Geico can also be a pain to use, as is Progressive and State Farm. Truth is almost no insurance company is pleasant to deal with, they don't want to have to pay out on your claim.

As for her first strike, its her fault as well, she should review her insurance needs each year/renewal to decide if she wants extra coverage. I never have accidents so I saved money by not taking the rental coverage, in her case in the long run it probably worked out because she has only had two other previous claims for minor stuff.

Had the person who ran, not run, she would have a rental through their insurance company. Thats how it works, the at fault party's insurance pays, however if you get hit and run its a completely different ball game, the claim is filed against your policy and the coverages you have.

Geico and Progressive, at least here in the DC area, have tons of offices and will actually come out to our car within 24-48 hours to do an on site assessment. Allstate actually does the same around here, and they have a few auto body shops you can have your car towed to for an estimate that they just pay for.

With Geico when my new car was hit right after I bought it I just took it to the dealer for the estimate and the dealer handled everything with my insurance.

Crappy situation, that sadly won't be any better with any other provider given her situation, IMO.

*shrug* 'Strike One' seems to be her own problem. Lesse-- you didn't pay for insurance to cover your rental car and now that you need it, you're pissed off because they didn't try to upsell you that feature.

And to beef that he never 'went over' your coverage every year for the past 22 years.... sure seems to me that if you wanted that kind of attention you've not been demanding it for about 21 years.

'Strike 2' -- did anyone ask you to 'sit around' waiting for a tow truck? They don't need you to be present to tow your car. Nor do they need the keys.

Strike 3-- okay-- the guy didn't call you when the car was towed.

The biggest 'strike' isn't evne addressed. Your agent should be helping you through the process. He's been making money off you for 22 years. The least he can do for that money is spend a little time with you explaining the process, outlining why things are happening and how long they shoudl take and generally making you more comforatble with the process.

Call your agent. Express your disconent to the guy who is directly affected by your dissatisfaction. The adjustors are not customer service workers-- they are loss prevention specialists. Your agent is your primary customer service interface and is directly compensated by your continued patronage. Use HIM.

Be glad you aren't a homeowner along the Gulf Coast. I was recently informed by Allstate that my homeowners policy would not be renewed because "Allstate is revamping their risk profile." Translation, "even though you have never made a claim and your house has stood in place for over 85 years, we don't want to take the 1 in a million chance that your $1000 per year policy might have to pay out." I was offered the opportunity to have Allstate write my policy through their local partner (for a $900 increase in premium and a 5% deductible), but I declined.

In today's age, it is critical to maintain a "buyer beware" mentality with insurance. Just because the policy has a small yearly premium, it might not be the best coverage. Things like higher deductibles and interesting definitions of "flooding" have been very costly to many home and car owners. Also, the individual agents have very little leeway to help long time customers in sticky situations.

My advice is to read your policies carefully and shop the competition every year.

For sure every company has their thorns. I used to have Mercury through a broker and both were miserable to deal with. I now have 21st and have been absolutely happy with their service though I have yet to file a claim after seven years with them.

A word to the wise. When ever you have an incident that disables your car and leaves you carless, DO NOT expect your company to cater to you. Be proactive. In this case Nancy ought to have gone ahead and gotten the car towed immediately when there was no response at the time of the accident. And rent a car immediately but don't get anything outrageous so that it will be that less difficult to try and get compensation for it from your insurance company. Once you've got yourself functionally mobile again, then ride your agent to get the claim moving. Yeah in a perfect world your company ought to be there for you but as Nancy found out, this ain't a perfect world.

If Nancy had done this she wouldn't have had the same degree of inconvenience. But for sure she needs to follow up and write a big nasty complaint letter to both her agent's office and Allstate as well. And don't fall sucker to the savings promises by your homeowner's insurance company if you bundle your coverage. Shop around first. A pure auto insurance company may offer more both in cost and service than a big complex carrier may.

Hey, since you live in Oak Park you could head on up to Northbrook and storm the Allstate offices to complain! Take pictures!

I've always had very good experiences with State Farm, but I've always known my agents and been able to count on them to kick ass and take names when claims is being a pain.

L.A.W.Y.E.R.

that's the only way to get through to those jerks.

In the UK, I have been involved in a few non-fault accidents. In all of them, the time taken to fully resolve the situation has taken a number of YEARS. In one case, I even had a signed statement from the other driver admitting liability.
Last year, I was involved in a non-fault accident in Australia. I phoned the insurance company and they arranged for the car to be taken away the same day, and had a cheque posted to me within a week. All I had to do was make one phone call. No chasing, no fuss.

At least someone has it right.

What sort of maroon doesn't have rental car insurance in case of an accident? What does it cost, maybe $2 or $3 a month at the most?

Oh, I see she's in suburban Chicago, where insurance rates can be about the same as car payments.

I 2nd Korncorn's thoughts -- I can't believe I read this story all the way through expecting a girl bites dawg twist... Nutin just another day in insuranceville. Hire a good agent and expect them to do the dirty work.

I also had a bad experience with Allstate when they were stingy with a settlement for my car, which one of their customers totaled by ramming into it. Of course, she was just doing her job.

What I learned from that experience is that you have to move the claims process along yourself, no one is going to hold your hand. Also, if you don't have rental coverage, you can find out if your insurance company works with a particular rental chain -- they may be able to offer you a special rate. I have done that twice and while it's not as nice as "free," the discount is decent.

This kind of crap is why we're dumping our regular mega-insurance and going with USAA this spring... glad I served in the military. What bugs me is that the poor customer service, and in some cases customers having to get a lawyer to get anything done, is almost undoubtedly built into their business model.

What sort of maroon doesn't have rental car insurance in case of an accident? What does it cost, maybe $2 or $3 a month at the most?

Dude, if you're going to call somebody a moron, at least spell it right.

"Use your agent" - Good point, but I've never had one. Always shopped for insurance on the internet and finalized the transaction with a call to the 1800 number. Who's your agent then?

Just curious.

As an Allstate cutomer my experience with them has been the exact opposite. I lost my house and it's contents in Katrina. I had homwownwers and flood through Allstate. About a week after the storm I received a call from my agent letting me know where he had evacuated to and giving me a number for a satillite phone where he could be reached. It took over a month to get an adjuster to the house, but that was pretty much SOP due to the road conditions and the lack of adjusters. My agent told me to push the adjuster hard for what I wanted to try and make me "whole" stating that "the adjusters are independent contractors they basically work for you". I made my case to my adjuster and he agreed with me. I got a full check for flood damage and contents in about another month. During this time my agent continued to call me to make sure there wasn't anything else Allstate could do for me. As a result I have moved my auto policy to Allstate (from Geico and saved a few bucks too) and will probably be a customer for life. Unless they do something to really screw it up.

While I'm sure that it is a good idea to ride your insurance company's ass when you have a claim, I'm a little skeeved by the notion that the consumer should take any blame for failing to sufficiently harangue her insurance company into doing their job.

It sounds to me as though AllState is acting in bad faith. That's not OK. At all. Point 1 isn't a huge deal, but a competent insurance agent should review your coverage with you regularly. It's their job. That alone probably isn't cause to damn them entirely, but it's not professional.

But their failures to promptly investigate and keep her informed are inexcusable. That is their job. That's what she's been paying premiums for all these years, and couldn't be bothered to do it. That's bad faith, period, and that should be a torch-and-pitchfork offense.

I hate that we've come to expect and even ACCEPT that insurance companies act in bad faith.

In that case, you are. That's part of the risk you absorb when you buy "wholesale" so to speak. Instead of having an agent who can help you with the process, you're stuck trying work with the insurance company on your own.

I learned a little while ago that it's very important to have a decent relationship w/ your insurance agent.

Ask them BEFORE AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS what you should do if you get into one. Ask how to handle various what-if situations:
- after hours
- car not drivable
- personal injury
- hit-and-run
- single-car accident, etc.
Who should you call and when? How do you arrange for a rental car? Who covers it? This is part of being a responsible car-owner. And it took me many many years of car-owernship before I realized it, so I understand that very few consumers will have done these steps.

I am not in the insurance business, but I attended a business class and one was brought in as a guest lecturer. He clearly demonstrated how important it is to know your agent, not just the agency. Smaller offices can be very useful this way -- you're a person, not a policy. People only use insurance during times of crisis or stress. A good agent understands that and will help you.

Something else: if your was seriously damaged, you probably should not have driven it home. If it wouldn't pass inspection (were headlights, turn signals, or taillights knocked out?), the cops should have arranged to have it towed and not allowed you to drive it home. What if you'd gotten stopped for a safety violation, or worse, been the cause of an accident due to faulty equipment, or gotten injured later yourself?

If the windows are busted out, it should be towed to a secure building and stored inside. The towing company is responsible for the security of your car once they take control of it.

The problem is, these are not things most people think of when they just had an accident. When I personally learned of most of these, I was "fortunate" that my car was hit while parked, I knew the responding police officer, and the at-fault party took responsibility. I wasn't in the car and driving, which meant a lot less stress in a hugely stressful situationl.

1. Sudonum: Homeowners insurance is not car insurance, and often they're handled by different companies within the same company.

All-State does have you in good hands. The problem is, those hands are giving you the finger.

You may want to look into bad faith insurance law in the State of Illinois. While your situation does not appear to rise to that level yet, it may and just using that buzz phrase to the claims representative may help. But HESTITATE ALOT BEFORE YOU HIRE A LAWYER (and I am one, so it's not some prejudice). What most people don't realize about property claims is that any lawyer taking the case on a contingecy is taking a percentage of the settlement. I have seen people who get their car totalled and have to buy a new car worth 75% of its value beacuse the lawyer took his fee out of it. Finally, for those who "don't need rental coverage because they never get in accidents." Here's some news for you - you haven't gotten into an accident -- YET. Unless you don't drive a car, don't shortchange yourself on any car insurance with the mistaken belief that you won't get in an accident. That is not only foolish, it can be a very expensive mistake.

The problems that you are encountering are symptomatic of the way that insurance companies are changing their internal structure. It used to be that the Agent handled everything. Not so any more. Agents are merely salespeople, and they are being treated that way regardless of how long they have worked for the company and how many years they actually were 'full service'. Take a look at job descriptions for agents, and I challenge you to find a description that involves being essentially a project manager for a claim. The industry does not work that way anymore. Adjustors and claims handle all details beyond signing you up for insurance... the agent can't even give you your pricing and terms without consulting corporate. They have, alas, become glorified salespeople, stripped of any power to help you as they once did.

So stop paying for that personalized service; you aren't receiving it.

Go with a broker for independent insurance or do what I did and purchase it online. Unless you *need* your agent to do all of the legwork for you and are willing to pay through the nose for customized service through ING or somesuch, you will be dealing with claims and adjustors. Online insurers are cheaper because they aren't paying commissions to salespeople. you know that 30% markup? Gone. And handling a claim will be no different than going through Allstate or Safeco: You'll be on the phone to the main office and the regional satellite office trying to get some feedback... or you could just check the progress of your claim on their website, and fill out your forms, and it will automatically RECORD each of your actions and theirs in resolving a claim! Imagine that...
Both sides being able to see the progress of the claim at the same time!
(FWIW, I am now insured through esuarnce.com, and love the peace of mind that I can monitor claims, billing and options on my policy whenever I please. And I'm also happy that it is run by an established insurance company who saw the benefit in creating a new service, where you aren't paying those ridiculously high commissions to an unresponsive 'agent'.)

If the windows are busted out, it should be towed to a secure building and stored inside. The towing company is responsible for the security of your car once they take control of it.

I was once advised by a police officer to tell the tow company to tow the car to their lot, not to my home (I was young and unsure of what to do). He said that since the tow company is charging daily storage fees for the wrecked car, that's an incentive for the insurance company to get moving on the claim -- get it off the tow company's property and into the body shop (or total it, if that's the case).

I'm using a small family owned business out of Essex, MD. They are backed by Farmer's Insurance and not only did they have the best rates, but they know me by name and are eager to please. I am always wary of using any of the big names because this is the kind of service they usually give.

I've got 21st Century Insurance and they have customer service issues too. Their adjusters are a lazy bunch. They're in the office from 9am to 4pm on weekdays. I'm not even sure if they show up to work on Fridays. They never answer their phone. They never return your messages. You have to call them at random times and hope you catch them.

I've told my adjustor (several times) to call me directly on my cell phone, yet he always called my home phone and just leaves a message, telling me to call him back. And when I call him back, I get his voicemail. I tell him (again) to call my cell phone, but the next day he calls my house and leaves another message.

During off hours, they forward their claims hotline to a call center in the Phillipines. The reps at the call center don't give you any advice or tell you anything. They just read questions off their computer screen and enter your claim into the system. Once they take your claim, they tell you an adjustor will contact you within 24 hours. Um.. ok.

Regarding the rental car coverage: if it costs $2 - $3/month, and she hasn't made a claim in 22 years, then she's looking at having saved $528 to $792 over those years. It's doubtful that her rental car will end up costing that much. So she's come out ahead by just paying out of pocket.

Yay, USAA!

Dude, if you're going to call somebody a moron, at least spell it right.

Didn't Bugs Bunny call people maroon (purposely mispronouncing moron) in the Looney Tunes cartoons?

It used to be that the Agent handled everything. Not so any more. Agents are merely salespeople...

So much for 1NTC (One Neck To Choke).

With Allstate (and probably other insurance companies) a lot of the "good" or "bad" depends on your agent. I've been with Allstate for 16 years and had three agents. The first one was awesome -- literally a friend of the family -- but he retired. The agent who bought out his contracts was horrible -- 24-hour answering machine and never a returned call. I called corporate Allstate and threatened to cancel and the put me in touch with my current agent, who has always gone out of his way to help us -- not just in filing claims, but with adjusting our policies when needed.

I just don't think any player in the insurance industry cares about customers any more. They know you legally have to have car insurance and it gives them incentive to treat people like a commodity.

Okay, where to start.

First, why would you buy a product without knowing how it would be used? (ie. dealing with a claims adjuster)

Second, why would you buy a product without knowing what you were getting? (ie. rental)

Third, you left the keys IN the car and you are wondering where it is. Wow. I don't know what to say about that except... you created this situation all on your own.

People are trying to pass blame to Allstate but I don't see how other than they were slow. It's not uncommon for the agent to not be involved with the claims process, it's not his job. He won't know immediately that you had an accident. You'll find this to be true at most insurance companies.

The rest of her hassle stems from her inability to adequately insure herself against loss. She should have had the car towed to a garage, not driven home. By driving it there she created a parking space issue for herself. So, it's Allstate's fault if they are backed up? It's CHICAGO! If she had had it towed she could have rented a car, would have known where her car is right now and the process would be underway.

I've had NO PROBLEMS with Allstate. They even went after GM for me when GM was threatening me with a lawsuit for a deer my wife hit while driving a loaner (key word: loaner). I've had them since I started driving 17 years ago, I have them on everything I own and for every claim I've had to make it's been zero hassle.

Oh.. and my rates haven't gone up either. Of course there's only been two claims in 17 years.

The bottom line, instead of taking the time to understand what you had been paying on for 22 years and being in a grouchy mood you caused yourself headaches. There are a few minor points in your letter, but nothing so egregious as you claim.

Has this lady tried calling Allstate directly? Maybe some escalation is called for here?

Other than that, I have no useful comments, aside from another recommendation for USAA if you have any military connections. They are truly amazing for an insurance company. And they're really affordable. I've got Homeowners, Personal Property, and Auto with them, and they've never been anything less than amazing with the feew incidents I've had to report.

With the risk of sounding redundant, an insurance company agent works as an agent for the insurance company, not as an agent for the insured. It's in their best intrest to keep their company happy, and its in the company's best interest to pay out as little as possible.

Never forget this fact. Company's have shareholders. Shareholders don't like spending money.

As someone who had a large ($300K+) homeowners claim against Farmers, this became quickly obvious to me, even though the claim drug out for more than two years.

Dude, if you're going to call somebody a moron, at least spell it right.

Dude, if you're going to presume a misspelling, at least watch a few cartoons first. What a maroon (see last item, and Maroon Cartoons).

I've never had a SINGLE problem with Liberty Mutual, but I've only been a customer for 3 years. They are prompt, curteous, as well as help you out instead of talking you down.

Just my 2¢.

LOL -- OK, I stand corrected -- I am a maroon.

I guess I should be spending less time reading the Consumerist and more time watching cartoons. ;-)

Vinny, Yes I know that a homeowners claim during a major disaster doesn't equate to a traffic accident/automotive claim. My point was that if Allstate can get over $300k into my hands in what I perceive to be a relativly short period of time given the circumstances, then I will trust them to provide me with that same service on an automobile claim, regardless of which division/company is handling it. Like I said I'll stick with them until they show otherwise. Including my current agent.

Disclaimer: I work for an insurance company, but not for Allstate. I'm not an agent, but was licensed for several years until my position changed and I no longer needed it.

RulesLawyer - with a mutual insurance company, the insureds are the shareholders.

I'm insured with the Farm. I haven't switched simply because they've been good to me for many years.

Both State Farm and my employer have agents, and I don't think I'd have it any other way. If you have a good agent, they really do work for you. While they can't directly help with claims sometimes, they actually do have a vested interest in your happiness and in your business. If you're not happy, a good agent will find out why and work as your advocate in the company.

If you don't have an agent, it's you vs. a CSR. Sure, the CSR has more training than most, but I know from experience that all it takes to get an insurance license is a 3-day course, a test, and money. (Then you can get licensed in almost any other state in the nation by just paying a fee, without taking their state-specific tests.) I'd rather deal with a professional agent (who has a vested interest in my business) than with a CSR any day.

Back to the original post...

"Strike" 1 ... The poster has a point. Her agent should be sitting down with her once a year or so to review her coverages. If he hasn't been at least making the offer, this is poor service. That doesn't make it his fault that she doesn't have rental coverage, but if she's paying for an agent, she should expect agent service.

As for the claim handling - I dunno, it sounds like Allstate dropped the ball on this one, too. It's unreasonable to expect your agent to be at his office 24/7, but the people you call for your claim should at least have enough knowledge to get the process started and tell you what to do. (e.g. help set up a tow, let you know what steps you need to take, etc.)

A lot of other things in here, she brought on herself - for instance, there was no reason for her to stay home waiting for her agent to call, and so on. That's not on Allstate's shoulders. I also understand it sucks to have to pay for a rental car, but if you haven't paid for the coverage, I don't see why you'd expect one. It wouldn't be fair to the other policyholders - who would, in a very real and specific sense be paying for it.

Best of luck. I'd recommend calling the State Board of Insurance if the situation doesn't get resolved. I can post their number if need be.

I've never had a SINGLE problem with Liberty Mutual, but I've only been a customer for 3 years. They are prompt, curteous, as well as help you out instead of talking you down.

Yes, but have you had any significant claims? Being a customer, even a long term customer, of an insurer that never has to deliver approaches being valuless as an assessment. Of course an insurance company is going to be good at collecting money. The question is: do they service their members well when that insurance is needed?

If in 3 years you've had a dozen claims of various sizes then you're in a position to really talk about liberty's behavior. If you've never had anything significant to claim then all your assessment says is "for the past 3 years they managed to collect my checks and be nice to me".

Frankly, same goes for people who have had claims processed by their insurer but those claims were some years back. The fact is companies change over time. It's possible that the best insurer might be less than responsive some time later. The reverse is also true: a company that screwed people years back might well be a great company to work with now.

Current, significant claim response is they way to assess how 'good' an insurance company is.

In many (if not all) states, insurance is a regulated industry. When I was in an accident some years ago, the other driver and his insurance were really dragging their feet. A fairly simple call to the state insurance regulator magically fixed the problem in a matter of hours.

While all insurance companies can be nightmares, I must say in defense of Progressive that they handled my claim politely, quickly and satisfactorily - from start to finish. They were absolutely great. My brand new auto was hit in a Walmart parking lot by a truck that continued to speed away as I attempted to chase it on foot (alas, to no avail). Progressive (Atlanta, GA) got to work on it immediately, put it under my uninsured coverage since it was not a moving violation and took care of me without a hitch. Other than I got stuck with the deductible, they were great.

Isn't it weird how we're pretty much used to getting routinely screwed by companies to whom we pay huge amounts of money? Like, I keep hearing about banks and insurance companies and whatever just bending people over the table as a matter of everyday business practice? I mean, what the hell? Y'all: we pay insurance companies hundreds -- thousands, sometimes -- of dollars every month so that they can shortchange us, overcharge us, give us the runaround, and fail to provide anything resembling adequate, compassionate service at precisely the time when we need it the most. Maybe you got lucky and landed an insurance agent who's not a total douche, but ask around. I bet a woefully high proportion of your friends have had some major hassles with insurance companies. It sucks.

Insurance is state regulated with the federal government giving them "suggestions" so to speak.

Anyway, it's not your carrier's fault that you don't have the right coverage. You signed for the policy and should have read it. I know, I know, it's too hard to understand. that's why you pay for an agent, not that they all know what's going on either, but its a start. You don't just sign stuff without reading do you?

I've been an adjuster for a while and have dealt with plenty of agents that didn't know what coverage their client had, but most do. always have them explain your coverage and ask lots of questions.

Anyway, Nancy should have gotten off her butt the first day with out a car and gotten a rental and gone to work. no sense missing work because the customer service (and apparently claims handling) sucks at your insurance company.

I feel for her, honestly I do. I know making a claim is confusing, stressfull, and just sucks. She does need to call her states insurance department, her agent, her adjuster, and the main office for allstate. The calls to allstate, the aduster, and the agent should be often and the claims manager or supervisor should be spoken to as well. mention bad faith and the insurance department.

As an insurance agent I can tell you that Allstate agents are independent agents, meaning each of them are on their own to do their own thing. If they decide not to take care of their customers they can do that. Sorry you got a bad agent, but that's not the entire company's fault. If you called another Allstate agent you'd probably get much better results.

I have Farm Bureau for my auto and homeowners down here in North Carolina and they are the best. Not only do I get great rates but when my pickup truck had a cracked windshield it was taken care of immediatley with only a phone call. I also had the side window busted and my stereo stolen and they cut me a check for the radio for $250 (I only spent $130 originally on the radio) and fixed my window ASAP. I can also call my agent during office hours and almost always get him on the phone or at least a prompt call back.I guess not all are bad to deal with. Kudos to them!!!

Boy that sucks, but if you aren't aware of what's in your policy that is on you. My van took hail damage (as did my house). I was without it for three weeks with no back up because we declined rental coverage. Sucked, but that was on us.

As an aside, my insurance company is American Family. I have never had a problem with them in the eight years I have used them, and we have filed multiple claims on both our house and our vehicles.

Our agent even calls us on our birthdays, and this is a man we have met only a few times.

When we had our hail damage, we had adjusters on site within days (our whole city got slammed). With the exception of having to remind the car adjuster to release the check to us (she thought she had sent it but hadn't), we had no problems.

Isn't it weird how we're pretty much used to getting routinely screwed by companies to whom we pay huge amounts of money? Like, I keep hearing about banks and insurance companies and whatever just bending people over the table as a matter of everyday business practice? I mean, what the hell?

Thank you. This can't be said enough. This woman's insurance company did NOT do their job. They are acting in bad faith. Why are people on a consumer-oriented forum blaming the victim for not being 'proactive' enough in forcing a company to do what they are paid for? While it may be prudent, it is not her job, and she is in no way culpable for her insurance company's failure to do their job.

Yes, most other insurance companies do it, too, and you know why? Because American consumers just bend over and take it.

acambras says:
I was once advised by a police officer to tell the tow company to tow the car to their lot, not to my home (I was young and unsure of what to do). He said that since the tow company is charging daily storage fees for the wrecked car, that's an incentive for the insurance company to get moving on the claim -- get it off the tow company's property and into the body shop (or total it, if that's the case).

This is my understanding too, and in my case, I believe it worked to my favor. I suppose it also helps to know your local bodyshop guy, but that's not as likely as knowing your agent.

Again, I say: know your agent! Know your policy! Know the steps to take in case of an incident likely to lead to a claim!

Good idea for homeowner's insurance too.

Spanky, I think most of the commenters are trying to point out two very important lessons:

1) Know what coverage you need. It's important to review your coverage every time you renew, or you may end up being underinsured. Also, you may be counting on coverage you thought you had but didn't (like the rental car coverage - if you decline it, know that you won't be covered for it). A good agent should help you review your coverage and make sure you're properly insured. If you're having trouble getting an agent to help you with that, find a new agent.

2) Be proactive. It would helped this woman if she'd been proactive in following lesson #1 (some agents offer to review coverage with you, but some just wait for you to ask). It also would have made sense if she'd rented the car and gone to work instead of waiting around at home for them to call her back (unless she was injured and couldn't work).

Maybe some of the commenters came off a bit hypercritical, but they point out important things for all of us to think about. I bet a lot of readers will review their coverage (if they haven't already done so recently), and a lot of people will plan (to the extent that one can) what to do if they find themselves in the position of filing a claim.

Barefeet wrote:

...we pay insurance companies hundreds -- thousands, sometimes -- of dollars every month so that they can shortchange us, overcharge us, give us the runaround...

Want change? Get the government out of it! The insurance industry has one of the largest and most powerful lobbying presences on both state and national levels, and consequently has far too much influence. Make requiring insurance illegal; allow people the choice of self-insuring (if they can prove they have the means) or joining private risk pools (these need to be made legal in all areas!) instead. The adantage to these approaches is that the pooled money can be invested and can actually MAKE money for the participants. This is one heck of an incentive to not file frivolous claims!

I hate to point this out but if the writer is really in Oak Park then it is not 50 miles away... try 15-25 at the most.

I'm an adjuster and have worked at several of the large carriers. Few things here just from browsing the article and the comments:

1. Know your coverage. When I worked for Allstate, most agents made insureds initial the spot that says they do NOT want rental coverage because as soon as they have a loss, and no rental, they freak out.

2. Unless something has recently change, Allstate agents are all captive agents.

3. Flood - don't get me started. Insurance companies are not allowed to SELL flood insurance. It is a program mandated and administered by the federal government. If you have a flood and a flood policy, it's separate from your homeowners insurance. Your homeowners adjuster will probably get stuck writing the estimate however.

4. Flood con't: All companies use the same ISO policy wording for the definition of flood. Pull your policy out and take a look. It's not some ethereal definition that changes during hurricanes. Surface water, whether driven by wind or not, is flood - so, storm surge, river overflow, gulf of mexico moving 1/2 mile = flood.

p.s. Flood is easy for adjusters to figure out. The roof tells all...

Another recommendation for USAA. I have used them for 13 years, with two significant claims. When my car was stolen, I had a check within two weeks for above blue book value, no hassle.

When a drunk totaled my car two years later, they told me to go ahead and have the police tow the car because USAA could not get someone there for 90 minutes. They patiently walked me through my uninsured motorist coverage ('cause why would a habitual drunk have insurance) and I received blue book value and a nice settlement.

They are always super polite and helpful on the phone, and the only company I truly .