Portage Mutual Insurance Home Insurance Reviews

After I contracted a policy with them, I received to billings for paying extra money within the first three months of that policy. I decided to cancel that policy but I only got refunded with a third of the total. This company is a waste of time and money.

We have waited over a month to hear back on a claim, the first claim we have ever made, in 10 years of house ownership, on our two-story deck that collapsed. They just said a flat-out - no! We didn’t build this house, how were we supposed to know that 20 years ago, when they built the deck, that they didn’t build it properly. And now that expense is on us? After all the money we have poured into our insurance company and we have no right to any of it back. Shame on you greedy pigs. When the guy came out to look at the deck, he said: “well, it was all nailed in instead of screwed, but that’s just how they built stuff back then”. Point and case.

After being claims-free for over 10 years, we had roof damage due to a wind storm that affected 100's of homes around ours. The first call for some roof repair work was completed in a timely fashion but no further response to my inquiries on what they would cover on the damage for over 2 months. The lack of response also caused a further delay on having the roof work completed. It ended up with the neighbours around me receiving prompt full coverage replacement on their roofs. As for Portage, we only paid for the patchwork even though the patches were all over the roof and as the workman would walk to do the repair, other shingles were being damaged. We decided the 20 patches all over the roof would decrease the home's value and paid ourselves for a complete new roof. Portage then decided to increase our payments by another $100 per month, even though the home now should have been decreased with the structure being more solid. As this was a first-time claim and we had a shrinking deductible, the large monthly increase was a surprise.

I was told that I would qualify for a discount if I agree to a credit check… After running my credit check and not finding what they were hoping for I guess… I was told that I didn't meet the criteria. What? I have immaculate credit, I don't carry any debt, and I own 80% of my home? So what is it that they are looking for and why would they offer a discount and then take it away With no explanation. Feel like this is a marketing scam. I can see why many provinces have outlawed this tactic. Will not renew with current moans next year. Don't feel they are trustworthy

1) Policy almost doubled in price in two years. (indoor oil tank, Outdoor wood Boiler)
2) Charged $500+ for OUTDOOR Wood Boiler which was over 80ft from home and only brought HOT water to the house for heating. Clause states that if a solid fuel furnace is used to provide heat source then you get a surcharge. They are narrow minded on this when a system a great distance away from the house cannot start a fire using hot water, as far as I'm aware.
3) Had home inspection and when the inspector realized that the Outdoor Boiler was not in Operation for 13 Mos did not refund or remove Solid fuel surcharge. When I contacted their office directly in St Catharines, the person on the other end said He could not talk directly with the clients. I had to use my broker. They are very quick to add surcharges based on your verbal confirmation but will not remove them based on verbal confirmation.
4) House - 1000 sq per floor Cape Cod with attached DBl car garage was assessed at $675K+ replacement. I think that is high off the charts.
5)Policy has been cancelled for over 4 weeks and still no refund. Surcharges appear to have been removed at Cancellation. Will let you know.
Better insurance providers out there so shop around. I will say the Personal was not much better on a quote, find a provider which understands the equipment in your house and your property and you'll be happier with them.

The biggest crooks ever. I am a single mom, my house burned down caused by my dryer. Because I had a tent garage in my yard they denied my claim flat out after making leave everything that was salvageable in my house for a month while they made this decision to be robbed and destroyed more by weather.

They say they are competitive for pricing only because when you put in a claim they never want to spend a dime. I had a hail claim on my roof. In town everyone around me was covered by their insurance company. That obviously wasn't portage mutual - both my cars got written off and they look at my roof and say it doesn't look bad enough to cover and the shingles look old. What a joke of a company!

After a hail storm damaged my home in southern Alberta, I quickly learned that although Portage offers competitive rates, the coverage they provide in a loss is abysmal. If you are a customer who does not mind paying for insurance that will never deliver when you file a claim then this is the company for you. After paying my monthly insurance premiums faithfully for ten years, never a late payment or missed payment, when it came time for Portage to help me out they were hopeless. You will have to fight for coverage on every little piece of damaged material on your home, when you file a claim with Portage and then have it fixed in the absolute cheapest way. possible. This is how they treat there long term customers.

We don't believe credit score is anyone's business, unless you're applying for credit. Period. Nonetheless, Portage now wants your credit score to calculate its pricing, which means we would get a small discount, while someone else would have to pay more to subsidize it. It's morally reprehensible, and based on crappy "science". Insurance regulatory bodies agree, and are increasingly suspicious of this practice. It is even outlawed in several Canadian provinces, so far.

Anyway, we fired them, as we all should when companies seek to breach our privacy. Remember, just because someone asks for information, does not mean you should provide it. It's your information, and we all need to start drawing a line.