Scrib

OK, I got rear ended last week. Today, I got the police report back, so I went to get an estimate on what it would take to repair the damages. $1100 bucks was the estimate.

So, I contact Progressive (my insurance carrier). They told me if I was going to be in the area to stop by and drop off the estimate and police report, and they'd contact the other driver's insurance compnay to get the ball rolling on the repairs.

So I swing by... And the agent looks over the repair estimate. And looks, and looks... Then he asks to go see the vehicle.

So we go outside, and he takes a look at the damage. He then asks why the shop didn't want to heat the bumper back into shape? I explained that being a new vehicle, and the type of creases in the bumper that the shop thought it was a MUCH better move to replace with bumper.

THEN>>> He says... "Well, since we're not going to pay, it's not that big of a deal, but if this was something we were to pay out on, we WOULD NOT pay for the blending of paint into the quarter panels and doors."

WTF!!!??? The agent claimed that NO car bumpers EVER match a cars steel panels, and that it's not something Progressive pays for!!! None of their "recommended" shops perform this practice.

Is that not the most fucked up thing?

So I called the shop and asked the guy (I know him personally) what he thinks. He basically said that Progressive is bottom of the barrel when it comes to claims, and that he has had countless problems with them. He says his estimate follows the ICAR methods, and that if the insurance company of the driver who hit me gives me crap about the estimate, he'll make the appropriate phone calls to get me the service that is needed. He says that State Farm, Allstate, and other had NEVER had any problems with blending paint into quarter panels when replacing a bumper.


So I guess I'm looking for a couple of things... 1) Have people heard of shitty service from Progressive when dealing with claims? 2) What other insurance companies are out there that are GOOD??? State Farm I know is good, but they tend to be much more expensive that most. Any others?

charliemike

I dunno if Erie is any good, but they are pretty inexpensive.

I hate Progressive and I'm leaving them when my driving record clears in January.

Scrib

Are you leaving Progressive for reasons due to the way they handle claims?

civic4982

I've got Farmer's insurance... they've always been great with handling my claims... I've gotten into 2 wrecks with uninsured drivers that weren't my fault and so my insurance paid for it and made sure work was done to the best ability... esp. since my cars have been less than 1 year old in both cases... you get what you pay for... I know that when I dealt with State Farm's reps when the old lady hit me this summer they were EXTRA nice and very helpful in everything... I'd stand behind both of these companies... That's probably why them and Allstate are the three largest is b/c of the way they treat their customers... it's easy to take people's money but when it comes time to fix it their true colors show...

gjr2001

I hate progressive too. They are bastards, my friend wrecked his 02 Is300 in June. Progressive took over two weeks to get rolling. He didn't get his car back until late August.
When I first started my policy about 3 years ago with them it took me four months to get my policy clear with them. They would constantly send me papers stating that I need to present them with proof of prior insurance, etc... which I already had done. Then they double my monthly payment after I tohought I had settled this. Everyone kept giving me the run-around. I finally got tired of it and went up to Progressive HDQ in Cleveland and had a nice chat with one of the reps there.
I would change in a heartbeat but they are the cheapest I can find.

SilverBullet_RENAMED

I love State Farm. I have gotten price quotes from other companys and State Farm is still the lowest. Never had a problem in my 12 years with them.

Scrib

Check this out... It rates all the insurance companies that sell auto/homeowners/etc. insurance in a specific state.


http://www.insure.com/ratings/sandp.cfm

SilverBullet_RENAMED

Very nice! Thanks.

State Farm is #1 in Texas! Woohoo! :P

Slimey

I have State Farm. My quarter panels were blended to the bumper without question. My body shop guy told me the same - you'll have a better match if your quarter panels are blended. The other insurer (Allstate) tried to cheap out and gave me a similar story that you got from Progressive. I had my insurer (State Farm) handle the claim. For the cost of my deductable I got my work done at a shop I designated (Allstate wanted me to drive about 30 miles just for an estimate - fuck that, THEY'RE insured crashed into me) and with a top quality job. Ultimately, State Farm reclaimed the money they shelled out for my repairs from Allstate and paid me my deductable back. I also got compensated for NOT renting a car.

State Farm sent out a guy to my work about a month after the repair to check out the quality. He said that he was a body shop guy that now works for State Farm in their quality control for their Service First program. He went over the repair/paint with a fine tooth comb, so to speak. He felt the paint for blebs, looked under the car, opened the trunk lid, checked for overspray, and made sure the panels all matched. He thought my mufflers were slightly off and told me to go back and have them rechecked. The body shop ultimately replaced my B exhaust pipe because the Y had bent by maybe 5 mm.

Nice.

I must say that my interactions with Allstate was not so good. I thought this was a reputable major company. They tried to nickel and dime the repair estimate. They wanted me to go to 'their' shop about 30 miles from home (and it's not like I live in a rinky-dink farm town). They delayed their payment to the point that my State Farm claims person said they were ready to pursue legal action. All this for a simple rear end collision with <$1000 in repairs.

As somebody who is always ready to consider other major insurers, I was very much turned off with Allstate and would NOT consider putting my policies with them from this experience.

As for Progressive, my wife was rear ended once by someone that carried Progressive. They settled the claim within a day. They sent out a car to our house and reviewed estimates that we already had and then approved the repair. No problems.

I've had State Farm for about 15 years now and have had minimal problems with them. Between my wife and myself there have been several claims that they settled or took care of without incident. I have my homeowner's (renter's before that), umbrella, and auto policies with them.

Scrib

#1 in market share...

Scrib

Last time I was quoted at State Farm, I think it was around $900/6 months. Right now with Progressive, I pay $610/6 months....

So that'd be a $600 increase/year in my premium with State Farm. Worth it??? I have no idea.

SilverBullet_RENAMED

Depends on your record I guess.

I even have a clean record and I tried All-State, Farmers and progressive. Progressive wanted $1200 every 6 months.

I currently pay 90 a month for my CL-S 2002 with 500 deductibles.

Scrib

100% clean record... For both my wife and I.

Just called GEICO. $1390/6 months.

They can eat it!

2Sxy4YoMama

GEICO was the best for me. I pay about $600 for 6 month and while the others was over $1000. Or you can try AIG, which is also really cheap for some people depending on your record.

SilverBullet_RENAMED

The longer you are with a company they give you a discount.

I do know also depends on your credit history too. They do a credit check and grade you on that as well.

Slimey

How can you go wrong with a gecko?

I've heard great things about USAA. You need to have served or have had a parent serve in the armed forces (I believe). I've never looked into it myself but have a friend that bugs me periodically about their rates (good) and service (great).

Scrib

Good credit too... I'm considered to be in the Chicago area, so I think that has something to do with the wild rate quotes.

2Sxy4YoMama

That has a lot to do with it, the region you are in. Finally, try to give AIG a look.

Scrib

I wonder if they give share holders a discount????

Chief F1 Fan

Scrib, I deal w/ this stuff daily on behalf of my clients so here goes. Snake Farm is not a good company, they are right down there w/ Progressive and Allsnake. Try Fireman's Fund, Travelers, or Nationwide. There is usually a link at your state's insurance dept that has consumer complaints and who rates where. BTW, put together a letter (called a "complaint") detailing your coverage by sending a copy of the declaration page, pix if available, and estimate. Send it to the commisioner of the state ins dept. and send it also certified mail to the carrier's claims office. The state will look into it for free and give Progressive a ton of crap for denying coverage. I do this on a regular basis and it drives the insurers crazy n NYS. Good luck.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

Geico is the embodyment of all that is evil!! Never go to them. They jack up rates every year giving you some kinda excuse and will drop you for very trivial reasons. C & D used to carry a monthly column on them called Geico Woes years ago. It was a running joke on how brutal they were.

Marine1

You are correct. Military service or some other Govertment service is required. If you are a dependent of someone with this type of service they will insure you. I have been with them for 25 years. There is no better insurance company. To me that is. They also insure my home. They pay dividends on the monthly premiums I pay. In some years the dividends they paid me were more than I paid for insurance that year.

SilverBullet_RENAMED

If they are so bad how come they are rated so good? lol

isbworking

Those ratings are only for their financial strength not how they treat a consumer or handle a claim. So don't get too excited if yours is on top. You could still end up getting shafted.

jimcol711

Ive got geico now for about 3 years and they had BY FAR the best rates for me and when i had a claim (2 years ago, major accident, my fault) the whole process was expidited very quickly and painlessly...obviously my rates went up...by about 300 a year after the accident, but the total loss on the accident that they paid out was about 30k (my 96 camaro was totalled, i got 9000 for it, and i also hit an ambulance and totalled a 2000 dodge avenger in the process) i really liked their service alot, i cant complain, and they let you pay automatically out of your checking account which saves you a 4 dollar a month charge, so thats cool, also their website is great for checking your coverage, billing, geting quotes, etc. i have not a single bad word to say about Geico....im 22, male, with the above mentioned accident and i pay 197 per month for my CL-S.

NOLACLS

I had Progressive for many many years and I have had quite a few claims with them and I never had a single problem with them...actualy when I totald my car (96 GSR) and it was my fault (turned in front a dodge ram going 50mph..have pics if you wana see) they didnt even charge any points against me even tho I have had speeding tickets and other wrecks some mine some not (rate didnt even go up) since I had been with them for so long. The only problem I had was the price was a little high. So after everything droped off my record (took a few years) I started to look around. I had to wait cuz progressive wasnt putting anything against me but other Co.'s would and then they would be way more than Progressive. I am now with State Farm and they are not much less (maybe like 20-30 every 6months cheeper) and thats with a discount for having more than one thing with them (I got the cheepest life ins. they had). The big difference is with Progressive I was at the lowest they would go...no other discounts for like being with them for a set amount of years or whatever...with ST after 3 years it goes down 10% and after like 6 years its goes down another 15% I think...and so on. So I didnt have any problems like you had with Progressive but I like SF better since its a little less and can still go further down as the years go on. Just my .02


Also if you and your wife get SF Ins. I think you get some more discounts.

SilverBullet_RENAMED

12 years and haven't been shafted. Been in a few minor not my fault accidents they had to jump in. Never had a problem.

joeshmoe

If your looking for the best deal regarding and insurance provider, there are plenty of websites that compare all the major carriers. Also, when getting quotes from the one's your interested in, it help to let them know of the cheaper quotes you get. Sometime they'll match it or beat it.

Regarding which carriers are the best at handling claims and customer service, I think consumer reports has a comparison on some carriers. But the best way is word of mouth. I used to have travelers. They had good rates and when someone hit me in my jeep, he tried to claim with my company saying it was my fault. I told traveler's it was his but since there was no damage to my bumber, I didn't need to file a claim. They took care of the whole think and I never had to deal with it after I made the initial call to traveler's. Great service.

However, I switch to Erie earlier this year. A friend of mine has them and they were just as good to him through his accident last year. It was a little cheaper too.

You just have to look around for prices and talk to people you know to find carriers that treat their customers right.

charliemike

No, I'm leaving them because they are over-charging me and won't drop my premium down until 4 months after my record clears. So I'm giving them the finger and going elsewhere. The fact that you brought up the shitty claims service makes me glad I'm switching.