Erie Insurance Reviews?

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

I finally got off my ass and got some insurance quotes for home, auto, and umbrella. I went to an independent agent to see how their quotes would compare to Nationwide. Erie Insurance is coming in the cheapest by far over my current Nationwide policy and also compared to State Farm quotes. I'd never heard of Erie Insurance, and I'm not sure how to evaluate that company. Random googling produces some negative reviews, but I saw where some folks on this forum spoke well of the company. The independent agent also said they had had good experiences with Erie locally. The price is right, but the real test is how they act when you make a claim. So, has anybody had to make a claim using Erie and how did that go?

[oldmannickels]

I use Erie and have had to make 1 auto claim. It didn't go well but that's because the other driver was uninsured. The actual people helping from Erie were pretty good responsive and informed. The agent I use has always been very helpful and I ask him a ton of questions. I use them for home and auto, but found their life and umbrella insurance options were more expensive than other quotes.

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

So do you prefer working with an independent agent rather than going direct? Was that a factor in choosing that insurance or was it just price?

[oldmannickels]

So do you prefer working with an independent agent rather than going direct? Was that a factor in choosing that insurance or was it just price?

Hmmm I don't know. It was initially based on price. I live in a city and have found that more local / regional companies do a better job of pricing insurance locally. There are weird things like flat roofs, street parking, and very low driving mileage that larger insurance companies couldn't price appropriately, which made their policies more expensive. Having an agent in my neighborhood was a bonus.

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

Interesting. I've kind of wondered if a smaller company might give better service, and their prices are lower across the board over the other quotes I'm getting. I do like the independent agent I've been talking to about it, so I think I will probably end up switching. I'll be saving approximately $250 on homeowners and nearly $500 on my auto! It almost sounds too good to be true, which is why I'm asking for reviews of this company!

[Steve Ainslie]

I loved working with Erie insurance when I was in an area they covered. Always used as independent agent. They had great rates for auto, home and term life.

I still have a term life policy with them.

I never had to file a claim with them for home or auto (and obviously for life), but a friend had an auto claim that went fine. 

[Need2Save]

My family has always used Erie. My parents used them, and then I did too when I moved out on my own. My husband already had them as well when we got married. We have price-compared many times over the years and Erie always beats out the other options (this is in the Maryland area and I know some regions will differ immensely). 

I have only had one car accident over 20 years ago with them which I thought they handled fine and very recently had to file a home owner's claim for roof damage.  About ten years ago we also had a pipe burst in a different house and both times, no problems with the home owner's policies covering the damages/repairs.  No problems with poor customer service whatsoever. We also now have an umbrella policy with them as well.  We didn't shop around too much for that, but when you are only paying a few hundered dollars a year, any savings would have been small and I'd prefer to work with one company for the time being.

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

I'm so glad to hear so many good experiences. They are certainly lower than any other quotes I've gotten. I'll be saving almost $800 a year if I switch all my policies to them. I'm mad at myself for not doing this sooner!