Progressive auto insurance

[jodi]

Does anyone have Progressive (or another company that only quotes rates for 6 months at a time)? I got a quote for them for $603 for six months, but they said they cannot guarantee that the next six months will be the same. Right now I pay $1343/year, so $1206 for a year would be significant enough to make a change...but I don't want to go through the hassle if they are only going to raise my rates in 6 months. Anyone have any experience with this to share?
I would also like to hear any recommendations on which car insurance companies everyone else likes. Right now I have Liberty Mutual, and they have been fine (had them for a year, no claims), but I called to see if they could give me a better deal based on my quote from Progressive and they said no.

[Ima saver]

I have had state farm for over 40 years. Your insurance sounds high to me, I don't pay that much on a new vette. What kind of car and year? I have a perfect driving record, no accidents, no tickets so maybe that is why.

[contrary1]

I switched to Progressive a few years ago..........did not stay with them, due to a claim situation. I called them because I had a tree branch break off the side mirror.......asked if it would be covered. I specifically asked if it was going to affect my rates & they said no. I remember asking a couple times, because at that time, I couldn't afford to have any bills any higher!! They raised my rates immeadiately. I called & complained, got no where. I found a new company as soon as that policy was going to run out. I've been with AAA now & have found it to be the best rate, as well as terrific service.

[cercis]

I've had progressive for almost a year. So far my rates have stayed constant and a lot cheaper than anyone else. However, I haven't had to make a claim, so that could change.

One thing I like about them is that I can go to their online site and print off insurance verification forms. I can pay online and check my coverage.

[jodi]

Thanks for the input. Customer service is really something to think about, along with the best price. I hate being lied to by a company.
Ima Saver - I should have mentioned that price was for two cars, a 2005 Sentra and a 2000 Windstar. We live in a rural area, are over 25 and married, have the defensive driving course, and I have a clean record (DH has a few minor violations -speeding tickets that were reduced). Plus we have discounts for safety features and I get a 10% discount through my work. All of these things should be bringing the rate down, but it still seems high to me.
My parents are insuring a 2005 van and a truck for a little less than $900/yr. I wonder if their age makes that much difference, or the fact that they have been with the same company for a long, long time, but otherwise, their situation is the same as ours - down to the same address. It doesn't seem like there should be $500 difference. I've got another quote coming in from their company on Monday...can't wait to see if it's any better.
Would love to hear more input if anyone has it...thanks!

[abowers]

That does sound expensive especially for central NY. We switched to Geico, and have been very pleased with customer service. After our first 6 months with Geico (We too got a 6 month quote) our rate went down a little. We are in central NJ which is more expensive to begin with (We are paying $2000/year for a 2006 Ford Focus and a 1998 Toyota Avalon, and 2 drivers - 22 y/o male, 22 y/o female).

But I got a quote for what Geico would have been in Rochester NY (where I lived before I moved to NJ) for just me (22 year old female) with a brand new Ford Focus, and it only would have been something like $650/year. This is with no accidents though, and discounts for safety features, and a defensive driving course.

I did have experience with Geico back in the spring -- my car was totalled while it was parked on the street overnight, (while I was on another insurance plan) and the driver who hit my parked car had Geico. (Luckily the guy called the police to file a report at 2am when he hit it, or I'd be SOL) So I dealt with them a lot over the phone regarding the rental car (which they paid for for 10 days) and regarding figuring out the damage to my car and the amount they would compensate me. They were very easy and pleasant to deal with.

When we moved to NJ, Geico was the cheapest -- They were significantly less than Esurance, Progressive, State Farm, (those three are off the top of my head, I know I got quotes from more companies though).

My parents have Progressive, and they live in Rochester NY. It's a bit expensive, but that's more due to my 19 year old sister's driving history...(an accident and a couple tickets). They haven't had to file a claim while being on Progressive's plan, so unfortunately I can't tell you what their experience has been like.

[kashi]

A friend of mine had Progressive and tried to file a claim. Progressive was extremely unhelpful. They also canceled her policy more than once without telling her and pulled duplicate automatic payments out of her checking account without telling her. Luckily she had just enough in her account to cover the duplicate. It took forever to get them to admit that they made a mistake. She switched to another insurance company ASAP. I would not go with Progressive, no matter how cheap it is. I think it is cheap because they have awful customer service.

I have Liberty Mutual too - is there some sort of discount you can get? I have a college alumni discount, and I know they give workplace discounts, etc.

[mjrube94]

Jodi, I have Liberty Mutual and love them. We were hit by someone else (not our fault) and they were great handling the claim. Also, if you're with them for 5 years without a ticket/accident, they won't raise your rates for the first one you get. Did you go through Jeffrey's recent daily challenge about auto insurance? He listed about 18 different discounts you could be eligible for. Call LM again (sometimes it helps to get a different agent) and go through the list to see if there are any you're not taking advantage of. Good luck!

[nanamom]

My DH had progressive when I married him and we just added me and my cars. His X had had several accidents in his car and Progressive was th eonly insurance company that didn't count them against us instead of her. I call around every year or so to check rates and we found less expensive ones with American Family who insure our stuff (renters). State Farm is a company my parents used for over 3 decades. I remember two things about them, 1) our dog hated the agent and wouldn't let him sit down in the house and 2) when my Mom's car was totaled by a train they said it wasn't an accident and wouldn't pay the accidental death claim. She was a passenger at the time and it was at an unmarked crossing. Even the engineer said it was unavoidable. Needless to say we don't use them. When one of my kids learned to drive and totaled our car we had Nationwide. They didn't raise the rates (already high with a tten driver) They said we'd been there customer for so long we could each have an accident and they would overlook it.

[jodi]

mjrube - I even pulled the old "I'm going to switch if you can't give me a better rate" trick with Liberty Mutual - they didn't really seem to care. She looked at all the discounts I am getting (10% with my union, defensive driving, air bags and anti-lock brakes, multiple car) and said there was nothing else I could get. They wouldn't even give a "good student" discount to my DH, as he was over 25. Then she said my rates will probably be going up from last year, which was still $140 higher than Progressive. So I am just waiting to see this years rates, then will probably swtich if I can find another company comparable to Progressive (from what I am hearing, I don't think I will go with them).
I heard an ad on the radio yesterday for Response Insurance. The ad said that they only insure good drivers, so they can afford to give them better rates. I am going to check them out. I have never had a ticket or a claim beyond towing, so I think I would qualify as a "good driver". It does make me a little nervous, though, to go with a company that seems fairly new (or at least that I have never heard of).

[BillsGirl]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I have had state farm for over 40 years. Your insurance sounds high to me, I don't pay that much on a new vette. What kind of car and year? I have a perfect driving record, no accidents, no tickets so maybe that is why.

same here My parents have had state farm sine 1989 and now my husband is in on our family network, my husband was paying $180 a month on insurance his quote for state farm was $42 a month ... and they have NEVER not once EVER raised out rates at state farm... I know I am quite accident prone... never raised my rate.. yes they did lower my rates when I turned the right age but never raised them.... and for that reason I will always be with state farm!

[jodi]

Alright, I just finished my quote with Response Insurance - the company that only insures good drivers. It was $668 for six months. Why can't I find a lower rate??? This one was even substantially higher than Progressive - about the same as my current rate! Grrr...

[BillsGirl]

have you tried geico? I think they compare rates??

[BillsGirl]

I would also suggest you try state farm

[cercis]

Has anyone been successful with Geico's rate comparison? I've tried it several times and am always told that it isn't available in my area (two different states).

[Russell]

I'll never understand the insurance quotes...I bet if I called the same insurance company 10 times the same day I'll get 10 different quotes. We had Allstate forever, including property insurance but I got a tkt and the rates went sky high. The cheapest we found at the time was 21st century, we're stuck with them until the tkt comes off the record. We're paying $2k a yr.

[katwoman]

Jodi,

Have you looked at your credit report? If you're having difficulty lowering your insurance rates it's probably due to something on your credit report. Sorry.

[BillsGirl]

Originally Posted by katwoman

Jodi,

Have you looked at your credit report? If you're having difficulty lowering your insurance rates it's probably due to something on your credit report. Sorry.

You know, you are right, insurance companies give rates according to credit.... so if you got "bumps" on your credit they'll screw ya!

[MrSwapper]

ohhhh, I hate Progressive. I got hit by another driver, spun 180 degrees into a curb, had to have my rear quarter panel replaced & he had Progressive. They didn't want to replace anything, then didn't want to use new parts, and didn't want to give me a rental, etc... (I did end up getting all that in the end) Sure, great for him, he didn't have to deal with it.... However, a friend's girlfriend who had progressive, backed into his car & Progressive was being a pain in the you know what to both of them...

[Ima saver]

Guess I will stick with state farm. we were hit from behind from an uninsurance motorist who hit and ran. Even tho I got the tag number, they could not find him. I figured that I would have to pay for the damage, but state farm paid most of it.