Changing my address cost me $75

My car insurance is up for renewal in June. I was thinking about this the other day and wondered if I had ever gotten around to changing the mailing address when we moved in February. I had not, so I completed a little address change online. This simple task cost me about $75.00.

Here is an email I just got:

Thank you for visiting the Allstate Customer Care Site. Your request to change your address has been processed effective 05/06/2008. Please allow 2-3 days for the change to reflect on your policy. As a result of this change and new rates in effect, your policy premium has increased by $74.12. The adjusted policy premium is $500.46.

Uh, wow. That sucks. I am wondering if they would let me change it back, even though I don’t live at that address any more?

I do not really know much about car insurance or the insurance industry in general. I do know that they tie your rate to your credit, which makes no sense whatsoever and I can’t believe people haven’t raised a stink about it. I also know that my credit score has went up considerably in the past 6 months. I also know that changing your address can make your premium change. I suspect it has something to do with the number of claims filed in your zip code or something. However, I have never had this much of an increase when changing addresses. And I would have thought that the credit score increase might have evened things out somewhat.

You know, I don’t like driving this much.  I don’t like my car. I don’t like the price of gas. I don’t like the price of maintenance and I don’t like this insurance increase or the price of insurance to begin with.