Consumer Alert: Need a new appliance? Presidents Day is the time to buy and rankings of the best auto insurers

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — It’s Presidents Day which means your bank is closed, no mail today, and there are some really big sales. And so I’ve been searching the internet for the best consumer savings. If you’ve not scored yet, there’s still time to land a great deal.

Some retailers like Target and BestBuy end their sales Monday at midnight.

While others like Home Depot and Lowe’s are extending their sales on most items through Wednesday.

So you have time to scour the deals online or in-store for many retailers. Typically Presidents Day is the best time to find sales on large and small appliances, home goods and mattresses. While I found some decent sales on electronics at BestBuy, typically your best electronics sales are in July when Amazon has its prime day and other big-box retailers follow suit.

USA Today has compiled a helpful list of the best Presidents Day deals.

I find Wirecutter’s product analysis really helpful as well. Remember it’s not a good deal if ultimately the product doesn’t perform well.

It may be time to find a new auto insurer

The New York Department of Finance unveiled its list of top auto insurers based on the number of complaints against them that the department upholds, that is the number in which the department sides with the consumer and finds the insurer did do something wrong. What I like about this list is it’s based on a percentage of policies the insurer writes in the state.

Here are the top five.

1. Adirondack Insurance Exchange
2. Chubb National Insurance Company
3. Preferred Mutual Insurance Company
4. Erie Insurance Company of New York
5. Main Street America Protection Insurance Company

So I compared that state ranking to a national ranking of auto insurers and made an interesting discovery. Two of the state’s top five auto insurers are also in the top five nationally. Chubb is ranked number 2 nationally and Erie National is number three. This ranking is based on surveys of repair shops.

According to Nerd Wallet, it’s best to evaluate your auto insurance once a year.

But before you switch, contact your auto insurer to see if they can match the rate you’ve found. If not, find out what you need to do to cancel your policy and ask your insurer to provide your policy end date in writing. Make sure to ask about any cancellation fees or refunds. And do your research before making the switch. Nerd Wallet has provided a tool to help you do just that.