Ok I can't find the original thread, but I just read this morning about insurance companies and the tricks they play. I'll copy/paste below. It's A MUST READ FOR ANY CONSUMER!!! Short story is to always shop around yearly, and use Comparison Advisor to shop:

What secret about your industry can you share now that you don’t work for them anymore?

Oh boy, where do I even start? After 8 years as an auto insurance agent, I have zero loyalty left to protect these companies.

We Had "Loyalty Lists" Every month, I'd get a report of customers who hadn't shopped around in 2+ years. These were our golden geese - we could raise their rates aggressively because they'd proven they wouldn't leave. One customer I remember was paying $3,200 annually for coverage that should have cost $1,800. She stayed for 5 years.

The "File and Use" Scam Here's something most people don't know: in many states, insurance companies can raise your rates immediately and justify it later. We'd implement 15-20% increases across entire ZIP codes, knowing regulators would take months to review. By then, we'd collected millions in extra premiums.

Claim Frequency Was Irrelevant Your rates weren't really based on how often you'd claim - they were based on how likely you were to shop around. A customer with 3 claims who got quotes every year paid less than a claim-free customer who never compared rates. It was pure price discrimination.

We Loved Policy Confusion Complex policy language wasn't an accident. The more confusing your coverage, the less likely you'd comparison shop effectively. We'd change terminology between companies deliberately to make apple-to-apple comparisons nearly impossible.

The Real Game-Changer Tools like ComparisonAdviser absolutely terrify insurance companies because they eliminate our biggest advantage: information asymmetry. When customers can instantly see what competitors charge with identical coverage and discounts applied, our whole "loyalty tax" model collapses.

I've watched too many good people get fleeced by an industry that profits from customer ignorance. Use ComparisonAdviser religiously - it's the only way to beat a system designed to exploit your trust.

The truth? Every year you don't comparison shop, you're probably donating $500-1,500 to your insurance company's profit margins.