The Rest of the Story (as Paul Harvey says)

21st Century Insurance is running several ads right now about how much money you can save with them. But what they don’t advertise is what they do after you become a customer.

I have been a 21st Century customer for 23 years. Last December I had a non-injury fender bender. Some time later, I received a letter from them warning that since it was determined I was at fault, my premium might go up. I called to discuss the situation because I felt since this was my first at fault accident in 23 years and I had no traffic citations during that time; it was a little unreasonable to immediately raise my premium.

I was told, it would not be raised this time, but if I got a ticket or had another accident within 3 years, then this accident as well as the new incident would count against me and increase my premium. Imagine my surprise when my next premium notice arrived and not only had it increased, but it increased 73%!!

I called, explained what I had been told, and was told they were sorry but Proposition 103 made it impossible for them to honor their word. How could that be since Prop 103 was passed in November 1988 and I was told in February 2007 that my premium would not be raised? Even if I could accept that questionable explanation, a 73% increase for a non-injury accident after 23 years is outrageous.

So I recommend, before you consider changing to 21st Century, be sure to ask for a very clear and precise explanation about their premium policies, and you should probably get it in writing.