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Progressive Review: Auto Insurance |
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| Combines a low customer complaint ratio with an easy-to-use website. Our top choice for auto insurance. | |
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Progressive has been in business since 1937 and primarily concentrates on auto insurance policies. They are a publicly traded company with 450 offices throughout the US and over 14 billion dollars in assets. Customers can rest assured that Progressive is a financially secure company with a "superior" financial strength rating from several independent assessment companies.
Progressive Direct Quote Process The data required to create a quote is fairly standard - it includes the driver specifics and driving history, address and vehicle data. When you input your Name and Address you need to read and accept their Privacy Policy to proceed with an online quote. The right side of the site features frequently asked questions and provides an overview of all the information you enter as you move through the fields. If you'd like to speak with someone live, you can easily click a button and enter your phone number to have them call you or you can call them directly. They also offer a Spanish language version of the quote tool for those who prefer it. Progressive does ask some self-serving questions, such as whether you're covered by health insurance, conceivably so that they can upsell you on your quote. They also ask if they can email you about their products and services, something we didn't see on the other sites we reviewed. Progressive offers some unique customer-friendly features as part of their quote. Right before they display your quote, they ask if you'd like to choose between 3 different types of quotes. The first option is a customized insurance package they recommend, priced accordingly. The second option allows you to enter the price you'd like to pay and they'll build a quote at that price. Obviously, if you enter a low price, your coverage levels won't be as high, but this is an intriguing feature for price-sensitive customers on a budget. The third option will match the cost of your current insurance coverage. We found this functionality to be very useful, and it made us feel like we had control of the situation, a nice touch. The final quote page was very easy to read and understand. The dollar value of the discounts you qualify for are displayed, and customers are given a wide variety of payment options. If you're interested, there's even a section where you can compare your Progressive quote with a quote from another company. When you select this feature you're asked some additional questions and then another quote is generated. Our quote was for State Farm auto insurance with the same coverage limits. The State Farm quote was significantly more expensive than the Progressive quote. The most unusual and intriguing feature was the complimentary "pet injury coverage" as part of your policy quote, if you elect to purchase collision coverage with your policy. Progressive states that their collision coverage covers injuries or death to any pets owned by the insured or a relative. Long live Fido! Bottom Line Progressive had the lowest composite complaint index of all the companies we looked at, an indicator that consumers are happy with their service. Their website and online quoting feature rated highly with consumers and even won accolades as the #1 auto insurance website in 2009. Like the other companies we reviewed, Progressive provides online billing and paper-free statements. Their ability to provide another company's quote is a nice feature for those customers who prefer to shop around prior to purchasing. The combination of these traits led us to make them our top pick for auto insurance. Progressive offers insurance in the following states: Progressive offers auto insurance coverage in all 50 states. |
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| Claim Contact Options: | Average = 0.30 CA=0.6, TX=0.74, NY=0.05, IL=0.23, OH=0.21, NJ=0.02 |
| Estimated Quote*: | Via online form or phone |
| Shopping Experience: |  |
| Claim Satisfaction**: |  |
| Overall Satisfaction**: | |
**Based on JD Power and Associates 2009/2010 Ratings
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