Useful Tips for Searching for a New Bedford, MA Insurance Agent

When finding a licensed insurance agent in New Bedford, it’s recommended you do the preliminary legwork by comparing prices online to save yourself time. For the sake of this article, we’ll assume you’re wanting a professional licensed agent, but you also want to find great rates as well.

With American Family, Allstate, State Farm and Farmers having offices in New Bedford, it’s hard to tell which one will provide the cheapest rates and the best coverage. Thankfully, you can use online price quotes in order to build a list of agencies and price estimates.

Quote online but work with a neighborhood agent

Good agents can answer important questions and help you file claims. The best thing about comparing rates online is that you can obtain better rates but also keep your business local. Buying from local businesses is important particularly in New Bedford.

To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your information is sent to agents in your area who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. How cool is that?!

Is a captive or independent auto insurance agent right for you?

When researching a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agents to choose from. Agencies in New Bedford are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). Both types can write coverage properly, but it’s good to learn the difference between them because it can influence the selection process.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When shopping rates, we recommend you contact at least one independent agent to get the best comparison.

Below are independent agents in New Bedford that can give you rate quotes.

Fernando Rodrigues Insurance – 2176 Acushnet Ave – New Bedford, MA 02745 – (508) 995-0104
Moniz Insurance – 268 County St – New Bedford, MA 02740 – (508) 990-1688

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agencies work for only one company and examples are Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They generally cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. They are well schooled on their products and sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage.

Deciding on a car insurance agent should depend on more than just the premium amount. Agents should be asked these questions:

How often do they review policy coverages?
What insurance company do they write the most business with?
Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
Do they make recommendations based only on price?
Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?

Once you have received good answers for all questions you ask and a good coverage price, you have narrowed it down to an insurance agent that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.

Keep your options open

Local insurance agents are perfect for certain consumers, but you also have the option of buying from companies direct over the internet. Certain companies like State Farm and Allstate who have local agents in New Bedford additionally provide the ability to buy direct online, and online price comparisons are easy if you prefer not to work with an agent.

If you’re apprehensive about not receiving proper advice when buying car insurance direct, don’t sweat it. Online companies give you access to trained agents for answering any questions you have. Consumers also can use live help and 24/7 access that can help answer basic questions.

Can buying online lower your premiums? The answer is complex due to the large number of individual components that impact your premium. You may think that purchasing direct online reduces premiums because there is no agent. For the majority of companies, however, advertising budgets are huge so rates may not be all that different from traditional agents.

If the lowest price is important, the best way to know if the cheapest policy comes from an agent or online is to get price quotes for both. You may actually get a different price from the exact same provider depending on if you quote online or with their agents.

Online resources for education

More information is available on the website for the Massachusetts Division of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find disaster information, read consumer alerts, and read state legal mandates and laws.

More related New Bedford car insurance information:

A little work can save a LOT of money

Drivers leave their current company for any number of reasons including policy non-renewal, high rates after DUI convictions, lack of trust in their agent or even high prices. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new company is not as difficult as it may seem.

As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where an insured cut physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.