To our valued clients –
One of the promises we make to you at The O’Brien Insurance Agency is to “tell it like it is” with no sugar coating when it comes to hard truths. So here it is!
Your car and home insurance is GOING UP! All insurance companies are having rate increases and O’Brien Insurance Agency will do the best we can to keep your rates down.
Of course that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. You work hard. You pick up extra shifts, work late, bring projects home on the weekend. You are trying to save for a new house, a new baby, college tuition, student loans. Being an adult is HARD WORK, we know! And we do our best to help you out, which also includes being transparent. We would rather prepare you for the hard facts than sugar coat the situation and catch you off guard. We stay honest so there’s always trust involved, and to help you prepare for what changes may be coming your way in terms of insurance.
If you watch television, you’re flooded with insurance companies telling you that you can save 5-15% or more. It’s appealing and it seems SO EASY. We all love a good sale! But insurance doesn’t “go on sale”. It doesn’t work like that. The deep discount also doesn’t guarantee stellar customer service, and we all know that the service you’re provided is just as important as your rates. Is a discount that great if it’s a policy you don’t know anything about, that may not be giving you the exact coverage that you need?
What are the factors that go into how much you do pay?
Well, you know most of them: your AGE, where you LIVE (suburb vs. big city), if you have TEEN DRIVERS, how many CARS, your DRIVING RECORD (tickets or accidents), what COVERAGE you have ( Do you cover your car damage or just have liability? ). There are lots of different factors!
So what’s the problem these days and how come rates are going up with ALL companies?
- How many drivers did you pass coming the other way today that were on their cell phones? Were they talking or texting? Were their eyes on the road, or were they preoccupied? MOST of us ( yes me too at times!!! ) are guilty of the same thing. Don’t we love blaming others and not looking in the mirror? Distracted driving is not safe driving, and that’s part of the reason why accidents and insurance rates are on the rise.
- Did you also know that there are LOTS MORE cars on the road than 10 years ago? Yup! The economy is doing better and gas prices are down, which means more cars and more drivers.
- Did you see the hurricanes and California wildfires last year? Enough said. $12 BILLION so far in just California ALONE!
Put these together and what do you get? A NIGHTMARE! Not only are there more claims, but there are BIGGER claims. The person texting and looking down is smashing into the car in front at 70mph without braking!!! No joke. So the insurance companies (your’s too) are starting to pay record claims because people are dying or getting severely hurt!
YES, the insurance companies have SO MUCH MONEY!!! It is a fact. But guess what? Most of those companies are OWNED by people like you and me, who own their STOCK! And what do we want our stock price to do? We want it to go UP… and it won’t go up if your company is paying out record sums of money.
Am I writing this to scare you? To make excuses? Or do I just want you to know the truth? You get to decide. I hope if you know me, you’ll have the answer!
Our blog is meant to be informative. Our company has been around for sixty years and counting because we are founded on honesty. We want the info to be in your hands so you have the power to make choices about your policy, and understand what’s happening when changes occur.
So what are we to do? We here at The O’Brien Insurance Agency are working harder than ever to keep your rates as low as possible. We have access to more companies than we have ever had in our 60 years, so we have more choices to offer you. Sometimes we’re going to win, and sometimes we’re not. Either way, we follow our morals and promise to do our best for YOU.
~ John
