Harries Insurance Agency: Allstate Insurance

Has it been awhile since we've reviewed your insurance program? Let's make sure you have the coverage you'll want as your life unfolds.

While most home-repair contractors are honest and provide quality work, how can you protect yourself when having work done to your home? Work only with established contractors who are licensed, bonded, and insured. Require references.... Check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against contractors you are considering. Avoid payment-in-full upfront. Never let work begin until the contract is finalized. Don’t sign a completion certificate until the job is completed and you are satisfied. Getting in a hurry isn't worth the potential grief!

During these times of government stimulus payments and the pandemic, fake check scams happen more frequently. The scammer’s goal is to get you depositing a counterfeit check into your checking account so that you can return a portion of the funds to them. Here are a few examples:... You get your first check for a new work-from-home gig, and the employer then requests money for supplies. You get a check for contest winnings which can only be claimed by sending in funds to cover taxes. A prospective buyer of something you are selling "mistakenly" sends you a check for an amount greater than the asking price and then requests the difference back. If you come upon any of these situations, do not deposit the check!

Pets can be adventurous and curious. Yet, if your dog or cat ever gets stung by a bee, get them to the vet for medical attention. Avoid "winging it" with human-grade antihistamines since the concentration of the medication needs to be calculated for your pet's weight.... While Fluffy did make an adorable Rudolph impersonation, she also made a full recovery. Meow!

If you aren't able to file your federal tax return on time, it's simple to get a six-month extension. You'll have to act by April 15th in order to qualify. Here's the link to the extension form in case you need it.... https://s.ripl.com/llo5ws

Most of us have that one drawer in our homes, the junk drawer. It serves as a place to store random items. So what's the one thing you should avoid throwing into the junk drawer? ... Loose and exposed, 9-volt batteries. Why? Because loose metal objects in the junk drawer can short out a 9-volt battery and ignite a fire. If you do have them, it’s best to keep batteries inside of their package or keep the posts covered up with tape. It's just a simple precaution you can take to save yourself from unnecessary grief.

In many instances, the cost to rebuild a home is more than its market value. Yet, after the housing market correction of 2008, 25 percent of people polled by the Insurance Information Network thought they should lower their home insurance coverage because market values had gone down. This thinking can result in a homeowner having insufficient coverage if they need to rebuild after enduring a total loss. ... Typically, lenders only require that you have enough insurance to protect the balance of what they have loaned you. Yet, homeowners need to have enough coverage to rebuild their home and to replace their possessions. At least once a year, take the time to go over your property policy with your insurance agent.

Chances are, we can help you create an insurance policy for the stuff you can't control. What's on your mind? Let's talk about it.

Would you like a second opinion on the policies you have elsewhere? Let's make sure you have the right coverage for your current needs at the best price. When you let us quote or re-quote the insurance policies that you currently have with other insurance carriers, you'll be entered into our upcoming drawing on March 26th.... The winner of the drawing gets $1000 in cash! When you think about it, what have you got to lose?

If you are one of our customers, you may be receiving a survey from our corporate offices via email anytime throughout the year. We hope that you'll be able to grade us with a "10" which means that you're "completely satisfied" with our agency's service. If you are unable to give us a 10 grade, please contact us.... You'll be given an option to enter the $500 drawing at the completion of the survey. Here are the complete contest details. https://s.ripl.com/kyrcq9 Thank you for being the best part of our agency!

Communicate safety to your teen driver. Make sure they know that it takes thousands of bolts to build a car...but only one nut to destroy it. There is a reason why in driver’s training they don’t teach you how to text while driving or how to steer with your knee. ... Make sure they know that. Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy, but, it can’t be the only one. While it may be tempting to reduce coverage limits when adding a teen driver to your auto policy to offset the costs, it's not a good idea.

Except for Arizona and Hawaii, the end of daylight-saving time for 2020 will be this Sunday at 2 a.m. Americans will push their clocks back and rejoice that they gain an hour of sleep. Well, maybe not this year.... No matter where you live, use this as one point in the year to make sure your smoke detector's batteries are working properly.

While Halloween might seem a little different this year, it will feature a spooky spectacle of skywatching with a rare second-in-the-month full moon, known as a blue moon. This 2020 Halloween full moon will also be visible to the entire world for the first time since 1944. Even cooler, right?... But, if you miss it, you'll have to wait until 2039 to see another global full moon. Here's wishing you and yours a safe Halloween!

A skimmer is a card reader that is disguised to look like part of an ATM. When you unknowingly slide your card into an ATM with a skimmer attached, it scans and stores all your information from the magnetic strip and captures your PIN from the keypad. The collected card data can be used to create a duplicate card which can then be used to make ATM cash withdrawals.... This is how a thief's ATM scanner can look. Experts advise pulling on every ATM and gas station scanner you use. If the device comes off in your hands, you'll be glad you tested it!

Why is chocolate toxic to dogs? It contains theobromine and caffeine. Both of which can speed up the heart rate of a dog's nervous system. ... As we are heading towards Halloween, here's a reminder to keep it out of reach of your four-legged friends.

Over the years, you may have heard the term 10 and 2 driving. This is regarding the position in which you should hold your hands on the steering wheel. This is typically described in terms of how your hands' placement relates to the numbers on a clock. ... But, the technique for proper hand placement on the steering wheel has changed over the years. NHTSA now recommends the placement known as 9 and 3. The 10 and 2 o’clock position is no longer recommended because it can be dangerous in vehicles with smaller steering wheels equipped with airbags.

Here's a common question. "If someone hits my vehicle while it is parked, what can I do to protect myself?" Hopefully, the person responsible left a note. Or there are security cameras or witnesses of the incident.... But if you can't locate the person who caused the damage, it's your auto policy's collision coverage, which will likely cover the loss. A deductible would apply here. And, collision coverage is optional, so if you chose not to buy it, you would have to pay for repairs out of pocket. Uninsured motorist property damage coverage could also pay for damage caused by hit-and-run drivers in states where this type of coverage is available. If your insurer locates the responsible party for the damage and recovers some or all of the repair costs, you may get a refund of your collision deductible. Side note: Only 12 percent of all reported hit-and-runs (2016 statistics) were solved, so ensuring you have the coverage to protect yourself makes sense.

Sure, dogs are considered by many as man's best friend, but that doesn't necessarily include the mailman. In one incident, when a dog bit the mailman, causing an injury... It was a renters insurance policy that paid out for his medical bills.... It's sometimes easy for people to think that they don't have enough "stuff" to justify carrying a renters policy. Yet, it can protect you from more than you might realize.

Knowing the right questions to ask will help you make informed decisions to serve your best interest in the long-term.

As urban habitats continue to merge upon rural areas, there has been an increase in deer-car collisions. There are over half a million incidents a year, with a significant number of fatalities. Experts say it's usually best to brake firm and stay in your lane if you encounter a deer while driving down the road.

Here are some interesting facts that you may not know: Supermarket apples can be a year old. Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins can. ... It’s impossible to hum while holding your nose. And property insurance policies don't automatically include flood insurance. Since floods ARE the most common and costly natural disaster AND 20% of the time, they occur in low-risk areas; we thought you would like to know! The good news is that there's a separate flood policy available, and we can help you put it in place! Are you ready to talk about it?

If you've had a package stolen, you're not alone. Theft from porches and doorways is becoming an increasingly common problem across the U.S. According to a recent survey by the Illinois-based packing solutions company, Shorr Packaging Corp., nearly one in four adults in the United States report that they have had a package stolen.... If you suspect this has happened to you: Check your bushes, garage, or other places where drivers may have left them. Check with neighbors to verify that it wasn't delivered to the wrong address. View home security footage if you have it. Ask the seller of your item about their policy on stolen packages. Contact your credit card company. Many offer purchase protection. To prevent theft: Accept deliveries in person. Send packages to an alternative location such as an Amazon locker. Use a video doorbell to alert you when a package is delivered. If the item that you've ordered is expensive, insure it through the retailer. If you have questions about how your homeowners or renters policy can help a situation like this, let's talk.

1234 accounts for 10.7% of all pins, followed by 1111 and 0000. Studies show that these three combinations together account for 18.6% of pins. Wow! ... Perhaps it's time to create a PIN that's a bit more unique...