Progressive Insurance DRACONIAN PRACTICES AND AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED FITS THEIR POLICIES SHOULD BE LISTED AS EMBEZZELMENT OF FUNDS TROY,MONTANA!!!!!! Los Angeles California
My husband and I have been with Progressive Insurance for 5 years and up until about 8 mos. ago did not have much to say in the way of negative terms of the Insurance Company.
That all changed when our 16 year old needed to be added to our Insurance! Prior to our teenager we were paying $120.00 a month for 3 vehicles and felt that was fair. We sold one of the vehicles and had a 91 Pontiac Bonneville, a 1957 International Truck that could not even go over 40 miles per hr. and then we bought our son a 93 Ford Escort.
We added him with Liability only on all Vehicles and we recieved our new premium $365.00 a month. We felt that that was rather high but felt we could swing the payment. Well later we had to sell the Bonnevelle and went and purchased a 1998 Subaru Outback Legacy on payments.
We recieved our bill and and about fell over $736.00 a month, Oh my God was my reply!!!!!!! Mind you we have 8 kids and are adopting another 14 year old soon.
We have been with this company for 5 years and have not had a ticket in 9 years I am 39 my husband is 46 YEARS OLD,my reply was you have got to be kidding me!!! THIS IS LIKE DEALING WITH THE MOB!!!!!!!!
How can these Companies have no one to oversee their practices and their POLICIES WHICH I MIGHT ADD STINK!!!!!!!!! Their is no Ceiling as to what they can Charge????????
Let me get this straight they want me to pay almost 3 times the amount a month than what i am paying for the car??? I told my husband they can KISS MY WHITE YOU KNOW WHAT!!! That has got to be ILLEGAL THIS IS INSANITY!!!
Well it was not only Legal but we were informed that we have to have every child in the house 14 and above insured and that is 4 of our kids!!!! We literally will not be able to pay for Insurance and we live in an area where we have to drive 120 miles to a Dr.
There has got to be an Uprising of People that stand up and say we are not going to take this anymore!! We own a home that is worth a $185,000.00 dollars and we have about 300,000.00 in Insurance on that and our belongings and it only cost us $500.00 a year GO FIGURE!!!
What is this are they trying to make it to where people cannot literally afford to Drive because of Insurance prices or that you have to be wealthy to have the privledge to Drive?? As far as I am concerned it is not "a Privledge to be able to Drive" but a "RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE". So as long as you dont lose that Right due to breaking the Laws.
But wait a minute even the Law is flawed when they make it Illegal to drive without Insurance, and you will lose your License without Insurance!!There should be a law against SUPER INFLATING INSURANCE PREMIUMS.
Well we thought ok it must be this Insurance Company that has these Policies and there has got to be something up here. So we went to our underwritter and he said he would see what else he could find. Well he checked many companies and even Safeco wanted over $700.00 a month and 2 months up front. If someone knows of other Insurance companies that do not Charge Mob Fees I would appreciate it if you would post it for us. And if anyone knows info about the Lawsuit I sure would appreciate the info!
We were also told by the Insurance company that our Premium was based on our credit rating also.We dont have public transportation where we live so I really dont know what were going to do!
Julie
Troy, Montana
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Debra
Lakewood,California,
U.S.A.
Response to rate increase...
#2Consumer Suggestion
Mon, January 03, 2005
I have been an insurance agent for many years; a title that I often don't admit to. Why? Reasons such as yours. But here's the reason all of that happened to you:
Nearly every insurance company will rate the highest rated driver onto the highest rated vehicle in the household. Even if my 17 year old son had a 85 Mazda Pickup that he drove exclusively, he would be rated (and I would be charged) on my 04 Dodge Ram. Is that fair? Well, from the company's point of view, yes, as my 17 year old has ACCESS to my 04 Ram, and may very well take it with or without permission and wreck it. And while we're on the subject, let's discuss teenaged drivers. There are folks that do nothing in this world but sit in their big offices in New York and compile actuarial tables. That's the statistics that tell us in the industry that a young man aged 16 - 21 years of age has a 74% chance of being involved in an at-fault accident. A girl of the same age has a 54% chance. Do I agree? No. Does it matter? No. Siimply put, the insurance companies do not make a thin dime on teenaged drivers. In my experience, almost every young driver I add to a policy has an "issue" sooner or later. So here's the bottom line:
If you initially had your young driver rated on a liability only, lower valued vehicle, and you sold that vehicle, that young driver will be rated on the most valuable car you have. Period. And as for credit checks? I remember very well when this started (about 5 years or so ago) and the uproar it caused in my office. That is such nonsense, we thought. Rating someone based on how many late bills they have had. Really. Then we saw the actuarials. Here's what the statistics show - people with good to excellent credit are far less apt to have an accident. Why? Who knows. I suppose it could be skewed, but it is very clear in the numbers that poor credit = less responsibility = more careless driving. Again - is it fair? I don't really know. Is it a fact of life in insurance? Yes. And as for the 14 year olds? You won't be charged for them, but they will be listed on the policy as the company will keep track of when they will turn 16 and send you a letter asking if they are licensed. Standard procedure. I even had to list my 8 year old to Progressive. Make sense? Nope. Does it matter? Nope. Sometime, it just "is what it is".
I know this was not very calming to you, but sometimes if we have knowledge, we aren't so angry. And by the way - I have access to over 80 companies in my independant agency. And I have found the best rates through Progressive. I really do believe that what you are facing is an insurance issue, not a Progressive issue. Good luck.
And by the way.....the insurance premiums got so high with my 17 year old son that I actually pulled his license. Remember - I am a licensed insurance agent. If there were decent rates to be had, I would have them. But the figures don't lie, and I can't afford the rates. So, he has no license now. Again - it just simply is what it is. I totally know how you feel.