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Economical Insurance Auto Insurance Reviews

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(229 reviews)
Economical Insurance
1.4 out of 5 stars:
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They were flexible and with my help agreed to not write off my Audi A8

by Kevmisch on Feb 4, 2023
4 out of 5 stars

I bought an Audi A8L for an incredible price in the US and did all the paperwork and steps to import it to Canada myself. Was in mint shape. One winter an exhausted snow plow Pickup Truck worker doing parking lots at night turned onto a street as I followed him. Then suddenly put his trick in reverse and I could not do anything but slam on the horn but by the time he reacted he drove into the front corner of my Audi. It looked pretty darn minor with a dent to the front fender and a broken headlamp. Under the hood the washer fluid canister bracket was bent, some hoses were scuffed, some wrinkling of the inner wheel well, and the front bumper was damaged and scraping. Then came the shocker!!! The damage repair bill was around $12,000.00. Yes I know it is a $108,000.00 retail car new but my car was already 5 years old. I only paid around $43,000.00 Canadian for it at 4 years old. Like I said a killer deal. So I begged my guy at Economical to please not write it off. He said I am sorry but his guidelines dictated that they could not pay to fix the car at that age and with that amount of money. I was perplexed. This car looked like it had very little damage. I said how could this car be written off and taken off the road? Then I asked myself the same question in my mind... how can the repair cost around $12,000.00? went back to the auto-body shop that was expensive I admit as they specialized in premium cars (Audi, Mercedes BMW) and specialized in Aluminum Body vehicles. I said to them the insurance is going to write off my car! I cannot let this happen. I asked the body shop what on earth is making this repair bill $12,000.00??! They replied, "When we fix a vehicle, we bring it right back to the way it was on the dealership lot". I said what do you mean. He pointed out some A/C hoses that literally had some tiny scratches in them from the washer canister metal holder. He said these hoses get replaced. He showed me some very minor creases on the inner wheel well that did not affect the way the car ran, or handled or had anything to do with bad alignment. He said this needs to be bodywork repaired. he said the canister mount needs replaced. And a number of other small scuffed parts or slight dents or crinkled items that all get replaced to Brand New. I said listen, What if you leave the hoses, just bend back the small bend in the washer tank mount, leave the tiny crinkle and small dent in a panel under the hood. And a few other things. I said I only want replaced/repaired external things that affect the ascetic look or performance or handling of the car back to new. IE: New hood, New fender, new bumper, new side moldings, bend the holder frame back, I said I did not care about small scuffs in rubber hoses, or a tiny dent not affecting the car at all. Heck who will look under the hood and say hey look at that dollar-sized dent on the inside engine cavity. Like really? He said that is not their policy. It means they did it half-as-sed. I said if you do not get my repair bill down, this car will be taken off the road and either parted out or sold at an auction and I will lose it, and the chances of me finding another one in the same sweet condition and color are almost impossible so I will be back to square one. I agreed to sign that a few of these things would remain as is (cosmetic tiny issues UNDER THE HOOD like who cares. I am keeping the car for years so I am fine with it. I went back to Economical and said if I could get the body shop bill down a lot would he agree to fix the car? And he said yes! The body shop got my bill down by $5100.00 from the original $12,000.00. I went back to Economical, and he said GREAT JOB Kevin and then agreed at $6900,00 they would pay to repair the car. I appreciated his flexibility, his feedback, and his sharing with me some things I could do as unorthodox as they were, and at least I got to keep the car. Thanks, Economical for working with me as well body shop. Thanks, guys!

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Review topics

Prices for young driver OK

by momof5 on Oct 26, 2017
4.5 out of 5 stars

I have been with Economical for 4 years, saw some rate decreases over those 4 years. We recently added my 17 year old son when he got his G2 and was expecting the worst as far as an increase in payments. I have heard how expensive new male drivers can be. I was pleasantly surprised when my payments only went up by $85 per month! This is affordable!
He is an occasional driver, I'm sure if he had his own car it would be much higher... not ready to go there yet!
No claims experience to comment on, and hoping it stays that way!

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Fast and friendly

by JP on Nov 22, 2016
4.5 out of 5 stars

I got into a not at fault accident with my company pick up truck, a young kid pulled out infront of me from a side road and I wasnt able to stop in time. I have a small snow plowing and landscaping business. Because it wasn;t my fault they said I would not need to pay any deductible and that everything is covered. They quickly set everything up with my local body shop which was one of their company shops too. The shop gave me a rental but i realised that the rental truck that was provided didn't have a trailer hitch and I couldnt use it for work. I called the adjuster back and explained I need a truck with a hitch for my trailer, otherwise i couldn't pull my trailer with my tools and equipment. The adjuster knew his stuff and said he would arrange a half ton pick up truck just like mine, with a hitch and a bed liner. The adjuster was really friendly and understood that I needed a truck to keep my small business running. The rental company Enterprise, called me within the hour and got me into exactly into the rental I needed, After about two weeks the bodyshop called and told me my truck was ready. I pick up my truck and everything was repaired beautifully. I was able to continue on with my business and life without a hitch. I've been with Economical for 16 years and the one time I got into an accident they really took care of everything and then some. I could't have asked for anything more.

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by Anonymous on Apr 11, 2012
4 out of 5 stars

Rates and service were competitive and satisfactory

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