Yeah, I think you're onto something there. Honestly, when I was shopping around for my first insurance policy last year, I got way too caught up in the whole "preferred shop" thing. Ended up going with Geico because my cousin swore by them, but when I had a minor fender bender (totally not my fault, I swear...), the shop they recommended was just okay. Nothing terrible, but nothing amazing either—just kinda meh.
My friend, on the other hand, has Progressive and had a similar experience to yours. Her car got sideswiped while parked (NYC street parking, gotta love it), and the Progressive shop she went to was super chill and efficient. Car looked brand new afterward. So yeah, maybe it's less about the insurer and more about the specific shop you end up at. Seems like luck of the draw sometimes...
I get what you're saying about the whole "luck of the draw" thing with repair shops. I've bounced between insurers a bit myself (high-risk driver here, unfortunately...), and from what I've seen, Progressive tends to be a bit more forgiving with claims overall. Geico was fine, but the process felt kinda clinical and impersonal to me. Honestly though, in NYC, sometimes it's just about who'll cover you without charging an arm and a leg—especially if your driving record isn't spotless. Might wanna price-check both before deciding.
I've had both Progressive and Geico at different points, and honestly, the claims experience can vary a lot depending on the situation. Had a minor fender bender upstate once, and Progressive handled it pretty smoothly, but I've heard mixed things from friends about bigger claims. Curious though—has anyone noticed if either company is better when you're traveling out of state? I do a lot of road trips, and that's always been something I've wondered about...
I've wondered about this too, especially since I drive out of state a lot. A few things I've noticed:
- Agree that Progressive tends to handle minor claims pretty smoothly, but bigger claims can be hit or miss. Had a friend who had an accident in PA, and Progressive took forever to sort things out—lots of back-and-forth calls.
- Geico seems a bit more consistent across state lines in my experience. Had a cracked windshield once in Jersey, and they had someone out to fix it within hours. Pretty painless.
- One thing to keep in mind: both companies rely heavily on local adjusters and repair shops when you're away from home. So your experience might depend more on the area you're traveling through than the company itself...
- I'd recommend checking reviews or forums for specific states you frequent most often—might give you a clearer picture.
Overall though, I lean slightly toward Geico for road trips based on consistency alone, but YMMV depending on exact circumstances.
I've been wondering about this myself lately—does anyone else feel like choosing insurance is basically picking between "who do I want to annoy me the least when things go wrong?" 😂 Had Progressive for a bit, and yeah, minor stuff went smoothly, but bigger issues...eh, not so much. Haven't tried Geico yet, though hearing about your Jersey windshield experience makes me think maybe they're worth a shot. Is it weird that now I'm mostly curious how they'd handle a flat tire in the middle of nowhere?
