Posts about Progressive

Vote Here For The Worst Ad In America Awards!
October 7, 2011 7:48 PM  
You told us which TV ads annoy you the most, now it's time to select the worst of the worst! More »

Vote Here For Worst Ad In America 2010!
September 25, 2010 4:15 PM  
Now that the nominees have been announced for Consumerist's First Annual Worst Ad In America Awards, it's time to get your vote on! More »

Progressive Direct "Glitch" Hikes Premium From $800 to $2,000
By Chris Walters on July 14, 2010 12:30 PM  
Kevin received a surprise when he checked the renewal notice for his car insurance recently. A 260 percent surprise, in fact, even though he's not a bad driver and hadn't been in any accidents. More »

Which TV Ad Spokesperson Needs To Be Retired Next?
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2010 1:01 PM  
With the recent announcement that Apple has taken mercy on all TV watchers and finally put a bullet in the head of the "I'm a Mac" ad campaign, along with with McDonald's' decision to keep longtime front man Ronald McDonald, in spite of a push to have him put out to pasture, we want to know from you which TV ad character/spokesthing you think should be next in line for retirement. More »

(Photo: mariwilson)

Progressive Offers Discount To Those Who Let Company Spy On Them
By Phil Villarreal on December 25, 2009 10:00 AM  
Progressive has a rather creepy yet potentially money-saving way to save on car insurance called MyRate, WalletPop reports. More »

Progressive Has No Notion of Christmas Spirit, Announces Yule-tide Rate Increase
By Alex Jarvis on December 26, 2008 3:00 PM  

—> According to an Email received by reader Jessica, Progressive Auto Insurance is increasing rates for New York Customers by nearly 20%. And the best time to announce this? Christmas day, of course!  More »

Progressive Responds To Question About Using Recent Military Service To Determine Rates And Eligibility
By consumerist.com on April 22, 2008 7:22 PM  

—>The Progressive auto insurance company saw our post "Why Is Progressive Using "Recent Military Service" To Determine Rates And Eligibility?" and responded to let us know that it's just to make sure that service members aren't penalized for having a lapse in their coverage due to the fact that they've been deployed overseas. They've apologized for the confusing wording on the website and have pledged to rewrite it for clarity. Full official statement, inside...  More »

Why Is Progressive Using "Recent Military Service" To Determine Rates And Eligibility?
By Chris Walters on April 19, 2008 2:46 AM  

—>[Update: Progressive responded and clarified that the fine print does NOT mean they will use military service to give you a higher rate.] We got this email tonight from Ceaser, who wants to know why his military service would negatively affect his car insurance:

While searching for new car insurance on progressive and sadly other insurance carriers, figuring what the rate check would be I answered a few questions. Some questions asked were if I was currently in the military and in college, I am both. As an Iraq war Army vet I am currently going to school with the GI bill, and tuition assistance from the Air national guard, so I put that I am both a student and national guard.
  More »

Progressive Says Lying Its Way Into Church Support Group To Dig Up Lawsuit Dirt Was "Reasonable"
By consumerist.com on October 18, 2007 3:08 AM  

—>Remember how Progressive got caught infiltrating a church support group and secretly recording it in hopes of discrediting two of its members involved in an insurance claim? And then their CEO posted a public apology, calling the incident "apalling?" Well, now, in defending itself against the lawsuit filed by the people whose privacy was breached, Progressive is calling its actions "reasonable." Progressive must be some kind of special alchemist to brew a concoction both "appalling" and "reasonable" at the same time.  More »

Progressive Apologizes, Sort Of, For Leaving Customer Stranded Last Weekend
By Chris Walters on October 12, 2007 2:16 PM  

—> We've received a follow-up email from Chuck, who has spent the better part of the week trying to determine why Progressive's Roadside Assistance service—for which he pays an additional monthly fee on top of his normal insurance premium—sucks so badly that they'd leave a motorist stranded for 45 minutes on a busy Interstate on a weekend morning.  More »

Progressive Roadside Assistance Strands Lady On Roadside
By Chris Walters on October 9, 2007 2:28 PM  

—> According to a reader, Progressive—the insurance company that sends private detectives to secretly tape-record church support group meetings—took 45 minutes this past weekend to put a live person in contact with a woman who was stranded on a busy Interstate in Nashville after a tire blew out on her car. Eventually, a Tennessee Department of Transportation officer stopped and helped her.  More »

Progressive Insurance Lies Its Way Into Church Support Group To Dig Up Lawsuit Dirt
By consumerist.com on August 24, 2007 3:14 PM  

—>Just when you thought insurance companies couldn't get any sleazier, Progressive Insurance got caught sending private eyes to infiltrate and secretly record an Atlanta area church support group in hopes of digging up dirt to discredit a church couple involved in a car accident lawsuit, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reportsMore »

Insurers Cut Out The Middleman, Open Own Repair Shops
By Carey Alexander on May 27, 2007 7:52 PM  

—>Insurance companies are opening their own in-house repair shops to avoid haggling with your local mechanic. Local mechanics consistently complain that insurance companies are cheapskates that would rather save a buck than authorize the repairs needed to safely return a car to the road. By opening their own shops, insurers have found the corporate equivalent of sticking your finger in your ear while mouthing "I can't hear you!"

Rather than putting the onus on customers to find a body shop, get an estimate and arrange a rental car, Progressive, Geico and others are setting up one-stop service centers to handle every aspect of the claim.
Progressive and Geico guarantee their repairs for life, though it's difficult to trust someone who has a direct interest in keeping the repair bill low. Two customers interviewed by the Times found obvious defects in the insurance companies' workmanship. Still, the customers left happy, not because their cars worked, but because they were treated well by smiling insurance company representatives. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER  More »

10 Confessions Of A Progressive Insurance Rep
By Ben Popken on May 22, 2007 10:46 PM  
A former Progressive car insurance customer service rep has stepped forward into the light to give us the low-down on how his ex-employer works:
I worked at a call center for Progressive Insurance up until about a month ago. I hated my job so much, but I really can't gripe about the company. It is a great company to work for and they are very good to their customers. So I'd like to share with you some inside knowledge about the company; like how to grossly extend your payment, get fees waived, and the logical behind rating factors.1. Progressive uses a point system to determine your rate...
Improved Your Credit Score? Tell Your Car Insurance Company
By Meg Marco on May 7, 2007 5:54 PM  
Since them I received an updated bill and it was $67.50 cheaper (for 6 months)—just based on a new credit check! Obviously if readers credit history worsens, wouldn't recommend an updated credit check, but for most people, if you don't ask for the current credit check, you could be losing dollars. Good tip, Jeff. Insurers compare your credit score to the scores of their other clients and use it as a way to predict how likely you are to have an accident. Apparently, people with similar credit scores have similar driving habits. For more info on how Progressive uses this information, click here. —MEGHANN MARCO  More »

Progressive Insurance. Not.
By consumerist.com on October 24, 2006 7:19 PM  

—>Just because an insurance company has Progressive in their name doesn't mean they're any different from the usual penny-pinchers.  More »

Save On Insurance By Calling Around. Duh.
By consumerist.com on October 24, 2006 4:42 AM  

Spotted this at the often quite good I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog.  More »

Counterpoint: God Denies Causing Car Accident
By consumerist.com on October 10, 2006 1:40 AM  

—>Martin, also a California lawyer, doesn't believe God was in that crashing car at all. He writes:  More »

Why The Car Accident Was God's Fault
By consumerist.com on October 10, 2006 1:12 AM  

—>While we were busy being befuddled, a California lawyer slipped a smart-bomb in the comments.   More »

God Works In Mysterious Car Accidents
By consumerist.com on October 9, 2006 11:07 PM  

Did you know that if a guy has a stroke while driving and barrels into four other cars, and no one knows he had a tumor beforehand, it's considered an Act of God?   More »

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