BEWARE! I wish I could give -5 stars! Everything seems fine until you need to actually use their services!
Not only are they unethical, but they feed you "feel good" statements to fool you into thinking they actually want to "help". They don't want to help. They just want your money, and they certainly won't compensate you fairly!
At the first review of my vehicle, by Josh from Progressive at Kustom Kreations in Carson City, NV, Josh had outright offered me a check for the repairs from his initial (preliminary) estimate which was close to $5,000. At that time, I could (SHOULD) have taken that check to any one of my own personal chosen shops to have the car repaired to my liking and discretion. Thus, making sure Progressive would still be 100% responsible for full coverage in the event of another future incident to my 2009 Subaru Forester. In addition, my vehicle would not have been subject to a having a salvaged title (again, meaning I would still have full coverage for my car).
Fast-forward to the second review of my car, by Nick Chalmers from Progressive at Bill Pearce Collision Center in Reno, NV, and low and behold he had them disassemble my tape-job (it was all body damage, with no damage to the frame and no airbag deployment) and re-run the estimate numbers and what do you know - Nick Chalmers deemed my car a total loss.
The preliminary estimate was the way to go and wouldn't be leaving me with less than I came with. Apparently, Progressive wants you to always get less than you deserve.
It's extremely disheartening that my acting in good faith, with proper ethics, and protocol has hindered me from being a satisfied customer of Progressive. Thus, leaving me with even less assurance that Progressive would take care of me or my family members that are also on the same policy in the future.
ALSO, apparently Progressive doesn't inform their estimators the various differences on how they handle total losses. I WAS TOLD BY NICK CHALMERS, the second estimator, that I would be able to keep my salvaged vehicle if I like as long as I know that I am responsible for any costs associated to the vehicle from the collision center and paperwork associated to the vehicle when it comes to re-registering it with the DMV without penalty. NICK CHALMERS WAS WRONG! For the past 2 weeks, I was told that I could keep the car at no penalty to me as long as I was willing to take financial and paper trail responsibility of the vehicle.
My claims adjustor, JENNIFER P DUYON at the Irvine, CA location, had to be the bearer of bad news that, in California, Progressive takes an additional $2,000.00 on top of your ($1,000.00) deductible if you choose to keep your now salvaged title car. On top of that, JENNIFER DUYON will try to scare you into believing that it would be a lot less headache and more money in your pocket if you just let them keep the car so you don't have to be out $3,000.00, but only the deductible. OF COURSE, PROGRESSIVE WANTS TO KEEP THE CAR - whether they fix it and sell it at auction, or piece the car out for parts and sell them individually, Progressive essentially is out of pocket $0. They are TOTAL SCAMMERS! DO NOT USE PROGRESSIVE!
**I am a California policyholder and the accident happened in California - 3 hours into my 9.5 hour drive from Lake Tahoe to San Diego for Thanksgiving. I had to bring my BF back to Tahoe, so without any problems other than cosmetic and 1 missing headlight, we drove the 9.5 hours back (That's a total driving time of 16 hours of additional driving after the inital accident). Because of my having to travel back to Tahoe the estimate had to happen in Nevada because there aren't any Progressive network shops in the California Tahoe region, your only options are Carson City, NV or Reno, NV. I had the preliminary estimate done in Carson City (another 1 hour drive from where I was in Tahoe), and unfortunately did not take the offer given to me (by check) to fix my car myself and because of that the second estimate, in Reno, NV *(another 1+ from where I was in Tahoe) completely screwed me and left me even more in the hole and distraught than I was before. SCREW PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE! read more