Basic Steps to Find a Car Insurance Agent in Stamford, CT

When shopping for car insurance, you have many choices and choosing the right Stamford auto insurance agent takes more work than just picking up the phone. Consumers need a friendly agent, and also cheaper car insurance prices.

You have multiple auto insurance agents to choose from, and even though it’s nice to have multiple companies, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates.

Your insurance agent down the street

Agents can point out coverage gaps and help in the event of a claim. The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is you may find lower rates and still have an agent to talk to.

For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is transmitted to insurance agents in Stamford who will return price quotes for your coverage. You won’t need to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go straight to your inbox. How’s that for easy! Get lower rates and work with a local agent.

Picking an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just the price. Here are some questions to ask:

Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?

Types of insurance agents

When researching local Stamford agents, there are two different types of agents that you can select. Insurance agencies in Stamford are categorized either captive or independent.

Captive Agents

Captive agents can only write with one company and examples are AAA, Allstate and State Farm. Captives cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captive agencies are usually quite knowledgeable on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.

Listed below are captive agencies in Stamford who can help you get price quotes.

Liberty Mutual Insurance – 456 Glenbrook Rd – Stamford, CT 06906 – (203) 327-9400
Allstate Insurance – 1700 Bedford St – Stamford, CT 06905 – (203) 348-7900
State Farm Insurance – 231 Hope St – Stamford, CT 06906 – (203) 323-6300

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the agent simply finds a different carrier without you having to go to a different agency. When searching for an agent, you should always get quotes from several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection.

Listed below is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Stamford who can help you get comparison quotes.

Arm Agency – 84 W Park Pl # 4 – Stamford, CT 06901 – (203) 324-8652
Raiteri Agency – 800 Summer St # 412 – Stamford, CT 06901 – (203) 324-5114
A Maffucci and Son Insurance – 25 Crescent St – Stamford, CT 06906 – (203) 348-4267
Duggan Insurance Svc – 5 Hillandale Ave – Stamford, CT 06902 – (203) 353-8343
Bankers and Insurers Agency – 934 E Main St – Stamford, CT 06902 – (203) 921-1799

To view a complete directory of car insurance agents in Stamford, please go to this site.

Once you have positive feedback to your questions and a low price estimate, chances are good that you have found an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to service your policy.

What if I want to shop online?

Car insurance agents can be invaluable at times, but you also have the option of buying direct over the internet. Certain auto insurance companies like Allstate and State Farm that sell primarily through agents also let you get quotes and purchase online, and that can save time if you prefer not to work with an agent.

If you’re anxious about not getting proper coverage when shopping online, this is a normal reaction for first-time shoppers. Car insurance companies all have toll-free customer service that you can contact for information.

Are online rates lower? Whether or not you’ll save is impossible to say since companies use quite a few components that impact your premium. Common logic is that shopping online for auto insurance saves money by not requiring a commission. For most online online companies, however, marketing their products costs a lot of money and this tends to eat up any savings.

The only way to determine whether online companies or local agents have lower rates is to get rates from both and compare them. You can actually get different rates when getting a price from both an agent and online returned by the same company.

Learn more today

Even more information is available at the Connecticut Insurance Department website. Connecticut consumers can view agent and company licensing information, learn about insurance regulations, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

The following information may also be useful.

Buy online or local, you save

People change insurance companies for many reasons like high prices, lack of trust in their agent, an unsatisfactory settlement offer or even denial of a claim. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company can be less work than you think.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The aim is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.