Category Archives: JD Power Insurance Studies

It’s not enough to know an auto or home insurance company’s power circle rating. I look at the numerical scores to show you which companies really have the best & worst customer satisfaction.

State Farm JD Power & AM Best Ratings

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This review will analyze the JD Power ratings for State Farm auto, home, & life insurance over the last several years. It’s not enough to know State Farm’s power circle rating from the major JD Power insurance studies for the current year. What’s important to consider is State Farm’s numerical score in each study, how far above or below State Farm scored from the study average, and how State Farm’s score in each JD Power study relates to the competition, to know if State Farm is really better, the same, or worse than each competing insurance company. It’s also important to know if State Farm maintains a consistent level of service year after year. I’ll let you know which insurance companies consistently perform as well or better than State Farm, too.

I analyze the scores & factors behind State Farm’s JD Power ratings, but don’t worry about having to follow the math. If you are not interested in the details (however, the details include competitor comparisons), each JD Power insurance study I review has a summary, to see if I consider State Farm’s auto, homeowners, and life insurance customer service & claims handling below average, average, above average, or inconsistent, as measured by JD Power, or you can skip to the final summary of State Farm auto & homeowners insurance rates at the end of this review. This review also includes the AM Best Financial Strength Rating for the State Farm companies. Continue reading →

JD Power Customer & Claims Satisfaction Study Scores for U.S. Auto & Homeowners Insurance Companies 2012 – 2016

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This review ranks the 2012-2016 JD power scores for over 30 leading auto & homeowners insurance companies in comparison to each other, so you can easily see which companies provide the best or worst auto or homeowner insurance rates, claims, and customer satisfaction over the years at a glance.

This review is divided into six sections to cover the different annual JD Power insurance studies, consisting of: 1. Company scores for auto insurance customer satisfaction, 2. Company scores for auto insurance claims satisfaction, 3. Company scores for homeowners insurance customer satisfaction, 4. Company scores for homeowners insurance claims satisfaction, 5. Companies with the best & worst satisfaction ratings for handling auto or homeowners insurance claims, 6. Companies with the best & worst auto or homeowners insurance rates. Continue reading →

2015 JD Power Property Claims Satisfaction Study: Homeowners Insurance Company Scores & Ratings

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Below is my analysis of the survey scores and ratings for the major U.S. homeowners insurance companies included in the 2015 JD Power Property Claims Satisfaction Study. This analysis is needed because insurance shoppers using the JD Power insurance studies often make the mistake of paying attention only to the power circle rating for overall satisfaction, instead of comparing the numerical scores & factor ratings achieved by each company included in the study. Don’t worry about having to compare the scores (or factor ratings making up the overall satisfaction rating) on your own, because this review will do the work for you, and make it easy to see the real difference among insurance companies for property claims handling. Continue reading →

2014 JD Power Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Ratings: Best & Worst Companies

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JD Power has released its 2014 US Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study. Although these annual JD Power customer surveys are great resources for consumers to use, as an objective measure of customer satisfaction, for each of the major auto insurance companies in the USA, the power circle ratings, used by JD Power to rate each insurance company, can mislead people about how well or how poorly each company performed in the survey. This review & analysis of the numerical scores for the auto insurance companies surveyed in the 2014 JD Power US Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study will let you know the best & worst companies, and which highly rated companies are really performing close to average, and about the same as lower rated companies. Continue reading →

2014 JD Power Life Insurance Customer Satisfaction Ratings

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This year, JD Power added life insurance company satisfaction ratings to its annual 2014 U.S. Household Insurance Study, in addition to rating the major companies selling renters & homeowners insurance, including the “bundling” experience of buying property insurance from auto insurance companies, like Progressive & GEICO. I’m glad to see JD Power finally rate life insurance companies, but the wise life insurance consumer should read this review of these latest customer satisfaction ratings for many of the major life insurance companies in the USA, and resist the urge (and make the mistake) of thinking the highest rated companies will have the best rates, service, and life insurance policy for them. I use my insurance experience and knowledge of the life insurance market to critique these JD Power life insurance company ratings, and show you the smart way to use this information to make better life insurance decisions for you. Continue reading →

2014 JD Power Homeowners Insurance Customer Satisfaction Ratings: Best & Worst Companies

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JD Power released its 2014 US Household (Home & Renters, and starting this year, life insurance) Insurance & Bundling Customer Satisfaction Study last month. Although I think the annual JD Power customer surveys are useful, as an objective measure of auto, home, or life insurance company customer satisfaction, the power circle ratings used by JD Power to rate each insurance company, can be misleading about the real quality of the companies surveyed. This review & analysis of the numerical scores for the home & tenants insurance companies surveyed in the JD Power 2014 US Household Insurance & Bundling Customer Satisfaction Study will let you know the best & worst companies, and which companies, in spite of higher ratings, are really performing close to average, or about the same as lower rated companies. Continue reading →

JD Power Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study 2014: Analyzing the Ratings & Company Scores

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JD Power released its annual US Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study for 2014 on June 20th, 2014. As I have noted before in my reviews of JD Power insurance studies, consumers need to consider each auto insurance company’s numerical score for the region where they reside, and not rely on the Power Circle ratings assigned by JD Power alone, to know if a company is providing better or worse customer satisfaction than its competitors. Too often, a company with a higher rating, such as a a four power circle rating (better than most), scored close enough to companies with lower ratings, such as a three power circle rating (about average), where it’s hard to say the higher rated company is really providing higher auto insurance customer satisfaction.

For example, in this 2014 study for the Florida region, Auto-Owners Insurance scored 815 points out of 1,000 possible points, and received the rating of four Power Circles (better than most). However, Progressive Insurance, in the same Florida region, scored 811 out of 1,000 points, but was rated three Power Circles (about average). An auto insurance shopper getting a price quote from Progressive Insurance & Auto-Owners Insurance, might be lured into paying more for an Auto-Owners auto insurance policy, based on its higher JD Power auto insurance customer satisfaction rating. But does a 4 point difference on a 1,000 point scale, really mean Auto-Owner’s Florida auto insurance customers are more satisfied than Progressive’s Florida auto insurance customers? I don’t think so.

This review will analyze the numerical scores for each auto insurance company in each of the 11 U.S. regions included in the 2014 auto insurance customer satisfaction study, and rank them into a category of best, better than average, average, below average, and worst, so you are not misled into thinking companies with higher ratings, but scoring about the same as lower rated companies, are better than they are. Continue reading →

Better Business Bureau (BBB) Ratings for the Ten Largest Auto & Home Insurance Companies.

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When deciding whether or not to buy a product or service from a business, cautious consumers check the Better Business Bureau rating for the business. Although I think there are other sources, such as the annual JD Power insurance studies, proving more useful rating information to the auto or home insurance customer, the complaint data provided by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) about major auto & home insurance companies can be another source of information to help people avoid insurance companies with too many complaints. This review will analyze the complaint data gathered by the Better Business Bureau for the last three years against the ten biggest auto & home insurance companies in the USA, and use it to show you which companies have a good, average, or bad complaint record. I’ll explain why people should not consider the BBB rating for an insurance company, and how I’ll use the number of complaints against each of the top ten companies, Allstate, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, Nationwide, USAA, Farmers, American Family, Progressive & GEICO, to compare them and determine the companies with the best & worst complaint records. Continue reading →

US Home Insurance Companies Rated & Ranked for 2014 Property Claims Satisfaction

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JD Power home insurance customer satisfaction & property claims satisfaction studies are great tools for insurance shoppers to measure an insurance company’s claims & customer service, but people make the mistake of trusting the power circle ratings in these studies too much. You may think all four of five power circle rated companies are much better than average-scoring companies with lower power circle ratings. However, when you look at the numerical scores these companies received, many are actually not much better, or much worse than average. Some companies do outperform others, while some companies rated as average, scored far below average. Today’s blog post reviews the raw scores and ratings for the eighteen insurance companies included in the 2014 JD Power Property Claims Satisfaction Study for homeowners insurance, released earlier this year. I’ll show you the companies really performing much better or worse than average, so you can avoid the worst companies, and not pay more for a company, with the false expectation of proper service, based only on its power circle rating or brand name. Continue reading →

Best & Worst Home & Renters Insurance Companies for 2013

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JD Power has released its 2013 US Household (Home & Renters) Insurance & Bundling Customer Satisfaction Study. Although I think the annual JD Power customer surveys are great resources for consumers to use, as an objective measure of customer satisfaction, for each of the major residential property insurance companies in the USA, the power circle ratings, used by JD Power to rate each insurance company, can mislead people about the real quality of the companies included in the study. This review & analysis of the numerical scores for the home & tenants insurance companies surveyed in the JD Power 2013 US Household (Home & Renters) Insurance & Bundling Customer Satisfaction Study will let you know the best & worst companies, and which highly rated companies are really performing close to average, and about the same as lower rated companies. Continue reading →

Best & Worst Companies for Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction in 2013

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JD Power has released its 2013 US Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. Although these annual JD Power customer surveys are great resources for consumers to use, as an objective measure of customer satisfaction, for each of the major auto insurance companies in the USA, the power circle ratings, used by JD Power to rate each insurance company, can mislead people about how well or how poorly each company performed in the survey. This review & analysis of the numerical scores for the auto insurance companies surveyed in the JD Power 2013 US Auto Claims Satisfaction Study will let you know the best & worst companies, and which highly rated companies are really performing close to average, and about the same as lower rated companies. Continue reading →

The Best & Worst Auto Insurance Companies for 2013

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JD Power has recently released its 2013 US Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study. Although these annual JD Power customer surveys are great resources for consumers to use, as an objective measure of customer satisfaction, for each of the major car insurance companies in the USA, the power circle ratings, used by JD Power to rate each insurance company, can mislead people about how well or how poorly each company performed in the survey.

Someone should expect a 5 power circle rated (among the best) auto insurance company to provide superior customer service. But in this latest JD Power study, most of the 5 power circle rated companies did not score much above the companies rated 4 power circles. Some of the 4 power circle rated (better than most) insurance companies did not score much above the 3 power circle rated (about average) companies. One might also expect, an auto insurance company with the lowest power circle rating (2 power circles), to provide consistently terrible service. But the scores of many of the two power circle rated companies are not much below the study average score.

Price is a factor considered in this JD Power customer satisfaction survey, but the study results can not be used to dependably show the companies having the best price for you. This study’s scores are lower than last year’s results, and explained by JD Power as being due to customer dissatisfaction with rate increases. There are big differences in the rates of competing auto insurance companies (Some companies charge double the amount of others for the same coverage), and there is no connection with paying more or less based on the quality of customer service.

When some companies increase the price of their auto insurance, it’s even more important to find a company with the best price for you. A smart auto insurance shopper checks the rates of all the major companies, then evaluates the customer service of the companies offering the coverage they need, at the lowest rates. Like my previous blog posts analyzing JD Power studies, this blog post will look at the numerical scores, and show you the best car insurance companies, truly distinguishing themselves above their competitors, and the worst companies truly performing below average. Continue reading →

2013 JD Power US Property Claims Satisfaction Study Numerical Scores for Home Insurance Customers

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The annual JD Power auto & home insurance customer satisfaction & claims satisfaction studies are great tools for insurance shoppers to measure an insurance company’s claims & customer service, but people make the mistake of weighing its power circle ratings too much. You may think a 4 power circle rated company (better than most) is a much better company, and companies with the lowest power circle rating of 2 power circles (the rest), provide poor service, but when you look at the numerical score many of these companies received, they are actually not much better or worse than average. However, some companies do outperform others, while some low scoring companies are far below average. Today’s blog post reviews the raw scores and ratings for the 19 major insurance companies included in the recent JD Power 2013 Property Claims Satisfaction Study for homeowners insurance, released earlier this month. I’ll compare this year’s scores with last years scores, and point out the companies really earning their high or low ratings. Continue reading →

Home Insurance Claims: Company Ratings for Property Claim Satisfaction in 2012

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As readers of my blog know, I really like the annual JD Power insurance studies, and I think people should use the studies as a measure of customer service, instead of online customer reviews. Of the annual JD Power insurance studies, none are more important than their annual claims satisfaction studies. Today’s blog post reviews the raw scores and ratings for the 19 major home insurance companies included in the JD Power 2012 Property Claims Satisfaction Study. Continue reading →

Car Insurance Claims: Company Ratings for Auto Claim Satisfaction in 2012

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If you follow my advice, by getting price quotes from all the leading auto & home insurance companies each year, to make sure you pay reasonable rates, and get additional opinions on your coverage, you will see some companies charge more than double the amount other companies charge. This is how you can save hundreds of dollars by shopping your insurance. But some people have a reluctance to change to companies with substantially lower rates, thinking you get what you pay for. The good news is, unlike a lot of products, where you get better quality by paying more, you don’t get better service by paying more for insurance. My blog post today will discuss the JD Power 2012 US auto claims satisfaction ratings for all the major car insurance companies, and tell you what you need to know to find a company with acceptable claims satisfaction, and low rates for you. Continue reading →

What is the Best Car Insurance Company in the Mid-Atlantic States? Find out here!

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Here’s my analysis of the last of seven regional 2012 JD Power auto insurance customer satisfaction studies, surveying customers for the leading auto insurance companies in the Mid-Atlantic & Southern states of Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, & West Virginia. What is the best car insurance company in this region? You need to know more about the JD Power study results, than the companies with the highest power circle ratings, to choose the best company for you.

One company, with the highest rating of 5 power circles, scored a lot higher than other companies with the same 5 power circle rating. Some of the lowest rated (2 power circles) companies actually scored close to average. You should not make an assumption to choose or not to choose an auto insurance company solely on its overall customer satisfaction power circle rating from this study. Continue reading →

What is the best car insurance company in the Northeast USA? Find out here!

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Here’s my summary of the most recent 2012 JD Power US Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study for the Northeast region, reviewing the best & worst rated auto insurance companies in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. If you do not reside in one of these states, see my recent blog posts reviewing the other five of the seven 2012 JD Power regional auto insurance studies for California, West, Central, Southeast, and North Central states. If you live in one of the Mid-Atlantic states, you will have to wait until later in the week for my review of that seventh and last region. What company really is the best car insurance company? Don’t choose your insurance company solely on the JD Power circle rating. As you will find out from this summary of the raw scores for the companies included in this survey, some highly rated companies did not score much above average. Don’t make the mistake of paying a lot more for your auto insurance, expecting better service based on a good JD Power rating, only to receive average service at a higher cost. If you want low rates & great service, spend some time getting price quotes from all the major auto insurance companies in your state, then use my website, and this summary of the JD Power ratings, to get the right combination of price, coverage, and service for you. Continue reading →

What is the best car insurance company in the North Central USA? Find out here!

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Here are my summary and conclusions about the 2012 JD Power north central region auto insurance customer satisfaction study, surveying car insurance customers insured with the major companies in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. As is the case with the other regional studies, some of the companies rated among the best, or better than most, did not score much above the study average. Also, some of the companies receiving JD Power’s lowest rating, 2 power circles (the rest), are not much below the average score for the study. My analysis will help you tell the difference between the companies truly performing well, the companies performing about average, and any companies performing poorly, based on the numerical scores from the north central study. I will also discuss strengths and weaknesses for each company, in the factors considered by the study, such as Pricing, Policy Offerings, Billing & Payment, and Contacting the Insurance Company. Continue reading →

JD Power 2012 Auto Insurance Southeast Region Study: Summary & Conclusions

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Today, I’m writing about the JD Power 2012 auto insurance customer satisfaction study for the Southeast region of the USA, including the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, & Tennessee. More so than the other regional studies I have reviewed, I think the power circle ratings in the Southeast regional study are very misleading, with some top rated, 5 power circle (among the best) rated companies, scoring only a few points above the average score, and not many points above companies rated at 3 power circles (about average) for overall customer satisfaction. I’ll analyze the scores and ratings, and let you know my opinion why a company may be a good choice for you, and if I think the study results indicate truly better or worse customer satisfaction. Continue reading →

JD Power 2012 Auto Insurance US Central Region Study: Summary & Conclusions

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Here is my summary and conclusions analyzing the results for the JD Power central region auto insurance customer satisfaction study, covering the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas.

The JD Power overall customer satisfaction power circle rating can be misleading, with 5 or 4 power circle rated companies not scoring significantly better than the average 3 power circle rated company. Also, some companies receiving the lowest rating, 2 power circles, did not score much lower than average.

My analysis will help you know the companies that really did outperform in the survey. But more importantly, let you know the highly rated companies not scoring much above average to be worth paying more, and the lower rated companies, with close to average customer satisfaction, which may be fine for you if they have a great price for you. Continue reading →

JD Power 2012 West Region Auto Insurance Study: Summary, Conclusions, & Shopping Tips

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Here is my summary, conclusions, and shopping tips regarding the 2012 JD Power West Region auto insurance survey, measuring car insurance customer satisfaction in 10 Western states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Remember, each state’s automobile insurance market is unique. The top insurance companies in Washington, Wyoming, and Arizona are likely to be different companies. Any of the companies on this list, and even smaller companies not making the list, might be the company saving you hundreds of dollars on your auto insurance. If you don’t want to grossly over-pay for auto insurance coverage, decide on the coverage you need, and get quotes for the same coverage from all the companies on this list, to find the companies with good service and competitive rates. Continue reading →

JD Power 2012 West Region Auto Insurance Study: Companies Rated Below Average

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This blog post will review the remaining 4 lowest rated companies, each rated at 2 power circles (the rest) for Overall Customer Satisfaction, of the eleven companies included in the JD Power 2012 auto insurance study, covering the states in the Western part of the USA. My first blog post for this regional study, analyzing the ratings of the companies considered among the best in the West region, notes the states included in the study. I’ll note the specific states again in my next post, which will summarize the West region study results.

Your inclination may be to want to know the names of the lowest rated companies in this regional study, so you can avoid them, or to find out if your auto insurance company is one of the lowest rated companies. When you look at the study results beyond the power circle ratings, you learn some of the highest rated companies are not so good, and some of the lowest rated companies are not so bad. The information in this blog post will help you decide if you should consider insuring with any of these companies ranked at the bottom of this study. Continue reading →

JD Power 2012 West Region Auto Insurance Study: Companies Rated About Average

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My last blog post showed you the two top rated companies in the JD Power West region auto insurance survey. But one of them limits eligibility to members of the military and their immediate family (USAA), and the other company, State Farm, did not score high enough above the region average, to make it worth paying a lot more, if State Farm does not have a competitive auto insurance rate for you. If USAA and State Farm won’t work for you, there are a few companies rated about average in the West region study you should consider. Also, if you live in the Western portion of the United States, and you are not insured with USAA or State Farm, it’s important to know how your auto insurance company ranked in this study. Continue reading →

JD Power 2012 West Region Auto Insurance Study: Companies Rated Among the Best

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Continuing with my review of the seven regional auto insurance customer satisfaction studies completed in 2012 by JD Power, this is my first blog post for the West region, reviewing the highest rated companies in the second regional study, covering the western states of AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, & WY. As you will find out from reading this blog post, the 5 power circle rating used by JD Power to rate companies performing among the best in the study, can mislead you about the true quality of customer satisfaction for these companies, compared to other, seemingly lower rated companies. I dig deeper into the study results, beyond the Overall Customer Satisfaction rating, to give you more useful information to help you decide on an auto insurance company, and avoid paying more for a company with the false expectation of astounding customer service. Continue reading →