Anyone have experience with ERIE insurance?

[trmiv]

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing our first house, and I need to get insurance settled soon (like today). Anyway, I've gotten quotes from various companies (Nationwide, Farmers, Allstate, Travelers, ERIE), and ERIE gave me a good quote. I've seen a few reviews, and they look positive, just looking to see if anyone has an experiences? Also I'd likely switch our cars over to them as well, so how is that side of their insurance?

Also, any other suggestions for good homeowners/car insurance companies I should take a look at? I'm not looking for just the best price, I also want a good company.

 

[Mermaidman]

We've used Erie for combined home and auto for 4 yrs. No issues, but then again, never had to file a claim. I was told Erie is very selective with their underwriting, which may be why their rates are so low.

 

[trmiv]

Thanks. I also just got a quote from Amica insurance that was VERY competitive. I've heard pretty good things about them too.

 

[Vette73]

Erie is cheap only because they are a pain in the butt for claims, and thats if you can get them to pay at all.

If you just want to drop money in the trash and all you get is a peice of paper then Erie is your company. If you want someone that will be there for ya when you have to file a claim, move on.

 

[trmiv]

Who would you suggest?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: trmiv
Who would you suggest?

I can;t say whos REALLY great at home but we have metlife. I read the contract and what they cover and DON'T cover and they seem to be the best compared to others so that is who we have.

We now have a basement and some insurance companies will not cover sum pump, basement flooding, etc... but they do. So be careful and see what they cover. If its not there then assume it is not covered.

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Erie is cheap only because they are a pain in the butt for claims, and thats if you can get them to pay at all.

If you just want to drop money in the trash and all you get is a peice of paper then Erie is your company. If you want someone that will be there for ya when you have to file a claim, move on.

Yikes--that's not good to hear! What are the details of your claim experience? I mentioned earlier that I hadn't needed to file a claim, but I remember one now. I damaged a rental car on a business trip, and Erie paid $1500 for the repairs through our personal policy. No hassles. I did not have to pay any deductible, which in retrospect, I don't understand.

 

[kranky]

I've had Erie for car insurance for 15 years. They are cheap, and the 2 or 3 claims we had have been handled just fine. No hassles at all and I found the service to be very good. After 15 years they don't raise your rates if you have an at-fault claim (although they can still drop you if they want). I've been very happy with them. They are picky about who they take, though. I had to try three times with two different agents over a couple years before they would take us.

The agent doesn't pester me all the time to get additional insurance which suits me fine, but I'm sure that's a YMMV situation. The agent calls about once every two years.

We don't have homeowners with them because our woodburning fireplace doesn't meet their requirements for coverage. But if it did, I'd get them for homeowners based on my experience.

When you get quotes, make sure they are apples-to-apples. What is called an "HO-3" policy covers everything except what is specifically excluded, while an HO-2 covers only what is named in the policy. HO-5 is like an HO-3 but adds personal property. So it's important to make sure everyone is quoting the same type of policy. The HO-5 is the broadest coverage.

 

[trmiv]

Their car insurance gets pretty good reviews from JD Power it looks like. Amica's does as well. I've now read that both Amica and ERIE are picky about underwriting with their home insurance though.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I have had them for my cars since I started driving over 10 years ago and for my house for 5 and my parents have had them for a long time before me. We haven't had any problems with them. I have only had to file one claim and that was for an at fault wreck and my rates didn't go up.

 

[geckojohn]

It's good to get a few quotes when you research home insurance. What insurance company did you decide on?

 

[jw0ollard]

I didn't like ERIE Insurance, so we went with SPOOKY Insurance instead.

/lame joke
/thread

 

[h8red]

We have Erie insurance and they took pretty good care of us when our home was hit by lightning

 

[Old Hippie]

I was told Erie is very selective with their underwriting, which may be why their rates are so low.

QFT