Allstate Auto Insurance Reviews

I have been a customer with Allstate here in Alberta, Canada for over 20 years...no at-fault accidents and insuring multiple rental properties, my primary residence and all of our family vehicles with Allstate. In September 2019, another driver hit me from behind, I sustained injuries and immediately reported the accident. It took forever for anyone to get back to me...to the point where I had to file a complaint. Allstate wasn't even responding to the company who was their "preferred" auto repairer. Finally, after getting really angry and complaining and the car repair place doing the same, I got authorization to have my car fixed. I was assigned an injury adjuster who never returned my calls and finally after about 3 weeks called late at night leaving a message full of personal excuses why she hadn't returned my calls. Then I never heard from her again. I was getting physiotherapy and seeing my doctor and still couldn't contact anyone from Allstate. Finally, after complaining of several occasions to the Allstate person who sold me my insurance, I got assigned to an injury adjuster. Again, I could never get ahold of him, he never called, he never followed up and again after emailing him and saying I was going to file a formal complaint and wanted to speak to his manager, I got a call and an email. I remained at work (heavy-duty mechanic apprentice) and was struggling. The work is very heavy and my injuries were not getting better... I was beginning to have numbness in my neck and arms and reported this to my insurance adjuster, my physio, my doctor and I was told I shouldn't be doing regular job duties because it was delaying my recovery. My Allstate adjuster was completely aware. I was told by my physio to ask my employer for alternate duties during my recovery. I contacted my employer and let them know that my injuries were from an MVA (and not work-related) and explained the problems I was having in performing my pre-accident work duties. They said they would get back to me within hours, I received an emailed letter from my employer, terminating me because "I was not able to do my regular job duties". I contacted Allstate immediately because I didn't qualify for any kind of disability benefits through work and couldn't do my regular job duties. I let them know that I had been terminated when I asked for alternate duties because the injuries weren't allowing me to do my regular, pre-accident work duties. I asked the Allstate adjuster, what I was supposed to do and at the same time, I asked about help shovelling snow, etc. He did not address the weekly disability benefit (my policy premiums covered but I wasn't aware of) but he did say he would pay for help shovelling snow. I kept bringing up the fact that had I not had the accident, I would still be working and it was the injuries from the MVA and not being able to do my job were what caused the job loss. He didn't really address this at all. Meanwhile, I contacted a lawyer to help me get an ongoing payment from the employer because I was a contract worker with a set term contract and I thought that I would be able to get ongoing payment because it was no fault of mine that I was not able to work. My legal pockets (visa) are not deep as I am a single mom so the claim didn't go long. The employer was willing to go on to trial and I didn't have any more money so all I got was wages they had owed me in my last week and had to sign a non-disclosure statement promising not to disclose the details of my termination and the name of the employer. I kept the Allstate adjuster "in the loop" the entire time. Allstate even approved years worth of psychology appointments to help me deal with the fact that "As a result of the MVA injuries, I was terminated from my job". Finally, I am paying my auto premiums for 2020/2021 and I notice I'm paying a premium for Weekly Indemnity benefits and when I questioned this (wanting this removed) I was told it was mandatory (basically, there is a government portion of every policy that is required and mandated under a standard government policy). I was angry because I had been suffering financially for a year, by this point and the Allstate agent was barely involved in my claim let alone guide me through getting the benefits I was entitled to. I contacted him immediately and he sends me the "forms". Since my doctor and psychologist have been following me since day 1, the forms were filled out quickly. My doctor was completely aware and in agreement that I was not able to perform my heavy job duties as a heavy-duty mechanic apprentice and filled out the forms accordingly as did my psychologist. I submitted all of the information including a letter from my employer saying that I was terminated because I couldn't do my job; a record of employment showing the termination date; dr's letters; (physio reports which Allstate has on file talking about the termination and what the job duties were doing to my injuries); a timeline letter outlining the sequence of events from the date of injury to present. Within a day, I receive an email (not a letter) denial of my claim simply saying that because of the circumstances I was not considered disabled as per the definition of the policy. The adjuster did not even make one phone call to me or to my medical providers to discuss the claim (which is what claims adjudication does). The email indicated that I was terminated because the employer didn't have modified duties. This response was odd. I have been a disability claims adjudicator for over 20 years and knew how to read insurance policies and legislation so I pulled the Alberta Standard Auto policy and their definition of disability under an Auto Insurance claim indicates that weekly indemnity Section B benefits cannot be claimed unless one is "wholly and continuously" disabled by the injuries from the automobile accident". In accordance with the Alberta Standard Automobile Policy, this definition of disability means that the disability must prevent one from doing "any and all of your job duties". Well, the Allstate adjuster is saying that because I could have done modified duties, I do not qualify (I think this is what he is saying but his email is not clear). Needless to say, not once did my employer contact me to say they couldn't provide modified duties (Allstate is making an assumption based on nothing) and nowhere in the employer's termination letter did it say I was being terminated because they didn't have modified duties (again, Allstate adjuster made an assumption based on his own opinion and nothing else). The fact is that the definition of disability says that "you must not be able to do any and all of the duties of your job". It does not say "you must be unable to perform any work". I have contacted the Allstate Ombudsman and have never received anything more than the generic email in response to my submission for contact. I am disgusted with this provider. Customer service has gone into the toilet and they have people working for them who have NO idea how to do the job let alone make claims decisions based on facts.

Was t-boned on a rainy day by a nice enough lady, but the kicker is it was 7 weeks ago... yes 7 weeks. Oh and today is the first time I was called by the company claims advisor. I was waiting to hear from the adjuster but I guess this advisor will do. Damage to my car 3700 and change. They told me they will pay me 2500 cash settlement or we can go the insurance route to fix the car. Why did it take 7 weeks? Why then pay for half the labour on the car (well because you have the choice to fix it or not). I’m sorry did you cause 3700 in damage.... then pay the 3700 regardless if I choose to fix it or not. Don’t know if that’s an industry standard but I think it’s garbage. So I’m going to make them pay more now out of spite. And I hope I leave this review to hurt their business and to draw clients away. 7 weeks and you wanna pay me less, add insult to fiscal injury... umm NOPE

You are not in good hands with Allstate. I have had two experiences with them, one being a client and the other being hit by their client. In my opinion, they would rather pay lawyers than take care of their clients. First, when I was a client I had homeowners and full coverage on two vehicles. My wife was rear-ended and when I called, without even hearing the facts, first sentence was "we are not paying for that". After all the hassle, they finally agreed to pay. When going through the repairs, the car needed a new rear bumper. The difference between a new and refurbished bumper was 2 dollars and they would not pay for the new one. Luckily, I only had the car for 6 months and the dealer stepped up and paid the difference. Second time, my wife was t-boned and suffered injuries. They refused to pay anything, fortunately, I had Geico and they stepped in to pay her first 10,000 in medical. After 31/2 years of fighting with them, their lawyers which are top of the line made sure they had to pay nothing. 50,000 in medical, loss of vehicle, and lots of aggravation. Allstate is good at collecting premiums but will not pay claims.

Wow! now that I had a motor vehicle accident claim with Allstate I can understand why the review scale is so utterly low!
I have never in my life received such horrible customer service as I have from my insurance agency. My claims adjuster didn't follow up with the collision centre, I had to do it. On top of everything, I left many voice messages, sent e-mail for FOUR WEEKS asking if I can go ahead with getting my car fixed and I didn't get any reply's!!!! Not only is that unprofessional but right out rude!
I asked to speak to a different adjuster since I could not ever reach my adjuster when I would call, I requested to speak to the claims department manager. The adjuster told me that the manager is not in the office and that she would e-mail him to ask him to call me, took my phone number and everything. Two days went by, no call from Manager, I called him and he told me that he was never sent that message. The whole claims department is completely dysfunctional. I have never had such a horrible experience and to be treated so terribly. I plan to file a formal complaint due to the extent of which this situation became completely absurd. If you are looking around for insurance don't choose Allstate, I will walk away from them. The WORST!

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.

We have had a good experience with Allstate until it came time to make a claim.
This bad experience was not entirely them, also with the police, adjuster and repair shop in Calgary.
Firstly, the police who came to the scene did not file the report, the lady that backed up into us did not have insurance, she showed the cop a fake insurance paper from her phone and that was good enough for him. The adjusters avoid us for months and then came back and said “well she said it wasn’t her fault”. I don’t even know if they are going after her for the bill.
We had the car into the repair shop the invoice said there was a wheel align, ent done, we had to take the vehicle into a repair shop and have them do it. All around just a bad experience, and I guess nowadays you can get away with not having insurance, b/c this lady got away with it.
I like our insurance agent, he always answered our questions right away and did what he could but was limited.

I have a claim with them and every time I deal with them it's painful. They might be cheaper in the first year or whatever but the premiums will rise fast and the stress and HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE is not worth it.

Had a claim for our car. Hit a deer. It took months to settle. A lot of passing the buck and no one answering our calls. The "preferred" body shop was beyond terrible. It took us threatening lawyers and taking legal action for them to finally move our car to a good shop and get it repaired. Stress, headache and terrible customer service.

Have many more examples but there is limited space.

RUN! RUN! RUN away as fast as you can. If you choose Allstate you get what you deserve... which is a terrible experience.

Learn from my mistake - AVOID Allstate! In September 2019, I decided to research for an auto insurance provider offering a better rate. After speaking with 6 different providers, I settled with Allstate. However, DO NOT be fooled by their marketing. I got hit by a Dodge Caravan, on June 12th, 2020 after performing a left turn. The driver was driving way past a 30km limit, in a construction zone. Had he respected his speed limit, AND kept his right lane, this accident could have been avoided (I am convinced he passed a red light). My rear driver door was completely smashed in, but all he got was minor bumper damage on his right side. Yet, Allstate, declared me 100% responsible. In my 20+ years of driving, with only no-fault accidents, and having worked as a driving instructor, I am appalled. The driver who hit me was not only responsible but he was rude and he omitted important information on the Joint Accident Report. It's ridiculous that an insurance company won't consider the action of this reckless driver, especially considering a lack of character by not fully completing a document. To make matters worse, my long-term garage was not part of their Authorized Dealers. I found this extremely odd as every other insurance company ALWAYS referred me to them. Due to this, I received a cheque in the mail (minus my deductible) prior to even getting my car back!!! Who mails out a cheque when the work has not been completed? A savings of $5/mth has resulted in unnecessary stress and time working on contesting an accident that was clearly not my fault. Now I am out-of-pocket of a $500 deductible and a premium increase. All the while, Mr. White Dodge, continues to drive recklessly since he omitted his insurance company name and driver's licence on the report. Note to self: if your instinct tells you something is wrong, call the cops! FYI: I will be contesting this Allstate decision.

Allstate is a company I would warn everyone about…. While accidents happen you would like to think that your insurance company will be there to help you through the process. Allstate is not that company. After being in a vehicle accident I did what everyone is supposed to do, call in. I spent a half-hour on hold and then another 45 minutes completing my claim with the agent on the phone. I was told I would get a call within 2-3 days. After a week and still no call, I call in AGAIN. Again on hold for 30minutes only to have the agent pick up and drop my call. So AGAIN I call in and am on hold. Once patched through I speak with the agent to ask why no one has called me? Guess what! The agent couldn’t find my claim ANYWHERE!!! So there we go again, spending another 45 minutes completing my claim, AGAIN! The agent said I would get a call within 2-3 days. Guess what?! Yup, no call after a week and a half. So, looks like I have to do all the work. I reach back out with the person that was supposed to contact me (because I made sure this time to have the claim agent give it to me). The claims person apologized and said that there was a different agent involved who is handling it and would have them reach out to me. More waiting! That person took another 3 days to FINALLY reach out to me and would take another 3 days to be able to schedule our sit down where they take my statement. After I gave them my statement they said they would update me on the status in the next 3-4 days. Did they? Nope. It was 2 and a half weeks before they would call me. When they called me on a Wed and left a voicemail I called back and had to leave them a voicemail. I had to recall them again the next day, still no answer. They didn’t call me back until the following Tuesday!! Really? Almost a week! While this was happening there were continual disappointments with the partners they work with. They suggested there preferred collision repair center. Why? Because they put their customers in a faster queue getting the work done more quickly then if I was to take it in and that all the work is insured. I said great, getting this all taken care of is ideal. Well again ...more issues!!! After I called the agent the second time letting them know that the repair center had not contacted me they told me to call them. So I did. They were able to see me in 2 days. The process was quick and was told that they would submit the report for Allstate to approve and would order the parts and confirm within 7 days when to bring my car in. Well, I emailed the repair shop and left a voicemail (since I couldn’t speak with an agent) after a week and a half after not hearing anything? I didn’t get a call back nor a response to my email. I called back in after a couple more days to speak with someone who said they lost my report and would have to call me back. They didn’t call me back. I waited a day and a half before calling them again. They said they just ordered the parts!!! And they were supposed to be the fastest service???? I doubt it. I was able to bring in my car in 2 days and was told anytime after 9 am. I wasn’t told how long my car would be under repair until I was bringing it in. In short, if you like: continually wasting your time on the phone, calling people that should be calling... That SAID THEY WOULD CALL YOU! And talking to people that can’t give you information, explain the process and what you should expect along the way then I say have at it. Waste your time, money, and most importantly your sanity. Want to know how long this who process took from starting the initial claim till my vehicle being completed and all being taken care of? 58 days. YES!!! TWO MONTHS!!!! That is insane. They told me my car would be fixed within 2 weeks of starting my claim? The people employed from the claim agent to the appraisers and adjusters are poorly trained, lack customer service capabilities and do not know how to make right their errors. Sorry doesn’t cut it. You wasted my time and that is money. I wanted to share this with anyone in hopes that I can save them from the unbelievably poor experience and mental stress from having to deal with them!!! After reading everyone else's experiences it sounds like this is typical for them....no response, dropped calls, not returning calls, incorrect information being given. They need to hire and train people properly!!!