Another insurance question, every hear of Erie Insurance?

[traces7]

Does anybody know anything good or bad about this company? I called a local independent agent and Erie Insurance had the best rates for us for our auto and homeowners insurance. But, I've never heard of them. Any opinions?
Thanks!

 

[eyes4eeyore]

Does anybody know anything good or bad about this company? I called a local independent agent and Erie Insurance had the best rates for us for our auto and homeowners insurance. But, I've never heard of them. Any opinions?
Thanks!

I have Erie Insurance for both home and auto. It's what my parents and most of my family has always used. I remember calling around both times when we purchased a new(er) house and they still had the best rates by at least a little. Thankfully, I've never had a reason to make a claim on our homeowners so I can't give much insight on that. I have had a few accidents over the years, not ALL my fault.... and I remember once they actually gave me a bit more $ than what they first quoted b/c I couldn't find anything even close to what I had before it was totaled. Took some asking but they came through. I've always been pleased.

 

[rock_doctor]

We have had Erie for nearly 15yrs and they are ok. Insurance is a weird deal. Because each state has different insurance laws and all companies must operate with in those laws. So if you are in PA just about every insurance company is ok because PA has very (very) strict insurance laws as opposed to a state like NJ which does not and the insurance companies just do what every they want... So Yes Erie is ok.

Last week somebody attempted (attempted being the important part) to make a U turn in my driveway and hit my truck. I got an estimate the same day, Erie came out the next and i had a check in my hand the next. A week down range from the "accident" the truck is fixed. If you can convert all of your insurance to Erie (house, car and so on) you auto price will go down as they give a multiple policy discount.

 

[TaraPA]

We've had Erie since we were old enough to drive for auto insurance, and since we bought our first home, for homeowners. (20+ years!) We're on their Pioneer Plan - meaning my parents & grandparents also had/have Erie insurance policies, and they give a nice discount for this.

We've had to submit claims for both home & auto over the years, and no complaints. I once had a towing claim (have roadside assistance on my auto policy) and I had the check in my hands before the car even got to where it needed to be towed!

 

[WishIwerethere]

I have had a different experience with Erie. I was with them for many years, and filing a claim was never easy. Under a replacement value insurance policy, they tried to pay me $600 for a pearl necklace which cost and was appraised for $3,000 (I provided the appraisal). My jeweler said there was no way that even at a discount, an insurer could replace that necklace for anywhere close to $600 -- that the quality would not be comparable. The necklace reappeared (long story), so I never had to fight for that claim.

Moreover, they denied my claim for hail damage for my roof, saying I had no hail damage, although all of my surrounding neighbors had successful claims after a horrible storm. I challenged it to no avail. Two years later, another hail storm, and the adjuster (who had been brought in from a different area of the state) told me there was substantial hail damage, both new and old. Rate went up 20 percent, and I dropped them and got insurance for 50 percent less from AAA.

I do believe, though, that you can always find somebody who is incredily happy with an insurer with whom somebody else has been terribly displeased.

 

[Halbleib1]

My parents and sister have them. They were the lowest insurance they could get. My sister has been using them for awhile now and has had no problems with them. My parents just signed up this year and saved a bundle. You should reprice insurance about every 2 years because the longer you stay with one company the more you actually pay. I know it seems that it should go down the longer you are with them but that is not the case. Before my parents switched they were with the same company for over 20 years because they thought this as well. Once they started looking into switching they found out this is not the case and that they had been paying more than they should have been for years.

The only time it may not pay to switch is if you are unemployed because for some unknown reason they consider you more of a risk and so they will charge you more where as if you stay with the same company your price is grandfathered in. Actually found this out last year when we were looking for cheaper insurance after my husband was laid off. Also if you recently have had a speeding ticket or something bad go onto your credit report it will come up when you try to switch whereas it might not show up to your current company depending on how often they check that stuff out.

It still can pay to switch in some cases though you just have to be careful how you go about it.

Not sure what state you are in OP but if you are in PA you can also check with Donegal Insurance Company they tend to be the cheapest in my area for insurance. When we had the agent check around for us he told us up front we probably would not get any better of a deal than what we already had with them. He was right all the others wanted what we were paying Donegal for full coverage on our car for just basic coverage.

 

[maciec]

We have had them for over 10 years now. Whenever we call around to get competitor pricing once we tell them that we currently have Erie they automatically stop the call because they cannot beat their prices. They were rated high in Consumer Reports also.

 

[pigletof4]

If you are trying to get ratings on them, go to www.erieinsurance.com. I have had them for almost 16 years, and dh has been with them since he could drive.

We live in the city of their main headquarters, Erie, PA. I also work for an insurance company, have quoted my own insurance every time my policy comes up for renewal. I can't ever beat Erie's prices.

 

[dfchelbay]

Is Erie Insurance just for residents of the state of Pennsylvania, or are they available to residents of other states?

 

[dawson5]

My husband deals with insurance companies all the time through his work. He has nothing but great things to say about Erie. He swears that they make sure that their customers are happy and taken care of. This is with cars.

Our neighbor has a different story. Her nephew was in a parking lot at school, backed out and went down the lane the proper way. A girl was cutting through the parking lot (not paying attention to the markings for up/down) and hit him. She had Erie Insurance. Their claims person said that the nephew was something like 20% at fault and they would only pay 80% of the claim. Hubby says this is common now. I don't know. I just can't imagine doing something the right way and followings rules/markings and still being found even slightly at fault.

 

[pigletof4]

Is Erie Insurance just for residents of the state of Pennsylvania, or are they available to residents of other states?

My aunt and uncle live outside Indianapolis and they have Erie Insurance. You could probably go on their website to see what states they are licensed to write insurance in.

 

[NMW]

We live in PA and have had Erie for Auto, Home, Life insurance for 10 years now. They are fantastic. We have never had a problem. We had a hit and run accident on DH's car-Erie covered all repairs and the rental car. We had hail damage to both our cars that was covered no problem. My DD when she was 4 flooded our kitchen floor with our water dispenser. It was laminate flooring that warped. Erie sent a flooring expert out and I told him I wanted to replace the floor with tile so it wouldn't happen again. Erie came back and paid me $5 a square foot for tile but also installation and everything that goes with it. I bought tile that was $8 a square foot and just paid the difference for the tile only-Erie was amazing.

My parents had Erie for years and years and they covered over the years-new roofs, new siding, accidents, etc. with no problems.

 

[Green Tea]

They are rated A+ (superior) by AM Best. That would be good enough for me.

 

[Green Tea]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/am...company-and-erie-indemnity-company-2010-06-17

 

[maciec]

Is Erie Insurance just for residents of the state of Pennsylvania, or are they available to residents of other states?

We live in Maryland

 

[Piecey]

Is Erie Insurance just for residents of the state of Pennsylvania, or are they available to residents of other states?

We have them here in West Virginia.

I love my agent- the year I graduated high school (and needed my own auto policy) was the year she started her agency. We have been very happy with them-- auto and homeowners.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We had Erie Insurance when we lived in Ohio, and it was great. They do not underwrite in KY or we would have stayed with them. We had both an auto accident claim and was taken care of within hours, and our homeowners claim from a hailstorm had a check in our hands within 24 hours of the storm. They also covered a questionable flooded basement situation.

 

[PrincessPeyton]

We have had Erie for about 2 years but haven't filed a claim so it's good to hear the positive feedback.
When we added out homeowners insurance to our auto insurance, the multipolicy discount covered most of the cost of our homeowners! It's a great deal and they came highly recommended by our insurance broker!

 

[skip323]

We have Erie. I had never heard of them either. After moving to Indiana and then meeting and marrying dh, he had Erie so I made the transition. No problems with them. We had a faulty sump pump in our basement 2 years ago and ended up with smoke damage through out the entire house and a small fire in the room where the pump was that started after the firefighters opened the door. Erie cut a check early the next day for initial expenses and hotel coverage. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite with a small kitchenette for about 6 weeks. They also covered our dog boarding at the vet for 6 weeks (as well as an emergency check up on the dog) and the coverage for items lost due to the smoke damage.

I don't know what other insurance companies would have done but I know that I was thankful to be a person that had insurance and can't imagine what it might be like for someone who does not.

 

[traces7]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, sounds like a good company. I'm still checking out others to try and get the best rate. We may switch though! We're in Wisconsin, the agent I talked to also highly recommended Erie.