I'll admit that I should have known better. Several years ago my son purchased a comprehensive auto policy from Progressive Insurance. It didn't end well for him. You know the company -- they saturate the air waves with their advertisements featuring Flo the lead insurance agent, Jamie the comic relief guy, and a regular cast of characters working hard to convince you to buy an insurance policy from them. Their ads emphasize how much money you can save with gimmicks such as the "Name Your Price" tool, where you tell them how much you can afford to pay for insurance coverage. What the ads fail to tell the buyer is that Progressive screws their policy holders when it comes time to pay a claim. Like I said, my son bought a comprehensive policy for his car. The word comprehensive has a special meaning: includes all or everything. You can buy liability insurance that only pays for the other driver's car in the event of an accident and doesn't pay for damages to your own car, or you can buy collision insurance, that pays for both cars in an accident. Comprehensive insurance is supposed to be the "kitchen sink" of insurance policies and include uninsured motorist as well as liability and collision. However, when another driver forced my son off the road and it totaled his car, Progressive refused to pay. Why? According to the claims adjuster, comprehensive coverage doesn't include collision insurance. Which is insane. My son lost ten thousand dollars he couldn't afford to lose. It was a terrible experience and I felt bad for my son. And in retrospect, I had … [Read more...]