We've had Progressive for years and love them. We started with them because we had moved and left one car in our home state so hubby could drive it when he travelled back there. Progressive was the only one that would insure a car that wasn't stored at our home address. They have other features, too, like extra coverage for people who frequently rent cars (like my husband does). And the premiums are very inexpensive.
A few years ago I summarized the kind of auto coverage we had - the exact vehicles, the coverage levels we desired, the kinds of coverage we had to have, deductibles, how many tickets / accidents we had, the age / gender of the drivers, etc. I then distributed that summary to every single insurance company in my local area. Some companies wouldn't even bother to quote. The few companies that did quote didn't even come close to the premiums we were already paying through Progressive. Some companies tried to quote but couldn't even provide the same kind of COVERAGE that we had - and the out of state car was now parked in-state.
Get this ... we had a claim a little over a year ago because my husband backed up my relatively brand-new minivan into his pick-up truck. Progressive was GREAT at getting the van repaired. We didn't bother with truck especially since it is very old and not very damaged. And the best news is the next time our insurance was reviewed - OUR PREMIUMS WENT DOWN.
That was the second claim we had with them. They also repaired our other car when my husband rear-ended someone during a rainstorm. Again, Progressive was GREAT. The claims adjuster CAME TO OUR HOUSE within 24 hours of the accident. We could use whatever body shop we wanted and we didn't have to get any quotes. From that point on the body shop and Progressive handled everything through e-mail and digital pictures. When we went to pick-up the car and drive it home, we discovered a problem what the body shop hadn't fixed. They wouldn't have known about it unless they drove the car for a period of time which isn't what a body shop does. My first thought was "Ut-oh, we're going to get the run around now." We called the claims adjuster and told them the problem and he said we should take the car back to the body shop immediately and he'd take care of it. We did and the car was repaired in less than a day - and the body shop replaced the part with a brand new item. It turned out BETTER than we had expected. Progressive paid for it all.
If I have to complain about anything with Progressive is on a minor issue with the repair on the minivan. The accident happened during a very busy time in our lives (which was why hubby was driving my car; he was trying to help me out by driving the kids somewhere.) I really didn't want to take time out to deal with the repair. However, the claims adjuster strongly suggested that I get the van into the body shop right away. Later I found out that the claims adjusters are judged on how quickly they get the cars repaired. Even if it is the property owner who was causing the delay, it is a strike against them. I sort of felt bad for the guy after hearing that.
BTW, we signed up with Progressive through a local insurance broker who handles our life, homeowners and umbrella coverage, too. We definately have a local representative to talk to. Fortunately, we've never had an issue with Progressive or our homeowners' insurance. Our umbrella coverage is an annual pain in the tush, however.
