When you got your first car, you probably got your first car insurance policy from the same place your family had always been buying insurance. Your insurance agent was probably a person you knew by name, maybe even want to church with, or knew because they had a child your age with whom you went to school.
Now, you may not even have an insurance agent – like many others, you may buy your car insurance online because that’s where you got the best deal. Chances are you’re also doing research, checking reviews and reading articles like this one, looking for a company that provides not only good prices, but good service as well. Welcome to buying car insurance in the digital age.
In fact, many consumers find it hard to review an insurance company. You can always check the insurance company’s financial status, but other than letting you know whether or not a company is stable, this doesn’t really tell you what to expect in terms of how your policy will be handled. You can try reading online reviews, but then you have another problem. When it comes to posting online reviews, the responses are usually polarized – either you have a complaint or a commendation. Few people comment about average service. This means that when you look at insurance reviews, you have to recognize their limitations.
Progressive Insurance is making a name for itself in the car insurance market by providing quotes from their competitors alongside their own quote for comparison purposes. Of course, if you’re old enough to drive a car, you’re hopefully also old enough to know that the only quote you can trust in the bunch is one for Progressive insurance. If you want to compare prices, you need to request quotes for yourself. Progressive says that on average, they’re able to save drivers 15% on their car insurance. They also tout their online claim service. In addition, one of their newest offerings is a “name you price” policy where you say how much you’re willing to spend and they tell you how much insurance that will purchase.
With six reviews, Progressive has a rating of 3 out of a possible 5 stars at FiLife – a personal finance website. All of the ratings there are less than one year old. And, as you might expect, the folks who have Progressive Insurance policies themselves have better things to say about the company than those who have dealt with Progressive as a claimant.
However, the folks at CarReview.com don’t have as many nice things to say. Progressive’s rating there is only 1.95 out of a possible 5 stars. More than 138 people have offered their opinions and the 10 most recent reviews cover a period of about a year. One reviewer complained that the insurance was just too expensive when compared to other insurers. Most other reviewers had negative things to say about the company when it came to their claims experiences.
Overall, if you’re looking for inexpensive insurance, Progressive may be a good company to consider. When it comes to making a claim, however, it’s buyer beware with this company.
