Ripped off for many years
by Mike on Jan 24, 2018
2.5 out of 5 stars
I was at an auto show and answered a questionnaire on an iPad about my then current insurance company. An agent contacted me shortly after and quoted me a rate that was much lower, so I switched over. I was also offered first accident forgiveness, among other things and was told that I had a traffic ticket that could be waived to get this stellar package. Low and behold, I had an accident 4 days later that was a total loss. Magically, I was not entitled to the accident forgiveness due to a traffic ticket that was on my record (yes, the one that was waived). I then realized that I was the victim of the old bate-and-switch sales tactic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch). I was appalled. For the next two and a half months, I went through pure hell trying to get my claim paid out. I brought this to the attention of the "manager" and was only made to feel like an a-hole in the end. She was quite a good debater and it was then that I realized there was nothing I could do and would never win this argument. Come my one year renewal, I was terminated from the policy with a balance owing that I was never even made aware of! Not once did they even make the slightest attempt to call my phone number that was in their system. This prompted them to send letters to my old address (I strictly remember updating them with my new one) and finally sending me to a collection agency. Dealing with Allstate was the absolute WORST experience I have ever had with ANY company in my 38 years of existing on this planet. Do yourself a favour and stay away from these shysters.
Let me explain drivewise to you in the terms that no one tells you. Yeah you're gonna save 10%. Literally. That is all. Let me explain why. You get the 10% for signing up. Here's what they don't tell you. You plug it in, it monitors your usage. But it is not designed to monitor your actual driving skill. They base their evaluation (I know because I read the terms and conditions, which you can't read until after you sign up), on the times of day you drive. For example I was getting dinged for driving to work every day. You know why? Because I work midnights. So basically anything after 10pm is considered high risk. Same with high traffic times like when pretty much everyone drives say from 7am to 11am and also from 4pm to 7pm. So you're screwed there. Apparently it was my fault for having a midnight job...they don't care (I know because I called and complained). Also they charge you for hard braking. But nevermind that I wasn't about to hit a car, but a kid or an animal that ran out in front of me. Doesn't matter. Even if you hard brake because someone cut you off, if you drop off more than 13km in a certain amount of time you lose percent. Also you lose if you drive too much. So my gf works out of town, so she gets charged because she drives too far. It also stipulates that you have to drive your car, so you can't not drive or leave it in your driveway, you will also lose points. You can't go over 125km/h ever. That means if you are driving through Cambridge or Toronto where people go 140 at least, you'll be in the slow lane for the next 6 months. And last but not least, their site is inaccessible to log in after your period is finished. This means you cannot see your final percentage, or your overall progress. They send you an email 2 weeks after you've completed it, only to give you an average of your percentage estimate...that means it's not the actual number of percent you're going to save on renewal. Once I started driving and logged in at my 3 month review, I noticed that my percentage had dropped almost 10% even though I was a perfect driver. No hard braking, no accidents, no speeding. Yet I lost points. So I told my gf screw it, I'm just going to drive like an idiot, and when I logged in again in another month it went up 2.5%. I don't even know how any of it is explainable. This system is a joke, but if you want advice from a real driver, sign up, drive like you normally do, because at least you save 10% in the end. But do not change the way you drive. It does not make a goddamn difference. You're welcome. I wish this review was here when I signed up, because literally no one had any of this information. I hope you all drive safe, that is how you feel safe. Not how a computer tells you.
If you have a good driving record in AB, you should pay around $110/month (women - $105/month and men - $113/month). Do you overpay? Get an Alberta car insurance quote to start saving.
I switched to Allstate 1 year ago, the experience was outstanding and excellent customer service. We are 3 drivers and 2 vehicles at home, never have been involved in an accident or tickets of any kind. Now, I just received my renewal contract and I'm flabbergasted to see that Allstate rewards good drivers by increasing my monthly premium by $100. When I called the office (second time in 1 year), I found out that the lady that helped us is no longer there and the new lady started to ask me things like if I was new and requesting a quote. In the end, she said that the reason for the jump in monthly premium is because I need to insure my home as well to get that extra discount!!! The typical scam!!! They offer you good deals and then once there, they start draining your wallet!!! I sent an email to their customer care dept. Let's see what they reply back...
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I have been with Allstate Insurance since 1986. I have always had good service from them. For the last 20 or so years, I have had 6 cars, a utility trailer, 2 motorcycles, and 2 homes insured with Allstate. Of course, they always made sure we were aware of all the perks and discounts that we were receiving by having so many vehicles and our homeowners combined. There was never a reason to look outside of Allstate for insurance. I just figured with multiple policies, discounts, etc., that Allstate was the company for me. Boy was I wrong. I just looked into switching to Travelers insurance and I saved almost $3000/year just for the vehicles. That is unbelievable. I figured that I could save a few hundred dollars but $3000? No wonder Allstate provided us with such good service - THEY WERE RIPPING US OFF FOR OVER 20 YEARS. It really does not pay to be a loyal consumer these days. I would not recommend Allstate to anybody. Shame on you Allstate. Let the consumer beware.