WARNING about Progressive Insurance!!!!

[V7Goose]

Before I begin, let me toll you that I have had Progressive Insurance on my motorcycles in the past and personally been happy with the service, including the way they handled the only claim I had with them. That was in Texas. This story is about my brother's current experience with Progressive - bike insured in Georgia, totaled in Texas.

 

I'm not here to badmouth them or tell you what you should do for your own insurance, but I want to tell you the facts about how badly he has been treated. Your mileage may be different, but this is what I have personally seen with Progressive this past week:

 

Bike crashed Tuesday afternoon (blown tire). Called and reported claim. Progressive adjuster showed up at location of bike Wednesday morning before 11:00 AM. So far so good. The adjuster inspected the bike, made some calls to see how the Georgia arm would handle things and told us he was totaling the bike. Said he couldn't get the quote that day, and he was going on vacation tomorrow, but his backup would absolutely call us the next day with the full payout quote and any other information needed. He asked about getting copies of receipts for accessories and helmet along with the title, and Tom told him he could have them sent overnight from Georgia. We stressed to the adjuster that the bike MUST be picked up ASAP since it was sitting on a public street in violation of city ordinances. The adjuster gave Tom the office address and name of who to send all the papers to, assured us they would pick up the bike the next day, then left.

 

All the receipts AND the title for the bike were sent overnight, 10:00 AM delivery, to Progressive as promised. Unfortunately, Progressive has failed to meet a single one of their responsibilities to Tom so far. Not once did either Tom or his wife receive a single phone call from ANYONE at progressive from Tuesday afternoon through mid day today, Wednesday, one full week later. Someone who said he was a tow-truck driver did leave Tom a message yesterday saying the bike would be picked up within the hour - but that turned out to be a lie too. I have personally been with Tom as he has called multiple numbers at Progressive EVERY DAY for the past week (original adjuster, his backup, main offices), leaving voice messages each time. Not one single call was returned. In addition, Tom's wife in Georgia has been making constant calls to them also, with equal lack of results.

 

Now, one week later, the wrecked and totaled bike STILL sits in front of 5bikes' house in El Paso and Tom still has not received a settlement. Just this afternoon, about an hour ago, the original adjuster finally called Tom's cell phone after getting back from his spring break vacation and said they were willing to settle on the bike, but they refused to pay for any lodging and transportation he paid for while they abandoned him in El Paso! Remember that this claim was from a person traveling out of state, and the insurance company gave him absolutely zero instructions on what he should do to mitigate losses or take care of his own needs while they decided what to do. We moved into a cut-rate chain hotel and waited for them to return repeated phone calls, so he is not trying to get anything unwarranted out of them, but they have been unresponsive, and today very rude and ugly with him on the phone (I was listening on the speaker phone).

 

The settlement they offered on the bike today is probably fair, but they have completely destroyed their reputation and any possibility of any future business from this family for a lousy couple of hundred dollars in hotel bills (plus the abandonment of a paying customer during his time of need).

 

Take this information for whatever you think it is worth - I know I won't ever insure with them again.

Goose

[RossKean]

It might be interesting to see what reaction they might have if you give them the link to your post on this forum. Enough people will read this to completely negate anything the company has "saved" by treating your brother like crap.

 

If they had treated you exceptionally well, I'm sure you would have posted a positive experience which goes a long way to enhance their reputation. I'm sure it wouldn't have hurt business.

 

I find it hard to understand how/why companies do this stuff. I wonder if it is corporate policy or a few lazy, unmotivated claims people. In any case, it couldn't hurt anything to make sure the individual who caused you this grief (and his supervisor) gets to see how your brother has been treated.

 

Good luck with resolving this...

 

Ross

[DragonRider]

Since I have 2 bikes insured with them, I will start shopping for another insurance co, dont want to go through what your brother went through, seeing as how I live in Ga. also. Anyone want to reccomend a good reasonable co.

[JimRoberts]

I also have progressive and by chance will be up for renewal next month. Will start checking around because I don't want to go through all this if it happens to me.

[mraf]

I too have progressive and will now be shopping around as the renewal came two days ago. That blows being treated like that.

[wes0778]

my

I hope I never have to find out about their service, but before I bought the RSTC I shopped Foremost and Geico and Geico won out. That is where the previous owner had it insured as well.

[BigBoyinMS]

Geico here too. Just hope they aren't as bad as Progressive when/if I ever need them.

[bryan52577]

Did some pricing and it was the little green salamander for me too!

 

Sorry to hear about the way you got treated though.

 

Bryan

[road dog]

My advice for all of you that have progressive is to take a copy of this email to your agent and ask him what he/she will do to make sure this will not happen to you.

Maybe if they get enough agents calling HQ with questions about this they will behave a little better next time. Just my 2 cents worth

[latchkey]

i have them till june, but after reading this post. looking for something better now

[Long Tall]

I also WAS with Progressive....Premium kept changing from year to year...Up...Down..Up..Up

 

I have been here now for three years...

 

Sentry/Dairyland Insurance... I have two bikes..2002 Bonneville America and the 2006 RSV..I carry 100,000/300,000/50,000 Liability...$100 Ded. Comp & Collision. I get the two bike discount...They discount for the area you live in for non-riding weather....I have both bikes insured for the Kelly Blue Book "RETAIL" value Plus...$3,000 on both the Triumph and $3,500 on the RSV..Normal towing coverage....I also get 10% discount for being a STAR Touring Member...Savings covers my membership with them....

 

Just got the premium bill for both bikes for an entire year...Wife pays the bills...She told me she sent.....$415.00.....On Monday...

 

George In Virginia...

[Sideoftheroad]

Anyone want to reccomend a good reasonable co.

 

Stay away from Markel. Friend of mine got in a wreck and was told was not his fault and also got it in writing from the insurance co. They later tried to go back and say it was his fault so he got a lawyer. After a surgery on his hand and the other injuries healed, they went back to the insurance company. They tried to settle for like $2500. They produced the letter and ended up it was signed by a claims supervisor. Settlement went from $2500 to $25,000. Case closed.

 

After he got his check, paid the lawyer, paid the medical bills, paid for a brand new Honda VTX in full, and still had some money left over.

 

It always kills me when you want to file a claim w/ your ins. co and they say if you do we will raise your rates. Doesn't that in a way defeat the purpose of having ins.?

 

Don't know if it works this way for Auto insurance, but at least in Health and Life Insurance each state has a dept of insurance you can file complaints with. They have a time frame that a response has to be given.

[skydoc_17]

Hey Kent,

As I said in the other thread, both Jean and I are sorry that this has happened to your brother.

Could you PLEASE post the e-mail address of the claims adjuster that your brother has been in contact with. Or, the e-mail address of PROGRESSIVE INS. COMPAMY.I think 6,000 plus e-mails might have an impact on him, and if not then maybe his supervisor!!!

Just my thoughts,

Earl and Jean

[V7Goose]

Thanx for the comments, everyone. For the ones who asked for suggestions on alternative insurance companies, I have been very happy with Nationwide. I switched to them from Progressive about four years ago after I got tired of the way Progressive would quote a new bike very low (apparently to just get the business), then regularly raise the rate every year for no reason at all. As I said at the beginning of this thread and in other posts in the past, I personally had no other problems with them, but I get tired of those types of games very fast.

 

I do not think we have an email address for anyone with Progressive directly involved with this claim, but it seems unlikely that any of those individuals would care at all anyway. I think you can send emails to the company in general through their web site on this page:

https://www.progressive.com/contact-us.aspx

 

Ride safe,

Goose

[RoadKill]

I have had State Farm Insurance my entire Adult life and always treated fairly. When I totalled my bike in Tennessee the adjuster called my cell phone while I was still in emergency. My best friend handled all the details. I was in the Hospital for 24 hours and was home in 36 and the check beat me home. Ended up with more than I paid for a brand new bike.

 

Now that's my experience. For every company there are good stories and bad but personally I would never have any other.

[Eck]

should have contacted the local news station and asked them to investigate it.. they would have put it on the news.......

[Cougar]

GEICO HAS BEEN EXCELLENT TO US...

 

Use Promo Code 95959 when you call.

 

They even lowered my monthly rate by $4.00

Cuz of my trike conversion. I have full total coverage.

 

Last month my wife hit a dear. the adjuster was there

while the SUV was being put into the garage for repair

and watched them tear apart the damaged parts. calls

were made to us about every other day to keep us

informed. I have been with them about 10 years now

and have been absolutely totally happy with there performance.

 

Jeff

[Sleeperhawk]

Since I have 2 bikes insured with them, I will start shopping for another insurance co, dont want to go through what your brother went through, seeing as how I live in Ga. also. Anyone want to reccomend a good reasonable co.

 

I currently have AllState, did start with Progressive, but progressively went down in price until AllState. Progressive is the most expensive insurance I have found for SC, with AllState being one of the lowest. Hopefully never have to use the insurance.

[ediddy]

I'm sorry to hear of your problem with progessive, but before everyone goes off half cocked you need to hold on. I have been an insurance agent for 37 years. Any company has good and bad employees. Just because you have a bad experience with one claims rep doesn't mean that the company's policy is to treat everyone badly. Of all the companies I know of, progessive overall is the fastest and fairest settling claims. I have people that have been in an accident where the progressive insured was at fault and because progressive was so fast paying the claim that they switched their insurance to progressive. I have also had people in the office that I quoted with progressive and because of a claim they don't want to be with progressive. You can never please everyone all the time. However there are companies that have a bad reputation for paying claims all the time. The three that I hear about are Allstate, State Farm and GEICO. When someone comes in my office for a quote and I ask them the name of their current company and they say GEICO, 100 out of 100 times when I ask why they want to change it is because of getting jacked around on a claim. I was talking with one of the largest body shops here recently and the owner told me he couldn't tell people with GEICO that he didn't want their business but he would rather not deal with GEICO. I asked why and he said they go "light " on repairs. I asked what light meant and he said they try to cut corners on replacing parts. I asked for an example. He said you can take a damaged door and they will want to put a new cover, they call it a skin, on the door instead of replacing the door. He said a new skin will not last. The other companies with a bad reputation are State Farm and Allstate. To be nationally advertised they are terrible with claims. The magistrate court judge is my sunday school teacher and he said he went home one day and asked his wife who they had their car insurance with and said if it was with State Farm to move it right away. He said he has seen more cases with them where they were clearly at fault but were jacking the claimant around and would settle just before going in the court room. My daughter was in an accident where Allstate was clearly at fault but they wouldn't pay. I talked to the adjuster myself and I told him I had heard for years that Allstate didn't pay claims and he just proved that to be correct. He said he didn't care. I got carried away but my point is any company can have a bad claims rep. I am going to make some phone calls to talk with progressive today regarding this claim to see what happened. Buy the way, I have mentioned on this web site many times that I specialize in motorcycle insurance and have six of the top companies for good rates and claim service but never hear from anyone. Now eveyone wants to know who is a good company with good rates.

[ediddy]

Oh I forgot. Vgoose if you will call or email me with the policy number of the progressive policy I will find out what went wrong and make sure the right person knows how this claim was mishandled.

[ediddy]

Well, I forgot something else. I have already gotten emails from some people requesting an insurance quote. I am only licensed in Georgia, Alabama and Florida but I do appreciate everyone in the other states that have asked for a quote. I wish I could help but am not licensed in any other states at present. I hope to expand into other states in the future.

[5bikes]

Wed. 3/26 and the bike is still here!!!! NOT Tom's/wife's fault. They're really trying.

Another reason I have inexpensive older bikes is I only put Liability on them. $50-55 per bike/per year. If I loose a bike worth only $1000-3000 so what??

I don't have to deal with complicated policies or jerks at insurance companies.

Thousands saved and I can have multiple bikes....

Ennie Mennie Minnie Moe, choices, choices which one today?

[slick97spirit]

I also am an agent and I can tell you that a bad adjuster can cost you more business than rates anyday. I have companies that have great adjusters and horrible ones as well under the same roof. I've always said that I represent the company until there is a claim or issue, then I represent the insured. Call your agent and ask him for help. I've gotten on the phone and ripped an adjuster many times telling them to do what the policy says and pay the insured what's owed them. Also, any time an adjuster tells you something is not covered, demand that they show you why it's not covered in policy language. Many times it's up to interpretation and it can be argued and won.

[Black Owl]

Bit confused here.

 

It seems that one of the concers was that Progressive would not cover the living expenses (motel, food, etc).

 

Is this even covered in the policy?

 

If not, how can anyone expect to get reimbursed for something not covered by the policy?

 

Just curious.

[T-Paw]

I had a problem with Farm Bureau. But, it was on a camper that I had just purchased and not put insurance on yet. Long story short, I left the day I bought the camper and the wheel ran off of it several miles before someone flagged me down. I had to leave it on the side of the Interstate over the weekend. When I went to get it Sunday morning it was gone. I contacted the insurance company I was told that I did not have a policy on the camper and it was not covered under my truck policy since it was not connected at the time of the theft. End of story.....or so THEY thought! I contacted my insurance commisioner and filled them in on the story. They mailed a letter to Farm Bureau. What do you know, I got a call from them in 2 days. They said that they had been reviewing my claim and thought that I did have coverage and they had a check waiting for me at my local office for the full purchase price. So, maybe you can try to contact your states insurance commissioner. Just a thought!