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When I was shopping for car insurance a few months ago, I used the Burner app to give temporary phone numbers to each vendor. Allstate called before I had even

When I was shopping for car insurance a few months ago, I used the Burner app to give temporary phone numbers to each vendor. Allstate called before I had even completed the online application, and proceeded to call at least once a day until the number expired. Geico called once. Progressive didn't call at all. AND they were cheapest. You can guess who I went with.

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
Instead of going by price alone, take a look at how easy or difficult the claims process is… for any kind of insurance. You don’t want a carrier who drags its heels or refuses to pay on some technicality when you make a claim. I have a good source for this data, but am hesitant to share since i don’t want you thinking I’m biased.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  I'll remain all about price. The only thing I need car insurance for is to meet the legal requirements for car insurance. So price is the only thing that matters. But I have a bad taste in my mouth about the insurance industry in general, so color me jaded.
- WirelessGigabit 4y ago
  I'd love to look at the data!
  - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
    This is a good starting point, but not the only one: https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insurance-companies/ https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insuranc... No affiliate links and no kick backs taken by Clark Howard.
- burntwater 4y ago
  Thankfully I've never had to make a claim, and I hope it stays that way!
  - 8ytecoder 4y ago
    When you need it, you don’t want to deal with a company that’s not responsive.
    - burntwater 4y ago
      Sure, but given that they almost all seem to suck roughly equally, with the exception of consistently high ratings for USAA (which I can't get) I might as well go with an affordable one AND the one that didn't harass me with spam calls.
      - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
        Amica. They consistently get great ratings. And it’s not limited membership like USAA. They are owned by the policy holders, like a credit union. Not publicly traded so the shareholder pressure is absent.
        amalcon 4y ago
        Second Amica. They've been great for me. I've never filed an auto claim with them, but I did have a pretty serious homeowner's insurance claim (leaky pipe from another condo in my building which illegally didn't have insurance). They didn't question any of it, didn't drop me, and didn't raise my rate.
- SkyPuncher 4y ago
  How do you actually do that? Most I've seen is just terrible ancedata.
  - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
    If you call a poll of 56,000 consumer reports readers anecdata, then you should stick with what you have for insurance. Anyway as I posted elsewhere: This is a good starting point, but not the only one: https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insurance-companies/ https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insuranc... No affiliate links and no kick backs taken by Clark Howard.
    - jeffbee 4y ago
      That is pretty interesting. I have USAA but from time to time I look for a better price. I drive the base trim of the cheapest car Honda has ever marketed in America, just 3000 miles a year, and in 35 years of driving have never had a claim of any kind or a ticket. But I still pay $125/mo for this service, which strikes me as crazy. It's nice to know that if I ever have a claim I will get award-winning service, I guess?
      - fshbbdssbbgdd 4y ago
        There are a lot of different levers that affect insurance pricing. Are you paying for comp? If your car is a beater, maybe you shouldn’t.
      - RHSeeger 4y ago
        I've had to deal with USAA for insurance claims a couple times. Every single time, without fail, has been amazing. It really feels like they care, and want to help. Plus, in my experience, their rates are good. Well worth it if it's an option for you.
        twh270 4y ago
        Family member works for USAA and really likes it there. I can attest they truly do care for their employees and customers.
- hermitdev 4y ago
  I recently had the displeasure of filing claims with Progressive. An insured party of theirs was transporting my vehicles and the hauler crashed. Totalled my car and did a number on my wife's. Took 5 months to get my wife's car fixed and a check for my car. We were told multiple times my wife's car was repaired only to immediately, as in before I drove off, things wrong with or omitted from the repair. I hope to never deal with Progressive again. Scumbags as far as I was concerned. I was damn close to involving lawyers and or police in the matter. It should not take 5 months to cut a check for a totalled car. Sorry for the rant. Fuck Progressive.
  - memcg 4y ago
    I have a survey link in my inbox from Progressive with the subject "Follow-up on your recent claim" for a minor accident where their insured was at fault. It's been 4 months since the accident. Progressive denied my claim, so I filed a claim through my policy with Liberty Mutual. My car is not fixed. Progressive sucks.
    - burntwater 4y ago
      Counter-point, I moved from Liberty Mutual because when I switched from a heavy pickup truck to a cheaper compact SUV with more safety features, my rate went UP, against all reason. Multiple customer service agents refused to look into why that was the case. I got quotes from four other companies -- the most expensive quote was still 1/2 the price Liberty Mutual was giving me. The plan I went with was 1/3rd the price. I'm saving $3,000 a year. And Progressive hasn't spam called me even once. Everyone seems to have horror stories about ALL the companies out there.
      - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
        > the most expensive quote was still 1/2 the price Liberty Mutual Likely because of the intense advertising they do. Every other YouTube as is liberty mutual for me. I have had Amica for years and have no horror stories. They are great, and offer an annual dividend.
- kbos87 4y ago
  I’ll pile on with a Progressive story - my car was hit while parked in a parking garage. The other party admitted fault but my insurer (Progressive) ended up paying for the repair after they hashed it out with the repair shop and the offending drivers’ insurer, Allstate. Fast forward a few months and I get my renewal letter in the mail - my 6-month premium went up 47% for no particular stated reason. I’m basically ending up paying for the repair over the course of the next year and a half. I’m currently in search of the highest deductible, lowest premium insurer I can find, because I’m never going to file a claim again unless a car is a near total loss.
  - pcthrowaway 4y ago
    I don't understand how your insurance ended up paying when the other driver was insured, and admitted fault.
    - Spooky23 4y ago
      Some states allow for really awful insurance programs. Florida allows minimum coverage as low as $10k in liability. They also like collecting fees and are very lax in enforcement for passenger cars for plates, etc. Thats why you’ll see hooptie mobiles with Florida plates all over the place.
      - bluGill 4y ago
        If someone doesn't have high coverage you can sue them directly. The reason most people have a million in coverage as the when it is that high it is really hard to convince the courts your damages are more that. Plus if they actually are your liability is so much that you will never be able to pay up. Lawyers will always ask for the maximum liability even if they actual costs you should owe is more than that because insurance can pay, but you cannot anyway so it isn't worth. However if their liability coverage is only $10k it is worth sueing them for a million - insurance will pay $10k, they will then have to figure out how to get the rest - which basically means it ruins their life. This is why you need to have enough insurance. If you make a mistake (odds are you will), you want enough money such that you can pay off whoever you wronged without it killing the rest of your life.
- bradleyjg 4y ago
  Instead of going by price alone, take a look at how easy or difficult the claims process is… A bit of a market failure there if the insurance being purchased is only or primarily liability.
  - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
    I don’t understand your comment. Can you explain?
    - bradleyjg 4y ago
      If I buy collision insurance (that pays if my car is damaged) then I care about how good the claims process is. If I buy liability (that pays out if I damage you or your car) then the claims process doesn’t matter to me.
- Mistletoe 4y ago
  I’ve always just found all insurance companies terrible and self-serving and just learned to go with the cheapest possible. My ceiling collapsed in two different houses and both insurance companies called it an act of God and that they couldn’t help me. So I had to fix it myself. Many stories like this in my life. Insurance is largely legalized extortion money unless your house burns down or you total your car. For those type cases every company is the same in my opinion.
bombcar 4y ago
I’ve noticed this more and more - I half filled out a contact us form on a company site and got an email as if I had submitted a few minutes later. Talk about dark patterns! Now I never put my email/phone until I am to hit submit (or maybe I should continue as normal to know the scammy companies).

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago

Instead of going by price alone, take a look at how easy or difficult the claims process is… for any kind of insurance. You don’t want a carrier who drags its heels or refuses to pay on some technicality when you make a claim. I have a good source for this data, but am hesitant to share since i don’t want you thinking I’m biased.

JohnFen 4y ago
I'll remain all about price. The only thing I need car insurance for is to meet the legal requirements for car insurance. So price is the only thing that matters. But I have a bad taste in my mouth about the insurance industry in general, so color me jaded.
WirelessGigabit 4y ago
I'd love to look at the data!
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  This is a good starting point, but not the only one: https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insurance-companies/ https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insuranc... No affiliate links and no kick backs taken by Clark Howard.
burntwater 4y ago
Thankfully I've never had to make a claim, and I hope it stays that way!
- 8ytecoder 4y ago
  When you need it, you don’t want to deal with a company that’s not responsive.
  - burntwater 4y ago
    Sure, but given that they almost all seem to suck roughly equally, with the exception of consistently high ratings for USAA (which I can't get) I might as well go with an affordable one AND the one that didn't harass me with spam calls.
    - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
      Amica. They consistently get great ratings. And it’s not limited membership like USAA. They are owned by the policy holders, like a credit union. Not publicly traded so the shareholder pressure is absent.
      - amalcon 4y ago
        Second Amica. They've been great for me. I've never filed an auto claim with them, but I did have a pretty serious homeowner's insurance claim (leaky pipe from another condo in my building which illegally didn't have insurance). They didn't question any of it, didn't drop me, and didn't raise my rate.
SkyPuncher 4y ago
How do you actually do that? Most I've seen is just terrible ancedata.
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  If you call a poll of 56,000 consumer reports readers anecdata, then you should stick with what you have for insurance. Anyway as I posted elsewhere: This is a good starting point, but not the only one: https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insurance-companies/ https://clark.com/insurance/car-insurance/best-auto-insuranc... No affiliate links and no kick backs taken by Clark Howard.
  - jeffbee 4y ago
    That is pretty interesting. I have USAA but from time to time I look for a better price. I drive the base trim of the cheapest car Honda has ever marketed in America, just 3000 miles a year, and in 35 years of driving have never had a claim of any kind or a ticket. But I still pay $125/mo for this service, which strikes me as crazy. It's nice to know that if I ever have a claim I will get award-winning service, I guess?
    - fshbbdssbbgdd 4y ago
      There are a lot of different levers that affect insurance pricing. Are you paying for comp? If your car is a beater, maybe you shouldn’t.
    - RHSeeger 4y ago
      I've had to deal with USAA for insurance claims a couple times. Every single time, without fail, has been amazing. It really feels like they care, and want to help. Plus, in my experience, their rates are good. Well worth it if it's an option for you.
      - twh270 4y ago
        Family member works for USAA and really likes it there. I can attest they truly do care for their employees and customers.
hermitdev 4y ago
I recently had the displeasure of filing claims with Progressive. An insured party of theirs was transporting my vehicles and the hauler crashed. Totalled my car and did a number on my wife's. Took 5 months to get my wife's car fixed and a check for my car. We were told multiple times my wife's car was repaired only to immediately, as in before I drove off, things wrong with or omitted from the repair. I hope to never deal with Progressive again. Scumbags as far as I was concerned. I was damn close to involving lawyers and or police in the matter. It should not take 5 months to cut a check for a totalled car. Sorry for the rant. Fuck Progressive.
- memcg 4y ago
  I have a survey link in my inbox from Progressive with the subject "Follow-up on your recent claim" for a minor accident where their insured was at fault. It's been 4 months since the accident. Progressive denied my claim, so I filed a claim through my policy with Liberty Mutual. My car is not fixed. Progressive sucks.
  - burntwater 4y ago
    Counter-point, I moved from Liberty Mutual because when I switched from a heavy pickup truck to a cheaper compact SUV with more safety features, my rate went UP, against all reason. Multiple customer service agents refused to look into why that was the case. I got quotes from four other companies -- the most expensive quote was still 1/2 the price Liberty Mutual was giving me. The plan I went with was 1/3rd the price. I'm saving $3,000 a year. And Progressive hasn't spam called me even once. Everyone seems to have horror stories about ALL the companies out there.
    - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
      > the most expensive quote was still 1/2 the price Liberty Mutual Likely because of the intense advertising they do. Every other YouTube as is liberty mutual for me. I have had Amica for years and have no horror stories. They are great, and offer an annual dividend.
kbos87 4y ago
I’ll pile on with a Progressive story - my car was hit while parked in a parking garage. The other party admitted fault but my insurer (Progressive) ended up paying for the repair after they hashed it out with the repair shop and the offending drivers’ insurer, Allstate. Fast forward a few months and I get my renewal letter in the mail - my 6-month premium went up 47% for no particular stated reason. I’m basically ending up paying for the repair over the course of the next year and a half. I’m currently in search of the highest deductible, lowest premium insurer I can find, because I’m never going to file a claim again unless a car is a near total loss.
- pcthrowaway 4y ago
  I don't understand how your insurance ended up paying when the other driver was insured, and admitted fault.
  - Spooky23 4y ago
    Some states allow for really awful insurance programs. Florida allows minimum coverage as low as $10k in liability. They also like collecting fees and are very lax in enforcement for passenger cars for plates, etc. Thats why you’ll see hooptie mobiles with Florida plates all over the place.
    - bluGill 4y ago
      If someone doesn't have high coverage you can sue them directly. The reason most people have a million in coverage as the when it is that high it is really hard to convince the courts your damages are more that. Plus if they actually are your liability is so much that you will never be able to pay up. Lawyers will always ask for the maximum liability even if they actual costs you should owe is more than that because insurance can pay, but you cannot anyway so it isn't worth. However if their liability coverage is only $10k it is worth sueing them for a million - insurance will pay $10k, they will then have to figure out how to get the rest - which basically means it ruins their life. This is why you need to have enough insurance. If you make a mistake (odds are you will), you want enough money such that you can pay off whoever you wronged without it killing the rest of your life.
bradleyjg 4y ago
Instead of going by price alone, take a look at how easy or difficult the claims process is… A bit of a market failure there if the insurance being purchased is only or primarily liability.
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  I don’t understand your comment. Can you explain?
  - bradleyjg 4y ago
    If I buy collision insurance (that pays if my car is damaged) then I care about how good the claims process is. If I buy liability (that pays out if I damage you or your car) then the claims process doesn’t matter to me.
Mistletoe 4y ago
I’ve always just found all insurance companies terrible and self-serving and just learned to go with the cheapest possible. My ceiling collapsed in two different houses and both insurance companies called it an act of God and that they couldn’t help me. So I had to fix it myself. Many stories like this in my life. Insurance is largely legalized extortion money unless your house burns down or you total your car. For those type cases every company is the same in my opinion.

bombcar 4y ago

I’ve noticed this more and more - I half filled out a contact us form on a company site and got an email as if I had submitted a few minutes later. Talk about dark patterns! Now I never put my email/phone until I am to hit submit (or maybe I should continue as normal to know the scammy companies).