The Absent Uncle: Insurance junk mail

Over the past weeks we have been getting a lot of homeowners insurance offers in the mail. We are not in the renewal phase of our insurance year, as that occurred in March of this year.

As I quickly scanned the amount of mail we received and, in the process, putting most of it into the recycling pile, I couldn’t help noticing one large insurer had a number of enrolled agents putting their best efforts into attracting my attention.

We have lived in our present house for just about eight years. During those eight years we have had four different homeowner carriers. In the past, I don’t ever remember switching carriers for the entire time we owned each of the properties.   

Most of the switching has been because of the steep rise in the cost of insurance or the change in coverage in relation to the cost of the policy. We have never had a claim. During a couple of the years of the eight – a scarcity of willing providers in our area were an issue, and the age of our roof has also become an issue for some companies. 

Because we are in a “flood plain” and the added “hurricane” potential, we are advised to carry a supplemental policy to cover those potential hazards excluded from coverage by all carriers. These exclusions level the playing field. Nobody covers them; you have to buy the coverage from a federal/private market at a set price.

So, getting back to the mailings, as I said, the insurance company represented by each of the three agencies was our insurance company in 2024. They will go unnamed in this column – both the company and agents. 

Each of the “offers” (with extremely small print included) were up to more than 50% less than I paid in 2024 and were accurate on values, deductibles, and coverages that I had during the effective dates of the 2023 policy. They did not reflect the changes to the policy terms that caused me to change carriers that year to avoid another substantial increase.   

My neighbors experienced some of the same increases with different carriers, and we pooled our knowledge to figure out the right move forward for each of us.  To now be inundated with new offers (albeit with the stated caveats of subject to further information) from that same company seems to be a waste of advertising money, time (none of the agents were familiar to me or even have an office in the general area), or worth following up on. 

Will I shop it again next year prior to the renewal time? Of course – but not through the junk mail.