Safeco Insurance?

[joesesto]

Originally Posted by RoadEyePie

I'm wondering how much of a role the agent plays in the relationship after the sale? When you file a claim are you talking to the agent who sold the policy or directly to Safeco?

Also, with their roadside assistance I wonder if they consider it's use as a claim, which would reset your vanishing deductibles. AAA always said that insurance companies who offer roadside assistance would count them as claims. So I'm not selecting their roadside assistance, I'll go with GS or FMCA for that.

I'm a several decades long Safeco agent in CA. Insurance rules and regulations vary by state. So what I tell you from the opposite coast is possibly not true in your case.

Roadside Service has never been considered a chargeable claim in my experience. Many carriers go thru a company called Ajero or Road America and it is just a pass thru service. The Roadside Service phone number on your ID card may be direct to the contracted service...not to the carrier.

Glass claims regardless of cause are normally under the Comprehensive (Comp for short) coverage on your policy. Comp is one of the broadest coverages in the insurance industry. Almost everything you see on the Farmers TV ads is a Comp claim everybody has. Comp claims are generally fire, theft, vandalism, glass, acts of nature (quake, flood, wind, hail, sandstorm, etc.) falling and flying objects, collision with birds or animals. The deductible is up to the policy holder. Comp claims are not chargeable in CA or in most states. Check with your own insurance professional.

Many insureds call their agent to determine if there is coverage, not to report the claim. They will tell the policyholder as much as they can and give some idea of the procedure. But the insurance companies want the claim reported directly to them by the involved party, not 3rd parties. Every call will be recorded and the data entry person will arrange where, when, how the adjuster, appraiser or repair service will communicate on the claim. Carriers have contracts with authorized repair services but the insured may have other choices. That may mean a delay for an appraiser to meet with the insured's choice of body shops and the carrier normally will not guarantee the workmanship. That also varies by carrier or state law.

The poster with the premium increase after a $4k MH windshield repair probably just had a typical rate increase unrelated to the repair. Auto rates are not stable like man expect. The average new car is over $35,000 today...windshields on them can cost close to $1000 due to all the new safety devices that feed thru them.

Concerning AAA, or anyone else, saying certain things about their competitors...take it with a grain of salt. It's like the TV ads that say they save $482 or $xxx in 15 minutes. They only have to prove that happened in one case. The carriers have paid staff calling all the time with legit info that are testing the competition. They get a written quote and then can use the results in an ad.

I suspect some of the cases involve a driver with a prior poor record that calls in as soon as it clears off the record, but his carrier will only correct the rate on renewal not mid-term. There are a lot of uncouth people in the world.

Joe Sesto
Sesto Insurance Services

[jelag]

I'm good with Safco but I hate there road service provider..... they will tell you the service is good in the US and Canada but the people on end of the phone have no clue what a GPS address is... or GPS coordinates. We were stuck on the AlCan.... those of you that know, its the road from Whitehorse to Alaska.... we were at a milepost out of Whitehorse on a RCMP sat phone (our cell phone had no service) and crazy person had no clue where we were.... they asked what city or town was close.... Whitehorse.... 70 miles away... what was the cross street.... NONE.... I kept telling them to put the GPS coordinates into their map and see where I was.. the 3 people I talked to had no clue how to do that....



I finally called at the suggestion of the RCMP officer the only tow company in Whitehorse with the tool kit to tow us.... and said come.... the next day the road service company was still looking for us.... they balked at paying the bill I had in hand... but a call to Safco Customer service solved that in 10 seconds...



The second time in Tri-Cities WA.... on a busy highway, their contractor had to come from OR to get us... over 6 hours to get us off the roadside.... BTW not a single passing police officer stopped to offer help....



and later my agent told me that if you use road service its charged like an accident.... like other insurance companies...

[JMonroe]

Started with Progressive and after a big rate increase ended up with National Interstate. A couple of years ago National Interstate left the RV business in their rear view after working a deal with Safeco to take over their book of business. Deal was, no premium increase that first year. This second year our Safeco premium quote included a $700 increase. Called our agent (Miller out of Oswego Oregon) and ended up back at Progressive for $1200 less than the Safeco quote, go figure.

Customer and brand loyalty seem to be a thing of the past with wild year to year premium swings common. Bottom line, make sure you're comparing apples to apples with coverages quoted, from there most any main line carrier will have both fans and, well, you know.

[Ray,IN]

I just signed into my Safeco online account, low and behold the website says, "Safeco Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Company".

[Electra 225]

What works best--
Going through an insurance agent, or shopping direct with the insurance company either by phone or online?
Pros/cons of both?

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by Electra 225

What works best--
Going through an insurance agent, or shopping direct with the insurance company either by phone or online?
Pros/cons of both?

I compared Safeco through a few different agencies. I'm not aware if you can purchase directly with Safeco. You can with Progressive and Geico obviously.

[joesesto]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

I just signed into my Safeco online account, low and behold the website says, "Safeco Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Company".

Safeco operates thru Independent Agents, Liberty Mutual is mostly direct. Progressive is both, direct and thru agents. Farmers is owned by a Swiss company nobody has heard of. It all involves broadening customer bases and diversity. GEICO is just the name of a company that went under in the '70s. The name has existed for decades, but it is not the same company.

Independent Agents represent several carriers, not just one. Each carrier has different standands and risk acceptance levels. Having multiple options gives independent Agents and Brokers more choices to serve their clients. Some nationally advertised insurers say they will handle your property coverage. That does not mean it is being written by them.

Insurance coverages and exclusions are not well understood by a large number of policy holders. You would have to see it everyday like we do to understand. We are partially to blame, but it is impossible to explain every coversge, exclusion and condition.

Joe Sesto

[JDT]

Interesting. My Progressive rates for the fifth wheel have almost doubled since 2012 when we bought it. That doesn't account for the increase in deductible I keep applying. I have had boat insurance with them for many years for several different bass boats. The rates have stayed flat, even for the new Nitro I bought last year.

GEICO stands for Government Employees Insurance Company. When I first started my career with the VA in 1972 I remember getting a pamphlet explaining their offerings to government employees. I'm not sure when they went public and hired the gecko as their spokesman. Seems like a good move though.

[wingnut60]

https://www.geico.com/about/corporat...he-full-story/

https://www.farmers.com/farmers-story/

https://www.safeco.com/about/history

[mobilemike]

Talk to an independent RV claims inspector and ask them which company they have the most trouble with being reasonable on claims.

In the marine industry the insurance co use certified Marine Surveyors for expert claim consultations. I know several personally as I have worked with and sometimes for them on claims. They all have a similar list of worst and best. At the top of the worst list is always Progressive.

[RoadEyePie]

Just copy my Policy from Safeco in the mail today. It states that Replacement Value coverage is only for the first year. This is a surprise. I somehow had the impression that it was for the first 5 years and then reverted to cash value. May need to change soon.

[JDT]

I looked at my Progressive policy to see when my agreed value coverage would end. There is no mention of an ending date so my assumption is as long as I pay the pay the premiums the coverage will continue. I would bet though the older it gets the higher the premiums. The first 5 years of the policy they would replace it with a like, new and untitled model.

[RoadEyePie]

Just got clarification on my policy. It covers replacement value for 10 years. I'm happy again.

[CooksNMotion]

Hey!

My wife and I just got quotes for MoHo and Safeco was 1/3rd the price of progressive. With the same or better coverages. We're likely use them...