It took 45 mins, but just saved 64% on my home insurance. If, like me, you haven't shopped your insurance...do so.

[MLAA]

I’ve had a lot going on the last few years caring for my wonderful husband. I also have all our bills set up for autopay. It just hit me that our home insurance had more than doubled just in the last few years. I printed our current policy and then went to another, frequently advertised insurance company and in minutes I had a quote. I’d been with my current company for 10 years without a single claim. I do not live in a flood risk or Forrest fire risk area. I live in a desert. The online quote was about 45% less for the same or very nearly same coverage. My next step was to contact the current company to see if they wanted to compete or be cancelled. I called the number on my policy. After going through all the automated choices and provided the 11 digit policy number and being offered to be given their wonderful website I waited for a live agent. One came on just a few minutes later. They informed me I had the wrong number and gave me the correct number then transferred me. Again, the automated choices and providing the 11 digit policy number, the kind offer to push me to the website and another short wait, that person said, again, I was in the wrong place and gave me yet another and transferred me. I’m on number three now who said yet again they did not service my policy and gave me another number and I said that is the very first number I started with. She kindly went on to do a little google investigating and ultimately suggested I call a local authorized insurance agent. I reached a very kind man who said he had a number for the companies headquarters and he would call and try and find someone for me. He put me on hold and finally, the right representative came online. She could not explain why her departments number was not on my policy or the website. Insurance companies have relationships with other insurance comapnies and depending on who sells the policy and what type home it is (an agent, online sales or their call center, a single family home, condo or mobile home) who services it becomes complicated. Turns out while the policy is from Liberty Mutual but sold to me by Geico via their call center. Bottom line after finally reaching the right group, they ran a search and found a policy from a reputable company with the same coverage for 64% less. Damn, that’s a huge savings and damn there seem to be insidious relationships between insurance companies. I’m delighted with the savings but disgusted that I paid so much more than I needed to for so long.

If you haven’t done so lately go home insurance shopping. My next shopping expedition will be for car insurance which has also been increasing despite not a single claim in my 45 years of driving.