I've done my search, but most topics here discuss pricing. Obviously, everyone's pricing is different and you just have to compare.
I'm interested in hearing opinions about which insurer is considered reliable? (When it comes to claims). Which will give me a hassle-free experience when claiming? Which ones should I stay away from?
Thanks!
RACV/NRMA/equivalent in other states.
NRMA in NSW. Been with them for decades and never had any issue with them. They used to be the most expensive but they have been competitive due to all the competitions out there. In saying that our max no claim bonus and loyalty discount really helped.
Sorry I beg to differ.
Based on recent claims with NRMA….
NRMA have taken to blaming both parties so both have to cough up the excess.
This reduces the cost of the claim to NRMA whilst also detering some minor claims
They are also NOT CHEAP!
This happened to us on at least 2 occassions already in the last 3 years
They are purely profit driven
NRMA Insurance are not what they used to be when part of the NRMA motorists membership
NRMA; had three not-at-fault claims in the space of two years so I can vouch for their reliability
With Budget Direct, once you've made a claim your fault or otherwise they'll most likely reject your next renewal. Who wants that lack of loyalty?
Surprising to me, I'm with them and told my mother to go with them out of laziness to do research, she had an at-fault accident a few years ago that reared it's head a few months ago and they didn't drop her… I wouldn't recommend them out of what they 'nickle-and-dime' you for, but hearing that about them is surprising.
Not true, they've been a good experience with me across different cars.
Thanks for the info,
How is Allianz ranked regarding reliability?
I vote against Allianz, they make you party the excess first, if they determine your not at fault and they can get the money off the other party, then they refund.
Other insurers we've had don't make you pay first.
Nah, didn't happen to us. Perhaps it's case-by-case? (e.g. not sure who's at fault?)
It probably only happens when fault is not clear at the point the claim is made.
I had a few claims over the years with Allianz - all not my fault. In the first two cases I could give the contact details and drivers licence of the person who rear-ended me, while the third claim was for some random keying my car from bonnet to boot. In the two no-fault cases Allianz just paid for the repairs at no cost at all to me. I had to pay excess for the keying claim, but it didn't affect my premium or no claim bonus going forward because it wasn't my fault. So I would recommend Allianz quite highly. No hassle at all with any of the claims.
Allianz. We made a not-at-fault claim last year (it got T-boned). All I needed to do was drop off the car at the repairer (our choice, so back to the dealer). Allianz sent their assessor there to assess. They dealt with the repairer directly. Car was good as new within a week of the accident.
Another vote for Allianz here.
Not the cheapest - but they've been very good to me and I've been loyal to them in return.
The Financial Ombudsman Service publishes a guide of which insures have the highest number of complaints. Here's the 2017 version: http://www.fos.org.au/comparativetables/2016-2017/
Sorting the table by Number of Disputes (per 100,000) might tell you how "good" an insurer is - or at least how good they are at handling a complaint internally before it get to the FOS (or how savvy their customers are). RAC, RACQ, CGU all rate very highly.
Where would AAMI be on that list? I can't see it as itself or suncorp.?
Yikes, thanks for that! About 3+ times as likely to have a dispute as youi.
@kiitos: We have had positive experience with AAMI for not at fault claims as they let you choose your own panelbeater for repairs, however, this year premium and excess was a massive hike so looking for a better deal
NRMA
I'm with RAA, but from seeing the data that enigma48 provided I'm not sure if they're as good as I initially thought. Having said that we have them for H&C and they were really good with a couple of claims? So IDK.
NRMA in nsw - reliable. don't go wth AAMI, they will steal your money
Insurance company's are there to make money and they maximize profits by minimizing payouts.
I have changed insurers numerous times but have only claimed on 3.
Kicker with RACV is that even with a not at fault claim (I was rear ended while waiting at the freeway exit) your policy is deemed void and once you get your car back from repairs you need to pay a new premium to get cover.
AAMI - At fault claim, only inconvenience is that you need to bring it to a centralised location for assessment. Even though choice of repairer wasn't stated on the policy, AAMI allowed me to get three quotes from their associated repairers which allowed me to utilise repairers close to where I live. Happy with the repairs, no issues at all.
Coles - Two claims, one at fault one not at fault. Both handled remarkably well considering the low cost. Again we were allowed to nominate an affiliated repairer close to where we live, had a slight issue with the repair in that the reverse sensors would beep when nothing was there, they tried to fix it twice, after that they took it to a specialist and everything was fixed fine. Surprisingly the premium only increased by about $80 after the two accidents, happily renewed.
Interesting
RACV Insurnace is also part of the IAG roup to which NRMA belongs - similar experience
AAMI, Coles Insurnace and Budget Direct are all part of the same group (A&G) which explains why the experience is similar
NOT RACQ. Terrible terrible experience with them, I ended up having to admit fault in and paying the excess for an accident I wasn't even involved in! They just stood by and let the scam happen, even after 8 months of fighting it. I'm buying a new car next year, and I'll sure as hell be trying to find someone else, I don't want to give them a single dollar more of my money. The problem is that they all seem kind of bad, it's just swapping one scummy company for another.
Consider a broker, they will shop around for the best price, plus they take all the hassle or of lodging a claim.
Add to that (particularly for home insurance) they often get significantly better policy wording.
anyone you recommend?
Having been in the Industry(Smash Repairs) for many years & have never had to deal with them as a customer (until I closed my shop) in my opinion AAMI is the absolute worst with NRMA a very close second! From a repairers point of view I'd definitely recommend Suncorp or Allianz as they were always the easiest to deal with in my opinion. I now have cars insured with Coles (simply because they were cheapest but never again!) & my parked car was hit by a stolen Range Rover (insured) car with many witnesses a year ago & I'm still arguing with them & the car remains unrepaired (hasn't moved or been driven in a year!) & RACQ my wife was involved in an accident (not at fault & the car was a total loss) & the first offer(lowball) from them was $3200 but I ended up getting $7k from them for a 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid.
I have a relative in the same job who has sworn us all off using AAMI and budget for the same reasons. Recommends companies backed by Holland (inc Woolies).
Based on link above, it is one of the highest claim issues directed to FOS
Yeah I see that. Maybe their opinion is outdated now.
Any insurer that prevents you from using your own repairer, esp the ones that fob you off with 'lifetime guarantee' on work, without (most are instead of) ensuring quality work is done. With these ones you end up with unmatched paint, poorly prepared surfaces, incorrect alignment, underbody open to rust, broken seals, etc. These guys save so much money on panel work and parts they pay everyone as it costs more to have an assessor do the paperwork than it does to pay cheap claims.
Stay away from NRMA Insurnace!!
They have taken to blaming both parties so both have to cough up the excess.
This reduces the cost of the claim to NRMA whilst also detering some minor claims
They are also NOT CHEAP!
This happened to us on at least 2 occassions already in the last 3 years
They are purely profit driven
NRMA Insurance are not what they used to be when part of the NRMA motorists membership
The only companies I have claimed with has been Shannons & AAMI. Both went really painlessly.
"Which ones should I stay away from?"
All of them.
I'm interested in hearing opinions about which insurer is considered reliable?"
None of them.