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Safeco Auto Insurance

Is This Your Business?
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6.3

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: October 1st, 2021

Since becoming part of Liberty Mutual, Safeco has narrowed its focus to personal insurance, offering an array of coverage options for homes, vehicles and more. The company employs over 7,200 people across the nation. While Safeco provides a relatively comprehensive product, in terms of their service area, there are some serious limitations to the platform as well.

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The Good

  • Coverage Features
  • Personal Property Coverage
  • Unique Features

Coverage Features

  • First Aid Reimbursement
  • Accident Forgiveness
  • Comprehensive
  • Collision
  • Roadside Assistance
  • Rental Car Reimbursement
  • Bodily Injury Liability
  • Property Damage Liability
  • Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
  • Medical Payments
  • Uninsured Motorist
  • Underinsured Motorist
  • Emergency Assistance
  • Loan and Lease Coverage
  • Electronic Key and Lock Replacement
  • CD and DVD Replacement
  • New Car Replacement
  • Audio-Visual and Custom Equipment Coverage
  • Pet Coverage
  • Personal Property Coverage

Personal Property Coverage

Consumers should be able to put together the exact insurance policy to meet their specific needs. In fact, Safeco has more options than most of their competitors, and they allow customers to build their own policy by combining these varied coverage options, which offers a high degree of customization.

Unique Features

Diminishing Deductible is one interesting feature that the company offers. Basically, if a policyholder remains claim-free, the collision deductible goes down by $100 each year for a possible maximum of $500. They have a great roadside assistance program that is available around the clock through an 877 phone number, and the website offers several payment options for premiums, including a paperless option. Safeco also offers a Single Loss Deductible, which means if your vehicle and your home are both damaged in the same incident, you only have to pay one deductible. The example given on the website is that if a tree fell in the yard and hit both your car and house, Safeco would waive the auto deductible once the home deductible was paid. This can save the policyholder a significant amount of money, and it's a great feature that every company should have.

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The Bad

  • Discounts
  • File and Track Claims

Discounts

Discount options are not as extensive or numerous as some of their competitors, though they do offer standard discounts like safe driving and low mileage. By combining an auto insurance policy with a homeowners policy it is possible to save up to 15 percent, and while this is not bad, there are other insurance companies with more discounts and deeper savings.

  • Package deal
  • Be a safe driver
  • Take an accident prevention course
  • Teen safety rewards
  • Drive less. Pay less.
  • More than one car
  • Antitheft
  • Antilock
  • Own your own home
  • Pay your bill in full

File and Track Claims

Though claims cannot be filed online, they can be tracked online, which is good. However, many of the complaints are directed at the company's ongoing lack of follow-up about the claims process. Hundreds of people have complained about unprofessional behavior, lack of response, unreturned phone calls, incorrect information and unanswered messages. These types of complaints are prevalent enough and widespread enough that it is worth pointing out.

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The Bottom Line

In the end, Safeco simply doesn't offer the same level of convenience or affordability as other insurance companies. To a certain extent, they make up for this by providing unique coverage options that customers might not be able to find anywhere else. However, their rates are not impressive. The lack of a decent mobile app, and the inability to file claims online or through the app, makes them less convenient than many of their competitors. The website is easy to navigate but lacks some helpful resources. Overall, in most categories, there seem to be better options than Safeco.
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Star Rating

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4.1

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35 Reviews

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5 grade

51%

4 grade

29%

3 grade

6%

2 grade

3%

1 grade

11%

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Lorif747 Braselton, GA

I'd give them a zero star rating if I could. We received a quote for RV insurance April 10, 2019. We received a good rate and were happy to go with Safeco. There were no hidden points/tickets on either of our driver's licenses that they were not aware of. Over 2 months later we get a letter stating that due to new information our premium was going up almost $800 a year. The reason was a 2017 automobile claim on our insurance that paid out $1600 (for damage to a parked car in a parking lot). The extra premium is retroactive to April 10, 2019. Where usually tickets and such would come off your record after 3 years, we expected that in 2020 our premium would go down but Safeco uses the date they got the report, not the date of the incident to start the countdown. So we will be paying the higher rate for the next 3 years. That is the part that angers us most. An additional $800/yr for a $1600 claim seems excessive to us and had we known all of this in advance we would have shopped elsewhere.

5 years ago

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Ryan Sherman Oaks, CA

Not a policy holder and never will be. Not sure how there can be one single positive comment about this company....Maybe cause they offer good rates. Their claim process is despicable and fraudulent. My mother who is 60 years old got hit by a Safeco insured who was over 80 years old. 2 months later Safeco is denying the claim saying that their insured claims to have never hit her. She was hit and the insured never realized it or pretended not to have hit her. We have a witness that saw the whole thing happen right before his eyes. He then tried to speed off which almost became a hit and run. She luckily stopped him and he gave her his information, even the witness said at the time the guy acted like he didn't do anything. All this time later he said he only provided his information out of fear because he thought she was going to pin this on him and call the police which I wish she did do. She is a 60 year old woman in a mini van lets be real here. Meanwhile the witness was very fair and helpful and provided a detailed report of everything. I finally got to talk to him about a week ago and was very impressed at how much he cared for helping my mom out. Now Safeco is siding with their insured and buying this ridiculous preposterous fabricated story from their insured. They are claiming that no accident happened, their insured just provided their information any ways and we just made up a fake witness whose story doesn't match their insureds. It is literally the craziest thing I have ever heard an insurance company doing to get out of a claim in my life. If the script was flipped and Safeco was insuring my mom do you think they would believe such and outrageous story, of course not. I'm fighting this with her company and doing whatever we can in our legal rights to get her vehicle fixed. No police report is the only sad part, the accident was minor and who knows if they would have come. It's amazing how someone can hit a vehicle exchange info then weeks later pretend nothing ever happened. Oh and they also said there was no damage to his vehicle, of course he A. slowly rammed into her vehicle therefore barely any damage to his B. he probably got his fixed by himself the following week for all we know. Just incredible shady company, STAY FAR FAR AWAY I will be reporting this to the BBB tomorrow

6 years ago

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Jorge Caravia San Diego, CA

You better hope you're never in an accident with someone that uses Safeco Insurance. After highway patrol immediately named the Safeco insurance driver liable for the accident, I was without a vehicle for two and half months because Safeco refused to accept liability. They finally agreed to pay for repairs which I was totally happy with, but then switched claims representatives (reason unknown) and declared the car at a total loss. Surprise, surprise.. Safeco undervalued my car by at least $1,000. It has been one headache after another dealing with this company; their unprofessionalism knows no bounds.

6 years ago

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Wanda L Al-lahabi Cameron, NC

Horrible company. We had insurance for 4 years. Our vehicle was stolen and vandalized and they sent us our car back with no motor no good and did not cover it. We had full coverage including comprehensive for 3 vehicles under them. They are taking money and not paying out. Stay away from them. And the rep in charge of investigation was horrible.

6 years ago