trying to cut insurance costs, make sure you don’t buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
People switch companies for many reasons like extreme rates for teen drivers, delays in responding to claim requests, unfair underwriting practices and even being labeled a high risk driver. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
