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Love it or hate it, GEICO draws you in with their catchy commercials and adorable gecko spokesperson.
But they are more than an internet-based car insurance company with a huge marketing budget. They are a real player in the car insurance industry, and they are owned by one of the most successful companies in the world.
GEICO Insurance Overview
GEICO, which stands for Government Employees Insurance Company, was founded in 1936 to sell insurance products to federal employees and certain military members. The company went through many transitions over the following decades, with the largest one coming in 1996 when they were purchased by Warren Buffet and his company, Berkshire Hathaway.
GEICO is a direct-to-consumer insurance company that focuses primarily on auto insurance, but does have an extensive portfolio of other coverage options such as home, renters and motorcycle.
Direct-to-consumer means that GEICO’s primary sales channel does not involve a middleman, also known as an agent.
Customers can get quotes, purchase policies, and make changes to existing coverage over the phone or directly online. There are agents licensed to sell GEICO products, but the bulk of policy sales are done directly between GEICO and their customers.
Direct-to-consumer insurance companies (like GEICO, Esurance and Progressive) have a competitive advantage over their more traditional agent-driven counterparts in that they can reduce costs since they are not paying out large commissions for each sale and renewal. The downside is clients with very extensive insurance needs may unknowingly find themselves with gaps in coverage, unless they have a good understanding of everything they need.
One thing is for sure. When it comes to car insurance, GEICO is the real deal.
In 2015, GEICO nudged past Allstate to become the second largest auto insurance company in the United States. However, they are still quite a bit behind the leader, State Farm.
Coverage options are available in all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C.
Products and Services
As mentioned above, GEICO excels when it comes to auto insurance. But their portfolio of products does not end there.
What makes GEICO different from many other companies is they do not actually underwrite a lot of their policies. But I will get to that a little further below.
For now, let us take a quick look at some of their more popular insurance products:
- Car Insurance – Definitely GEICO’s bread and butter, their policies come with all the standard bells and whistles, with the option to add extended coverage. Pretty standard across most major insurance companies.
- Motorcycle Insurance – GEICO is one of the few companies that puts a lot of time and money into advertising their motorcycle insurance, and it has boosted them to one of the top spots in terms of coverage in the United States.
- Homeowners Insurance – Whether you are looking for home, condo or renters insurance, you can do it all through GEICO and qualify for multi-policy discounts.
- ATV Insurance – If you are looking to protect some of your off road toys, GEICO can help you with that.
- Umbrella Insurance – Designed as an extension of car and home insurance liability, an umbrella policy can also fill in gaps that will protect you from things like libel and slander lawsuits.
- Life Insurance – Policies available through GEICO are limited compared to some other full service insurance companies, but if you want term life coverage, it can be done.
- Boat Insurance – Including other types of personal watercraft, you can protect your water toys through GEICO and in some cases qualify for multi-policy discounts.
- Business Insurance – There is a reasonable list of coverages available through GEICO, but probably more suitable for a small business. Things like general liability, business owners policies and professional liability insurance can be obtained over the phone or through an agent.
So here is the deal when it comes to GEICO insurance products – besides auto insurance, almost everything is underwritten by a different insurance company.
What does that mean to you?
It means that even though you may have a car, home and umbrella policy you purchased from GEICO, the companies underwriting the home and umbrella policy are probably different.
GEICO sells these other policies through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc, which is basically a huge insurance agency licensed to sell products for other companies. Similar to going to a strip mall and getting a policy from XYZ Insurance Agency, but on a much larger scale.
The policies will almost always be managed by GEICO, and any questions, claims and payments will be handled by them as well. But they are basically outsourcing the underwriting to other firms that specialize in that type of coverage.
For the most part, GEICO is taking a fee off the top of your policy to manage and service it.
But what about car insurance?
As mentioned toward the top of this review, GEICO is one of the largest auto insurers in the United States, and yes, they underwrite those policies. That means when a claim is paid out on a GEICO car insurance policy, they are the ones footing the bill (and possibly reinsurance companies).
And while we are on the topic of car insurance (which is probably why you are reading this review), let’s get into some of the finer details about their coverage.
For many people, GEICO’s car insurance kicks butt.
GEICO is often one of the cheapest auto insurance options, especially for good drivers. Remember how I referred to them as a direct-to-consumer insurance company? They don’t have to pay an agent in most cases, so they can sell policies for less.
In 2013, I did sample rate tests from the top direct-to-consumer insurance companies, and according to the profiles I tested, GEICO was the clear winner when it came to price.
But their car insurance is no silver bullet.
While many drivers get very good rates with them, there are going to be those that do not fit their preferred driver profile. Customers that have questionable driving histories or multiple claims will often be faced with higher premiums or get dropped all together.
Since GEICO typically keeps their rates pretty low, they operate on slimmer margins and have less wiggle room for paying out claims. Plus it costs a lot to be running TV ads non-stop.
GEICO Rates and Premiums
I briefly touched on GEICO’s auto insurance rates in the section above, but here is where we will take a closer look at how they stack up.
GEICO is cheap.
If your primary sales decision when it comes to car insurance is price, then GEICO must be a company you add to your comparison shopping. Year after year in our rate quote tests, GEICO comes in near the bottom (cheapest) every time.
In our last test, GEICO came in a whopping 27% below the average, which puts them in the top five in terms of price.
As previously noted, not everyone will get the best rates from GEICO if they do not fit their preferred driver profile. If you are a good driver with little to no claims history, GEICO should definitely be on your short list if you are looking for cheap car insurance.
Ready for a break? Watch my video review of GEICO Insurance:
Advertising and Media
We all know the little gecko. We see him everywhere. Billboards, TV commercials, radio ads, online. You name it.
Where GEICO saves money by not paying out large commissions to insurance agents, they spend it on advertising. When a company does not have a proactive sales force out doing the heavy marketing lifting, they have to make up for it with TV and internet commercials.
“15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.”
When it comes to advertising, what differentiates GEICO from many of their competitors is that their claims about saving money are often true. As one of the cheapest major car insurance companies out there, a lot of people CAN save money by switching to GEICO.
We are inundated with insurance ads saying things like – Customers save $423 on average when switching.
The reason that is true is most people that change insurance do so because they get a better deal. It doesn’t mean that most people actually get a better one.
If 100 people get a quote from ABC Insurance Company and only 5 people will actually save money so they switch, the ad will still be true.
What the generic insurance ad doesn’t tell you is – We are expensive, but a few people will save money with us and $423 is what those few actually do save.
See the difference?
GEICO Claims
Up to this point it probably sounds like I am pretty high on GEICO, and when it comes to their price, I am. But the true test is how an insurance company performs is when you actually need them: claims.
On paper GEICO’s claims process is very good. They have multiple ways an individual can file a claim:
- Over the phone – 800-841-3000
- On their website – Claims Center
- On their mobile app – Read Our Review
As with most major insurance carriers, GEICO has their preferred repair shops which they call Auto Repair Xpress. These shops are generally pre-approved by the insurance company and work directly with them during the entire process.
Customers are not required to use GEICO’s preferred repair facilities. If you decide to go with your own mechanic, you are free to do so. Just know they will generally only cover the amount their in-network facilities would charge. So if you mechanic is expensive, you may have to pay some out-of-pocket costs for the repair.
But how do customers and non-customers feel about their claims process? The next section will dive into that.
Customer Feedback
When researching for this review, I did some digging for customer complaints. And whew… there are a lot of them.
If you simply look at the number of complaints filed against GEICO on various online forums, it can give the impression that they are a bad company. So it is important to look at them in comparison to other companies as well as their size.
Remember how GEICO just squeaked past Allstate to become the second largest auto insurer behind State Farm? Good, because that will provide some context for this section.
Allstate is roughly the same size as GEICO in terms of car insurance, with State Farm being almost twice as big. But the complaint totals on ConsumerAffairs.com show a slightly different story. Although not all negative, the majority are as, in our experience, most consumers go on the internet to write a review after a bad experiece:
- 2,930 Complaints – GEICO
- 2,657 Complaints – State Farm
- 1,444 Complaints – AllState
The numbers on consumer complaint board Pissed Consumer show a similar pattern :
- 490 Complaints – Allstate
- 802 Complaints – GEICO
- 838 Complaints – State Farm
What complicates the Pissed Consumer numbers is that they do not distinguish between the different channels of insurance each company sells. So the complaints against Allstate include complaints about auto, home, life, etc. Where GEICO complaints are primarily about their auto insurance, since that is the primary coverage they actually underwrite.
So a similar-sized company (Allstate) has about half the total complaints about their auto insurance, and a company nearly twice has big (State Farm) has roughly the same number of complaints. So we know on ConsumerAffairs.com that GEICO is about twice as likely to garner a complaint as the other two largest auto insurers.
Where GEICO also loses when comparing the big three is with the Better Business Bureau. According to the BBB, the total complaint breakdown as of this review is:
- 1,764 Complaints – State Farm
- 2,467 Complaints – GEICO
- 1,511 Complaints – Allstate
So despite being quite a bit smaller than State Farm, GEICO has basically the same number of complaints filed against them with the BBB in the past three years.
Bottom Line
They are cheap. Plain and simple.
GEICO is a huge auto insurer in the US, and they use their direct-to-consumer sales approach to keep their insurance rates low.
Where I found GEICO struggling the most is with consumer complaints and feedback. The vast majority of the complaints I read had to do with disagreements over claims and/or delays in payouts. For many people this is an important issue since insurance claims is ultimately why we pay for coverage.
At the end of the day, if you are looking for rock-bottom priced auto insurance, GEICO is a good choice. If rock star claims handling is your selling point, GEICO may not do it for you.
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Review Information
I am a former insurance agent and banker turned consumer advocate. My priority is to help educate individuals and families about the different types of insurance they need, and assist them in finding the best place to get it.
Chris says
DO NOT GO WITH GEICO!!!!!
Rear ended a woman on March 6th. Damage was centered on front left headlight and plastics surrounding it. Radiator didn’t even crack or leak and I pulled my truck forward and off the road before shutting it off myself. It being my first crash and insurance claim, my dumb ass released my truck to geico. BIG MISTAKE!!! Apparently 1 headlight, 1 fender a hood and bumper for an 05 dodge ram cost more than 10 grand when you let geico look for them. They deemed my truck a total loss and denied me and my father access to the trucks aftermarket stereo system and other parts I had on the interior, which is illegal after speaking to a lawyer. My truck was leased so I was required by the bank to have full coverage and gap just to make sure if I did crash nothing would come out pocket and the positive equity on my truck would be safe. The geico adjustor I was placed with refused to answer my calls and refused to properly document. Geico decided I didn’t have medical, on the day of the crash ONLY, and refused to cover the woman’s medical bill. So now one potential lawsuit and debt hole later, my adjustor, come to find out, has been changed and the new one has no idea how to get a hold of the original adjustor for questioning. THIS COMPANY WILL TAKE THE FIRST CHANCE THEY GET TO PROFIT OFF YOUR SUFFERING. DO NOT INSURE WITH THIS THIEVING SCUM POOL.
Michael welch says
I was insured with Geico and they suck! They put me on two different policies
They didn’t admit they did that. Beware of geico they will screw with you. Beware!
Jed says
Geico is the worst insurance company out there. They never want to pay for any claims. I was with them for 6 years and had an hit and run and they said my uninsured coverage did not cover hit and run. Take your money somewhere else!
Kosmo says
In all fairness, it depends on your state that you live in. The insurance companies do not create uninsured motorist, it is a coverage created by the state. In the state of NC for example, in order to use uninsured motorist, you have to know who the person is and it has to be confirmed they uninsured.
State of PA does not offer UPD and state of MD and DC it is offered but you have to get a police report in order to use the coverage.
Jeff M says
No insurance company will pay or activate your uninsured motorist coverage unless you are able to identify who the uninsured person is (for example, by license plate number). Once that information is provided to your company they will verify that person has no insurance and if that’s the case, then your uninsured coverage comes into play. It’s the same at [Redacted] insurance where I used to work as a claims adjuster.
Jean S says
Agree. Their client turned in front of my brand new car. Police report states clearly he was at fault and they want ME to pay 15% of the damages using after market parts on my car with 5,000 miles. I’m taking them to court. GEICO IS THE WORST! Does anyone have a success story regarding taking them to small claims court? I hope I have a sympathetic and informed judge about how bad Geico is.
Angel Shining says
Get a lawyer and it will not cost you anything, they take a % out of what they win. My son was hit by a drunk driver and they left the scene so he has a lawyer to figure it out, with this situation I would get a lawyer to figure it out, that way you are taken care of. My friends son had a similar situation with State Farm and he was actually paying for his own rental till I sent him to the lawyer my son is using and the lawyer was like –no way, I will have them pay all that and he reimbursed him for what he spent already on the rental.(his car was totaled) (my sons car too) Don’t try to argue with these companies on your own, you need someone that does car accidents every day.
Angela says
I have a policy for a few years. Had an accident where a lady slammed into me and slid me across a parking lot causing $10,000 in damages to my new car. I hired an attorney due to the other insurance denying liability. I pay extra for PIP also. I had the accident in may of this year and still haven’t received my payment from my PIP policy. My attorney has called and emailed the adjuster and her supervisor multiple times and no response. I pay my policy every month and this is how they treat their policy holders?
glen walters says
insured 9 cars with geico for over 8 yrs, just to be canciled because geico says I buy and sell cars, I don’t have a tax number with texas, all my car titles are still in my name, I live alone and can only drive so many cars at a time and choose to insure my cars when needed. I have zero accidents and never filed a claim for any reasons, im just like all Texans with forced liability insurance with the state and insurance companies in bed together. so I am now canciled for selling cars, what a lame excuse
Bridget says
I have been a Geico customer for years. Geico has gotten very expensive. They will raise your bill within a couple of years for no reason, even when you never had an accident. Don’t get Geico
Kosmo says
It is a bad perception to think that rates raise only for accident, there is actually a methodology that goes into it. you cannot have an accident in your life and still see rates increase and that is most likely because of external factor such as the area you live in, your zip code.
For example if you live in a very busy area where a lot of accidents occur in your area you could see an increase because you live in a higher risk zone because of it, and statistics are not in your favor. Also for people who live in areas that experience things such as flooding and hail will see an increase as well.
Lisa Mitchell says
Geico is by far the worst when it comes time to pay on a claim. I had wind rain storm damages to my home / roof & Geico denied my claim. So I’ve been paying over $1300.00 a year for mobile home insurance to ONLY find out my ins is no good ! But Geico wants their payments on time every year.I will be getting a lawyer on this case now.Sad thing is I have all my cars,truck,motorcycles & home with Geico … not much longer …. waiting on Monday 9,2016 from my lawyers …
Angel says
Go with Nationwide, they are very good.
frank fanelli says
although I have never had the experience of going through an accident with injury’s Geico is not the company you want to experience your first time with. the other people were at fault woman went through stop sign her insurance State farm was better serving then my insurance (geico) .Geico only pays pennies on the dollar to medical providers ,one thing you don’t want is a doctor treating you who is pissed off knowing that there services will be denied or paid pennies on the dollar. You would think that should not matter but hey the doctor is in business and has bills to pay as well. Here it is 10 weeks from the date of accident and I have received $100 per week for lost wages from geico and I am spending $50 to $60 dollars a week on gas and tolls going to doctors and physical therapy the rest I am going to buy a hotdog to feed my wife and I for the week. Geico does not care about you just there own bottom line sadly enough I didn’t research them before I switched .Hope you research this information before switching it will save you grief down the road no matter if the accident is your fault or not. You would think that your insurance company would talk to you and advise you on how to get through this ordeal and show a little compassion wow was I wrong. My advise to anyone with geico or that is involved with geico in any way HIRE A LAWYER GOOD LUCK
Amanda Alvarado says
Geico auto insurance for over 15 years and I have never filed a claim .
I was waiting for the red light to change when a car rear ended me. The person who hit me make sure that I was ok and gave me a copy of her policy and drivers licence of which I took a pictures. I took pictures of the damage of my car and hers. Due to the fact that the accident was minor I did not contact the police. The other party that hit me has Geico auto Insurance. Geico claims that they are not able get a hold of the person who hit me, therefore, they cannot help me. Their only suggestion is for me to use my colllision coverage for have my car fix. My deductible is $500.00, which I need to pay before Geico can fix my car using my policy in which case my Insurance will go up.
I want to make sure that people know how neglegent Geico is when handling claims, they are not there to represent you they are looking on how to save money for themselves.
Angel says
Amanda—your inusrance SHOULD NOT go up if you were not at fault and many insurances even have accident forgiveness built in should you be at fault, Nationwide and All State…..this guy on this page is saying Geico is cheap and affordable despite all the complaints but WHO THE HELL CARES if they are no good…….Call up Nationwide or Allstate , I have a $250 deductible and not much difference between the monthly premium of that and the $500 deductible……..
Mark Cumings says
I have Geico and have had for many years. I had a drunk driver run me off the road then stop and drive back into my car twice. When police arrived he was arrested for no license, DUI and he didn’t have insurance. I had to use my uninsured clause in my policy. I took my car to a Geico partner garage. I could tell immediately that the garage is incentivized to minimize the repair cost. ie… [Redacted] the work for cheap then split the savings with Geico. During next policy renewal they raised my rates.
Lindsi says
They are doing this to me right now! I even contacted the police and because their client lied and said she never hit me after taking off, they are siding with her. I even had the policemen call geico and they recorded his statement in which he tells them he found my paint on their car and physical evidence they rear-ended me. I also gave them texts from their insured talking about the estimate how she wasn’t going to pay the amount the estimate states for damages, but because it doesn’t clearly say ‘she hit me’ in the texts, Geico is saying it eludes to an accident but is not clear evidence. They are sleezy, crooked and it still baffles me they can do this over and over again and get away with it! I was the one hit and I’m having to prove my case??? I have never dealt with a more corrupt company!!!
Jeff M says
Regardless of accident circumstances and how obvious fault may seem, both companies have to speak with their drivers before liability can even be assessed. In that case, each party may use their own coverage to fix their cars and once fault is determined, the at fault insurance company will reimburse the company not at fault. This is standard procedure. By law, insurance companies are given 30 days to get a hold of their insured. After this time limit is reached, the company can then decide to accept or deny liability based on the evidence provided. Unless there are photographs, video, and/or witnesses to what happened, it is not likely a company will accept liability without having spoken to their driver to get their side of what happened. This was the same at [Redacted] Insurance where I used to work as a claims adjuster.
Angel says
Not true…..switch to Nationwide people and get a lawyer to go after Geico….I have heard they suck by so many people…..also all of you should complain to BBB so people are aware they suck.Another idea because they’re so many of you class action suit against Geico…..
Jeff says
It is true. I handled claims for many years with another insurance company and negotiated settlements. This is how it works.
Angel Shining says
I was hit in a parking lot by a hit and run , no cameras to show what kind of car but white paint on my suv, so they had no one to talk to , my car was covered…….insurance in America is all a scam anyway, if you go overseas, pennies on the dollar and they use the excuse here there is so much traffic, thats why, thats crap, drive in India or Mexico, their insurance is cheap and have way more people then we do on the roads……..
Joe says
Had an accident with a Geico customer. She claims it was my fault. She ran a red light. I had a witness who saw it. I filed a claim with geico as the officer instructed me to. It has been two weeks now and absolutely nothing has been done. They claim to not have received the incident report yet. What a joke. Incompetence at its worse. When will it end. I dread going through the proces when it finally goes through.
Jeff M says
Insurance companies are allowed 30 days to get a hold of their driver to get their side of what happened. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for people who are at fault to avoid talking to their insurance company. Two weeks is still within the allowed time frame and as a former claims adjuster, sometimes you only have time to make 1 call attempt to speak with the person in a day. If they don’t answer the phone, it’s on to the next one until you have another opportunity to try them again (which may be several days later). It is frustrating though.
Brian Weaver says
Been with GEICO for 7 years, had an accident in 2014, my fault, filed a claim and everything was taken care of perfectly.
Had an accident in May of this year, had a police report stating the other driver, insured by Esurance, was at fault. Claim went into arbitration, was strung along being told the chances of getting my deductible back looked good since there was a police report, 3 months later I get a letter stating that GEICO was closing the file on my claim since neither GEICO or ESURANCE “failed to prove liabilty”
Rates are great but I’ll pay more to another company that does their job and looks out for their clients.
vincent distefano says
I am a policy holder for 61 Years with GEICO I am at a point where I see my policy goes up up up I am wondering if the longer you stay the more you pay I am a safe driver no tickets taken the drivers course my creidt is very good and still pay high ptemiums I even pay my payment s by useing EFT hard to belive i pay high price I have one 2003 Toyota and a 2015 Lexus still no brake called GEICO and was told i was getting the best price I checked around other companies are less Im looking and waiting for my new premium to arrive ONE other I also get charged 1.00 for each payment i make on my EFT out of my chesking account not to Swift.
Don A says
I had a Geico customer back into me in a driveway with mainly front bumper damage. I had a quote done for him and he decided to turn it over to insurance as the quote was above 1100.00 dollars. I had to get Geico to do an estimate and theirs was 849.00 but they wanted to use aftermarket bumper and headlight. I did not want aftermarket parts on my 3 year old car. So in order to get OEM parts I had to pay for them.
If I had Geico insurance I would change as fast as I could. Don’t like their practices nor the person I spoke with because they were going to use the cheapest parts or maybe parts from a junked car to fix mine. It is in their contract that they can use anything they want to repair your car. Would not trust them nor use any body shop they recommend.
Connie Dugue says
My husband was parked and was hit by another car. While the other insurance dragged their feet Geico started WORKING WITH US immediately to get our car fixed and since I have a 500.00 deductable but am on a fixed income so did not have it on hand they worked with us to get everything done and not worry about the deductable . I love the way they took control and took a lot of the stress from us. I will never have another insurance.
Beth says
Customer 20 yrs! Excellent driving record and payment history, no collision or comprehensive claims, (2) windshield replacement claims (AZ resident having full glass coverage/no deductible), and only carry 25/50 with $100 deductibles
I did deal with a few not at fault claim repairs long ago, with great customer service, no complaints until…
4 yrs ago added a home, underwriters-American Strategic Ins (ASI), 3rd yr policy 12/1-11/30 cancelled 4/4 for non payment, scheduled assigned payments (not allowing monthly payments), paid but for a slightly less amount which changed 4/29 payment date to 4/4. Phoned 4/7 to make another $200 payment fulfilling $600 of $950/yr premium and was informed policy already cancelled w/o reinstating (should have reinstated or refunded $50), which now leads to…
GEICO, who said no problem will just rewrite a policy with different insurer more lenient/suitable with payments (fixed income on SSDI), the policy dated 4/8 placing a lapse with $150 charge added by Foremost underwriters, (also placed additional lapse unjustly and removed it when I submitted proof from Verisk (underwriting intelligence for ins company inquiries…had to request personal property disclosure from A-Plus Customer Inquiry Center and lastly should mention my credit score is 795, ins score is 830.
Geico is my agent for HO and this is what they did for me!!
Now Geico has increased auto policy $45 due to area rate increase and suggested I complete defensive driving course online to get a discount of $41 each 6/mo policy.
It is such a racket of greed and lies.
A local agent has found better coverages and rates with Hartford and Geico told me my only option was insuring home with Stillwater, which was $30 higher and worse coverage.
Rene says
They are the worst, you tell the to take out money a surten day and Geico will take it out when ever they want to, messing up my account , they just say sorry and do it again. They have also coast me over 300.00 dollers , for saying I did not have insurance when I did. The only reason I left my other insurance company is because I could not afford them, but now that I am back on my feet I will be going back. DO NOT USE GEICO they will screw you over big time.
Steve Falkowski says
America ! Buyer Beware. I can say first hand you will save switching to Geico but what are you saving by a company that denies your claim . My switch to save cost my family plenty. It is a mission for me to pass the word about this horrible unethical company .
Steve says
Someone broke into my car cost GEICO 387.00 after my deductible was paid to repair the damages my insurance went up 300.00 every six months 600.00 a year higher because they had to pay out 400.00 for a non fault claim. I have not had an accident or claim in 20+ years I have not had a ticket in 18 years. I dont know what you call this but it sure is not insurance its pure theft IMO…
LANA BUI says
My family and I have been auto and home policy holders for over a decade. This treatment and inability to resolve the situation is unacceptable.
I called Geico claims to see if my premium or account be affected in any way if I made a claim about some minor damage that had occurred to my passenger’s side door. The representative ran their “Accident Evaluation Tool” and deduced that my premium would not change and that no accident would be placed on my insurance record.
I went ahead and filed a claim and took the car to the collision center. The claims adjuster told me that a sealant would fix the issue, but he decided to replace the door and the side mirror as well. I honestly do not understand why he replaced the side mirror as there was absolutely no damaged to the mirror. He failed to tell me that by doing all this work, the cost to repair door would become over $1000, resulting in placing an “at fault accident” on my insurance record and Geico charging me roughly $240 more to my premium.
The claims adjuster made unnecessary repairs to my car, chose a more expensive option when there was a cheaper alternative available without an explanation as to how it would affect me, and as a result, I have been unfairly charged for the past year and an at fault accident has been placed on my insurance record preventing me from getting a better deal at another insurance agency.
Jessica says
Be careful with this company. I had an auto policy with Geico for over seven years. I thought things were going well until I tried to get another insurance. I was then told by an agent with another company that there was a dink on my history with Geico. It appears that the nick I put on a van door parked next to my car costs approximately $600 to repair. The wind had caught my car door and it banged the van next to me. I was still holding onto the door but the wind was strong enough to push the door. I then immediately took a picture of the dink and let the van owner and Geico know about the dink. That was back in 2011. Almost four years later I learn that the van owner took the van to a Geico adjuster that authorized the $600 repair. The picture of the damage I have just been told was not to clear. The Geico customer service person could only determine that the dent was two quarters long above the door handle–really, I mean really! The nick I put on the door was shorter than a dime and was well below the door handle. Tell me how could a door on a Ford Freestyle swing out and put a dent above a the door handle on a large Econoline van. I don’t think so. The Ford Freestyle is just too short to do that. Anyway, I do not consider this to be the company I wish to do business with. My premiums are higher than they should be thanks to stupid Geico. If you are looking for insurance, it might be worth your while to shop for a smarter company than Geico.
Jeff Foster says
I was a GEICO customer for 22 years. Recently, my car was damaged by flood while parked at BWI. They covered most of the flood damage, but they refused to cover damage to my dashboard that occurred either when my car was towed by BWI parking during the flood, or during the repair to the flood damage. They told me the damage was already there and I must not have noticed. Like I wouldn’t have noticed–it was blatant. Or, maybe that’s code that they thought I was lying. I don’t know. The supervisor was awful. Never returned my call. When I called again, he finally called back and left a voice mail that he’d be happy to talk to me, but nothing would change. Thanks. Nice customer service. They treat a 22-year customer like that to save shareholders .1 cent per share. Good bye, GEICO.
ussanmay says
DO NOT SWITCH TO GEICO! So I get a quote from Geico, pay them money, they send me a policy and insurance cards…then 1 week later, their underwriting department calls me and says there are changes to my policy that will increase my policy by $350 per MONTH! I told them to cancel me immediately. This seems like it should be illegal. BAIT AND SWITCH!
ussanmay says
OOPS…meant increase my policy by $350 every 6 months from their original quote.
Ashlee says
I was a Geico customer for 3 years and never had a problem until recently. My boyfriend and I are planning on moving in together at the end of this year. I thought I would be proactive and get a “quote” for adding him to my policy since when we live together he most likely will drive my car on occasion. Right now we see each other a couple times a month due to conflicting work schedules and living over an hour from each other, I explained this to Geico. Geico went ahead and added him to my policy, it went from $200 to $300 a month. They said because I know him and he has an accident on file they had to add him. In the state of Massachusetts the only people required on your policy are people that live with you. They told me to fax 2 documents with his address to prove he doesn’t live with me, after faxing them, they put me on hold for 10 minutes. After the extended hold, they told me no they wont take him off and i have to provide proof of him having his own car insurance. He doesn’t have a car, so he doesn’t have insurance. Geico’s advice: “Then we suggest you find a different company to insure with.” After informing them I will gladly go else where but that I will be filing a report to the Attorney General’s office. They have now blocked me out of my online account (i do everything paperless with them), and when i called to say i was blocked out, they said they were too and didn’t know when I would be able to access it again.
carol says
Ive been looking for a different Insurance company and got a great quote from Geico. After seeing so many negitive comments I am leaning more towards the Allstate quote which is higher.
Rebecca Bayless says
I had auto coverage with Geico for YEARS!! In the period if about 5 yrs, I had 2 claims , neither if which were my fault! They had their adjustir at my cabin w/ in an hour, he verified everything, took pics, etc. and by 4:30 that SAME AFTERNOON, I had about $2,000.00 iny account!!! Next claim, same thing! My rates w/ them , NEVER increased! I only switched companies, because of a drastic drop in my monthly income!!! Now- I want them back!!!! This is an AWESOME COMPANY!!! Gecko, or no Gecko!!!
frank fanelli says
well I have a different story I have only ben with them a short time .I too had a claim which was clearly the other parties fault ( a person ran a atop sign and was cited by police for doing so).I have some injuries and unfortunately did not have collision on my truck but do on the wife’s car . Geico did nothing in the beginning did not advise me on procedure or how to claim from the other party etc. It happened on 02-09-2016 and lost wages are supposed to be paid when injured and unable to work by geico as of 03-18-2016 I have not received a penny tough when you live pay check to paycheck then I find out that Geico will pay me less then 45% and I have to file paperwork through n.y. state disability to retrieve the rest to get to the 80% I am supposed to get .you think they would have told me ,now the paperwork is late and they will not cover retroactively so I will be lucky to see anything from them in May if I am out that long God willing I can go back to work sooner and cancel Geico asap.
Brian card says
Geico is horrible their driver hit me I was waiting to turn sitting still. They admitted 100 pct fault yet almost a year has gone by and they continue to use every loophole allowed within the law to delay
Joe says
The savings aren’t worth it. My car was totaled by another driver and I have to fight with geico to get fair value of the car. They do next to nothing to help with the claim one of the worst experiences I have had.
Don’t use geico.
stats
2011 Toyota camry couldn’t find comparable same mileage and model for under 15000
geico offered me 10700 trade in value at dealership is 13000
Jane says
GEICO’s computer system failed and as a result, I was charged twice for my policy. Because it is the weekend and everything is still pending. They told me that there was NOTHING that they could do about for 3-5 days. I am overdraft now because of them. I have to wait until my statement comes in then fax it for them to credit my account. Absolutely ridiculous that I have to wait almost 5 days to get my money back. I am a college student with limited funds and now i have nothing for 5 days. They were so careless. Horrible service!
lora Johnson says
Last night I filled a claim after an animal ran out in front of my car and totaled the front bumper.
I called Geico and spoke with a man named [Redacted] who was very friendly when I asked what my coverage was he told me it was covered and there would be no deductible.
So today the adjuster that came to look at the damage & informs me that there is now one. He then tells me some one would be calling me shortly after there meeting. No one calls!!
A supervisor by the name of [Redacted] calls me after I inquired with a sales rep earlier.
He was very rude and careless and hung up on me. Horrible horrible the way Geico does business and shows no concern for there customers whom I’ve been a loyal now customer for 4 years + . Geico is unprofessional, misinforms customers, lies and does not keep there word.
Tatyana Bondari says
I had pretty bad experience my self with Geico. Ive been costumer for over 4 years. First time in more then 4 years ask for road side assistance. My cars motor exploded, I had 8 more miles to drive. They did not help me with that. Connect me with dome rude truck driver that snapped at me that I need to pay him immediately. What a joke. I was so upset and scared. I mean I am on 285 west. Those semi truck omost hit the car with me in it. I had to call 911 for them to send police car. I was so scared. [Redacted].
Maryanne says
Say NO! to Geico!!!!! My husband was in an accident and they are so awful. The adjuster is not expected to come see his car for 2 or 3 weeks. He says he is working 14 hour days 7 days a week. Our car doors are open and in the elements, will they fix the mold and muck that will gather from rain or snow? I was in the process of looking into another company when this happened. I previously had Progressive and loved them!!! I will go back for sure, in an accident situation at Progressive we weren’t hit with a voicemail system that kept looping. I am a union member and like to solicit recommended union vendors but this is too much! No care, No compassion, No service! Good going Geico. The saddest thing is I know our car is totaled and would like to move on but I have to wait for someone to tell me this!
RN says
After four years with Geico I think it’s time to move on. I never filed a claim was in a 4 car fender bender they took my car to a shop where the shop quoted am insane price to fix $72 an hour etc ..I did not get fair value for my car at all.. No help .. Customer service from the adjuster is horrible .. [Redacted] is rude the worst she might as well work for the other person … Definitely time to switch back to Allstate … Good bye Geico
Gloria says
Disappointed the way my claim was handled:
1.My car was picked up from the scene of the accident 5 days later. Accident happened on the Dec 17th-Car was picked up on Dec 23.
2. The day it was towed I had to wait for 1 hour for the truck to arrive.
3. The authorization to repair was given to the shop 3 days later (Dec 26th)
4. I returned the rental car promptly one month later, but as a result I have been for the last five days asking my friends and relatives for a ride. Geico did nothing to help me.
5. After all of these disappointing situations, you are “rewarding” me by increasing my premium.
I am expecting Geico to find a way to work something out to increase my satisfaction as a customer; otherwise, I will have no other choice but to look for a different insurance company.
Fred "Mickey" Finn says
An Allstate sales person called my home 3 x’s offering a RATE SAVINGS. I gave him my exact coverage –
Here’s my return email.
DENNIS – I APPRECIATE YOUR THOROUGHNESS, EFFICIENCY AND FOLLOW UP.
UNFORTUNATELY YOUR QUOTE DOESN’T COME CLOSE TO BLOWING GEICO OUT OF THE WATER.
FRANKLY YOU SHOULD SWITCH TO GEICO AND BLOW ALL STATE AWAY. JUST SAYIN’!
CHEERS!
James says
We had a not a fault claim and were told by the adjuster that our deductible would be $250. We had our vehicle repaired and when we picked it up the deductible was $500. GEICO admitted that it was their mistake; however they would not honor the $250 quote we were given. Also, we have full coverage and rental reimbursement was not included on our policy. The rental car company told us that insurance companies deliberately do not include rental reimbursement because they don’t make any money off it. So beware. I would not recommend GEICO as an insurance company, and am looking for quotes elsewhere ([Redacted] looks good).
Morgan Mundane says
When you fill out the online app it clearly ask if you want rental coverage insurance and there is an asterisk that takes you to a webpage explaining what this coverage is and the limits to the coverage per day.
If you wish to have it you select it and it is added to your costs. I didn’t need it in that I have two cars.
Bo Lee says
They do offer rental reimbursement. But like every other insurance company, it is part of your premium. It is an optional expense that you have to sign up for. That is every insurance company.
Thutmose Janic says
My car was broken into for the second time in less than 90 days. I had to pay $1000 the first time it happened, so when it happened again, I knew it would cost me about the same. GEICO picks up the car over the weekend and then they are calling me for an authorization. I tell the on site rep I will not have the monies for a few weeks, he can’t handle it, call GEICO. I call GEICO, they tell me talk to the body shop. Body shop says, you will have to pay $25 a day for storage and then they say we usually charge you $50. Then I call [REDACTED] supervisor for some help, he tells me GEICO did nothing wrong. So, I am telling him it was never explained the cost to keep the car if I could not pay. Some background, the first time this happened the shop was busy and it took over two weeks for the work to get done and I had to wait and they extended the rental time. This time the shop is slow, so they are rushing my claim through to get paid. And here is my problem instead of you cyborg [REDACTED] seeing everybody as a dollar bill, take a minute and listen to people and explain what is going on. I already told them, make it right or I will be gone from GEICO. I will also post to any social media that has an outlet to voice my perspective. I may even start a blog, you can’t rush me, I am the customers.
Rocky Burgess says
Geico left my wife stranded and only handles claims m-f 8 -4:30. Their driver turned into on coming traffic causing an car to clip them and spin around and hit my wife. All they can say is file a claim with your insurance and they will collect from us. Or wait till Monday. Never buy insurance from them. They will not be there for you when you need them.
Jason Kustra says
I recently had to file a claim with geico insurance as my vehicle was broken into and all of my identification and vehicle ownership documents were stolen and I have full coverage insurance and here it is that it’s against the law to drive a vehicle in any state without the proper documents for the vehicle and now I’m being told to go pound sand as geico is refusing to assist me with the replacement of these documents as there is a police report filed and even the offer of a reward for the return of these items . I feel like I’ve invested my money in a fraudulent insurance company and the one and only time that I ever needed the assistance to get back to where I’m driving my vehicle legally with all of the documents for this vehicle that they ( geico ) have really let me down. I really must say that the insurance industry has really become a BIG money SCAM operation and I would never again go with an insurance company that is only out there for the MONEY and not out there and in business for the customer, so in the end I state to you geico ” your insurance company service rating really sucks and I’m gonna come for my claim pay out check ” and yes I think you can pretty much well tell that I’m upset with what they(geico )said about my claim. Thank you , j.g.kustra
Morgan Mundane says
Everything changed with the so called No fault laws years ago. I run into you, your at fault for being there and I’m at fault for hitting you so what happens. My company takes care of me, your company takes care of you and both find ways to inch up your premiums so they get their money back.
Only if their are injuries does this change. Then the insurance companies go after each other in court as to who really was at fault and who is paying those medical bills.
Dylan says
If you were a better driver they wouldn’t complicate your life. Everyone claims that they are not at fault yet when all the facts are weighed they played some role in the accident. Your own insurance company isn’t going to be cozy and warm about this if you are found to be partially at-fault. All insurance companies set rates based on the quality of the drivers on the policy. Good luck with this. The Arbitration Board also considers your actions and they are also not cozy and warm. They are honest.
Barbara says
Please explain how I was at all at fault when an 18 wheeler truck reversed into my vehicle while stopped at a red light… with a line of traffic behind me and AMPLE space between us, he just backed up. Even the police officer who witnessed the accident wanted to know why the truck driver didn’t look back before reversing. [Redacted]
deneice says
i simply asked for a “quote” on the price to add someone to my policy. they added this person without my consent. now i have to pay almost $300 for what? a quote does not confirm a policy. im changing insurance companies. they will not even take the new persons name off unless i show proof of other insurance for said person, which i have to fax to them. get that! geico has lost me for good.
Lee says
If they are in your house hold, have a liscense, and no car of their own, then the presumption of accessibiity to your car may be what is driving the automatic coverage{addition} to your account. I believe that folks in your HOUSEHOLD do have some insurance protection even if they are not in your car when an accident occurs.
David says
GOT MY GEICO SHOCKER… After 20+ years with American Family I switched to Geico… I did massive research to try to avoid any gotcha’/surprises… spoke with agents at length before I decided to buy… I accepted my 6 month rate… was pleased, except when my daughter got in a $1,100 accident (total)… my rate went up 20% in the MIDDLE of the same policy term! I expected my rate would go up when my policy renewed, NOT in MID policy!
“Caveat emptor” – Buyer Beware! Hopefully, you may now be better informed.
I may not have been so frosted about this if someone may have advised me, saying “When you buy with Geico, although you may get an initially lower rate, your insurance policy will immediately cost more, when you get in an accident and you’re a new customer.”
Dona says
GEICO is HORRIBLE!! My car was totaled in Hurrican Sandy and Geico did not offer me fair market value for the car i lost. we went back and forth to no avail, they sent numerous inspectors and are still jerking me around. I would NEVER get another Geico Policy nor recommend Geico to anyone. to date, i am still not settled. you ROT geico!!!!
Lee says
Sounds awful an ordeal but without some details/facts [Year of the car, mileage, offer, your take} it could also sound like sour milk that you are asking us to swallow.
jennifer says
Thanks for correcting Clotide. You may have a good driving record but not everyone does. With insurance you are paying into a pool and when claims happen its paid out of that pool. Its also like you mentioned where you live has a factor, along with a multitude of other factors. Cost of living goes up and so does insurance.
Clotilde Olivares says
I think is “RIDICULOUS” that I was charge $11.98 for a change of address. And “Y” is my policy going up? I’m a safe driver. No tickets!!!! The reason I switch to U, from my previous insurance was for the same reason. I am not happy with the changes.
DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER!!!
Eric Stauffer says
Hi Clotilde,
It is very common for insurance rates to adjust when you change your address. The reason is because the location of where your car is primarily stored is a big factor when calculating rates. Some people see decreases, but unfortunately some see increases too.
Lee says
I changed address (Fom NYC to Albany, NY) and after anticipating still having to make additional payments, received a large refund. Location, Location, Location.
So while you are not happy, te could be a brighter siide in that would be unhappy if you had to pay and additional $250.
Morgan Mundane says
Many moons ago I got out the Navy. Moved three blocks to an apartment waiting for a job opening. My insurance went up 60%. Found out I have moved into the majic insurance circle that said I was a Chicago driver now and not an outstate driver.