Girth

Car got hail damage last month. I got the 'open ended' estimate from the insurance and dropped it off at Berli's auto body (one of the best in town) LAST monday (april 25th), on my way to vegas. Came back from vegas and Berli's told me nobody from the insurace comapany came by to look at the additional damages, so I picked up the car for the weekend.

I dropped it back off this monday, in hopes for the adjuster to come by and get it all settled. Well... they never showed on monday, and didn't show on tuesday when they were supposed to show. I went ahead and told Berli's to do the pre-approved work on it and if they don't show, I'll pay for the rest and have the insurance pay me back later.

Then... I called progressive, and apparently the "adjusters" are in a national meeting and won't be back until NEXT monday, so I would have to wait until then. And to make a long story short... I called every fucker at progressive and the branch manager here in austin until thos assholes sent someone ELSE to Berli's yesterday, approved everything else and told me car should be ready by today... tomorrow at the latest.

I can't believe a national company like them would dick around customers and expect them to take it. I've already told them I won't be renewing my contract w/ them when its up.

Anyone else have horror stories about progressive?

jmathew34

i also have progressive, and so far i haven't had any problems with them....but then again i haven't made a claim yet....hopefully they won't dick me around like that...

joerockt

Yea, I have a good one about Progressive...

The very DAY I bought my TSX, I called Progressive to add it to my insurance before I left the dealer. Apparently, right at the same time, their entire system was down and they told me that they couldnt enter my car into the system. I told them that wasnt accaptable as Im at the dealer right now and need to leave with the car. After talking to about 3 other people, someone was finally able to log on to the system to add my car. Took about a half-hour.

Serously, what the hell kind of ins co dosent have some sort of backup procedure?? I was pissed as hell...

So im now with USAA...

theoryzero

USAA has always treated me very well. They were a little bit more than Progressive for my premiums when I got the TSX, but I figured it was safer to stick with a company you trust.

Thanks for the post Girth. Although it sucks for you in the meantime, others have been warned. I can't believe they would dick around like this either.

TZ

joerockt

Yea, the premiums were a bit higher, but its offset by the "dividend" check they send you every year, which is about $100

theoryzero

Oh, that is true! I forgot about the dividend check. My previous car was pretty old, so my premiums were a lot lower, hence about $30 for a dividend check. $100 will definitely make up the difference in savings I would of had going with Progressive.

TSX Hokie

I like USAA because it's member-owned. So instead of some CEO getting a multi-million dollar bonus and stock options, each member gets a hundred bucks or so back every year. I wonder why more business don't follow this model?

itrhybrid

iTrader: (1)

We;ve got USAA also and have never had a problem with them. Not to mention the 3 free window chip repairs I get a year

TSX CSI

I just saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico

corbs

Technically with all of the insurance policies I've seen, you have coverage as soon as you purchase the car (as soon as you own it) as all of the policies I've seen state that they cover "all owned vehicles". You can always call later to add it "officially." All they really could have done was write your info down and enter it later. . . And no I don't work for Progressive nor have I ever.

As far as "how can a national company dick around it's customers?" The bigger the company the easier it is to dick customers around, because they have so many others customers. Your one policy is a drop in the bucket.

Canyonball

I personally haven't had problems with Progressive, but that sux man...
In Chicago, they even came to my house for the estimate...
I don't have them now, but I will be going back to them for my CBR600. That is... when I get my CBR, I just got my permit the other day...

joerockt

Yea, thats what they were telling me, but no way I was going to trust them.

In fact, I think its a California law that you have 72 hours to add it to your policy. I just dont trust that policy though. Who knows what an insurance co will do to deny a claim.

chargergrrl

I live in socal. When I called my insurance (21st century) the day I bought my TSX to add it to my policy, they told me that iI would've had up to a month to contact them to add it. And yes, it would've been covered.

joerockt

A month huh...Did they say if that was CA state law or company policy?

LoveMyTL-S

I also have USAA, and no problems. Had to get my windshield repaired on my van, no cost. Of course that is Florida law. But great service all around. Not the mention my $125.00 dividend check. Sweet

Alin10123

I had progressive in the past actually. When i had my 4runner i was also rear ended by a truck because the truck was rear ended by a Dodge.
Anyways... long story short, the Dodge's insurance had to pay for all 3 cars damage. The Dodge had progressive insurance.
The insurance person actually called me up right away and scheduled an appointment for the next day. When he arrived, he took some pics, looked under the bumper.
The damage was pretty minimal, a few scratches on the bumper (which 98% buffed out). The rest were very tiny scratches you'd have to get up close and squint to see. The guy actually said... ok... i've estimated $600 to get a new bumper and repaint. I dont see any other damage, but if there is, just take it to one of our authorized centers and they'll bill us.

I was like HOLY CRAP! That was one of the easiest i've dealt with!
needless to say, i whipped out the polish, buffed for a few hours. Then pocketed the money. lol

chargergrrl

I didn't ask- sorry!

Oh, and I've had zero problems with 21st Century. Then again, I haven't filed a claim in about 10 years.

scheißterhöffer

Man you just gave me the best laugh I've had today.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

I am not sure about CA, but i belive its state law in CO. I had a month grace period to get mine.

GSI

I work in the insurance industry and have been employed by some of the top personal lines companies before I became an insurance broker. Some will disagree with what I have to say about your situation, but I will offer some explantation into your claims experience.

Television has been a great advertisement vehicle for the insurance industry, but I think it has given some a false view of how insurance claims work. On TV you see an accident and in the same commercial you see a claims truck roll up writing a check. In reality, claims can take up to 30 days to get handled, especially for minor damage. Also, claims adjustors tend to prioritize their workloads especially when they are behind (convention) and in a situation like yours where hail damage was the cause they probably had hundreds of other similar claims to handle that in all honesty are pretty easy to close.

In closing, always get a name and a number and ensure that the person you are dealing with is a decision maker in the company and have a little patience.

GSI

Most policies extend coverage for 30 days. However, read the policy or check with your retail agent to be sure.

Girth

I really could care less how long it takes... but the fact that they're in a "national meeting" until monday, and they told me my car won't be looked at until they get back pissed me off. A customer service based business should ALWAYS take care of the customers. Just because they're in a meeting, I should suffer? Thats a bunch of horse shit IMO... but what do I know, I'm just a customer. right?

GSI

I would be upset as well and I would let them know that their poor service has resulted in the loss of a customer. But hey you got your car fixed and that is the most important thing. You were indemnfied, per your insurance contract.

DEVO

Progressive is fine until you need them... which means they are useless. I dropped them so fast it's not funny. I even paid the $50 early termination fee.

My wife got into an accident by avoiding somebody cutting her off. Fine. No dispute about who was at fault.... but then everything from that point on was hell.

First they wanted us to take our car to one of their body shops... after we insisted that we don't trust your suggestion and would rather go to a place we trust they didn't like that. It is our right to pick whatever shop we want and not the other way around. They don't like this because they have no control over the shop. They want you to bring your car to their shops because they can do sub par work and get the job done to meet their criteria for being "fixed". They try to use anything but OEM parts. Anyway, after much fighting with them, we got our car fixed at a shop of our choosing and with OEM parts. But it was a non stop battle every day on the phone.

So do yourself a favor and get out while you can. Progrissive sucks... and if you don't know this, it's because you either a) never filed a claim. b) you are naive and took their advice in bringing your car to one of their "approved" shops (scamed).

kboosman00

Yup its all about USAA>>> Especially as a fellow Service Member they treat us good!!!

GSI

Most people do not realize this due to their heavy advertisments, but Progressive is actually a non-standard insurance company. So in this instance you get what you pay for.

DEVO

yeah... but i don't pay much more for state farm and i know that if i get into an accident i will get OEM parts. progressive will only give OEM parts if the 3rd party parts don't fit/work correctly.... or if there are no 3rd party parts available.

if you go to one of their shops you will never know becasue the body shop will side with progressive and not you.

if you just want insurance because you are required by law to have it and could care less about actually needing it to get you out of a jam... progressive is the way to go.

if you want insurance to protect your baby... don't get progresive.

the problem is, most people are ignorant about repair jobs, they don't know what it takes to get a good paint match, orange peel effects, etc...

they don't know what the difference between OEM and 3rd party parts. they see their car working and looks nice. 1yr down the road, the thing falls apart. the owner blames the car manufacturer and not the idiots who did a snow job on your car thanks in part by progressive.

you DO get what you pay for, and that means with progresive you get CRAP.