Car Insurance Reviews

The Personal Insurance Auto Insurance Reviews

This page has been viewed by: Please wait... consumers
(191 reviews)
The Personal Insurance
1.6 out of 5 stars:
Customer service:
Value for Money:
Claim experience:
Share your own experience
Write a review

Avoid at all costs

by Bcounter on Mar 28, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

No first accident forgiveness, very impersonal when dealing with claims. They send a lot of automated and confusing emails. My deductible was $250.00, when I went to pay it, the actual charge was $562.00 and their customer service had no idea why and the customer service couldn't tell me how much my rate would go up by when my renewal came up since I had an accident.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo
Review topics

No resolution to claim

by DakotaDeb on Feb 3, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

Difficult to deal with
Auto claim from Oct 2017 still not resolved.
I was rear-ended while sitting at a light. Minor damage but they say it is a write-off and want to pay squat. I'm willing to take what they offer and pay the balance to repair it as my vehicle is in A1 shape. No no no, it is a Mexican standoff and now my claims advisor email is no longer valid.
Vehicle sitting not repaired for over 3 months and still paying premiums for nothing.
Cheap rates, just don't ever make a claim

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo

The Personal is Awful

by NeverAgainwithThePersonal on Jan 30, 2018
1 out of 5 stars

I recently went through a claim experience with The Personal. It was terrible -- frustrating, disappointing, aggravating, time-consuming. None of the claims adjustors could answer my questions, such as who was at fault (I know I wasn't at fault, but TP got it wrong, like everything else they do) and how long I would be covered for a rental car. (I had to get this info from the car rental agency. The Personal only covers $500 for a rental, no matter how long it will take to fix your car, which in my case was a little over a month. TP also doesn't cover collision coverage on a rental car -- the customer has to pay for that.) Not once in four weeks was I able to reach my assigned adjustor by phone -- I kept getting her answering machine. None of my calls were returned. Customer service is non-existent with this company. Even three weeks after the accident (I was hit head-on by a woman who cut a corner) no one at TP had gotten in contact with the other driver's insurance company!

The Personal doesn't let you choose which body shop to use to repair your car. They choose, and they choose the cheapest shop available. (The body shop kept my car outdoors for a month in winter. They didn't even clean off the two feet of snow that collected on it; I had to do that myself.)

I must admit I chose TP auto insurance because it gave me the lowest price quote. Well, this is one of those instances where you get what you pay for. I have since cancelled my policy with them and went with a more reputable company. Any money I did save up front with TP all went out the window as a result of paying for a rental car for three weeks and a large deductible. Judging by the number of negative reviews, atrocious customer service is the norm rather than the exception with this company.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo
Review topics

Did you know that on average Ontario drivers with good driving records pay $1,805/year in auto insurance? Is your insurance rate higher? Get a free car insurance quote and start saving today.

Worst Experience

by Muhammad Razzaq on Dec 16, 2017
1 out of 5 stars

I am adding my observations of The Personal Insurance company for benefits to others. My vehicle was hit early morning and Police woke up us. The vehicle was hit from the back left side and it hit the back of a vehicle parked in front of it. My vehicle bounced back and its front right wheel was on the curb. The impact was very severe. The insurance company took the vehicle and told me that they will get the vehicle repaired. They provided me with a rental vehicle. They told that the vehicle will be fixed within three weeks. It took two months to get the repair done. The cost of repair was more than I bought the vehicle. They handed over the vehicle and after driving within shop parking lot we noticed that the front LCD panel was dark and back camera was not showing up. Asked manager about this. He told he did not touch it. He told he got a check from the dealer and we went there. They found wiring is damaged and that burnt the camera. After that we noticed the right side wheel was making noise, Parking Assistance light is flickering, right passenger door malfunctioning, front side bodywork was poor and some sections were left loose. We started complaining through email and leaving telephone messages for the claim agent but he did not reply until after 19days when they arranged the third party for inspection. They fixed some and the insurance representatives pretended these are wear&tear. My vehicle was fine, nothing was wrong before the accident. Now I have spent around $2000. That is white elephant now for me. I want to let you know never get repairs through insurance dealer. I asked dealer why you handed over safety risk vehicle to me and why you ignored these obvious signs you did observe which we are showing you. He says your insurance did not show the actual picture of this vehicle, so he did not check the complete vehicle. Insurance just told them to check apparent damage and hand over the vehicle. The insurance instead of protecting your rights just drains the money for others.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo

This is a terrible company

by Ks on Jul 20, 2017
1 out of 5 stars

I was hit by a person who was drunk, unlicensed and left the scene of the accident, this person was insured was The Personal. They gave me a terrible unfair settlement for my vehicle that was deemed a total loss. They refused to give me the rental car I was entitled too, they never emailed me the documents they were supposed too, I had to continually call them and fight with them. The customer service was absolutely horrible. This is an awful company and I hope they go under.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo

WATCH YOUR PREMIUMS

by SBYYC on May 15, 2017
1.5 out of 5 stars

They Sneak Back In Extra Charges!

We have our home and auto with them in Alberta, sadly they are all pond scum but the personal we have dealt with them for the past 9 years.

Every year we do a policy review and we keep removing the glass coverage as it's cheaper to buy a windshield in Alberta every year than to do a claim and have your premiums increase. So....We get a $50/person reduction.
Then the very next year, we get a price increase and guess what, they have added back the glass and another fee increase!

It's unfortunate that ALL private insurance in Canada does these low ball tactics and if you are not paying attention you will see a price increase and they will never tell you why.

What a great business model yes, raise the price, don't advise that it's happening and when you're called out on it, deny, deny, deny!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo

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.

THEY LIE AND SPY !!!!

by BURNT ONCE on Mar 23, 2016
1 out of 5 stars

I had 3 vehicles insured with these bandits. First tip as to what they were like was when I called them, they seemed to have only voice-contact back office in India - would never confirm info by email. Second was when the company behind this brand, Desjardins, started pushing the 'get a 25% discount if we put a tracker into your car so we can spy on your ads. Turns out they just want to spy on their insureds so they will have reasons to increase premiums or deny coverage. I didn't fall for it. Next, when somebody rear-ended me, they had my bumper fixed but required me to drop off the rental car 50 miles from where the car repair facility was. Turns out I could have dropped it off at the repair facility - but they didn't tell me, so it necessitated huge inconvenience. When I picked the car up, it wasn't right but as it was 10 pm and in a scuzzy part of town, I didn't want to leave it. Not everything was fixed, and something that had been repaired by a garage just prior to dropping it off at the repair facility was broken. And a part that had been damaged in the accident had not been repaired. I telephoned the claims person and left word but they never called me back. EVER... OH YEAH, in the daylight I noticed that my car was covered in yellow crayon marks that the body shop ( one 'authorized' by Desjardins) had put on all the little paint defects, scratches, etc and marked them up - presumably photographing them for Desjardins so that if any of those parts of the car ever were involved in an accident, then Desjardins would be able to escape paying to fix these 'pre-existing' dings. SHEEESH!!! I have never dealt with any company that was so sleazy, underhanded, untrustworthy, and suspicious. When I reported the accident, they tried to get me into one of their doctors - no doubt so their paid lap dog could declare I didn't have any injuries - and really pressured me. They also did not advise me of my rights to have them pay for physio, etc. They are, in my experience, con artists who make sure they always take advantage of the un-advised and un-aware. Later they sent a letter saying they had advised me of those rights - an outright lie...BEWARE!!! WHEN you call their line, listen to their recorded message - it basically says if you stay on the call you give them permission to spy on you and post what they find on sites that other insurers can access. I find them absolutely awful, and the worst company I have ever dealt with.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo

Auto insurance scammers

by Shark on Oct 18, 2022
1 out of 5 stars

Customer service is the worst, seems u have to repeat yourself 20x and they still don’t get the facts, they took money from my account for a second vehicle I no longer had and then tried to charge me $440 a month for one vehicle, when 2 vehicles were $480 a month. Cancelled right away n got insurance with another insurer for the same vehicle and coverage for $175 a month. Had a credit n once I cancelled they managed to find a way to still take money out of my account and it was not a cancellation fee. Getting a lawyer n going after them! Scammers all the way!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo
Review topics

Worst customer service in 6 decades of insuring

by Robert Solomon on Feb 1, 2022
1 out of 5 stars

1. Applied for home and auto coverage, over the phone. The Agent used my branch's fax number, which he got on his own somewhere - not from me. as my chequing account number: Fail 1.
2. Insurance company agent after my call replaced that with my chequing account number, which I repeated and he recited perfectly: well, he sent in an imperfect number with 7 correct digits and 1 wrong one. Fail 2.
3. I was never consulted so knew none of Fail 2. In Dec., I got 7 letters in 10 days, 6 on 1 day, 4 that day had different pre-authorized payment figures for same policy; and 2 said policies were cancelled, 2 others sent within an hour of the others said cancelling was a mistake and policies were fine. 4 different authorization figures, 2 cancellations. 2 Renewals. 0 explanations. Fails 3 to 10.
4. Before a day had passed since the gaggle of mails. I called and the company said all was fine, numbers were fine, no problem - and, the corker, if more than 1 of the 4 assorted amounts were taken, I could check to see and just call back, and this would be returned at once. I called my bank and they said nothing got paid, the insurer had the wrong "transit" number. Fail 11.
5. 1 Feb., 4 months into the circus, the insurer called to inquire about Fail 11, and after 40 minutes, she tried a 3-way call, insurer, my bank, and me - which my bank says is not allowed with online banking. Now it was my job to check with my bank and then to see whether the insurer had things correct. That ate another hour. Fail 12.
6. Never did they call me back. I was back in the dark about (a) whether the insurer had the right transit and account number for CIBC, and (b) how much and how many payments had been authorized and/or sent. Fail 13.
7. So I surrendered. My bank was told the insurer had finished filing and been paid this same day. Hadn't they called me? Oh. I replied that I'd call the insurer to find out (a) and (b). My bank said that my decision should get me the answers I needed. Fail 14.
8. While on hold for many minutes, I tried to check my chequing account online to find out what of the 4 billings sent on the same day had been taken - but my online bank said they need an 8-digit account #, but my insurer only issued 7 digit account numbers. So I could not find out whether 2XX, 3XX, 19XX, or 21XX had been requested by that insurer - or all 3! - and w/o a personal call to Personal by me, the info apparently would never be known to me online, at least Fail 15.
8. 2.3 hours since my first call today, the insurer said the unaccountably brief digit count didn't count, no matter that my bank said it would not allow online registration for ANY 7 digit account numbers, least of all, I assumed, for an insurer, it had unceremoniously dropped after many buffs supporting it for CIBC customers. Fail 16.

My Resolution: I am moving home and car this month before the next Personal withdrawal date, and blasting CIBC for sending this nincompoopish company's name to me by mail, email, and investment advisor - then dropping it w/o a single word by email, mail, or call. The faulty transit number? I called Toronto and this was fixed by CIBC in, literally, 20 seconds. Getting should have never been a problem for a trained selling agent 11 weeks ago when he used a bank branch's FAX number instead of my chequing account number. 16 Fails, 11 weeks.
I am so out of here, as youngsters say.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Did you?

YesNo