You don’t give the car insurance much thought…I get that…I think we can agree it’s really not too exciting.  At least until the new bill comes in the mail !

Nothing gets the blood pressure going more than another increase in the pennsylvania auto insurance bill. You’ve done your part, paid your bills on time, had no claims and it went up anyways. Again, I’ll side with you on this one…it’s very irritating. 

 But what are your options? Sure you can shop around and get some other prices and possibly switch companies. Here are the most common scenarios we deal with daily.

Scenario #1- You like your agent, he’s a nice guy and has always been there when you needed him. Maybe even a friend of the family. Loyalty has it’s price, and the price can be well worth it if you’ve found an agent who genuinely cares about you and your situation. To me, that is the reward of being in this business. Now’s the time to go sit down with your agent/friend and have a “heart to heart” about these prices. Many times he’ll uncover some options that may put some savings back in your pocket. At the very least you can confirm the reason you trust your agent and determine if the few extra $$ is money well spent.

Scenario#2- You’ve finally decided to get some prices. You really can’t even remember why you went to this agent in the first place but money is of the utmost importance. You call our office and we realize right away that you’re not happy with your current situation. Well, at least you called an agent who represents more than one company and can get you a few rates to compare. If you were with a “one company” agent you will probably like this experience much better. Now that you know you have someone who can address future rate increases with other options you feel a bit more comfortable. 

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So…you feel a little better, now let’s just make sure that you’ve gotten honest, thoughtful advice. Not many agents can supply you with a list of references…we can, and we will. Just ask and we’ll provide you with pages and pages of testimonials from satisfied clients who are happy to refer us to others. With the credibility issue out of the way, you’ll find that the companies we deal with are only the best in the business.

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Our main company is the Erie Insurance Group. Erie is referred to in the industry as a “regional” carrier, meaning that they operate only within certain regions. Traditionally, regional companies have always had a better “handle” on rates and are much more specialized in their areas of operation. Erie is no exception, their reputation is head and shoulders above their competition when it comes to “Over Delivering” in all areas. Until you’ve spoken with a satisfied Erie claimant or customer you can only guess how good their promise is. After 23+years of representing this company, you’ll have to trust me on this one. 

Another fine regional carrier we have in the office is the Donegal Group. Not a household word by any means, but a great company with some great features and coverages. Donegal has a special niche in the market and if you fit their profile the rates are absolutely the best in the business.

You’ll find that we also represent several national companies that are well recognized names. Hartford, Safeco and Farmers are a few of the more common companies we can offer you coverage through. Admitedly, I prefer to deal with the regional companies due to their past history of keeping rates more stable. Rest assured that we will give you all the reasons we think are best for you when recommending a company to insure with.

You’ve got to be kidding me ! 

Apparently my “outrageous advertising” has ruffled some feathers recently. Thank goodness I’m not trying to win a popularity contest among my competitors!   … is being hated by your competitors such a bad thing…. I don’t think so.

 My recent Headline  “ Local Man Uncovers $158,720 McKean County Auto Insurance Opportunity” seemed to touch off some debate.  The facts are…we’ve saved Mckean county residents even more money than $158,720 so far in 2009.  And we’ll probably save folks even more in 2010. At least I know that we’ll spend every day of 2010 trying !

If you’ve got a Pennsylvania auto insurance policy and you need to save money, you’ll probably need to call my office. Especially if you’re insuring your vehicles with an agent who only deals with one company.  If Walmart had one brand of shoes would you continue to do your “shoe shopping” there ? Probably not… How about something more important than shoes ? How about your doctor ? If he could only prescribe only medicine from one manufacturer would you still trust his judgement? Probably not ! You need a professional who can show options, pros and cons and give honest, sound advice that benefits “You”. No reason to look any further, we’re always watching out for you.

Read our testimonials…does your agent get testimonials ? more importantly…does he get your testimonial ??   We’ve got tons of glowing testimonials that we’ve earned by treating people fair and honestly.  We get hundreds of referrals for the same reasons, we “over deliver” in every area for our clients.

Here’s a few things I like to brag about that we give our clients every day:

1.  Same day callbacks to all clients….no more waiting by the phone for an answer
2.  More discounts…we search like a bloodhound to find you more and bigger discounts
3.  Easy payment plans-including credit card payments
4.  No paperwork hassles, we take care of all your paperwork- you simply sign your name and go.
5.  On call 7 days/week  all clients get my personal cell phone number for emergency use.
6. Money back Guarantee
7.  Senior Discounts and Youthful Driver Discounts

And that’s only a few of the extras we give you every day !

In pennsylvania auto insurance laws, the first party benefits portion of the policy is very unique. These coverages not only provide benefits to you and your family but they are very affordable. Increasing these areas of your policy makes good sense if your situation warrants it.

What coverages are “first party benefits” ?  In pennsylvania auto insurance the following coverages are first party and fall under the “no fault” provision of the pa auto insurance laws:

1. Medical Expense- Required minimun that you must carry is $5,000
2. Income Loss/Work Loss- no minimum required
3. Funeral benefit- no minimum required
4. Accidental Death- no minimum required  

These coverages are paid to you and your family regardless of who is determined to be “at fault” in the accident that caused the injuries. This is an opportunity for you to protect your family from unexpected disaster by getting adequate limits of coverages. Naturally, the funeral and accidental death are easy choices and both cost only a couple dollars. 

Income loss coverage begins paying you for lost wages after the fifth day that you are unable to work due to an auto related accident.  You shouldn’t need a lot of advice here to determine how much coverage you need. This coverage is available up to $100,000 so be sure to get an amount near your current income level. This may be your only paycheck in the event you are unable to work due to injuries sustained in a car accident. This coverage willnormally be under $50 per year.

Medical expense coverage has a required minimum of $5000 and goes up as high as $100,000 that you can purchase. Remember that this coverage provides “first dollar” coverage with no deductibles or co-pays. This coverage will be primary and then your major medical insurance will respond after the auto insurance is used up. If you do not carry major medical insurance you’ll neeed to consider a much higher limit on your pa auto insurance policy.

Consulting with a trusted agent will be you best way to know you’re getting honest, thoughtful advice for your personal situation.

32 Quotes Requests by Noon… no small order for the office this Monday morning !!

Everyone wants to save money on their pennsylvania auto insurance quote !!

The hustle and bustle of a busy office would often lead to hurried work in an effort to get things turned over and off the desks. That is not the case at the Williams Agency.

Fortunately for our clients we have a few hard, fast rules in the office that we live by. 

Rule #1 is a thorough review of the existing coverages and benefits to ensure that we are offering at least as much or more coverage than the client/prospect currently has. Nobody gets a quote with less coverage than they currently carry and everyone who asks for “the minimum” will be advised of the potential pitfalls associated with carrying low limits of coverage. 

Rule#2  You may want to sit down for this one… The client will be called back before the end of the day even if their quotes are unfinished. Everyone deserves to know what is going on with their business and that they are important to us. The callback can bring the potential client up to speed on some of the better quotes we’ve gotten and what we’re waiting on to finish things up.

Rule#3  “Over Deliver” on every single aspect of the transaction. From the initial quoting stage to sitting down for the final application appointment,  the relationships we maintain with all of our existing clients and prospects will be “more than you expected”. It’s no accident that we get more referrals than any agent we know within a 50 mile radius.  Every aspect of our operation fucuses on the client’s satisfaction to an extreme level. Our follow up after the sale let’s our clients know they made the right choice.

Misconceptions: “The Customer is Always Right”  We do not operate under this philosophy…WE do however operate under a philosophy that I feel works much better…our philosophy is to.. ”Shut Up and Listen To The Client”  You can be assured that we will hear every detail of every concern you have. We promise that we will do everything in our power to help you understand or to solve your problem. We will not cut corners when it comes to helping you in your time of need, no matter how large or small.

I encourage you to take me to task on any of my promises.  See if what my clients say in their testimonials is true…that we do give the best bargain they’ve ever had !!

There are thousands of boating accidents every single year in the U.S. 60% of those accidents result in some kind of injury, and Pennsylvania is not protected from these accidents, which can occur at any point in time. You need to make sure that you take the time to find out what state law requires and get the coverage that you need, even when it goes above and beyond state minimum requirements. Most people buy boats and assume that nothing bad will happen, so they don’t need boat insurance. However, there are plenty of things that can go wrong on the water, and with an investment like a boat, you can never get too much protection from PA boat insurance.

Whether you decide to look at PA boat insurance online or visit an agent, you need to keep in mind that you should be looking for the coverage that you need at a price that is affordable. It’s not about buying the cheapest or most expensive policy, because there is so much more to insurance than that. You need to instead take the time to talk to your insurance agent and figure out what coverage you need, whether you need more coverage than the basic protection, and how much you’re able to spend on insurance premiums. You can choose from monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual or annual payments for your insurance, so make sure that you discuss that, as well.

There is definitely a lot to think about when you are insuring a boat. You need to make sure that you are prepared to ask all the questions that you want to know of your insurance agent and insurance company. You will also want to understand some aspects of boat insurance so that you can understand how your policies work and which events are covered as well as which ones aren’t. With so many different levels of coverage to choose from, you can often get overwhelmed and settle for less just to be done with it.

However, if you choose to work with an independent agent to get your PA boat insurance, you can trust that you’ll have no trouble getting the right coverage because that’s what they’re trained to provide. Plus, their services are free and they can often find you better deals on better coverage just because they have an inside edge with insurance companies.