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Aviva Auto Insurance Reviews

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Aviva
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Nightmare Claim Experience

by Fruitbats2018 on Aug 9, 2019
1 out of 5 stars

Rear-ended December 2018. Opened claim, car towed from the driveway and provided with rental. Made several attempts to contact the insurer, eight days after opening the claim was told via email the car was a write-off and offered a ridiculously low settlement and that we needed to release the car, collect plates, and return rental within three days. Emailed our adjustor over the next few days, to arrange a phone call. Finally, scheduled time, he failed to call us. Call finally happened, we got nowhere. The adjustor was only interested in selling us insurance for our next car. Refused to budge on the return date for our rental, even after we pleaded, as it was the holidays and we didn't have the cash flow to go out and buy a new car. Cancelled weekend plans and went car shopping. The new car would be ready in five days, rental car was due back in three. We had to extend rental at our own cost. Researched comparable cars for sale, to negotiate a fairer settlement. Immediately found three comparables with higher selling prices, and sent those through. Two of the three were rejected as they were located out of province, we had never been told that would be a qualifying factor. Also, then told we needed to find at least TEN comparables. We found nine more and sent them through, eight of which were rejected due to "special features". We were told that our settlement would remain the same, even though it very well should have gone down. A cheap scare tactic. We took a closer look at the initial valuation report that had been sent through that calculated the initial settlement offer, and we found that many of the so-called comparables that they had used included the very same "special features", with a $25 deduction applied. We sent the same set of cars we'd found back, with the same $25 adjustment, and asked for our settlement to be reconsidered. Discovered snow tires hadn't been included in the valuation. Calculated a depreciated value of $600. We pointed this out to the adjuster, to which he replied that no value would be added. The only way we could get value out of the tires would be if we switched them out ourselves before releasing the car to the insurance company. Contacted the auto body shop that was holding our car. Advised us they did not have the equipment to switch out tires. Suggested we have the car towed to a mechanic, switch the tires then tow the car back to them, at our own cost. This would negate making the switch in the first place. We tried one more time with the adjuster for the value of our snow tires to be reconsidered, along with the ten cars we had sent. Furthermore, we also noticed they had failed to calculate mileage adjustments for their ten cars, so they were comparing our car with below-average mileage to much lower-priced cars with higher mileages. After days of waiting, we finally got an increased offer. It still wasn't enough, but it was an improvement. Based on the comparables we sent through and all the discrepancies we pointed out in their valuation, we got the value of the car increased by about $750, and they also added in $225 for the snow tires "as a goodwill gesture." We calculated the offer and hoped for a little bit more of an increase, but were stonewalled with a dispute letter. We contacted GIO to see if we had a case, but we were pretty much at a dead end. We sent the Proof of Loss form to our adjustor, finalizing our settlement. We didn't hear anything from the adjustor, followed up a few more times. He said we were "welcome" to collect our personal effects and plates whenever we felt like it. A week after we finalized the settlement, we asked our adjustor for an update on the delivery of our cheque, ONLY THEN he told us that we HAD to go and release the car in person before he would release our cheque! Received a letter from RBC Insurance detailing that our policies had been cancelled at our request, but we owed them money. Our policy had always been on a pre-payment plan, so it would only make sense that they would owe us a refund for the unused portion of the month. A "final notice" arrived only TWO days later advising if we didn't pay up, a collection agency would come after us. I paid the $100 balance owing, but only in protest. It then took over a month to get our correct refunds. They owed us around $300 now - even after acknowledgment of our cancellation, RBC continued to deduct our monthly payments. The cheque arrived at the end of January but we were told by our adjustor that we would be liable for a $500 deductible if we could not provide the police report with the other party's insurance details. We protested this sudden deductible appearing out of nowhere, as our paperwork indicated that we had a $0 deductible. The adjustor apologized and claimed he'd been "looking at the wrong file." In mid-February, another cheque arrived for the $500 deductible, which had been factored out of our initial settlement and was owed to us. Also received a $300 cheque from our cancelled policies. Still outstanding at this point is the liability of our case. We emailed the adjustor the week after receiving our settlement outlining what had clearly happened in the collision once again and with the police report attached. Months later, we still haven't received any confirmation on how our case was ruled, but we assume the case is now closed and that we would have heard something by now. It certainly would have been nice for our adjustor to let us know.

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AVIVA, a horror story.

by Frank on Mar 5, 2019
1 out of 5 stars

For anyone that has auto insurance from Aviva Canada, I strongly suggest you find a new provider and for anyone who is contemplating using them for insurance to stay well clear of them. They are a horror story and only want your money and will find any excuse to avoid payouts. Here is my horror story. I have had them for over 10 years as my auto insurance provider and dutifully paid the premiums on time, every time, even when I heard others had cheaper premiums with other companies. Stupid me. On July 2018 I was involved in an auto collision. The other driver was at fault and was charged with careless driving by the police officer. It was my bad luck that he also had Aviva insurance. I reported the accident in same day. Aviva quickly wrote off the vehicle, even though the damage did not seem that extensive, and lowballed me on the payout. Less than half of what I paid 2 years prior. I argued that I had done some major repair work on it 6 months prior and should be at least partially compensated for that as well. According to Aviva that is apparently where I committed a sin. It seems we cannot question being ripped off by them. After 1 month of no definitive answers from them, in frustration, I cancelled my multiple auto and property policies with Aviva. They lost a total of $6,600 annual premiums because of their unprofessional approach. And really for a mere $12,000 claim. That appeared to have been my second mistake. I believe that they thought it was now payback for cancelling my policies. They took over 6 months to make a case that the work was not done as detailed in the receipts I provided. They put me through phone and an in-person interrogation (the Gestapo could not have done a better job). The end result was that they declined my claim including the car rental I used for 1 week after the accident. While it may be true that the auto shop cheated me on the work done in the bills, they should have simply declined the receipts and maintained their original offer, low as it was. Talk about adding salt to a wound. I have now retained a lawyer and proceeding with legal action against Aviva. Stay away from this scam of a company.

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worst auto insurance company

by Ethan & Kristine on Nov 7, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

We never knew how bad this company is until we needed auto repair from the collision. It made us feel really stupid to pay them for years. The adjuster never Never Ever NEVER EVER Never Ever picked up their phone. After the incident, they dragged it more than 2 months to process the case. If we didn't bring the car to the auto shop and push them to fix it after waiting so long, we would be still waiting and driving neither rainproof or windproof or snow proof car on the road with a toddler in it. They are the worst auto insurance company that we have ever experienced. All we have is anger and frustration with speechlessness. After auto shop put us on a rental car due to the unsafe driving condition of the car, the car rental just noticed it was our last day of car rental under insurance. But, our car is still waiting for the parts to arrive. What we have been told is the rental won't start counting until they start fixing it, and now we still need to rent a car for a month from our own pocket. It's just ridiculous. If we knew about this, we would be rather driving the unsafe car until the car parts arrive and get a rental. They are such a rip-off. Speechless. Not even worth 1 star.

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Worst Insurance Company

by Sunshine on Oct 30, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

DO NOT get automobile insurance with this company. You will regret it. Got rear-ended by a distracted driver. The accident was witnessed by an OPP. The vehicle was totalled. Aviva made my life a living hell and my nightmares worse. Yes, I had full coverage. I was out of pocket $7000 difference on my vehicle and had to pay rental coverage to find a vehicle. They ended my rental coverage right after the payment was delivered which was not enough to cover what was owed on my vehicle. WORST EXPERIENCE EVER.

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DO NOT BUY AVIVA INSURANCE!

by frankemili on Sep 19, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

Worst company to deal with when you submit a claim. 2 months since a car accident where the other driver was at fault and charged and I still have not received a penny for my vehicle, which Aviva wrote off. On July 27, 2018, I was involved in a car accident where the other driver came out of a side street and sideswiped my vehicle. Police was called, and the other driver was charged since he was clearly at fault. Police filed a report, and, in turn, I submitted a claim with Aviva Insurance same day. Found out other driver has the same insurance company. Aviva wrote off my vehicle though damage did not seem extensive to me. They low-balled the value of my vehicle ($8,000 CDN). I made an argument that it should be more ($11,000 CDN) and submitted repair/upgrade bills to make my case. They responded that they will investigate but also pressured me into giving up my rental car within 5 days after the accident though the rental cost was way below what I was entitled to. I was subjected to 2 lengthy interviews by Aviva that were more like interrogations questioning the accident and costs. Asked for a detailed written report from me and asked for a witness signature, Commissioner for Oaths, which resulted in lawyer fees. Before I obtained the signature, I sent a filled-out form (that had no instructions) to Aviva requesting a review to ensure it was completed correctly so it would not be rejected. The review came back good. I got the signature and submitted the form. It was rejected within 3 days by Aviva. Reason: "said loss was caused by" should have said "Collision" while I wrote in "Improper left turn by another driver". I refilled it out and got a new signature which resulted in more lawyer fees. 2 weeks since I submitted and still no response. I phoned the Aviva representative several times. No response and left voicemails. It is now Sep 19 and almost 2 months since the accident and no compensation from Aviva. Next stage is to get a lawyer and start litigation. I have had insurance from Aviva for just over 10 years and paid them over $60,000 CDN in fees and this is how they treat you when you make a claim, and not a large one at that. I have since cancelled my cars insurance, house insurance and cottage insurance with Aviva. DO NOT BUY INSURANCE FROM AVIVA.

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Worst insurance

by Thumper on Jun 20, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

Worst insurance company. Was a client since 1983, no claims. Had a head-on collision, not our fault. The vehicle was deemed totalled. The only thing that they did was a rental vehicle next day. Then 14 days later requested the return of the vehicle. We did not have a replacement vehicle for nearly one month. Two adjusters were useless and the ombudsman dept was a joke. Do not take out your car, house insurance with them. It was a nightmare. This claim cost us about $8000 and we were the victims. Beware of this company!!! Just saying.

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WORST INSURANCE

by Goodbye AVIVA on Mar 2, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

Longtime RBC insurance customer, absolutely loved them, very fast and responsive. As soon as AVIVA started underwriting for them that all changed. In July of 2017, I was auto-renewed by RBC/AVIVA Without my consent or notification. AVIVA CANCELLED my comprehensive coverage on 2 of my 4 vehicles. One of these was a lease and I am legally obligated to maintain comp coverage. It wasn't until I was denied coverage at a speedy auto glass in FEB 2018 that I was made aware I had no coverage for glass, theft auto hail etc... on 2 cars. Thankfully no harm to me, but I can even begin to imagine if either my leased Acura or diesel pickup without comp coverage were stolen. AVOID AVIVA, sorry RBC, I'll come back if you ditch AVIVA.

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Get. Out. While. You. Can.

by JaneyD1989 on Feb 16, 2017
1 out of 5 stars

I wish I could give negative stars. How anyone has ever had a good experience with these people is completely beyond me. I've been with this company since I was old enough to drive, and the second you're in an accident (that's not your fault) please expect the absolute worst outcome. The dishonesty of the adjusters is mind-blowing. I can't even possibly describe the emotional trauma I've suffered from these people. They'll threaten you if you don't sign things on their watch, but when you submit the mountains of paperwork, see specialists, pay fees for those specialists to fill out more mountains of paper, and you comply with their "independent medical assessment" to try to counter your specialists, expect to only get half the treatment you're entitled to, if at all. By this point, you're so frustrated and still not better because you've waiting six months to get medical treatment approved. Expect to wait weeks, maybe even months for them to figure out what they're going to do with your car. If it's a total loss, expect to not get enough money to put a down payment on a new car. Also expect to find a new car in less than 72 hours after they give you a dollar figure, because they're going to yank the rental car out from under your feet (that's if they even gave you one at all). They'll bombard you with insurance jargon, threaten you, and use any little detail they can to deny you coverage or treatment. It doesn't matter how many doctors you've seen, how much evidence you have for what's happening to you, they will do everything on their own watch and at the advice of underqualified family doctors with little to no experience. It is a total nightmare. Hopefully you don't develop a psychiatric condition from the stress and anxiety you're sure to have every single time you hear your adjuster's name. Your first call when you get into an accident should be to a lawyer before you even open a claim with these crooks. As soon as my two year ordeal with them is over, I'll be switching insurance companies.

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Worst Insurance Company Ever!

by dis on Jul 4, 2016
1 out of 5 stars

This is by far the worst insurance company I have ever been with. Someone hit me recently. I let the adjuster know I was leaving the country and I needed to know what was going on. He said he would let me know within the week. I heard nothing. Called three times and left two emails with no response. I called and had it escalated and he miraculously called me the next day. He told me they still had no decision about whether my car would be deemed a total loss (three weeks after the accident and an estimate was done at the very beginning of the claim). He said he would let me know by the next day. Heard nothing for three more days. Called today to say it's a total loss and stop driving it right now. Told a rental car would be provided within fifteen minutes they would call me. Two hours later no call. Called adjuster and he didn't answer. Office is now closed, I have no rental and can't drive my car.....Guess I have to cancel work. I pay good money for my insurance, and an accident that wasn't even my fault has now put me out because my own insurance company is lazy and incompetent.

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What a fantastic experience!!!

by Mario August 19, 2015 on Aug 19, 2015
5 out of 5 stars

Not sure why there are these nasty comments here. My son had an accident and my car was declared scrap. My agent ( Roula A.) called me got me a rental right away. I was surprised by the amount of money that they gave me for my car. Once your care is paid you normally have 24 to 48 hours to return the rental, since my wife was in the hospital I had no time to shop for a new car. Therefore I asked Roula if she can extend the rental for an extra day or so and she did. She extended the rental not for one day but a full week. Thank-you very much Roula for you wonderful service, you are my angel :)

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