Another unhappy progressive customer...
 

*THIS WAS NOT MY BOAT, just posting for a friend and friendly warning to my OSO brothas and sistas!*


This is a buddy of mine and he just wants to warn everyone about Progressive. There are numerous people who have had the same issue. If anyone has fought and one let me know what steps he should take. Worth taking them to court???

So as some of you seen a while back my boat was awaiting inspection from Progressive after I had hit something a while back and a month and a half later found out my hull had a crack under the drive. The boat sat in the water for over a month with a crack in it and I found it almost sunk Labor day weekend and had it pulled out and discovered the crack. So Progressive states that the transom was weak before the incident and denies my claim leaving me with a cracked hull needing to be fixed not to mention the Engine parts and trim pump etc that also got soaked and will need to be replaced next year. So claim denied because of pre-existing damage, this is comical because Progressive doesn’t require a survey nor pictures. When I originally signed up I asked and they said they needed nothing but pictures couldn’t hurt. Well I had pictures of the boat with no damage but guess what, it didn’t help. So an Insurance company does not require a survey but then denies you because you supposedly had damage that you didn’t know about and never had accessed. So please if you guys want to pay for insurance only to realize you don’t really have insurance please choose PROGRESSIVE!! I would like to thank the fine Progressive team that helped me out; Erik Stamps my claims rep, Mike Zarney his boss, and at the top Shimay.

All Progressive field adjusters are now being issued these...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...ntitled-19.jpg

file a complaint with your state insurance commisioner. puts the heat on them to settle.

So the boat has been taking on water due to the crack that they claim was pre-existing.......if the boat wasn't taking on water before the accident it would seem pretty obvious that the crack was caused BY the accident.

and BTW: I dropped them quite some time ago because of the mess a buddy went through with them.

why did it take you a month to notice your boat was sinking... and are you saying you hit something hard enough to cause this, yet you didn't think it was hard enough to pull it out and have a look ?... just parked it for a month and drove home ?

The state board sounds like the best route, agree some heat needs to be put on them.

The whole month thing...the boat is in a slip. He checked out the boat as much as possible and everything seemed to be in order, no visible leaks, etc. In hindsight ya he should have had it looked at but does anyone take it in after hitting something if no damage is seen???

It took me a year and they finally paid the claim. At one time they offered to help me out and pay 1/2. Best bet is to start with the State Comm. Document every name you speak with and ask for their bosses name. After you get to the top of the ladder, call him everyday to ask when they are going to pay the claim. The squeaky wheel does get the grease. If they survey the boat ask for all paperwork. Find a friendly insurance adjuster to help you write the letter to the state sighting as many bad faith claims as you can think of. Just don't give up!

While my claim with Progressive was small, (someone stole my 5 month old aluminum trailer, I had a check in about 7 days, so I can not complain about customer service. They didn't even 'itch' about the paid storage yard not having any better security than a 6 foot fence, and gate that stays open unsupervised 12 hours a day. Why did I put the new trailer there? Because my old steel trailer had been stored there for 3 years with no problems, and it was not the only aluminum trailer in the yard, but perhaps the biggest. If I hit something that is big enough for me to feel/hear it, my boat is going up in the air to check and document, just for my piece of mind. A boat does not want to float, it wants to be on the bottom as that is it's most equilibrium state, unless it is filled with foam and is not sinkable. If you think dealing with insurance companies is bad about cars and boats, just check out what they are doing to the poor folks in the Gulf Coast/Florida.. If you have flood insurance with one company and then wind damage coverage with another company,,, they both just stand there pointing at the other guy!.:( Hope your friend gets his repairs covered!!!

Sorry for your friends troubles. How old is the boat?

I just had a claim settled with Progressive. They were fantstic. I had hit something underwater hard enough to crack my gimble. I was turning pulling away from a dock at the time of impact. Os visual ispection all I saw was a bent prop so I continued on my way. About 10 miles out one drive falls off the boat. after idling in Ihad my mechanic inspect and he said to call Ins. co.. Progressive paid to have both drives disassembled just to inspect. The ended up replacing both drives and gimbles. This is on a 16 year old boat that does compare to a 5 year old boat in hours and condition. The adjuster called at least once a week to check/report progress of repairs. I could not have asked for better service.

hey fantastixvoyage,i feel your pain.been there did that in april,through june before i got back on the water.i hit a tug-boat roap in april,did not get fixed till mid june.i feel at times i got the runaround,but i did get it fixed......after 2times of trying to 1/2 way fix the job,they finally replaced the drive w/reman unit.i had to eat the engine coupler myself.i will say this about progressive,they always returend my phone call that day....if that helps.keep on them,that seems to be the way to work progressive.

I have had to hire a lawyer for my Progressive theft claim. It is not even worth my time anymore to give details. I'll just tell you this: If you have your boat stored somewhere secure & you get a phone call saying that you need to come look at the boat. Don't call Progressive & file a partial claim to get the ball rolling. Wait to get all the details otherwise they think you are filing a false claim.

You couldn't pay me even to entertain a quote from progressive. I worked in the auto body business long enough to know that. They refuse to use original parts when their customer specifically asks for them. I cant even imagine them on a boat claim. Towards the end if it wasn't a repeat customer and looked to be a nightmare of a job we would simply say that we cant repair your car the way it needs to be with your insurance company.

Alot of this has to do with your adjuster. Like any business, they're judged on performance. Progressive's criteria are essentially how little they can pay out. They're very large and I suppose they find it better to bait new customers in with low rates than it is to retain their existing customers by servicing them well.

If you get an adjuster who's gung-ho to make a career at Progressive, you're in for a tussle. If you get a guy who's passing through, you may have an easier experience. I've had this same experience with other insurers- one adjuster is a shark, the next can be quite reasonalbe. Progressive's business model strongly leans toward aggressive adjustment.

If you live in the State of VA your screwed, if you own a house and it burnes down(total devestating loss) you have 180 days to rebuild it with your own money and present the insurance co the bill. Now before you say anything My wife and I ended up in the State supreme court, took $250,000 loss on a new house.

burns not burnes!!!!!!

My boat was stolen and had to deal with Progressive. To say the least I took in the ASS. Once the claim was settled it cost me about $15,000.00 So much for having insurance to cover the theft of your boat.

Chris is right, get a crappy adjuster and you are in for it. A lot also has to do with the financial year the company has had, if you catch them right they pay with out much B.S. if there tight they will work you over. My late cousin struck something under water and blew a hole in the bottom and cracked some stringers, the adjuster called it a latent defect which means it's a problem common to a certain manufacturer, such as weak stringers, it cost him 28k to fix the boat and they gave him nothing. Another of the many horror stories I'm sure are out there.

A Buddy Of Mine Has An On Going Claim With Markel And Is Getting Jerked Big time ,The Adjuster They Sent Dosnt Know His A$$ From His Elbow,Going On About 4 Months Now,Its All Ins COs.They Want To Save A Buck And Screw The Insured

Progressive seems to get bashed a lot on this site (unlike others). Our office also represents Progressive along with many other carriers. I believe Progressive is a great company & we have had great response when a claim has come up.

I just spoke to another unhappy Progressive client. When we started talking about his boat, he mentioned that it has 1,350 HP! This is NOT acceptable with Progressive. This guy was upfront about his boat & now is running into problems. I don't know the complete story, but the person he should be made at is his agent. Progressive does allow rating by prop HP (not crank) but 1,350 would still be over their 1,000 max (500 per engine) limit. Also, if you are with a standard carrier & you change / modify your engine, you should update your agent & policy.

Always check your application & insurance policy to make sure the information is accurate to protect yourself in the event of a claim.

OR buy yourself a couple of spare HP500 spark arrestor lids! :D

I do't know if that is good advice - jack ass!

HA! I just figured I'd drop by and say howdy! By the way, check the pantera section. My new stock 420 is running great! :D

Take a couple plugs out. :D

Just what I need to see here. :(
I'm dealing with Progressive right now for my car/boat accident, due to a trailer tire blow. (11/7/07) Boat/truck flipped. I will let everyone know how it will turn out. Car insurance dudes, already giving me problems. Anyone with a good bulldog style attorney? I might need one. The broker (name will be withheld for now) I dealed with never told me that it was Progressive who was the actual underwriter and ins. Co.

Ouch! Keep us posted and good luck.

Lots have said how low thier Progressive Ins is. SO MUCH lower than Worldwide Ins or Total Dollar Ins (Sy).

Now you know why, you have bargain basement Ins and get what you pay for as a result.

I hope the best for those that are dealing w/ issues now, but when it is renewal time, go with proven insurance. We all don't like to pay for it, but are real glad that when the time comes, a good Ins co will be there.

been talking with Bob at worldwide this week, great guy to talk with and he knows his insurance! was thinking of trying to keep my state farm policy, but like Billr said you get what you pay for, don't mind that for sporting event tickets or beer but definitely not insurance!

Update with Progressive.
So far no major problems. They are still working on the numbers and estimate, but they didn't give me any slack yet.
Actually had several calls from them discussing the situation.
So far.... ok. but it's not over yet. They are willing to fix the boat, right, but the final decision has not been reached yet.
I will ask some input from OSO regarding my options once I know what they are.
:rolleyes:

Paradox, were in FL are you?

I used to be an adjuster for Progressive.

What can I say I was a rockstar, I led the region in CSI (customer service index) I cared about my customers, almost got the can twice over fighting for the customer, hell the one was an illegal Mexican even

But at that same token, the girl that sat next to me was a hanous *****, and if her personal life was not 110% perfect she took it out on all her customers.

Everyday it was a **** storm in our office dealing with her irate customers, she would just instigate the hell out of them.

And the talk about aftermarket parts vs new parts, man it is in the policy plain and clear. I grew up around insurance, so I have always understood the "understand what your buying" mentality.

Let me tell you this much, progressive adjusters are better enabled to help you than any other company. They are usually local, and mobile.

My office was in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. One afternoon I got a scene loss (meaning live accident) Our customer rearended a couple from Alabama. Our customer was in a late model cougar, and the claimant was in a new Jeep liberty. I took the basic info on the phone, hopped in the IRV and booked it to Navarre, beat the FHP and Okaloosa Sheriff. Both cars were in the median of HWY 98, not a real pleasant road to be on at 5:30 PM.

Our car was non drivable, the girl had rental on her policy. I called Navarre paint and body, got them to come down with a roll back to get her car, and with her rental car on the roll back.

I wrote the estimate for the liberty right there, cut a check, and the girl was on her way. Im sorry but that is service, and I have more than just a few stories like that.

But I was a hustler and I am a hugely empathetic person and I understand what customer retention means.

I would walk in knowing everyday that I was going to talk to at least three people having a MUCH worse day than I, that is how I kept my head high. Other reps acted like cops that had been on the beat for 20 years, just sad worn out people.

Like I said, the company enables the people, just there are bad apples in every organization.

Fire and theft claims I will tell you, unless it is beyond obvious, you have perfect credit, low debt, and no odd things happening in your life it will take a while to settle. They investigate the hell out of them, and I think the real reason is that most of the fire theft people are ex cops, and they get off on nailing people to the wall. That is the bragging rights they have within the organization.

Dblvanos
I am in New Port Richey.
THe accident was near Venice Fl. THe adjuster is from Clearwater.
I had my share of good and bad experiences with ins. companies.
It seems like a lot depands on the person you deal with.
THis adjuster is specilalizing in boats. he knows my issues and I hope things will work out. However, like I said.. it's not a done deal yet. I have to wait and see, but I am hopefull.
I already talked to the boat manufacturrer and they are very helpfull. -Thank you Dennis at Avanti.-
I will provide and update Monday. In summary.. it's probably not the insurance company that's a problem. It's people with in all companies. Let's face it ALL insurance companies have a safe profit margin. It's business and I have no problem with that. Look at the Geico boat. it's not built on losses, just like Vegas not built on winnings. My truck is insured with 21st Century/AIG. Got a check for repairs already, yet the body shop hasn't even looked at the frame issues. (truck is in parking lot as of this PM) Does not make any sence. If I have frame damage, I have to fight now. Luckly I know the shop where it's being repaird. It sem that if they send the money fast the consumer will shut up. NOT ME. lol
Keep tunned in.

P

Paradox,

Sorry man, no connections left in claims in your part of the world.

I wouldn't worry a lot about getting the check already minus the potential frame issues. I would write checks all the time, then issues supplements. I was not allowed to write checks out for a what if situation, it had to be proven that there was damage. Usually that meant pulling a part of that was hiding the damage.

This is pretty minor, but I used to keep my spyderco knife with me all the time. My team leader always wondered how I could get the shop guys to "take" those bumper covers off so fast ;)

I wish you luck man.

That has me confused? I have perfect credit, my imperica scores are in the 800's. I owe only on my boat & I was recently divorced as of a year ago December.
Are you telling me that because I live "clean" that is giving Progressive reason to suspect/investigate me right out of the box?

I meant that if your not living clean.

I am surprised that you would be getting the run around actually.

I was told that the average fire and theft claim will take between 15 and 30 days to settle if everything is in order.

How long has it been for you and what are they doing that is holding up your claim?

You have a PM, but long story short it has been 5 months of feet dragging, lawyers & threats.

Call an attorney. File against them and specify damages for bad faith.

The best defense is a good offense. One squeak from an insurer gets them directed immediately to my attorney. Then they get to pay the claim and his bill. It's never not worked for me.

Here's how the conversations go...


Adjuster- "But you see Mr. Sunkin..."

Me- "Billy, excuse me for interrupting, but do you have a pen handy?"

Adjuster- "Well, yes, I do"

Me- "Good. Let me give you this number. It's 330-xxx-xxxx. Ask for Mr. Dowling. He's my attorney and will be handling this issue from here on out. Thanks for your time."

Click.

Straightens 'em right up.

Progressive update.
It appears, that often not the insurance co, is the problem but the adjusters or the staff within the company.
For me dealing with Progressive was a pleasure (if you could call pleasure when it's a claim). Contact with individuals was not a problem. The adjusters called me back in reasonable time, called me for updates on the situation. There were some discussions of repairs, where, who and how much, but I did not receive and BS. Eventually Progressive totaled the boat and I got a check. I will still be out of pocket, but as far as Progressive, and staff, I can't and won't complain. Pretty reasonable dudes I got hooked up with.
Not true with 21st Century/AIG on my car insurance. No call backs, I have to leave dozens of messages, no clue as what’s the story with the collision repair center, no communication from the adjuster, and his boss, AND HIS BOSS. My truck is still at the body shop… waiting, as I am for some intelligent word from 21st Century/AIG.
Interesting however, I had a situation with 21st Century a year ago when a taxi hit my car. No problems what so ever, check for the repairs in my hand in 3 days.
It is evident to me.. not the insurance Co. is the problem, people/staff within. The yo-yo’s I am dealing now should all be fired and get a new carrier selling hot dogs.
Can we interview the adjusters/staff whom we would be dealing with ?? (just a thought) :angry-smiley-038:

You can also speak with them about what is refered to as "Good Faith" If the adjuster doesn't know what you are talking about, speak with their manager.

"Good Faith" is what they use in court to provide the jury with the reasonable expectations that your claim would be handled profesionally by the company that they pay their premiums to.

This term works with other things beside insurance also.

Just by letting the company know that you know what this means will get your cse transfered, or a fire lit under your adjuster's arse.

I learned this the hard way while I was a young adjuster. I had a very nice attorney explain to me what would happen to me if I didn't get his claim handled quickly. I had more than a few managers explain to me that he was correct in ths.

I don't have this problem anymore because i get my claims handled in a timely and profesional manner and usually try to make that the insured is more than compensated.

You guys are correct in that it is 80% the adjuster. Really good adjusters are hard to find in this world because of turn over, compensation, stress factor, etc.

Call your insurance agent and let them know how disappointed you are int he way its all being handled....and hint you may be looking for a different company in the near future.....hopefully they dont want to loose the account/commission and will get the ball rolling for you .....