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My sister has Progressive insurance for her car and opted for the roadside assistance. The other day her battery was dead so she called for help. About an hour later a guy showed up in a beat up car with a jump box, no uniform, no ID. His car got stuck in the driveway, they have a ton of snow where she lives, my sister has a SUV so she can go through it. Anyways he flips out on her that she should have shoveled etc. etc. and screams at her in front of her 4 year old. Not cool. She closes the door on him and calls the company back to complain, the guy leaves then comes back with a changed attitude and jumps her car.
Ok maybe the guy was having a bad day but is this how Progressive ins. conducts itself?
Flo would not be happy. I guess you get what you pay for.
Anyone else have a bad experience?
First of all, she should have shoveled the snow. That was very inconsiderate of her. I mean if she knew family or friends were coming over, would she still have left it snowed in like that?
Secondly, he's not a Progressive employee, he's an independent contractor, who's probably contracted with every other insurance company that offers roadside service. So bashing Progressive over this is ridiculous.
As an accident attorney, I can tell you that both GEICO and Progressive Insurance are not worth having. I wouldn't have my insurance with either of them even if it was for free. However, what I run into over and over again is the only issue for most people is that of cost. They don't focus at all on how the insurance company handles claims and losses.
Too many people are only focused on getting insurance for the lowest monthly premium that they can pay. Too many people buy insurance because of those stupid ads by Progressive with "Flo" in them. Too many people insist on buying insurance over the internet rather than having a live interaction with a real insurance agent. Too many people focus on the wrong coverages when they purchase insurance. Hint: The ones that can potentially benefit YOU such as uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist are the most important ones.
That being said, the real measure of an insurance company is not how they respond to a call for towing or road service. The cost of that is very minor. The measure of the insurance company is how they respond to total loss claims for a wrecked car, or even more importantly, how they respond to a claim for bodily injuries to an accident victim.
There are solid companies that, for the most part, offer a reasonable product. However, it isn't going to be the cheapest or the most advertised.
A good starting point is to go find an independent insurance agent that offers multi-lines of personal coverage with a number of companies. Talk to him and ask questions about claim service, not simply the cost of the product.
Insurance is like anything else in life: You get what you pay for. If anyone is interested, I will share a list of the companies that have been easiest for me to work with on behalf of my clients.
I've had Geico for many years and never had a single problem. Each time I had an accident, they promptly took care of the repairs and never raised my rates, even though one of them was my fault.
I check rates every 6 months and Geico is almost always the cheapest. Hasn't always been that way... I remember getting a quote from them in the 1990s and they were 3X the lowest rate. But I was pleasantly surprised when they became the lowest in the 2000s. Esurance used to be the cheapest until Liberty Mutual took them over and raised the rates.
Btw, I've been only using the Internet to get coverage for 15+ years and never had any problems. I can get multiple quotes quickly, pay right away and print out insurance cards immediately. I have also submitted claims online.
I don't bother with the roadside offered by insurance. I just use AAA and have for as long as I've been driving, no issues.
I agree with this. I don't think most towing companies can stay in business if they are not affiliated with AAA, so they don't customers making complaints about rude behavior. I've used AAA numerous times and the people they send out have always been polite. I've had to ride with them in the tow truck several times when they towed my vehicle.
I agree with this. I don't think most towing companies can stay in business if they are not affiliated with AAA, so they don't customers making complaints about rude behavior. I've used AAA numerous times and the people they send out have always been polite. I've had to ride with them in the tow truck several times when they towed my vehicle.
Or a cheaper alternative like Allstate Motor Club. I pay $70 annually for that, no more than the roadside assistance rider on a policy last time I checked. They also use independent contractors. I had Progressive coverage when my car broke down three years ago, though, and the guy they sent was fine.
Or a cheaper alternative like Allstate Motor Club. I pay $70 annually for that, no more than the roadside assistance rider on a policy last time I checked. They also use independent contractors. I had Progressive coverage when my car broke down three years ago, though, and the guy they sent was fine.
I wonder if they have as many tow truck operators signed up? I also wonder who they give priority to on a busy night, like when it is -10 and your car won't start.
This has nothing to do with Progressive. Road side assistant are contracted out. Say you purchased car brand X and it comes with road side assistance. Do you think X is sending out someone when your car breaks down?
Here in California, AAA insurance is the 800-lb gorilla and they do send their own people to help you when your car breaks down.
AAA insurance made me laugh very hard. They wanted to charge me more PER MONTH than I pay every 6 months ... for less coverage!
It does pay to shop. A few years ago I saved over a thousand$$ by checking the rates our local independent agency was offering at renewal. They were actually the most expensive. Of all of the quotes Liberty Mutual gave me a savings over $1,000.
I had Geico and hated paying that $200 every month. I pay waaaay less than half of that with Nationwide. A dude who hit me had nationwide and everything went so quick and easy with them that I ended up dropping Geico for them instead. And since then any problem I have gets fixed fast. Actually signed up for Nationwide's roadside assistance AFTER I had already gotten 2 jumps. They refunded me the $50 in 2 days for the one I got on the same day I signed up for it.
For some reason progressive never sounded like a company I'd like. Rates or service.
Lots of insurance that have good roadside service. In fact most use same that other use. Mostly it is a licensed ;certified service such as wrecker permitted in the area. AAA does won any wreckers they just contract like most auto clubs. You'll see their stickers but it mean they provide AAA services. I like my insurance because allow all anyone and no wait for a busy limited AAA or whatever. I called and they send me a check ;don't even ask for receipt at that cost level.
Last edited by texdav; 02-24-2015 at 10:44 AM..
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