Watch out for Progressive Insurance

[Jamess113]

So whats going to happen in the future is you guys are going to have a bunch of no talent parts changers in this business cuz nobody is going to want to do this for a living.

This is exactly what's going to happen and already is.

[go-fish]

You are right about that. We tried to sue a USAA policy holder. We got a pretty good result but not ridiculous. We tried for more because just like selling a car, you always go for more than what you want. Right? I don't know if that's true or not but that's what the lawyer wanted to do. Personally, I think the biatch should have went to jail but it is what it is.

New Years Eve in 2005, right outside the front door of Target. It was sprinkling and at night. I ran out to the car with my new born and my wife was following behind, just walking due to popping out a kid not too long beforehand. Along the whole storefront of Target is hashmarks, a pedestrian right of way. This is not a street she was crossing and she wasn't jaywalking.

So, this bitch was driving along the storefront without her windshield wipers on, cell phone glued to her head! My wife is not the daredevil type to play chicken with cars so she must have had a warm and fuzzy about this lady not hitting her in a clearly marked pedestrian zone. There were witnesses that said this lady was talking on the phone, waving her hands in conversation and no wipers going. As she neared, my wife started to hustle a little more but was still hit at around 25 mph. Keep in mind, this in front of a busy store on New Years! With precipitation!

The wife got a dislocated shoulder, broken rib, badly tweeked neck and shaken up very badly because for a while she couldn't remember if she had the baby in her arms. Understandably so because I had just a day before returned from a deployment overseas. Up to this point in our daughters life, if she was out of the crib she was in Momma's arms.
This bitch had the nerve to stay in her car for a minute or two to call her husband to tell him she hit somebody, never mind the lady she just hit that rolled up her hood to hit her windshield and rolled down in front of her car! At least she put it in park, right?

Cops eventually showed up and didn't even give this girl a breathalizer. First thing I think of when someone runs over a pedestrian is DRUNK. I mean, it was New Years after all. The cops were treating this as if it were my wife's fault. I was really angered but luckily there were many other pedestrians were voicing what they saw and the cops finally realized how dumb they were acting. As they looked around at the cross walk area, the rain, the driver (who had gotten back on her cell), my wife, you could see like an, "Oh, yeeaahhh! You're right!" kind of look come over their faces. So I didn't have to have my emotions come out of my mouth. I just held the baby while my wife lay in the wet asphalt waiting for the EMT's.

We got 15K (after lawyer fees) and any related medical issues stemming from the accident taken care of for life. The medical issues were on going for about 3 years including two surgeries and many days of physical rehab. I'd say they have pretty good lawyers. I hope they at least dropped that bitch or raised he rates sky high.

[lynetta.everson]

I find The Hartford one of the best AZ car insurance companies to go with. They have been reliable and quick with both my claims over the years.

[newmexicosaint]

Steering is not the blatant saying "you have to go to this shop" its more of the word track the insurers use. If you were on the phone with an agent or a rep from your insurer and they said things like "oh.....that shop is not on our list" or "we don't work with that shop but if you go to XYZ we will be better suited to help you" or "Oh.....that shop...well... they over charge and charge for things that are not needed" or " if you go to that shop we will not be able to help like we would at our shop" or " if you go to that shop you are on your own". These are the things that scare most people because they believe their insurer, they wouldn't lie to me. This is the real steering issue.

Jay, YOU HAVE NAILED IT. That is steering to a TEE! Many insurance companies INCLUDING GEICO AND PROGRESSIVE use "wording" and manipulative scripts to 'steer' their customers to DRP's and other TPA's (third party administrators) who are in contract with that insurance company because these places offer them the steepest discounts and while they stir in some "care and safety" the BOTTOM LINE IS THE INSURANCE COMPANY IS RANKING THE SAVINGS FIRST AND ALL OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES AFTER SAVINGS.

I grew up in a body shop that my dad owned and he then was an insurance adjuster for 12 years and I have seen first hand these practices of steering. Steering is fueled in almost every case from Saving Money for the insurance companies.

I also am a owner of a glass repair and replacement shop and a former Geico policy holder and have lived the the 'steering' first hand as a policy holder and a glass shop. It is not an illusion, IT IS FACT.

The safest place to have insurance on a typical car is an insurance company that has an agent and even that won't guarantee you will be without trouble.

[newmexicosaint]

I must say that adjusters for the most part aren't to blame for poor insurance companies practices. They are following the guidelines set for them by their employer. So don't hang the messenger, guys.

[ArtosDracon]

The Auto policy wouldn't have covered those items anyway, even if you could prove they were in the car. Your Auto policy only covers the auto itself & not personal property. Personal property would be covered Section C of your Homeowners (or Renters) Policy. For example: if your car is broken it to & the stereo is stolen out of the dash. The stereo is covered because it is part of the car (bolted in) but the suction cup to the window mounted GPS or the Picasso you had in the trunk would not be covered (they are not part of the car). You could however, file a Homeowners claim for those items.

Thank you for the info, I wish they would have told me that at the time as well, since I had my renters policy through them too, it was bieng carried by another company, but they were the agent on it.

[tellyv]

I just wrote an estimate for a guy who was hit by a state farm driver, the adjuster met with my customer and said that I was'nt on their list and said all the same crap and then went on and said he never heard of my shop, this state farm adjuster has been to my shop more that a dozen times so what is he doing? I am discusted by this business and can't waite to go work for someone so I don't ever have to speak to another adjuster again.

I also have a farmers job in here, this is what their doing now, on any estimate when you write for a blend like in a door its standard to pay the shop to take off the door handle, trim etc, now to get paid for the blend and any r&i for this stuff you have to take pictures and send in an estimate so the peanuts were making on these jobs just got less cuz now I have to sit on my computer and do all this extra **** that is'nt necessary. This is a dead end go know where industry.! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GT500KR_Vert]

I 2nd USAA - had them for 20 years and I've always had the best treatment. My parents and grandparents have had them for 25 years and they too have had amazing service. I use them for everything - cars, house, mortgage, retirement - great services.

I don't think you can beat USAA for price & performance.

my wife pulled out in front a lady in a Stratus doing ~60 in a 35, flipped my F-150 extended cab on the roof.

cop said "wife's fault"
lady in the Stratus was looking to sue somebody :(

so we went down and got a copy of the ticket & looked at the stratus, and it had a sticker, from being bought at the dealership where my wife worked.

wife took the name off the ticket, looked it up, lady was 3 months behind on payments.
we called USAA and said "this lady is gonna sue us for everything we own, but she needs CASH NOW, she is 3 months behind on payments"

the next day, USAA called and said "your situation has been resolved, we made a QUICK settlement offer, and you are GTG"




my kid pulled out in front of some old fart in a blizzard, and he sued us for like $200k.
USAA offered him $15k out of court settlement. he said NO and hired a lawyer.

USAA paid to fly us across country (we had military transferred) to attend the trail.
USAA lawyer told me "be quiet, and act like you are in the military: yes sir, no sir"
told my daughter "don't speak unless spoken to, short answers"

dude got $20k on a jury trail, USAA did a massive investigation into his medical background, and ripped him apart on the stand.
so, at 30% for the lawyer, he prolly lost money going to court.

USAA Rocks!!!

[Brandon Miller]

USAA is the way to go.