Best Insurance Companies for “Claims Payout”
Post Best Insurance Companies Question (below)
Below are listed the best and worst insurance companies for “paying claims”, rated not by the traditional methods – premium cost and financial strength – but by claims payout for:
- auto
- home
- business claims for fire, water, wind, flood damage, etc.
The number and proportion of denied claims are also considered to bring you this list of insurers.
Note: These ratings are based on contributor Ron Cercone’s personal experiences in claim handling in California (as an independent adjuster for 15 years and as a public adjuster for 17 years). No warranties or guarantees are made for any of these companies. All things change. If a company decides to cut costs, it’s service could decline. If two companies merge, claims paying could change. Premium costs were not considered here, though higher premiums do not necessarily equal better insurance. Some companies pay their agents high commissions and skimp on claims payments.
While having a local sales agent can be helpful, most will not fight for you. They are legally agents for the insurer, not you. “Captive agents”, such as for Farmers Insurance and State Farm Insurance, are less likely to fight their only employer. Independents are a better choice for this reason.
Brokers are not recommended since their liability is very limited if you don’t have the proper policy or endorsements in place. Companies not listed here either fall between the recommend and avoid classification, or are so small or so good (such as Chubb) that our contributors have had little or no personal claims experience with them.
Generally speaking, the more a company advertises, the more you need to beware . Good quality insurers don’t need to advertise and they don’t need to replace customers they lost after a claim. That’s our best consumer insurance claim advice. Most honest and seasoned “independent agents” also know who the better insurers are, but be aware that they “can” earn higher commissions from lower quality insurers in some cases (so it pays to know your agent’s integrity well).
Here is a link (http://www.jdpower.com/consumer-ratings/insurance/ratings/909201507/2013-Property+Claims+Satisfaction+Study/index.htm) to a JD Power rating page for 2013 which, based on the subtitles, appears to give more weight to “claims paying” than in their previous years, such as in this link for their 2012 ratings (http://www.jdpower.com/consumer-ratings/insurance/ratings/809201402/2012-US+National+Homeowners+Insurance+Study/index.htm). It will be interesting to see if they change their sub menu in the coming years.
Best Homeowners Insurance
Insurer | Phone (Claims) | Rank |
Merced Mutual | 800-348-6747 | 1 |
Nationwide Insurance | 800-462-1825 | 2 |
Safeco Insurance | 800-826-8921 | 3 |
The Maryland Insurance Group | 800-852-7570 | 4 |
California Casualty Insurance | 800-421-8768 | 5 |
Automobile Club Of Southern California | 209-732-8045 | 6 |
Note – While we have not had experience with Chubb Insurance claims, we have heard only glowing reports on how well they pay their claims.
Worst Homeowners Insurance
Insurer | Rank |
CSAA (AAA of Northern California) | (Worst) |
First American Specialty Insurance | |
Golden Eagle | |
Farmers Insurance Group (Fire & Truck Exchanges) | |
Allstate | |
State Farm | |
Allied | |
CSE (Civil Service Employees) | |
Sutter | |
Fair Plan | |
Residence Mutual | |
Aetna/Travelers | |
California Capital Insurance (Not Cal. Casualty) | |
Unigard | |
Farmers Home Mutual | (Least) |
Best Car Insurance
Nationwide (800-421-1444) is the only one we strongly recommend. They beat all the others with fast claims service and a generous claim payout philosophy. Oddly enough, their premiums are among the lowest. While they do not have local sales agents in many areas, you can still get their insurance by calling a toll free phone number. Claims are reported to an 800 number. They get an adjuster on the scene quickly, often the same day the loss is reported. This oddly is in contrast to companies with local sales agents that usually take several days to get an adjuster on the scene and/or to inspect a damaged vehicle!
Worst Car Insurance (in the order listed)
CSAA (AAA of Northern California, Fresno and North) |
Allied |
Mercury |
Geico |
Metropolitan |
Allstate |
Colonial Penn |
Omaha Mutual |
Sequoia |
USF&G |
October 24th, 2008 at 4:01 pm #An Adjuster
As an Independent adjuster and having to work for many carriers I chose Texas Farm Bureau for my home, truck, 4-wheeler, horse trailer, health, life and my E&O / Liability coverage.
October 25th, 2008 at 9:47 pm #admin
Thanks for your valuable comments!
So is it safe to assume that since you are an independent adjuster, you chose Texas Farm Bureau because they pay their claims fairly?
You should give them a star and text rating in our Consumer Ratings section and add that you are an adjuster.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:47 pm #Chase
You should know, Progressive sucks too. I’ve been involved with heavy equipment for years and a friend of mine’s son was hired on by them and got horrible treatment by his employer.
November 10th, 2008 at 3:55 pm #admin
I could not agree more with you on Progressive. 🙂 Thanks for your comments.
February 11th, 2009 at 5:07 am #J. D. Howard
As a fellow Consumer Advocate, with a Similar Web Site, our Feed Back from Consumers throughout the country has been uniformly favorable for ONE lesser-known insurer … AMICA.
Would be interested in knowing about your experience when dealing with AMICA.
February 13th, 2009 at 1:57 am #admin
Thanks J.D. for the heads up. What does AMICA stand for? Do they write all lines of insurance or specialize in auto or home, etc? Are they in certain regions or target certain demographics, like seniors or government employees?
If you have time, please click on our “Consumer Ratings” link at the top, go to Add an Insurer, and add AMICA with a text and star rating.
I have never heard of them. They must not be big in Central California. But on the other hand, the best insurers are the quiet ones, with no complaints and little advertising, IMO.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:51 am #C. Christians
You are SO RIGHT about the uselessness of California Capital Insurance for property claims. It has been nearly three months since a fire in my house and I am still fighting for every single penny, every single repair and replacement. CCI chose their own contractor, with good reason–they must have saved a hell of a lot of money. Cabinets that burned were replaced with cheap crap–doors that don’t meet or align, warped wood, and believe it or not, smaller cabinets than the original. The wrong color paint was used twice in one room, I had to ask for any number of jobs to be redone–and on and on. One cabinet is “attached” to the floor with caulking. Nearly three months after the fire, the shower is still coated with dried ash and black smoke. The oven and the stove exhaust fan don’t work. Worst of all, absolutely no one will take responsibilty. The “charming” adjustor at San Jose has called me “you stud” (I am an older professional woman) and “Madam.” Stay as far away as you can from CIG/California Capital for property claims.
March 1st, 2009 at 10:34 pm #admin
Hello “C.”,
C, its great you make a rating here, but how come you didn’t go to the “Consumer Ratings” page and rate them? Start a new entry on them. If you want to really get the word out so “the whole world” can easily find them, do it there. You can rate the adjuster, the insurer and their lousy contractor. Please do it! Its why we built that page.
Now, as to your claim, the best advice I can give you is to go to UClaim.com at the products page, look at the first product “HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE CLAIM ADVICE AND HELP – ALL ASPECTS (deluxe). Look at the table of contents. Do you want to rip CCI a new a____ ? That eBook will show you how a veteran public adjuster does it.
May 15th, 2009 at 11:38 am #Sarah
If person seeking health coverage is family member of active duty military personnel, Uniformed Family Health Plan (USFHP) is the best choice for him/her with best coverage and very competitive rates.
May 17th, 2009 at 7:52 pm #admin
Sarah,
Thanks for that. You should list USFHP in the Consumer Ratings page of this website and give a 5 star rating with your comments. Thanks
October 7th, 2009 at 4:22 pm #Jennifer
Travelers: be warned not to use Access America for travel insurance. After my bad experience with them- I then found the pages and pages of negative reviews from dissatisfied customers who were victimized by their “reverse insurance fraud”. They do not pay claims. I purchased travel insurance with them through US Air. My aunt died two days before I was scheduled to leave for a vacation. I called Access America and was assured that this would be no problem-just fill out the claim forms. In addition to the claim forms, I also mailed a copy of the death certificate as well as a letter from the funeral home. They are now saying that if there was a pre-existing condition that they will not pay. Travel insurance is meant for unplanned, unforeseen events that cause a consumer to have to cancel travel plans…and that’s exactly what happened. My aunt’s death was unplanned and unforeseen. Be warned…. I have read hundreds of other complaints made by victims raped by Access America Travel Insurance and Assistance. Someone needs to stop them!
October 7th, 2009 at 10:24 pm #admin
Jennifer,
But did you save 15% on your premiums ??? (I’m joking of course).
You should give them a rating on the “Rate Your Adjuster” page of this website. You will reach more people that way.
Thanks for taking the time and having the guts to speak out.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:34 am #Squirt
Why is CSAA rated worst and how many votes did that receive? I currently have a claim and would like to post a question but don’t know how to do it on this wonderful website. I hope you can respond.
Thank you.
January 6th, 2010 at 1:58 pm #admin
Squirt,
CSAA is rated worst based on our contributors own claim handling experience. You are welcome to give them your own rating on the “Rate Your Adjuster” page of this website when your claim is done.
To post a question, pick a category under the Ask A Question and scroll to tghe bottom of the page. Or post your question in the Discussion Forum page.
April 5th, 2010 at 8:04 pm #Malleaux
Run from Farm Bureau!!
We’re fighting back in the courts of public opinion. We’ve put up a sign at our burned out property to inform our community and eventually the nation how Farm Bureau Insurance treats it’s customers in their time of tragedy.
A great watch!!!
thefiretruth.com
Malleaux’s
April 7th, 2010 at 6:40 pm #admin
Malleaux,
Good for you! Can you take a minute and make a rating on your insurer and others on our “Rate Your Adjuster” page?
September 7th, 2010 at 7:15 pm #TXAdjuster
I have worked many storm and daily losses for Amica. They are excellent. I wish they would give up IntegriClaim, other than that, they are very fair minded and actually examine the facts of each case to determine if there is a way to cover the loss or part of the loss.
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:43 am #Jeanette Viau
This is a comment regarding C. Christians’ February 26, 2009 post.
We are a law firm in California specializing in insurance bad faith claims, solely on behalf of policyholders/insureds. We currently have a lawsuit against California Capital Insurance Company/CIG involving a first party property claim arising out of fire damage. Our client the insured suffered almost exactly the same treatment as C. Christians – and in some ways, even worse. The CIG adjuster advised the insured’s mortgage company that the insured did not intend to repair – which was incorrect. The mortgage company commenced foreclosure proceedings based on the adjuster’s statement. The adjuster testified in deposition that, in fact, he knew the insured intended to repair. CIG also took an across the board 35% depreciation – which is totally improper. Perhaps C. Christians had the same experience.
We are actively involved in trying to get “bad insurers” to answer for their transgressions. My partner and I have been in practice for almost 50 years combined. For about 13 of my 25 years of practice, I represented insurance companies. When my son was born, I “saw the light,” and switched sides. Would never go back. Our web site is vklawyers.com. Take a look.
This is a great web site, by the way!
March 8th, 2011 at 11:45 am #admin
Jeanette – vklawyers.com, Ca Law Firm,
Thanks for your comments. We would encourage you to add your brief opinion answers to Q&A’s on this website. Its free advice so there is no legal liability for accuracy. It’s also a way to get referrals and your name out there and seo for your own website.
Consumers need “gutsy” plaintiff lawyers more than ever now in the wake of State Farm vs Campbell …
August 9th, 2011 at 3:39 pm #Mike
@Malleaux
Yes Farm Bureau All State and Farmers are all crap. A restaurant caught fire here and I guess they didnt pay claim and the owner did the same exact thing you did. He spray painted his building stating how the insurance sucks and made a website
Sad. I would never get any of those 3
August 25th, 2011 at 7:41 pm #Craigster
By far Farmer’s Insurance is the worst. Stay completely away from them. You will get screwed just like I did. Had them for eight years and just recently filed a claim. Just got a non-renewal notice in the mail today. Am cancelling them immediately file a complaint with BBB and State Insurance in Austin.
Live in West Texas.
September 7th, 2011 at 12:56 pm #Artman
Stay away from Progressive Insurance. Their claims service is horrible!! I had a commercial truck turn left in front of me from the far right lane (I was in the inside lane), he had no working blinker, I had a 3rd party statement from someone I did not know who witnessed the event validated my report AND the truck driver ADMITTED he was at fault! I slammed on the brakes and swerved right but just hit his steel rear bumper wrecking my Honda’s passenger front side. Progressive sent me to a lousy repair facility and gave me 50% responsibility then notified the DMV and I got tagged on my driving record for 5 years!! I will never buy Progressive again and I’m telling anyone who will listen to STAY AWAY FROM PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE!!
October 11th, 2011 at 3:59 pm #Kar
I agree with the thumbs down on Travelers.
I made the mistake of going with this Geico-associated company a decade ago. Now, having experienced my first claim situation, am being given the runaround. A different set of claim requirements at each contact, and no definite information as to what is covered. They are too cheap and lazy to send an adjuster, but want to continue racking up expensive premiums and increasing those each year despite no claims til now. (whooo! 🙂
October 13th, 2011 at 2:08 pm #cw
Where’s Chubb?? They’re the best.
October 14th, 2011 at 9:21 am #Admin
You can add Chubb by making a rating at the top of the page. The recommend avoid list is only insurers ICH experts have had claims experience with. Everyone says good things about Chubb. Perhaps thats why most people with Chubb claims never need to hire a public adjuster or attorney.
October 14th, 2011 at 9:24 am #Admin
Correction, add Chubb on the “Rate Your Adjuster” page under Insurers
December 24th, 2011 at 8:02 pm #CareBear
I currently have an auto claim pending with USAA and just received a letter saying they would not be paying! Stay away!
January 2nd, 2012 at 7:48 pm #Jim
I am an adjuster. I have my insurance with Hartford through AARP. Great prices and service.
January 25th, 2012 at 1:46 pm #T.C.
Hi I had insurance with Progressive and my car was declared a total loss due to a flood in the area, they got everything set very very quickly, car rental, body shop everything. Then I was told that I had to sign over power of attorney to them and that they would take care of everything else, they called 2 days straight wanting me to get the power of attorney over to them, I went in to drop the paper off to a local claims office, and they had a check for me. THe lady asked me for a title i told her that I did not have a title, she made me have a seat while she called to confirm, the department she spoke to told her that was all that I needed to give them. She signed the check and gave it to me, the check said PAY TO THE ORDER OF———-,ONLY, i deposited the check into my checking account it cleared. 2 days later i get a call from them stating that they made an error that the check was to made out to me and the lien holder and that the lien holder would send me the remaining money if any at all. Am I responsible for their misrepresentation? and can they take the money out of my checking account once it has already cleared the bank?
January 25th, 2012 at 6:22 pm #Jason
We don’t really understand what you mean when it was made payable to the order of ——, only. Is that your official name? If it is, I don’t see an issues.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:11 am #KG
TC-
I agree with Jason if the — is your actual name, then there isn’t any issues- but if you still owe on your car, you’d need to pay it off and get the title to Progressive. They can’t go into your bank account.
February 15th, 2012 at 10:13 am #Jim
I have been an adjuster for 18 years. A General Adjuster for 12.
You did not mention under good insurors The Hartford.
They are the insuror for AARP. Great deals, Great coverage.
The company has been in business since 1810. They are the onlcy insurance company that paid every single one of their claims in the New York, Chicago and San Francisco fires that occurred in the 1800’s.
They insured Abraham Lincoln and Babe Ruth also. Great Company.
I work for a lot of companies but I unsure my home and my cars with The Hartford.
Jim Heiden
March 20th, 2012 at 9:14 pm #Jerry
AAA of Nothern CA (CSAA) is the worst homeowners insurance anyone can have. i had a flood in January 2012. To date they have not paid the contractors they recommended for any of the work they have done, and done well, nor have they paid me the 49000.00 theyowe me for the repairs to my home. It was for sale and now the people under contract to buy have backed out because no work has been done. The contractor is very good but explained they cannot start until they were paid the 12,000.00 for the work they have already done (completed in january) because the bank will not pay them anything until they are 1/2 done, thus they will be using this money for working capitol. The guy who dried my house out has not been paid and he has now sent me a bill to pay. I do not even know what to do. Pretty soon I will be getting a bill for the 13,000.00 I call and call the asdjuster but she states she is very busy but will be getting to it soon. THIS COMPANY IS NOTHING BUT A JOKE! Can any one help me? The peopkle I am alling are in Colorado and I am California.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:49 pm #Dr. Derrick Smit
I found the above situation interesting. I had AAA out to my home due to a wind storm which caused structural damage to my home. I am a doctor not a contractor. Upon the arrival of the adjuster to my home it was evident they had no clue on how to fix my home.
I had concerns whether they would even pay for the damage. I asked the adjuster serveral questions and he kept referring me to the adjuster in Las Vegas who never answers the phones and then I am lucky if they called me back in a day or three. I found this odd in that they have not even seen my home. The adjuster then makes another appointment to come back out and bring a contractor with them. Although I was worried and had to take another day off I figured it was for the best. The contractor they brought out was very intelligent. He explained my damage to me and explained how he would fix it as the adjuster stood listening. The contractor is in the process of repairs and I am very satified . The contractor sold AAA but I am concerned what happens if they do not send out a contractor if I have another problem. So I am reading as much as I can about AAA in hopes of making the right choice at renewal in June. Right now things are not looking that good for them.
In response to the person before, you said the contractor was good so I suggest you hang on to them and trust they will do right by you as I have been treated by my contractor. One thing about my contractor, he will not discuss policy questions; he made this very clear at the onset of my repair. He was paid for my repairs within a few weeks of coming out and started the reapirs shortly after.
May 2nd, 2012 at 2:52 am #Susan McCormick
Add STATE FARM, they are crappy too! Enough said!
May 2nd, 2012 at 2:54 am #Susan McCormick
FOLKS NEED to march on WASHINGTON, the capital and MAKE the changes needed by CONGRESS and REFUSE to pay ANYMORE insurance because of the crooks from ILLinois, is like a nasty dog biting its tail, funded by US! WE need to stop the injustice and legalized THIEVES!
May 5th, 2012 at 10:46 am #Jason
All you people,
You need to get a decent job and take responsibility for yourself. No one deserves handouts which are apparently all you want.
May 21st, 2012 at 1:40 pm #Lynn
Jason,
Everyone here BOUGHT, ie. PAID FOR with their HARD EARNED MONEY insurance under contracts which the insurance companies failed to live up to. We responsibly bought insurance. The insurance companies did not responsibly honor their contracts.
July 23rd, 2012 at 8:01 am #Tom
hi, my fiance rear ended someone and the insurance co has determined the car to be a total loss. first off it’s really not that bad. i can get it fixed at the auto shop i always use for about 1600 (he’s very good on price). second, if i do allow them to total it out and i take the money i will want to buy it back for the salvage rate and get it fixed myself. if i do so the title will stay branded salvaged becuase i hear it’s rediclous to get the repaird approved and a clean title reissued. I still have a loan on the car, any chance the credit union will allow me to carry liability only since it’s tough to get an insurnace company to insure a salvaged title. I plan to continue paying on the loan seeing as though id have to wheather i had the car or not.
August 1st, 2012 at 6:05 pm #Rick Fuller
Jason
SHAME on you for your comment. Are you an adjuster or something? Hell, the reason people buy insurance in the first place is to protect their hard-earned property. Maybe You should take responsibility for hating and sticking your bazoo where it doesn’t belong. See where life takes you and you will learn.
August 27th, 2012 at 9:44 pm #Amy
Jerry and Dr. Derrick Smit,
I am saddened to hear about your experiences, and honestly and completely shocked about the review on this site as being rated the worst for Homeowners and Auto Insurance. I’m completely baffled. I’ve been an Insurance Agent at CSAA for 8 years and absolutely love the company I work for, especially because I feel they are more than fair in the payout of claims, handle them quickly and we (the majority) actually care about our Members and do what we can to help them. I can honestly say I’ve only had to get involved in a handful of claims in the past 8 years.
Jerry, have you considered talking to your Insurance Agent? I know I go up to bat for my Clients, and would think yours would do the same, if you bring the issue to their attention. Hope you get it resolved and are happy with the outcome.
Still shocked at this sites CSAA rating. I don’t understand how we could be an A+ rated company, if we were the worst company. It just doesn’t make sense to me and my experience there.
August 31st, 2012 at 2:32 am #Moderator1
Amy,
Your quoted rating is by “AM Best”. Their ratings are not for how generously or cheaply an insurer pays claims, but rather the “financial strength” of an insurer, which is good information for people looking to buy stock in an insurer, not policy holders looking for how “fairly” an insurer pays claims. And A+ is actually not a top rating by AM Best.
I am sure you are a good agent.
September 1st, 2012 at 3:47 pm #Moderator1
Amy,
Take a look at this outrageous “Proof of Loss Receipt and Release” http://www.uclaim.com/docs/img086.gif that your company, CSAA, (AAA of Northern California) uses on it’s own policy holder’s total loss auto claims and tell me that CSAA is not a low quality insurer when it comes to paying claims. I have handled claims for many insurance companies and never seen one (other than other AAA affiliate insurers) use this particular fraudulent tactic. This form is outrageous and illegal, yet CSAA has been using it for at least my 30+ years in the claims business. It’s a perfect example of many insurance industry unfair practices that are ignored by departments of insurance. And it’s a perfect example of how some insurers can become financially strong at the expense of their policy holders and gain a top AM Best A+ rating. Great for stockholders, bad for policy holders. You can see other examples of abusive tactics like this at UClaim.com.
In all fairness to you, its not your job to get involved with the details of claims. Your job is to sell policies. That’s why insurance companies keep claim departments physically separated from underwriting and sales departments. They don’t want those folks getting to know each other too well. You sound like a good agent. But there is only so much an agent can do, like complaining, when it comes to helping their policy holders who are having problems with the claims department.
November 15th, 2012 at 9:54 am #kathy ramadan
Hi
I had a pan leak in my bathroom shower
my adjuster won’t pay for the wallpaper removal where the toilet is because he said it is a separate room from the bathroom because it has a door. but he is paying for the carpet in that room.
won’t pay for the tile of the tub only the shower because the shower is not connected
will only pay for base board two feet and door trim of toilet door
but not the door or cabinet next to it.
Is the toilet really considered a separate room from the bathroom? My base board is connected to the towel cabinet and that is connected to the sink. If I ony pain part of it will look funny.
Is my agent suppose to fight for me or not? He thinks I am right but says he is not suppose to get involved.
Thanks
kathy
April 14th, 2013 at 7:01 pm #Jason
Post to notify me by e-mail.
May 1st, 2013 at 6:06 pm #Toni Douglass
I have been an Amica customer for 40 years, home and auto. It has been a point of pride that I have been with company for so long, both my marriages combined are 38 years. So when we had 38″ of snow this winter, my huband noticed that my garage roof was sagging in the middle. So with the utmost confidence I called Amica. An adjuster was sent out, he filed his report. All a sudden Amica is sending an engineer to check the garage. I was happy at first, thinking that the engineer would know everything wrong with my garage. My husband’s first words were “they are going to screw us”. When I questioned the claim handler, his exact words were “just because you have been a customer for 40 years and recommended us to other people, you think we should just write you a check”. I was so upset, I started crying. Today the claim handler called and said , No we aren’t going to pay money on the claim. Why, well he said that it was natural settling, or wasn’t build right, wasn’t quite sure why it’s sagging, only that this wasn’t covered. Then tells me that the engineer went to the townhall and found a picture of my house from 2001 and after blowing it up really large, they can can see a sag in my roof. I had a new roof put on 5 years ago and no one mentioned a sag. You can see that the weight of the snow pushed the wall between the garage doors off the foundation, the garage doors can’t come all the way down. I can’t tell you how upsetting this has been to me. Something’s you just depend on and I for 40 years thought that was Amica. Amica is not the same company that I knew. I can’t explain how upsetting it is to lose your faith in a company that you have done business with for 40 years.Amica was great for 40 years until I filed a claim.
May 1st, 2013 at 6:28 pm #Jason
Toni,
If you select the first active link above, you will see that Amica is one of the top rated insurance companies as reported by consumers.
Insurance does not cover every single thing that goes wrong with a house. The length of time being a customer does not dictate whether a claim will be paid or not. In fact, time of coverage does not mean anything. Only the a cause of loss that is listed in the policy as a covered cause of loss will determine coverage.
I can’t suggest that you find another insurer because you already have one of the top rated companies as your insurance carrier. A rightfully denied claim by an insurance company does not mean the company is not a good company.
May 3rd, 2013 at 1:38 pm #Toni Douglass
Jason, Amica has changed, it was a great insurance company. Just the way I was spoken to was so out of bounds. I was rejected on a picture that they found at the assessor office from 12 years ago, that they say when blown up really large it shows a sag. But when I asked for the blown up picture to see what they were talking about, I was told that they couldn’t print it. The claim was totally rejected on this picture that they can’t product. I think Amica is changed and still milking the reputation they had for years. I have pursue this claim because I just feel so ripped off.
May 9th, 2013 at 10:54 am #Daria
I have American Family insurance for auto and home. Recently my home was severly damaged by hail including the roof and 3 sides of the house. My issue with American Family is that they won’t cover siding on the 4rth side of the house even though the origianal siding is no longer avail (that company has gone bancrupt), so 3 sides of the house will have different siding than the 4rth, which will reduce the value of my house.
I was wondering if you have any advice for me on my claim. And how does American Family rank on their claim payouts?
Thank you
May 9th, 2013 at 11:09 am #Jason
Daria,
If you want to see how American Family pays out, look at the information at the top of this page under BEST AND WORST INSURANCE COMPANIES.
Similar siding can be found to get a very close match. That is the stance of the insurance industry. However, insurance companies do cave-in to complaints and demands that all sides should be replaced despite the insurance policy indicating it will pay only for direct damage. If the 4th side isn’t damaged, it is not considered part of the claim.
The policy is silent on the topic of matching and numerous courts have ruled that when there is an inside corner, outside corner, elevation change, or other physical barrier, that is where the scope of the damage should end.
Refusing to accept 3 sides being replaced and holding out for all 4 sides is probably your best bet in the claim process. Many people have been successful in this approach. If you have to go to court to compel the insurance company to pay for 4 sides, it will likely be unsuccessful.
May 14th, 2013 at 4:25 pm #Steve
Progressive low bids their repair estimates and then offers a cash payout. They would not look at any data to support the actual cost of repairs and always stick to their script that they only pay on THEIR estimate. The few hundred they saved will cost them 10 times that much in bad press from me! Seems like they should operate more like Nationwide and give people a good experience so they will buy their product and have a good opinion of them. Progressive, stop putting money into Flo and give fair claim payouts!
June 3rd, 2013 at 4:43 pm #Garry Dhaliwal
How do we get Swett & Crafford from Atlanta, GA to file a claim to their E & O Policy ???
June 3rd, 2013 at 7:17 pm #Jason
Garry,
When you file a written, formal complaint to Swett & Crafford, they should be obligated to notify their E&O carrier of their exposure. If that doesn’t get them to involve their E&O carrier, a lawsuit will most certainly require them to notify, and involve, their E&O carrier of your claim.
E&O insurance coverage is rarely ever needed to respond to claims unless serious and blatant error or omissions have occurred.
You may want to seek the counsel of an attorney to see if you situation qualifies for the E&O insurance company involvement. Without knowing the details, it most likely does not.
July 19th, 2013 at 1:37 pm #Miriam
I have had two separate nightmare experiences with STATE FARM INSURANCE. In both instances they denied my claim. I live in a vertical condominium that has CC&Rs which clearly set forth the fact that the “owner” is responsible for all single use pipes and their hot water heaters. Owners are reminded annually that they should have routine inspections and maintenance performed on their water heaters. Owners have sole access and control the tanks located in their individual units.
The water heater in the unit above me (owned by a private trust, managed by a realty company and rented to a lovely single mom) burst flooding my kitchen for at least two hours. State Farm said that because it could not have been anticipated (no visual evidence) that the tank would burst, the owner/State Farm was not liable.
I know for a fact that the owner (a trust) never performs routine inspections or maintenance on the tank. All printed material suggests that the tanks needed to be drained at least once a year to remove sediment that causes the tanks to corrode. In any event, State Farm drug this out for two months and then called to say my claim was denied.
Meanwhile, I sit with huge holes in my ceiling and wall and no funds to repair the damage without making a claim on my policy, which in turn will probably cause my rates to go up.
A BIG THUMBS DOWN TO STATE FARM. THEY EXIST TO COLLECT PREMIUMS AND TO NOT PAY CLAIMS. THEY PROBABLY REWARD THEIR CLAIMS REPS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CLAIMS DENIED.
July 22nd, 2013 at 7:47 am #Jason
Miriam,
Insurance companies don’t care about the clear maintenance language, or even vague maintenance language, in a condo bylaws. If there is no negligence of their insured, they won’t accept liability where none exists. Even if the maintenance was done as indicated, that will not assure a water leak will not ever occur. Accidents happen and that is the purpose of you having insurance on your unit – to provide coverage for things out of your control.
July 29th, 2013 at 7:48 pm #Nate
Insurance is a crazy biz. My mother’s former homeowners would only cover her pianio for 25K, half of it’s 50K value. Chubb came to the rescue. They cover higher end homes but don’t yank your chain when it’s their time to belly up. My home wasn’t high enough in value only 550K. Eded up with Encompass a notch below Chubb. Only great things to say about them, top notch insurance company and not much more than the average companies.
September 10th, 2013 at 8:26 pm #Mary
Can anyone comment on Acuity? Rates are reasonable. I’m wondering how they respond when a claim is filed. Thank you.
September 10th, 2013 at 8:36 pm #Jason
Mary,
On this site, there is an area to look at certain companies at the top of this page called BEST AND WORST INSURANCE COMPANIES. Acuity isn’t in those categories. Other than asking, you can do independent research on the internet to see comments or ratings of Acuity claims feedback.
Personal experience and research has given me comfort that Amica and USAA are top rated companies that have good claim feedback from their customers.
September 10th, 2013 at 8:48 pm #Mary
Thank you for your speedy response, Jason. I had looked at the BEST AND WORST INSURANCE COMPANIES lists at the top of the page. Since I didn’t see Acuity there, I thought I’d ask whether you or others had any experience with them. I appreciate your recommendations and your taking the time to maintain this blog.
September 10th, 2013 at 8:57 pm #Jason
Mary,
You can look at bbb ratings, claim complaints, other things with acuity. I find nothing of concern doing a quick review of acuity. I would say that your claim response with acuity would be acceptable.
September 14th, 2013 at 8:37 pm #Amanda
This may be off topic, but I know your all a bunch of insurance legal ease. I live In Oklahoma an obvious high policy state. However, I have began to notice that my policy premiums are 3,4,5x the state average, with only 1 claim ever being made by me which was recent. I’ve had the policy since 2008, it’s an ACV homeowners policy for up to 115k replacement, $1500 deductible. My home is built 1984,1200 sq feet fire hydren in my front yard, a fire station less than 1 mile and I live in an incredibly low crime city (almost unheard of,besides normal teenagers goofing off). So why do you think I’m getting quotes for $3,000 annual premiums??? Is there anything I’m not doing, that could be doing to get a lower premium. This just seems outrageous.
September 15th, 2013 at 8:25 am #Jason
Amanda,
The way you might be looking for insurance quotes such as online quotes or with big insurance companies such as state farm, allstate, or farmers may be the wrong approach to find the best insurance deal.
Find an independent insurance agent and have him/her find you some competitive insurance rates. To have an ACV policy for your home makes no sense when you should have a replacement policy for much less.
With an independent agent, they can compare several different company’s rates with other companies and find you the most competitive rates for your insurance needs. You can even try a couple of different independent agents in your area and let them do the work of finding you the best deal. Your single claim should not be a huge factor that puts you out of the competive market for insurance coverage. With home owner insurance, longevity with a single company does not guarantee you the lowest rates. Insurance comapanies don’t seem to reward long-term customers so look for a different company immediately.
Currently, my home and personal property is insured for replacement w/$1000 deducitlbe for a home described much like yours. The premium I pay is $366/year. It’s a small mutual insurance company in Wisconsin that insures homes in the the mostly rural, and some smaller urban, areas of the upper midwest area. You should be able to find something much less expensive.
You are not off topic. Premiums are an important part of insurance, and are as important as receiving a fair claim payout when you do have a claim.
September 21st, 2013 at 1:15 pm #Jeff
I made a home insurance claim 5 years ago to fix a leaky sunroom caused by snow damage. Since then, the roof has leaked a bit in extreme weather. We have had a fer roofers in to try and fix problems but we have recently been told that the roof was not built to code. It is a metal roof and does not have enough pitch to allow water to run off quickly enough. Is my insurance responsible for this after all this time?
September 21st, 2013 at 3:36 pm #Jason
Jeff,
No – the one responsible for the roof not having enough pitch is the person or company who built the roof. Due to the amount of time since the roof was placed on the structure, it is very unlikely you will be able to collect from that person or company. Your insurance cannot control the actions of contractors and builders.
Although the insurance won’t pay to correct a deficiently built roof, they may cover the water damage. You have to keep in mind that insurance covers sudden and accidental damage unless the cause of damage is excluded. There is nothing sudden about a roof that leaks because its pitch is too low; in fact, it’s expected to leak on occassion.
October 1st, 2013 at 8:38 am #Suengineer
I’ve had my autos insured with USAA for 22 years now, and as long as they keep working like they do, I’ll never insure with anyone else. Claims have been paid VERY fairly and VERY quickly. That being said, I’m researching homeowners insurance right now, and I’m finding that USAA not only has higher premiums, but their services come up short. Perhaps they should start using their auto insurance adjusters start handling their homeowner claims.
October 1st, 2013 at 9:11 am #Jason
Suengineer,
Good to hear about USAA paying very fairly and quickly. We all have come to expect that of USAA. The higher premium may still be worth it for USAA and your homeowner coverage. I can’t accept your statement that USAA is ranked poorly in service and claim payments for home owner insurance. Industry-wide, that is not the general consensus.
However, if you are intent on switching, look at Amica, or some smaller mutual insurance companies that have good claim payment ratings. When it comes to claim payment ratings, that is kind of important and should outweigh the premium concerns, even if the premiums are higher. If you want both high premiums and poor claim payment service, look into Farmers or Allstate.
October 2nd, 2013 at 1:30 pm #Suengineer
Jason, thank you for the input. I’ll definitely check further into USAA.
I know that CSE Insurance Group is on the “Worst” list above, but can anyone provide some more specific/detailed feedback? I work at a State job, and received a quote for insurance from them, but I agree that it’s worth a little more money to get better service.
October 2nd, 2013 at 4:06 pm #Jason
Suengineer,
Here are a couple of real-person reports of CSE:
“I had a claim for water damage and I am surprised how disorganized and incompetent CSE is. They demanded that I only use their contractors, who only offered to install inferior products. CSE is a insurance company to stay away from. It seems like everyone in the claim process know each other and are buddies, and are there only to take advantage of the insured. Stay away from CSE, better to purchase insurance from a larger and more well known company like Farmers, etc.” – California
*****Comment by Jason – Farmers may be well known but you don’t want to trade one bad insurance company for another one.*****
‘Worst insurance company in the business. Harasses you when you make a claim and does not pay on claims, and makes you use their contractors, who offer inferior, low quality work. ***STAY AWAY FROM CSE*** – Anonymous
There is a reason CSE is on the bottom. Most people would pay a higher premium if they could forecast the future and see how terrible their company is when they make a claim.
January 10th, 2014 at 6:22 pm #Steve
As a Public Adjuster I can assure you that ALL insurance companies are looking out for their best interest, which is their company. I am so puzzled when I am speaking to a possible client at the time after their loss, mostly fire, and they tell me that they are covered by their insurance company and don’t need to pay for my services. I what to shake them and say “it’s the fox guarding the henhouse. Dont you see that?” Understand that after any loss, car, home etc. you have become a liability to the insurance company and they want to pay you off at the lowest amount you will take and move on to the next claimant. It is your responsibility to prove what you lost and show any documentation to support your claim. So many insureds believe that Nationwide is on their side and they are in goods hands…Wrong! If you think you can outsmart the insurance without help form a Public Adjuster you are very mistaken. You wouldn’t go to court without a lawyer would you? So when I read these post above, about how bad the insurance company was, well it was your fault for not seeking help and believing those adds we see on T.V. using our football hero’s like Coach Harbaugh. Insurance is big business and they didn’t get that way by paying large losses.
January 10th, 2014 at 7:54 pm #Jason
As a contributor that has posted responses to thousands of questions on this site, let me expand on Steve’s statements.
For the most part, he is correct that the insurance company’s are in the business to make money. In order to make money and exist as an on-going venture, the insurance company has to keep it’s revenue coming in and pay for actuarily assumed claim costs that are payable by the policy. The insurance company has to do this in a fair manner in order to keep to keep their revenue coming in. If they fail to live up to their policy coverages and customers leave, the insurance company will lose money and that could lead to the company failing. Overall, if an insurance company is collecting an appropriate premium from its customers, it should be able to appropriately pay for the losses of its customers. The on-going success of an insurance company requires satisfied customers and if the claims are settled fairly, then they will retain the customers to continue their continual business arrangement.
Now, let’s talk about public adjusters. Steve didn’t mention that public adjusters represent the claim for insureds usually on a percentage basis. This percentage differs but let’s say they charge 30-40 percent of the total claim value. This means if you have $20,000 worth of damage to your home, you will pay the public adjuster $6000-8000 of the $20,000 you receive from the insurance company.
So, that leaves you with $12,000-14,000 to repair $20,000 worth of damage. I think this example makes it clear what is going on.
One additional thing I would like to add is that if you have a total loss of your primary residence in WI, TX, OH, or 17 other states that has a valued policy law, you will collect the face value of your policy of your claim settlement with very little effort. However, in this case if you contracted with a public adjuster, they will require you to pay 30-40% of your policies face value just because you signed a contract with a public adjuster. A public adjuster for a total loss in a valued policy state makes a public adjuster much, much worse than a fox in a hen house. Just do the math.
Steve compares a public adjuster to a lawyer. A lawyer is not a public adjuster and a public adjuster is not a lawyer. Don’t go to court with a public adjuster when you need a lawyer.
Now, to be fair to public adjusters, they can serve a purpose to help an insured obtain coverage for an otherwise denied claim. However, since the payment to either a lawyer or a public adjuster is about the same percentage, you have to weigh who will help you more based on your specific circumstances, especially if you and the insurance company have to settle differences in court.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:04 pm #Moderator1
To elaborate on public adjuster fees. Most public adjusters typically charge 10% on a $100,000 loss where there are no coverage issues. Some public adjusters will lower the fee percentage as the loss size goes up. I have seen Greenspan charge 3% (Three) on a $500,000 covered fire loss. But if the claim was denied, msot public adjusters would not take a denied claim for less than 30% to 50%. Any public who wants over 15% on a covered loss should be considered very carefcully and price shopped, IMO.
January 13th, 2014 at 12:28 am #Dee
I had an auto accident the other driver was at fault. We both had liabilty insurance. I am being told that even though my max is $50k (plus $2k for medical) that $15k from the other insurance company is deducted from my maximum. This limits my insurance companys liability to me to $35k. Is this the way insurance companys legally reduce their liability even though I was paying for $50k in coverage? The other driver was under insured and that was the maximum on their policy.
January 13th, 2014 at 7:50 am #Jason
Dee,
In your third sentence, who told you that? I have to ask because it makes no sense. And because your question refers to statements that don’t make sense, I am unable to answer the question.
Rephrase your question and/or don’t tie the question to unreliable information someone told you.
January 17th, 2014 at 8:50 pm #PROGRESSIVE SUCKS
PROGRESSIVE IS BY FAR THE WORST AND WILL FIGHT EVERY PENNY TO NOT HAVE TO PAY A CLAIM OF THERE AT FAULT DRIVERS. POLICY LIMITS OF $25,000 MEDICAL BILLS AND WAGE LOSS OF $96,000 Setttlement OFFER $1,500. is that legal? well then they fight you tooth and nail make you hire an attorney drag on for years and end up paying $0.00. SUCH A JOKE!
January 17th, 2014 at 8:57 pm #Jason
Progressive,
Yes, progressive is rated as one of lowest rated insurance companies but based on your usage of capital letters in your post, you are speaking on the basis of emotion rather than facts.
You have not mentioned anything about your case other than an offer so it is impossible to comment with any clarity. Offers are based on circumstances of each claim.
If you hired an attorney, you may need to find out what happened from your attorney’s perspective. If we were to comment, we would be shooting in the dark.
February 22nd, 2014 at 10:53 am #robert sanders/stansberry costruction
Hi, I’ve been in the insurance construction business in Nevada since 1969. At one time or another I have been on all the major carriers preferred contractors list in good standing. After hurricane Andrew in the early 90’s I notice a change in the way they handle their insured. Prior to then they would bend over backwards to cover the claim properly. then it changed from replace it to repair or deny it. That’s where I drew the line if I couldn’t do correctly I wouldn’t do it all. As you might guess one by one I lost there business. In Nevada your name is everything and once you pull a permit to do the repair your name stays with that property forever. I’ve had realitors call me 10 years later to see if remember or still had a file on that job. So to get to point I’ll explain something. In the early years I would work hand in hand to not off the public adjustor because the insurance would cover everything needed to do the job correctly. Now you have to fight to get it to pass building codes even if you have code upgrades. I got tired of that so I started working public adjustors. They know what should be covered and fight tooth an nail to get it . In last ten years every customer I’ve worked with has come better covered claim wise because the insurance company knows they can’t get away with anything. I’ve never seen P.A. charge more than 10% in the whole time I’ve work with them and in if the customer with sign with me to repairs I would part of or all of the 10% to the PA. So it’s a win win for the insured. I can only speak for Las Vegas a Public Adjustor or well Qualified insurance contractor and not one they provide is the way to go.
February 27th, 2014 at 12:55 pm #Margaret Naper
Fireman’s Fund is the insurer from HELL! They are promoted by the brokers who sell Chubb which is top drawer. I used Fireman’s Fund for 7 properties I owned, one duplex got stripped and I had $40,000 worth of receipts for materials I had purchased during a rehab. FF spent months trolling around town trying to find someone who would help them incriminate me for fraud. People let me know what they were up to. Then when they could find no one, they argued that there was no way I had that amount of merchandise in the property because it wouldn’t fit in there. I had witnesses and store managers who verified delivery. Then they fought me for a whole year back and forth, giving me supposed developer tract housing pricing per square foot for the repairs. It was hell on earth dealing with this scum. I complained to my broker and she replied “We only insure rich people” What????? They loved taking my $$$ no problem..that was Elaine Sevilla of AON Private Risk Management.
Well in the end FF paid maybe 10 cents on the dollar and due to a crazy Illinois law insurers can get away with not paying any claims under $70,000. Beware of this horrible company, they are pure evil and so dangerous to deal with. What if I had had an enemy out there who wanted to hurt me? They wanted me in jail instead of paying a claim!
March 11th, 2014 at 5:46 pm #David
The experience I had with Chubb was positive. They evaluated the claim fairly and paid it at an appropriate stage of the process.
June 10th, 2014 at 2:35 pm #Jonathan Ojeda
I got to a car accident a couple years ago and now is coming to the time that’s about to be settled but the final the main table with a different number how long does it take for USAA to reissue out a check with the right amount
June 10th, 2014 at 10:41 pm #Jason
Jonathan,
Post a coherent post with a coherent question.
After trying to read your post several times, it looks like you may need to contact USAA’s check issuing department intead of this site. I believe USAA has distinguished itself as a fair and reliable insurance company.
July 15th, 2014 at 1:05 pm #George B
I live in Tucson Az. A micro storm hit our neighborhood house and took off his roof. It the roof landed on my car,park next door on the street.
The neighbor has AllState insurance.
My car only had liability on it. So my insurance is not in the picture.
I called his agent and left a message there is damage on my car. I think it is totaled.
I am a Vietnam vet and I had the car I saved for a month. Now wiped out.
What can you tell me about coverage from Allstate insurance and potential problems with them paying me and the damage caused by thier house to my car and other homes around?
Can I get a rent a car? Is my car covered by Allstate?
I am low income and don’t know what to do.
July 15th, 2014 at 6:39 pm #Jason
George,
You will not receive a dime from Allstate. Allstate owes you nothing. It doesn’t matter from whose house the material that damaged your car was from. When it is removed by a storm, it is considered debris and an act of nature. No one is responsible for acts of nature.
If you want to get a rental, get a rental. Be aware that you will pay the entire cost of the rental and you won’t be reimbursed by anyone or any company.
If you want your car to be protected, you need to have physical damage insurance for your car. Since you had none, you will absorb the entire loss yourself. I keep repeating this – don’t rely on other people’s insurance to protect your property.
July 17th, 2014 at 5:37 pm #JAB
A note about Amica for homeowners insurance:
I was going to go with them because multiple reviews gave it top ratings, including a 2014 Consumer Reports.
Unfortunately, they said it was an automatic decline if you live in California and the foundation is not bolted (independent of whether or not you want earthquake coverage).
As this is an insurance policy for a house that I am purchasing and do not yet own, I had the inspector investigate the foundation, and it is in excellent shape despite not being bolted. I plan to have it bolted in the first year or two… so perhaps I will give Amica a chance after that.
July 27th, 2014 at 6:05 am #Not so Fast
Auto Owners of Michigan is terrible for not paying claims. I just cancelled my policy with them because of them refusing to pay a claim. They will take thousands in premiums but will avoid paying a claim at all cost.
August 4th, 2014 at 1:58 pm #Not so Fast Too
Not so fast about Hartford providing great service. I had Harftord homeowners coverage and had a large hail damage claim. A huge storm that damaged hundreds of homes throughout our area, Colorado. They (Hartford) were absolutely terrible about altering the damages submitted by an independent appraiser (which they hired by the way) to chop down the amount of the settlement, and they never did pay fully for the replacement cost of several damaged windows where the window frame was broken by the large hail stones. They claimed it was only the glazing bead, not the frame. Even though they were never on site and just going off of digital pictures which clearly showed the damage to the frame. Then, a year after I dropped them the insurance agent said that Hartford would have paid, BUT no one told me that while the claim was still open.
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September 17th, 2014 at 1:29 pm #Sally
How do you rate USAA for car and/or home insurance? Thanks,
September 17th, 2014 at 1:33 pm #Sally
Any thoughts on Allied?
September 17th, 2014 at 2:21 pm #Jason
Sally,
Don’t take my word for it. Do some research. There is a good link at the top of this page to the Best and Worst Rated Insurance Companies.
USAA is a good insurance company. You will have to do research on Allied. I am not familiar with Allied’s claim satisfaction rankings.
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November 1st, 2014 at 9:43 pm #Tina
I was at a 5 lane intersection going through green. I was hit by a progressive girl driver going through red. My husband came later to the sceen when she admitted she”zoned out and went through the red light”. I went to hosp by amb. Is my Husband considered a witness since he was not involved or not since he is related? We don’t have the Police report yet.
I am hearing alot of bad Progressive from friends who are agents and my Sister in-law who is an attorney. I dont know how they will be on the payout end. Will they try to repair my suv or total it out like i want since it was t-boned? I know it depends on the auto body estimate. I am just wondering how they are?
I am traumatized.. people have to drive like it’s their last day and pay attention!!!!…ruined by life..at least for now.
thank you
November 2nd, 2014 at 7:04 am #Jason
Tina,
Who cares how progressive is? Just file a claim with your insurance and deal with the company you picked to insure your vehicle. Your company will even collect your ded. from progressive and return it to you.
The only thing you should work with progressive with is your bodily injury claim.
Ignore what others are saying about progressive because it doesn’t matter since you will use your own collision insurance to settle your claim.
November 2nd, 2014 at 12:59 pm #Tina
Jason,
thank you for that..
My other question was is my Husband considered a witness since he was not involved in the accident. He did not see the accident, but the other driver admitted to him she ran the red light when he came to the sceen to see it all. Is this here say?
My insurance covers the medical not progressive, so i dont know what you mean about the bodily injury claim. please explain.
thank you.
November 2nd, 2014 at 1:25 pm #Jason
Tina,
Your husband cannot be a witness if he did not witness the accident. The police accident report is all the documentation you need for the claim. Your husband’s statements about what the other driver said would be hear-say. It holds no weight unless the other driver provided it as an excited utterance or something similar. Since it really doesn’t matter since you likely have an accident report, don’t worry about the stuff your husb. can confirm.
Your medical insurance coverage will pay for your medical bills as they are incurred. Your health insurance may also be involved too, if needed, prior to the injury settlement with progressive. Since you were injured, you will have a bodily injury claim with progressive. They will offer you a one-time payment that includes pain/suffering and your medical bills paid by your insurance company. They will ask that you sign a release for that payment. (The bodily injury claim information above may not be correct if you live in one of the following states: FL, MI, NJ, NY, PA, HI, KS, KY, MA, MN, ND, and UT. For more information about this if you live in one of these states, check out this website – ecoverage (dot) com/articles-what-is-no-fault-auto-insurance-and-which-states-have-it.php )
If you have collision coverage, file the vehicle damage with your own insurance company and let your insurance company settle the vehicle damage part of your claim. Your insurance will then ask progressive to reimburse them (and also collect your deductible to send back to you). (No fault states effect this coverage too.)
November 2nd, 2014 at 7:53 pm #Tina
Thank you so much for the information. It is really helpful. I am so glad I found this site. It is a great site!!!
You cleared up all the questions i was not clear on, nor could anyone else answer.
thank you again,
Tina
November 7th, 2014 at 9:23 pm #Bob
Safeco is rated number 3. What a joke! I am a contractor that is fighting with them right now. We gave a standard price to fix these people’s home from a water leak. My quote is very close to two others, but they got Talley construction to give a low ball bid to patch things instead of properly repairing the real damage. What a nightmare!
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November 14th, 2014 at 12:45 pm #Mike Shrout
Hi,
I just wanted to respond to the comment in the notes above about agents not fighting for the customer, especially captive agents. I am a captive agent for Nationwide Insurance. I go to bat for my customer when necessary. If I feel the customer is right I will help them resolve the issue with the company. Although this does not come up too often, it does happen. I follow every claim from the beginning to end to make sure it’s being handled quickly and to make sure things are going smoothly. The customer is paying me to do a job for them and I want to make sure they are being treated fairly. I am very proud of Nationwide and their claims service as your post indicates.
Sincerely
Mike Shrout
December 3rd, 2014 at 8:59 am #chris romo
stay away from infinity insurance I live 5 miles away from their headquarters in Cerritos ca took them a week to figure out my incident and then they tell me I can’t take my truck to a place of my choice because I have a 8020 policy which was BS 8020 means they pay for 80% of the damage and I pay 20% plus my $500 deductible that is insane.cm53
December 8th, 2014 at 9:21 pm #Deborah
Allstate has requested that I be questioned under oath for a house theft?
Why is this necessary,? I live in Illinois , I have provided them wth invoices and appraisals, why this?
December 9th, 2014 at 3:51 am #Jason
Deborah,
Something about your claim needs further investigation. If things don’t make sense, the insurance company can do exactly what they are requesting. You may want to consult with an attorney since an examination under oath (EUO) is kind of an important thing.
December 21st, 2014 at 10:35 pm #crt
I am now a widow because a driver insured with state farm was driving under the influence and fell asleep at the wheel killing my husband and the driver has been lying about who was driving and even tho the police report says my husband wasn’t driving it was in fact their insured who was responsible due to his negligence who killed my husband and yet the insurance company is refusing to pay. I got a lawyer and they still won’t pay it’s been 6 months now and Im now facing homelessness and I’ve had to sell all my cars and almost all of my belongings just to keep food in much belly and now that it’s Xmas season I have nothing to give to my loved ones all because this driver who wanted to drive high is lying to state farm…. I get to further more suffer…….. just fantastic
January 23rd, 2015 at 10:12 am #rfp
One thing I can say without hesitation and without equivocation, when it comes to paying bodily injury claims, the absolute, hands-down, undisputed worse company is AllState.
As an attorney that has worked 20+ trying to help people (not chasing ambulances, but just helping people who are getting screwed), Allstate is an embarrassment. Even when the injured person is Allstate’s own insured (an uninsured claim or underinsured claim), Allstate treats these people like they are all liars and cheats. Many of these people have had all of their insurance with Allstate for years and have never filed a claim before.
If you are hit and go and see a doctor, Allstate will say that your doctor charged you too much, so it only pays a portion of the bill (like the insured had any control over what a doctor or hospital charges for the services). If you are out of work, Allstate will argue that you could have gone back to work. And God forbid you might actually have a permanent injury – because Allstate doesn’t believe losing the ability to walk, run, or enjoy life has any merit.
I am not talking about insureds who are looking for a free ride or hoping to strike it rich with a “legal lottery ticket.” I am referring to the people exactly like you and me who mind their own business, pay their bills and just try to earn an honest living.
I have had Allstate adjusters laugh on the phone, bragging about how they are Allstate and they don’t pay. (I wish it was legal in my state for me to record a conversation.)
I cannot think one client that elected to stay with Allstate after they endured the experience that Allstate put them through. Every time I see one of their commercials saying how Allstate will protect them, I want to throw rocks at the TV.
January 23rd, 2015 at 7:36 pm #Jason
rfp,
Your comments are about a company that ranks very highly in customer claim dissatisfacton. It’s not only allstate who is in this category, it is also Farmers.
If you have farmers or allstate, realize there are way better options as far as insurance companies. Make the switch now.
February 17th, 2015 at 2:48 pm #Mark White
Last year we had an incident with my girlfriends car ,her 12 year old son and the neighbors house. She was gonna be nice and let him back the car out of the garage into the driveway so he could wash the car. Well that’s when it went bad. My girlfriend had the drivers door open, standing next to him in the drivers seat talking him through. Next thing his foot slipped off the brake and he hit the accelerator and ended up across the street running into the outside corner of the neighbors garage. No one was seriously hurt. She has liability insurance and the neighbors have the same insurance company we do. That made things easier, so I thought. There was damage to the corner of the garage, the door frame for the garage door, the corner structure, the brick face and siding. Maybe $2,500 to $3,500 in damages. So the neighbor was fighting the insurance co. because he wanted his whole house resided because it didn’t match. I believe they are trying to sue us because they didn’t get their way with the insurance co. What are my options?
February 17th, 2015 at 7:16 pm #Jason
Mark,
You probably aren’t being sued unless you have been served a summons and complaint.
As Aaron Rodgers said in the early part of the 2014 season, R. E. L. A. K., relax. Disputes arise between insured’s, claimants, and insurance companies all the time. If your neighbor doesn’t get what she wants out of his/her insurance company, he/she can always use his/her side of his/her insurance company as the insured instead of as the claimant.
If your neighbor would use his/her insurance company as the insurance company for claimant damage, the insurance company would settle the differences internally and everything will be fine.
It is very improbable that you will be sued by your neighbor. The insurance company will figure out a way to settle your neighbor’s claim. If your neighbor sues you, don’t worry, your insurance company will be there to defend you against your neighbor (and your insurance company) suing you. (And they will pay the legal bills and judgment if you lose.)
In summary, this is nothing you should be concerned about.
June 22nd, 2015 at 11:58 am #BungalowMo
I have read much here about USAA & how they are at paying claims fairly & quickly…when YOU are the policyholder.
How are they when THEIR policy holder makes an illegal left into MY vehicle?
June 22nd, 2015 at 1:51 pm #Jason
Bungalow,
USAA is a very reputable insurance company and when I say that, it depicts all aspects of their business.
If you prefer, you can file your claim with your insurance company. After your claim is settled, your insurance company will then collect your recoverable deductible from USAA and return it to you.
July 17th, 2015 at 2:36 pm #Nancy
We have had not 1, 2 but 3 horrible experiences with ussa after being customers foe 25 years straight we are leaving. They came to our home after a horrible storm and the auditor said there was 14 thousand dollars worth of damage but only paid a check to us for 2,500. That was expected to replace a roof and other damage. Next my husband was in a horrible hit and run car accident. We have uninsured coverage. They wouldn’t pay us for his necessary surgeries. We had to take them to court. 6 years later they fimall paid it.
July 17th, 2015 at 7:15 pm #Jason
Nancy,
I continue to say USAA is a good insurance company.
I don’t know the details of you homeowner’s claim but from what you indicated, I fail to see how your claim was handled in a manner other than what you had coverage for.
Seems the insurance paid for the surgeries. Without additional information, I don’t see how things were not handled the way they should have been.
Since USAA is a good company, it is not likely you will find a company that is rated any better than they are. You may want to review insurance companies and reconsider leaving USAA.
As always, I will advise you to review insurance company claim ratings and make sure you avoid allstate and farmers since both those companies rate very highly in customer claim dissatisfaction.
July 24th, 2015 at 6:44 pm #systemBuilder
I would really love to know about your rating methodology? Because I am looking for hard science and considering a switch to a lower cost insurer. I like the JD Power customer ratings, but there aren’t enough. I also want to know about financial strength, but a company with AAA financial strength probably got there by never paying any claims! We have used State Farm (Illinois, CA), AAA (SoCal), and SafeCo, with awesome results for the first 2 and no opportunity observe for the third. Thank you.
July 24th, 2015 at 6:51 pm #systemBuilder
(plz merge with previous comment) – State Farm for auto AAA+++ (adjuster estimated $1500 damage after car-theft to beat $1000 deductable and give me new locks for a do-it-yourself fixit), AAA(SoCal) for car insurance (promptly paid 3 claims including one where I ruined a bumper hitting a pylon on a dark street, on my word of honor.) All are stand-up firms.
July 25th, 2015 at 8:38 am #Jason
system,
There is no science to insurance company ratings. You can look for it all you want but what you have to rely on is claim customer satisfaction.
Financial strength is meaningless in this country. If an insurance company is going bankrupt, their state insurance commissioner will have another company absorb the failing company. I cannot stress how insignificant financial rating is.
How is a corrupt act by an adjuster to beat a $1000 deductible a stand-up representation of an insurance company? To anybody, that would be shady and best, and actually bordering upon fraud. I will never support insurance fraud by any party.
August 3rd, 2015 at 2:18 pm #Cathy B
We have been loyal USAA customers for well over thirty years. As most comments suggest, every company is terrific until you have a claim. They do pay the claims in a timely fashion and for that we are grateful. My complaint is that they raise your rates when you have a claim. The rates are already high to begin with. After a recent claim, I noticed that they increased the cost for the automobile policy, but other policies as well ( as if they thought I wouldn’t notice!). If my husband had slammed into someone while texting, I can see that, but when he is eating dinner and someone backs into his car that’s completely different. On a separate occasion, he was driving down our street when a neighbor’s 16 year old son (who should have never been given keys to a car) pulls out and hit his car as he drove past. Again not our fault. They used to be a great company, but I am leaving USAA and will not be back….
October 29th, 2015 at 5:20 pm #Jen L
Great thread, thank you everyone for your contributions. I’ve had State Farm for over 30 years – 10 years homeowners, no claims. They USED to be the best, but recently I was trying to figure out what to do about my damaged roof and was shocked at how bad their reputation is! I had filed a claim but 3 hours later cancelled it out of fear they would screw me over – raise my rates, drop me, deem me uninsurable etc. This is what many horror stories on the internet indicate, I’ve done lots of research. I uncovered too many horror stories. Then I started thinking, “Why am I with an insurance company like that?” Once I repair my roof, possibly even replace it, I’m looking for a new insurance company. Nationwide, Amica, Chubb, USAA (one neighbor in my similar situation with a 20 year old roof had it fully replaced recently, by USAA – no problem). Thanks again for your help!
October 29th, 2015 at 6:54 pm #Jason
Jen,
There are good insurance companies to choose from. It seems you’ve done your research.
Don’t be surprised if your roof claim shows up as a claim with $0 paid when you try to switch to another company.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:17 am #Jen L
Thanks Jason,
I thought about that, however since it was closed within 3 hours, the adjuster told me it would be on State Farm for “record only” but as “closed”. I looked on my records online, and that’s what it says. Not sure if it’s true but what’s done is done. I could re-open the claim if I decide to pursue this but dread the process. The original hail storm was 2008 – I was ignorant, didn’t even realized it. Paid for roof patch/ceiling replacement. Then last June after a month of rain/wind had a lot of moisture, had to replace several things (alarm glass break, light switch) and I have minor water damage on the ceiling and door frame – no bowing – it was very hot so everything dried up pretty quickly. THEN October 24, another storm came through and I noticed a new roof drip. Every roofer than has come though to assess states yes there is old hail damage – the roof is old however so the granules have flaked off so it’s harder to see the hail damage. Every one of them encouraged me to file an insurance claim. I did and then panicked it was the wrong choice so closed the claim. The confirmation email I received does state I can choose to reopen it and gives me guidelines to follow. Do you think if I re-opened the claim it would count as one claim or would it be a second claim? Another roofer is coming by Monday to assess. I KNOW they want to sell you a roof – that’s why I was skeptical in their advice. If it’s going to count as TWO CLAIMS if I choose to reopen it, I might as well forget it. Very expensive lesson learned. What do you think – any advice? Thank you for your help.
October 31st, 2015 at 7:38 pm #Jason
Jen,
record only or whatever term they want to assign it still represents a claim. It will show up as a hail damage claim w/$0 paid.
If you want to re-open that claim, it will not be another claim on your record.
You have your guidelines e-mailed to you to re-open that claim and re-opening it is entirely up to you.
Generally damage is covered for 1-2 years but hail may have damaged your roof at another time you did not notice or become aware. You indicate the original hail storm was in 08. That hail storm may or may not have damaged your roof and your roof may have been hail damaged during a different time.
You can simply make a hail claim by re-opening the current claim. You don’t have to indicate an occurrence date – let your insurance company determine that for you. Hail events happen more frequently than you can imagine. Your roofer can assist you with your claim by helping your adjuster identify the hail damage. You are correct that a roofer’s job is to sell a roof. A roofer watching out for his customer (you) will help you have your insurance company pay for the damage. Either way, they sell a new roof. Who do you want to pay for it?
November 23rd, 2015 at 5:21 pm #Jen L
I re-opened the claim. It was painless, they were very nice actually. They found wind damage and will be replacing my roof and all my ventilation pipes. I’m still in shock over it, and grateful. They are unable to verify any hail damage because the roof is older I guess – but the wind damage is enough for roof replacement. Thanks for your encouragement Jason, I hope this helps others too. Jen
November 23rd, 2015 at 6:49 pm #Jason
Jen,
Your feedback may help others. I encourage you to at least obtain quotes from several of the insurance companies you mentioned in your previous post. You may find a better company with a more competitive rate. As far as I’m concerned, nearly every homeowner policy is the nearly the same between all the different insurance companies.
In my experience and opinion, everyone of those companies you mentioned in better than state farm. And for further clarification, those companies are much, much better than both farmers and allstate. (This notification is for those of you that have farmers and allstate.)
December 24th, 2015 at 11:55 am #Dawn Kardokus
Wonderful, my daughter got T-boned yesterday by a girl that ran a red light. The girl has Allied for insurance. I guess we should prepare for a fight. I hate that we always make sure we have good insurance through a reputable company but we get hit by people that don’t.
December 24th, 2015 at 7:22 pm #Jason
Dawn,
Why should you expect a fight. Simply file your claim with your insurance company and they will take care of all the details. There should be no fight involved. I have no reason to believe Allied is not a reputable insurance company.
March 1st, 2016 at 9:10 am #michael massey
I see nationwide listed as the best this makes me want to puke. We are sixty days into a fire damage claim on our fifth wheel r/v out of pocket thousands of dollars and nationwide has not paid one red cent. Dragging there feet and no responsive WORST INSURANCE COMPANY EVER. when this claim is through I will run away from them as fast as I can. worst customer service ever
March 1st, 2016 at 10:57 am #Jason
michael,
Every insurance company is not only allowed, but obligated, to investigate any claim they see fit. Sometimes investigations take a long time. A loss by fire will take longer than losses by other causes.
I have no idea why you would be out thousands of dollars for a travel trailer that burned unless you lived in the trailer and used it as a dwelling and your expenses now include housing.
Regardless, if your insurance company pays for the fire to the travel trailer, it is very likely they will not consider additional living expenses as part of your claim. (This information is provided based on my assumption your out of pocket expenses include housing.)
March 19th, 2016 at 3:02 pm #Terrance Sprott
OK, I have now regained consciousness from falling out of my chair backwards. OMG! NATIONWIDE THE BEST AUTO INSURANCE COMPANY!!!
They are the only company I have ever had problems with. I am still trying to find out why my comprehensive coverage was denied.
I am in the process of continuing my adjuster training, hoping I won’t need to deal with this company. Every time I’m in a Public place and a Nationwide commercial comes on I explain to all present how they put the screws to my wife and I!!!
I gave the claim manager my word I wouldn’t disclose any info about our loss, as he was looking into actually settling it a month ago. However I am not going to wait much longer till I begin counter advertising again. This is going on over 2 years now and my patience is running out.
March 19th, 2016 at 3:13 pm #DJ Kardokus
I agree with you 100% Mr. Sprott. My husband and I were hit by a woman who had Nationwide for insurance and it was a 3 year battle. We had to get a lawyer and sue them. Fast forward to Dec. 23, 2015, a young woman ran a red light and T-boned our daughter. Luckily she was not severely injured but her car was totaled. Low and behold- Nationwide was her insurance company too. They are an absolute nightmare. I’m sure this will be another 3 year battle.
March 19th, 2016 at 3:13 pm #Terrance Sprott
I would like to add, Mr. Massey I completely understand. Jason, is it possible that Nationwide prefers not to settle a fire loss claim?? I will see what I hear from them this week. I asked for an update both by email, and via phone message last week, with no response. So, if I don’t hear something more than likely I will be enlisting the aid of an Attorney. Not too impressed at this point!!
March 19th, 2016 at 4:48 pm #Jason
Terrance,
I won’t assume anything other than Nationwide, just like any reputable insurance companies, prefers to settle all legitimate claims fairly, and in a timely manner. When a claim is presented for a fire loss, it generally takes longer to investigate with the additional parties that are involved.
May 13th, 2016 at 12:26 pm #Grant Howze
Titan Insurance (part of Nationwide) kept me in a rental car (that I am paying for) for 30 Days now. I received a check yesterday to repair my vehicle. The stub on the check shows NOTHING. The accident was caused by their insured making a U turn where no turns were allowed on a highway. California has a left turn default law that is so bad even if I had been intoxicated, on my cell phone and running a red light, he was making a U turn so the accident was his fault. Period. I was none of those, so there was never a question. They could not get ahold of their insured (he stated at the scene to the CHP the accident was all his fault, and told me after the CHP left that he would probably have his insurance cancelled for it, so I assume he refused to answer their phone calls. I have USAA which I would recommend to ANY veteran! Best service and most helpful insurance company I have ever dealt with. Plus super cheap rates!
September 12th, 2016 at 8:55 pm #Carol Ann Pevehouse
I was hoping to read more up to date information per2015 and 2016 years.
I am not happy at all with Farmers in Austin, Texas and I am trying to find a reputable agency. I had heard that Liberty Mutual was good for Realtors, which is my title and business.
Many thanks for your help,
Carol Ann Pevehouse
September 13th, 2016 at 3:09 am #Jason
Carol,
Farmers and Allstate are the insurance companies highest rated for customer claim dissatisfaction. If you are with either company, you have found 1 of the worst two companies as rated by actual customers. Liberty mutual, and other insurance companies are significantly better.
October 8th, 2016 at 6:16 am #KeepitReal
Nationwide is one of the Worst, home and, auto; this is a fact! 40 years legal experience dealing with them!
October 8th, 2016 at 6:54 am #Jason
KeepitReal,
Nationwide is ranked higher than most insurance companies based on claim customer satisfaction.
The legal aspect involving a company is significantly different than an insurance company’s claim culture. Although you indicate they are the worst, that isn’t fact, it’s your opinion.
I speculate that of all the interactions people have with insurance companies, 1-5% of those involve attorneys and the courts. Most interactions involve making a claim and settlement – for both insureds and claimants.
October 8th, 2016 at 7:02 pm #Jen L
Hi Jason, and friends, it’s me Jen, back again. Whewww! Since I filed the roof claim with State Farm, (my only claim in 10 years of home insurance) they have jacked up my insurance for home and auto big time ($96 month for auto – 12 mile a day driver, no tickets, no accidents, have only put 15,000 miles on a 3 year old car! and 1700k year for home insurance! with a supposed discount!)
I spent an hour face to face of my valuable time with the insurance agent. EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THEIR POLICIES NOW! Including me. Because there are so many grades between an $800 to $1700 home insurance policy and most of the upgrades are ABSURD! I won’t go into detail here, but ONE example: Do you know I’ve only been covered for Firearms, Jewelry and Fur, nothing else in my home? wtf? This is so outdated. I’m thinking I need a renters policy to cover my home belongings???!
I have heard SO MANY GREAT THINGS in the past year for HOME and AUTO about GEICO? What do you think?
Jen L
October 8th, 2016 at 8:09 pm #Jason
Jen,
Nice that you’re back.
You should be checking insurance rates at least every 3 years. State farm is a captive insurance company. Their agents can only sell state farm insurance. The best insurance shopping you can do is find a reputable independent insurance agent who can shop many different insurance companies based on your needs.
All of your personal property is covered in your home. In fact, all your personal property is covered no matter where it is located in the world. The reference to firearms, jewelry, and fur is that those specific categories of personal property have coverage limits. For example, if your loss on firearms was $10,000, and the firearms were stolen, the most insurance would pay is $2500 based on the policy language of:
f. $2,500 for loss by theft of firearms and related equipment.
Home coverage is fairly universal. There is the HO-2 policy that covers only for the perils of Fire, Lightning, Wind, Hail, Explosion, Riot/civil commotion, Aircraft, Vehicles, Smoke, Theft, Vandalism/Malicious Mischief, Glass Breakage, Pipe Freezing, Volcanic Eruption, Falling Objects, Weight of Ice, Sleet, Snow, Collapse, and Electric Current.
The HO-3 covers everything for the home except those conditions that are excluded. The personal property coverage of an HO-3 has named peril coverage similar to the names perils of the HO-2 above.
The HO-5 provides coverage for both the home and personal property for everything except those conditions that are excluded.
I personally just switched to geico for my automobile coverage. As far as I’m concerned automobile coverage is pretty much the same. My final determination is the price.
From my understanding, geico doesn’t provide homeowner insurance, but instead acts as an agent and farms your home coverage just like an independent agent does to another insurance company. Geico’s home insurance is produced by Geico Insurance Agency. That leads me to believe geico is only an agent and are not actually the company who insures the property.
If you have a homeowner policy, you don’t need a renters policy. That would be redundant and the Other Insurance policy provisions would kick in and complicate your entire claim.
Not only do people need to read their policies, they also need to understand and comprehend those policies. Most people don’t read their policies and nearly nobody understands them – because they are so complicated.
December 25th, 2016 at 3:19 am #Robert Taylor
OK. Let’s talk turkey here. I’ve had three separate claims with Nationwide over the past 10 years. The first — my parked car was hit by someone with Nationwide insurance — they paid wonderfully, but it was also less than $1,000 to fix. The second — I was injured in an accident, and made a claim under the NO FAULT part of the policy for my medical and disability benefits — they would only partially pay, saying that because I was self-employed, they couldn’t determine how much money I had been earning prior to the wreck; know that they didn’t deny that I was disabled for about six months, but only that they wouldn’t pay the claim of roughly $3,000. Third — hail storm messes up roof on office building — Nationwide steers us to their “preferred” contractor, who immediately subcontracted work to a crew of illegal aliens; the job was botched in many ways. Nationwide claims people told us that if we used their preferred contractor, we would have a three year warranty on the job. Well, as would be expected, when the $20,000 job was totally botched, Nationwide refused to back it up and get the work done over the right way with another contractor; every time we have a heavy rain, water comes dripping into the office, almost as bad as it was before the repairs were made.
So, you tell me — should Nationwide be at the top of anyone’s list of “good” insurance companies to do business with? There are a LOT of other companies to buy your insurance from; I suggest you do so.
December 25th, 2016 at 4:07 am #Jason
Robert,
Your input supports that nationwide continues to remain a favorable insurance company relating to claim customer satisfaction. Your roof was damaged and they paid for it’s repair. As the property owner, you can choose any contractor you want – you should resist being steered. You saw the crew of illegal aliens doing your roof but you let them continue. Your issue is not an issue of the insurance company, but that of the contractor you chose. Perhaps you should list the contractor’s name so people can avoid that contractor.
December 25th, 2016 at 7:20 pm #Jen L
I’ve done my research. I’m going to be leaving State Farm after 30+ years. What a scam. I’ll be moving to Geico. I feel good about that. No claims so far, and don’t expect any.
Gieco appreciates that! State Farm just nails you to the wall every angle, to pad their own pocket. Gieco likes to make money but is reasonable about it. I think Gieco will drive State Farm out of business in 30 years or less, just by being reasonable. Take 60% not 90%!
Jen
January 4th, 2017 at 10:15 am #Robert Taylor
Jason, you deliberately missed the point. Nationwide promosed to guarantee the work of their preferred contractors, and told us that they would warrant the work for three years. But when the job was botched, Nationwide refused to pay for the bad work to be redone.
January 4th, 2017 at 10:33 am #Mike Shrout
Robert Taylor. Sorry for your bad experience. I have been a Nationwide agent for 38 years. I can count on one hand of a few “Botch” claims that the adjuster handled. Was your agent involved in the claim? If not he should have been. I follow up on every claim to make sure it’s going properly. There have been times I have stepped in and helped the customer and it was resolved in their favor. In my experience as an agent, Nationwide does an excellent job on their claims. I doubt any company will have a perfect record of handling every claim correctly.
January 4th, 2017 at 1:29 pm #Erika
Sadly, I am seeing a lot of positive things about AMICA. I have been a client of theirs for years, both auto and home. I have had to file 2 small claims (was hit in a small fender bender and years later had my car broken into) and both of these claims DID NOT go smoothly. They have wonderful customer service (the people you talk to on the phone are always pleasant), but in my experience, it wasn’t enough to make up for their flaws. After my car’s break in, I was in a rental for 30 days while they were going back and forth with the dealership doing the repairs about parts. More importantly, they made a HUGE accident when my car was hit. The at-fault’s insurence paid for the small repairs, but AMICA mistakenly declared my car a total loss. I didn’t find out until I tried to sell the car 6 years later! They admitted it was a mistake. They don’t have any records of doing it and don’t know how it happened and it is pretty much “my problem” now. Which is extremely unfortunate since it decreased the resale value of my car by thousands! Definitely consider skipping AMICA when you are insurance shopping!!
January 4th, 2017 at 4:39 pm #Jason
Robert,
You responded again and didn’t include the name of the contractor. You also had a nationwide agent respond to your concerns, who likely isn’t your agent. You mentioned promised, guarantee, and warranty in one sentence. Each of those terms has different meanings. Was the contractor truly a preferred contractor with a written 3 year warranty on the contractor’s work (and backed by nationwide) or something else? It is very difficult for more than 2 parties to enter into an elaborate and detailed contract such as the one you described so send a copy of the contract pertaining to the work which includes nationwide, the contractor, and you so I can review it. If you only have the warranty you mention, send that warranty document. You may send either as an attachment to the e-mail address at the top of the page. The e-mail address is in orange lettering.
January 19th, 2017 at 6:37 am #Elizabeth
Jason, hello. I am currently insured with Nationwide and have no complaints on filing claims. Although I’ve only filed four claims in 26 years. My question is… We have been paying high premiums for multiple cars and homeowners. My husband is planning to retire in the next year or two . I would like to lower our payments now. We bought our house new in 1992, no accidents in the past five years or tickets. I drive less than 50 miles a month and the other vehicle, only for yard trash or pine sraw. My husband drives a company vehicle. We carry full coverage on both and have been told that our house is over insured. I had a wonderful agent for 15 years but he was promoted and the new agent assigned to my case won’t even call me back. I have a lot of questions about lowering our cost. I have called Fidelity Mutual and was quoted serious savings. What do you think of them?
January 19th, 2017 at 5:04 pm #Jason
Elizabeth,
Nearly every single home owner and auto policy is identical to another. It’s kind of easy determining what’s covered and what’s not based on that. It’s also nice to know that you are essentially paying for an identical product and if the premium is lower, that should persuade people to make wise financial decision how they spend their money.
I didn’t research fidelity mutual but that is something you should do as a consumer. If the company is found to be one that you want to insure your property through, that is what you should do.
Just to let you know, my personal home and auto insurance decisions are based upon premium and customer claim satisfaction and nothing else.
January 19th, 2017 at 6:01 pm #Mike Shrout
Elizabeth,
Nationwide has 4 companies. Call your agent and ask him to see if the newest company can reduce your premiums. The prior companies are Nationwide Mutual, Nationwide Mutual Fire, Nationwide Insurance Company of America. If you are in one of those its possible to change to the new company, Nationwide General. Many times the premiums are lower. Hopes this helps.
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May 17th, 2017 at 5:36 pm #Jenni Crabb
Just had a storm blow through tonight. Took down a big oak, dog kennel, cherry tree, might add the oak grazed the house. Some damage down to sliding door, siding, gutters. Other various things. We have Pekin homeowners insurance and a $500 deductible. I say call the insurance, that’s what it’s for right? Boyfriend says they’ll raise our rates and when it’s all said and done at best we’ll be breaking even probably. Is this true?
May 17th, 2017 at 9:04 pm #Jason
Jenni,
Your boyfriend has no idea what he’s talking about. Make a claim for damage if it exceeds your deductible.
May 18th, 2017 at 5:43 am #Mike Shrout
Jenni, you could get a contractor out first to see how much they would charge to repair the damage. Then decide whether to turn in a claim or not. I would guess if its over $1000 then you may want to turn in a claim. Even if it raises your rate it generally is not a great deal and the surcharge drops off after 3 years with most companies. Hope this helps.
Call your agent and discuss. Most want to help you make the right decision.
Mike
March 21st, 2018 at 4:59 pm #mmm
I respectfully disagree that Nationwide is the best auto insurance company. I have been dealing with them for several months on a total loss claim as a third party claim (other person’s insurance) and they have threatened me, low balled me, and only looked out for their insuree. It took them 5 days to respond to me once the claim was submitted and they have no intention of paying me a fair ACV, even though I’ve provided ample comparables from other insurance companies for the same vehicle. They have told me to file with my own insurance AND refused to provide me the total loss estimation, which is all in violation of the state law.
March 21st, 2018 at 5:20 pm #Jason
mmm,
Nationwide is a very good company. You are not their insured so your feedback doesn’t relate to how they are rated as a company. The basis for claim rating is based on customer claim satisfaction. You’re not their customer, you are a claimant. They treat and protect their customers well among their competitors.
If you don’t don’t like the course of your settlement interactions with them, go to your own company and settle your claim. You selected your insurance company and they insure you so try that route.
You allege threats and low-ball offer(s) These are subjective and vague claims and without all the details and circumstances, little to no weight can be put into those generic assertions.
August 29th, 2018 at 11:58 pm #Veronica Chevalier
Hi, I’ve had Mercury for over thirty years (auto) and have never been happy with interactions with them, but have fortunately not had many; and being a generally good driver, have had low premiums as well. After a mostly negative experience with a claim in an accident five years ago, and a current accident (entirely the other driver’s fault) with which I am being cheated so far, I am looking to find another carrier. You named Nationwide as the best (and only!); but they have been doing A LOT of expensive advertising on television lately, with celebrities. Does this mean a possible decline and/or do you have any other auto insurance suggestions? Thanks very much.
August 30th, 2018 at 6:56 am #Jason
Veronica,
Longevity with the same company is not a good thing. When a company knows you will remain with them, they treat you differently, and charge you differently than new customers. Insurance needs, and insurance company comparisons should be done about every 3 years, if not sooner.
I can’t tell you which company is best for you and it depends where you live and the standings and reputation of the insurance companies in your region of the country. The last several companies I had insure my automobiles were state auto (not state farm), progressive, and currently geico.
You will need to do some searching for a good company. Find a couple of insurance companies you are interested in and obtain a quote. Also find an independent insurance agent who writes insurance for multiple companies and let him/her check some rates for you.
You can check a site like this to start: goodfinancialcents (dot) com/best-auto-insurance-companies/ Whenever I see allstate or farmers on lists like this, I question it closely since customer claim dissatisfaction with these companies has been reported as high.
December 29th, 2018 at 12:10 pm #Jay
I cam here looking for some input on insurance and am so grossed out by the “contributions” I read from Jason.
Why are any of you interacting with this Jason guy? He can’t manage to respond to most of these questions without an insult or condescending reply. I wonder if anyone has ever told him that being a jerk won’t help him feel better about himself or look more competent than the people who he’s trying so hard to impress.
All I see is a rude and ignorant person who could benefit from a heavy dose of humility.
Jason– If you want people to care about your input, learn how to talk to those seeking advice without being an absolute jerk.
February 8th, 2019 at 3:24 pm #Jason
Jay,
All responses are accurate, truthful, and concise. If that is not what you are looking for, then you should seek your advice from someone who will charge for their time, and tell you what you want to hear whether is is accurate or not.
The facts are not always appealing and pleasant when it comes to insurance. You can always pay a large retainer and hire an attorney for your question concerns, or you can obtain accurate and direct answers from this site.
October 24th, 2021 at 8:02 pm #Which Insurance Company Is Best At Paying Claims?
[…] 10. Best Insurance Companies for “Claims Payout” – Insurance … […]
January 20th, 2022 at 11:03 am #Roger
I have had USAA auto and homeowners insurance and have found no problems with the company itself. They paid my auto claim. I was hard getting everything properly done, not because of the company but because of the adjuster. USAA does not have their own field adjusters. They depend on 3rd party contractors. Living in Florida at the time, the initial adjuster that handled my claim was from the 3rd party company. I learned after my own investigation, the adjuster was not even licensed in the State of Florida. Do to the adjusters conduct and incompetence it took longer for my vehicle to be repaired. This incompetence caused additional costs to USAA. USAA paid the additional costs. In dealing with claims, it’s best to contact USAA directly rather than the adjusters. USAA also permitted the parts replacements to be OEM rather than 3rd party parts. Our current home was covered by USAA by the previous owner. There was some severe storm damage to the roof. USAA paid the claim and made sure the job was done right.