I had Progressive for 1 year and then they raised my rate $300. They said I earned their Gold status. No tickets, accidents etc. Called Geico and there rate was half the cost of Progressive for same coverage. I told Progressive where to put their Gold status rate.

 

So a few years ago I got back into riding street bikes. I bought a 2002 Vstar and made it into a bobber. I am a USAA member as well and was pushed towards Progressive. No big deal went with a full coverage, uninsured motorist and 250k/500k comps. Premium was $400 and some change. This year I buy a 2014 SGS, call them up and they tell me premium is another $400 and some change.

I sell my Vstar this weekend and call them up today to drop the bike thinking that there will be some kind of credit because I pay for a full year at a time and they tell me that I now owe them an extra $200 because I dropped my Vstar and now my annual premium is going to be $1000 dollars.

Not sure where their logic is but looks like I will be going to someone else when the time comes. So a few have mentioned Geico. Anyone else I should look at?

 

I have moved to them and have had such a good experience with them on both my car and motorcycle, I am getting 100k/300k full coverage on my car for $606 every six months so I decided to use them for my bike (97 sportster 1200) and got the same 100k/300k (no collision) for about $270 a year. They even reimbursed me an additional $30 about a month later for an "overcharge."


I was going to go with Rider but they wanted like $750 for a full year of NJ State Min. Coverage (15/30k)


I had 1 claim on the car (truck kicked up a piece of wood on the highway and it impaled by grill, radiator and AC Condenser) - went online, made the claim and someone called me immediately after and helped me the entire way through. I know this was with the car but the process seems to be the exact same process for the bike. I don't think I'll ever leave them.

 

I have them for the bike only. Pay just under $400 a year and has went down the last 2 times. Haven't had to file a claim so can't comment on that.

 

Former claim rep for a top 3 carrier here, also have done a bit of underwriting in the past so thought I would chime in.

First, to your specific question, Progressive is 'good' with how they handle claims. They pay what they owe and do so promptly. Most companies adhere to their policy contract in claims handling. Those that don't can't be subject to a nasty unfair claims settlement practices lawsuit.

Your experience with a company and a claim will vary based on your expectations and their policy. For example, if salvage law states that a bike with 85% damage in that state is a total loss but your company has a 80% threshold, they can total out your bike if it's 80% and up. Between 80 & 85 you have some room to negotiate (basically plead) for what you want.

Most national carriers (top 10) provide good service and have enough financial solvency (check a rating bureau called A.M. Best) to not delay in claims payments. Pick a few, price shop and all that but more importantly, read the policy and understand what is covered and what is excluded.

Rate-wise; yes your driving and accident history play into the rate. So does the details of the vehicle (make, model, CC/HP, brake system, weight, etc) how many policies you have with the carrier, longevity, your desired coverage options, safety course etc. One of the growing factors in rates is your credit history; not necessarily all of it but each company pulls certain parts that they are allowed by law to rate you on. Frustrating thing is, they will never disclose what those factors are to you as they don't want competitors knowing how to replicate their rates exactly (makes you wonder how Flo and her cohorts do price comparison?).

Final piece of info, back in Indiana, I was hit on my bike. As Indiana is a comparable negligence state and I didn't want a hit on my rates, I went through the carrier of the idiot that hit me. Long story short, if I didn't know what I was owed by law and understand claims Farm Bureau would have totally ripped me off. Based on their delay, I actually recouped the cost of a daily motorcycle rental for the period of time the bike was in the shop.

Sorry, didn't realize this would be a long reply.

 

In my case, I have not had any accidents in over 10 years and one traffic infraction 4 yrs ago. As others have stated because I have been with Progressive over a year I have got the "Gold" status. As I was talking to the rep on the phone she said that she was looking to try and find me a way to get more savings and finally came back and said that I have them all:

Safety course
Time holding my motorcycle license
Married
No traffic violations
No accidents
No claims
Pre-pay for the year
and so on

So I am still puzzled how my insurance can go up by $600 a year because I dropped a bike off my policy. Hell I should just insure my self on one of my friends bikes just to lower my rate.

So tell me why I would have to do that to save money? Progressive is broken, and Flo can bite my ***.

 

I would bet that you are experiencing decreasing discounts. In other words, to get you in the door as new business you are given some pretty deep discounts. Over time, they go away under the assumption that if you're not shopping around you're not going to leave.

My advice if you don't like it, shop and ask any carriers about what happens to your discounts over time. You'll also find that different companies rate the same bike and rider in many different ways.

The one factor you cannot control, the cost of doing business in your area. Like it or not, if your area has a higher frequency or severity rate compared to other areas, you're going to pay more.

 

Thanks all, appreciate the info. I've been with Progressive for six years now and no claims. Next year, I'll have no deductible (due to the vanishing thing). Hopefully, that alone will balance a claim out with any other carriers. I'll stick with Progressive and see what happens - hopefully it will never be more than a sunk cost for a premium!

 

Was happy with Progressive for a long while, but noted their rates were increasing even with no infractions. When I bought the new SGS, the rates TRIPLED! Crazy - called GEICO who met my old rate and that included pushing the coverages to 300K. GEICO seems like the better option for now.

 

Run by James Lewis /tight with George Sorus...to damn liberal for me...