Bristol West Insurance
ConsumerAffairs Unaccredited BrandBristol West Insurance offers multiple auto insurance coverage options to customers in all 50 states. Bristol isn't part of the InsuraMatch program that powers the *ConsumerAffairs insurance program. Call InsuraMatch to get your personalized quotes from all their verified partners.
139 Bristol West Insurance Consumer Reviews and Complaints
I received information from 21st Century Insurance that the company was changing to Bristol West Insurance. I went to the website and handled everything that needed to be changed to switch over to the new company. I filled in all the information for the account numbers to auto pay the policy and received confirmation that everything had been submitted. I was out of the country for two weeks and when I returned home and picked up my mail there was an envelope with all my policy information and an envelope with a cancellation notice. Evidently one of the digits for the auto pay account number was off so the policy was cancelled.
When I called to rectify the problem and see about getting the policy reinstated I was told that nothing could be done to reinstate the policy and I would have to get a new quote. When I called to get the new quote the policy amount was three hundred dollars more than the original policy amount. It was obviously more convenient and far more beneficial financially to Bristol West not to reinstate my policy. I have since purchased a policy from a different company. I must add that this experience just reinforces the poor reputation of insurance companies of not only Bristol West but also Farmers Insurance company / 21st Century Insurance.
I purchased basic liability insurance for my car and paid every month on time until I found out that the $108.00 per month I was paying was well overcharged when I got a quote from State Farm that would only charge me $28 per month for the same car. So I decided to go with the better deal and enrolled in State Farm. I asked the State Farm lady, “Do I need to go down there and tell Bristol West anything since I'm switching to State Farm”, and she said I shouldn’t have to because they will see that you’re insured by State Farm online. So I paid State Farm that low cost for the same thing Bristol West charged me 5 times the price that State Farm charged me. So do you blame me? I was happy about my new rates and Bristol West text me and said they cancelled my policy.
Until I get a letter from Bristol West that says I owe them $108.00 for a past due amount and I got a letter from a collection agency saying I owed the amount and they would affect my credit. The problem is I was paying in advance for insurance with Bristol West so why do I owe anything especially if I didn’t pay for coverage and switched to State Farm during the billing period they say I owe? I was covered by State Farm during this time and opted out of Bristol West! So as far as I'm concerned they are fraudulently charging for insurance policies. I will never deal with Bristol West or Farmers insurance ever again. They are ripping people off and now I’m stressed out worrying about a collection agency and have to work early. This is terrible that they would do this to me.
That’s their true colors so heed the warning. State Farm is much much better. I don’t know what to do but worry until I call them. I'm on a tight budget and don’t need this fraudulent charge sent to a collection agency. I paid in advance for my first month so why do I owe anything if I didn’t pay and was cancelled while switching and being covered by State Farm. State Farm said there is a website that all insurance agencies can see who my provider is. I was told since I let it run out instead of calling them that, that’s why Bristol West (Farmers) charged me. I just bought a house and a new truck and still have my car that needs repair and a full time job with so much going on that I don’t need to be harassed for leaving them. Somebody please help!
I totaled my car. It’s been almost 14 days and I still have no idea what is being covered between insurance and gap. No one can give me any answers on almost any of my questions regarding my coverage. Insurance stopped paying for my rental but I still haven’t even been called by insurance to tell me I needed to return the rental or to tell me what was covered. Also found out I’ve been paying almost double with this company compared to some big insurance companies and I don’t have that great of a driving record. Will be changing insurance carriers as soon as I get this total loss resolved. Very disappointed after paying almost 300$ a month for 3 years. I will also never recommend Bristol West or Foremost. Total waste of time. Total lack of communication.
Sunday morn 2:00 a.m. I awoke to my 2015 Nissan Rogue ablaze. The car, what remains is a puddle of metal. I contacted the company and was line for 48 min. waiting to make a claim. After about 40 min of wait I went online and made a claim, complete with a series of photos. Just as the claim number and the name of the agent who was assigned my case came up and rep came on the line. I explained my car was gone and I had just completed a claim online. She verified the claim number and the name of agent assigned. I heard from no one.
Midday Monday I called the agent myself. Got answering machine, I left a message. All day I stayed close and checked email, phone text and phone. No contact. I left another message a few hours later. And a third. I tried twice to contact customer service and I kept getting connected to agents phone machine. I live in the country with no access to taxis, buses, subway etc. It is Tuesday, 1:00, I have a no car and have yet to hear from this agent!
I was with 21st Century for many years before they became Bristol West 2 months ago. They wanted to charge us more than what we had been paying before but we were able to negotiate the price down to $282 (still more than what we had been paying and we lost our free towing). At the end of the month they tried to charge us $432, when we called for an explanation they told us it was because we hadn't signed the necessary forms. We got the forms sent to them that same day and yet they still told us we needed to pay the ridiculous amount of $432. So, of course, we decided to cancel our policy and switch to a different company. They charged us $116 to cancel our policy. We couldn't understand why but after being threatened with being sent to collection and ruining our credit we were forced to pay it. AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COST!!
- 1,077,799 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
For more information about reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com please visit our FAQ.
This is the only company I know that not only charges higher rates for accident free drivers, but charges anywhere from a floating fee of $10-15 a month to send you an invoice. I would avoid them at any cost unless you like paying a premium for poor quality & service.
I was with 21st Century (auto insurance) for over 10 yrs when they introduced Bristol West Insurance as the new provider (2 months ago). I decided to put my car up for sale and contacted Bristol West ahead of time on 02/07/2018 to see what the policy was for canceling my auto policy. I was told that on the day the sale is completed I needed to call in, cancel my policy and then fax a request to cancel my policy to Bristol West at 1-888-888-0070. On 2/15/2018 I followed those directions to the "T".
On 2/21/2018 I got an email stating that I needed to pay $129 on 3/1/2018 for my policy. "What policy? I canceled it on 2/15/2018." I called and spoke to a customer service rep. who told me that even though they show I called in and canceled my policy no one at Bristol West actually canceled it. I was instructed to send an email to policyservicedocuments@farmersinsurance.com stating that I requested my policy be canceled on 2/15/2018 because I sold my car and I need my policy to reflect that information.
Today, 2/22/2018 I got a voicemail message stating that I needed to send a notarized Bill of Sale showing I sold my car on 02/15/2018 and a fax requesting to cancel my policy in order for my still active policy to be canceled with the date of 2/15/2018. "Is this really happening right now?" was my first thought. Called back and spoke to a rep who confirmed my policy was still active. I was told that I needed to provide a notarized bill of sale in order for the policy to be canceled showing the date of 2/15/2018, otherwise it would showed that the policy was canceled today 2/22/2018.
I explained that in the state of Texas, when a vehicle is sold, a bill of sale and other related forms concerning the sale of a vehicle can be found at Form available online at www.TxDMV.gov. I further explained that I will gladly provide a bill of sale but because it's not required by my state, it won't be notarized. THEY REFUSED TO SEE PROOF OF THE SALE TO CANCEL MY POLICY with the date of 2/15/2018.
Before ending the call, I was told the policy was cancelled with the date of 2/22/2018 and I have to pay a prorated amount of $97 by 3/1/2018 or it would be reported against me on my credit report because my policy renewed on 2/15/2018 and it wasn't cancelled when I called in and requested it on 2/15/2018 and when I sent in my fax (which they say they didn't get). The will confirm all my calls and all my requests to cancel my policy on 2/15/2018 but they purposely didn't cancel my policy until 2/22/2018 so that they could bill me for the date of 2/16/2018 to 3/15/2018.
This company is a fraud! They charge you to discontinue your policy. But not ever mention it when you get it. They don't let you take charge of your policy. It is ridiculous. Thank goodness I never had to file a claim with them or I would have probably lost out!
My neighbor hit my car (BMW) while it was parked in my driveway. I have been dealing with this company and their unprofessional agent and management staff. The damages on my car is over $3500 but they send me a check for $1800 that is not even under my name. They have called me a liar saying that the title isn't under my name and after I requested my title and send them a picture they proceeded to tell me that I recently got my title under my name when that wasn't the case. I requested a lost title and that's why the date says DEC on that. I tried to call their one 800-number but they would not let me speak to their manager. They said that I needed to talk to the adjuster that is taking care of my claim when I already explain to them that I have talk to her and that she is not being helpful.
This company is a scam and they are extremely rude and they lowball you and try to get out of paying the full amount of the damage on your car. They never respond to your emails or your phone calls unless you have gotten extremely angry with them. I have been dealing with them for 2 1/2 months to get my car that was parked in my driveway fixed, they also don't even have a phone number that you could directly talk to someone without having to wait on the phone for anywhere between 15 to 45 minutes to get connected.
Please everyone. Choose a different company and stay away from this company. Most companies take care of you within a week of the accident and you get to choose where you want to take your car to be fixed and if your car is paid off they normally send you a check for the mount of the damage on your car not half of it and not a quarter of it the full amount unlike this unprofessional company that plays games with you for over two months and doesn't give you the full amount for the damage on your car.
It has been unbelievable how I have been treated by this company when I was the victim in all of this and their policy holder was the one that caused damage to my parked BMW. It has been an inconvenience for me. I have a trunk that is bent in that I can't even get into, back tail light that is broken and a back in that is bent in. When they try to take care of your claim they don't even send an adjuster out. They try to give you an estimate also of pictures that I don't do you any justice. I don't know how this company is still in business but what I do recommend to everyone is to change your insurance company if you are with Bristol West because you were never going to get taken care of.
I'm writing this review because it pained me greatly to read all the pain, frustration, anger, and resentment this Insurance company has created in just the last couple years for so many of my fellow Americans. My knowledge of this criminally negligent, incompetent, and evil Insurance Company dates back to 2002 and 2003. Here is my factual story:
I bought insurance and asked my agent to include uninsured coverage (which is by law a required option in CA). My vehicle was old, so I didn’t have full coverage, but in CA they had a “$3,500 Uninsured Property Damage” coverage for just that situation (to fix your own car in the event of an uninsured claim). I think the problem all started with the agent not checking the right “box” for that coverage in my application to Bristol West. When I received my policy statement/declaration/contract, I noticed my coverage did not include the very important to me uninsured property damage coverage. I called my agent and told them to fix it. No results. I faxed my agent directions, visited them too, and told them to fix it by phone too. No results.
I bypassed my agent since they were useless (doing a lot more than my usual due diligence), and talked with Bristol West (directly) to get instructions on how to fix the problem. To add the missing Uninsured Property Damage Coverage, I was told to send it in writing to their fax number. I faxed in writing the request for it to be added yet again, with fax confirmation receipt kept, and stated on the faxed letter they are to add it (since it was my 4th or 5th request and attempt to add it), or if they fail to do so, to delete all uninsured coverage (liability portion I was already paying for), and refund my money. Keep in mind by law they can’t deny me this coverage. They ignored this letter in early January 2003 too! I neither received the coverage I demanded, nor the refund at that time which was the only alternative offered.
I kept all my paperwork and documentation as they were impossible to deal with, get a hold of (live person; don’t answer phones, don’t return emails or respond to faxes). I kept that fax confirmation for if ever the crap hit the fan, I was going to hammer them with it. Finally, in April, I got a hold of someone and out of frustration and exhaustion told them if they are not going to add the freaking property coverage (making it impossible to do so), remove the uninsured liability and stop making me pay for an add-on that isn’t exactly what I want. Sure enough, the crap hit the fan a few months later, and an uninsured claim where I wanted that $3,500 coverage came up. They denied the claim saying I didn’t have the coverage. I provided the documentation saying I had requested the coverage numerous times previously as listed above.
At first they denied the receipt, claimed faxing was a bad unreliable technology (non-sensible stuff). Finally, after my complaint to the CA Dept. of Insurance, they admitted to an “Examiner Error” in January (the date of the fax, but it took months to get them to admit this). However, in April I had made good on my threat to get a refund, and had cancelled all uninsured coverage because they wrongfully denied me the $3,500 part I had always wanted (you can’t get that without the other liability portion). They used my cancellation in April, which was 100% consequentially their fault, as a reason to deny my claim in June. If they would have just done what I had asked previously, I never would have cancelled the incorrect coverage. They should have paid that claim given how negligent and incompetent I proved they were.
The entire basis of their denial came down to my signature in April for the refund. Since they wouldn’t budge, and I decided I didn’t have the time or money to sue (not that much money on the line really), I then asked in a final moment of desperation that my premiums from January to April should be refunded as well, since they didn’t provide the coverage the way I had wanted it. Instead of paying the claim they should have, they refunded my premiums for that “additional, but incorrect” coverage from the date they first committed their “examiner error” which started and 100% directly caused this whole chain of events.
If anything you would think the Agency would step up and use some kind of “errors and omissions or malpractice” coverage to pay my claim. They just colluded with the Insurance company and played the “We don’t know anything, we deny everything, we won’t talk to you.” card from the beginning. They quickly escalated it from a simple claim to conspiracy/collusion/denial/stonewalling. Working hand in hand with an equally corrupt insurance company that was probably telling the agents not to cooperate or communicate.
They upped my UIM without permission from previous policy. Now have to write letter to request it back to original. Have emailed it faxed it they do not listen. Then asked girl to send new policy and ins cards sent me the old policy and cards. Then faxed Jan 17 2018 what I emailed in Dec to fix the issue. Girl said call back in 3 hours to see if we got it... They still have not corrected anything and increase rate because of it... How can these People be allowed to do business at all is beyond me. I sent something very legible so she wrote not legible so I emailed her back and sent it again only to be told the other day Jan 17 2018 "Oh you cannot email them back" by a different girl. Nothing stated that on her email. I will complain to a higher authority... Plus they charge you to go paperless and other fees. They are corrupt!
They are by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. They lowballed on the repairs to my 2013 GMC Acadia. I was reared ended off a farming road that had gravel pull off on side of road. I was shoveled into a small hole with gravel/rocks in it. The force pushed gravel up on the hood of my truck, scratching it beside $6,000 in damages to the rear of my truck. I was laid up for 2-3 with neck and head pain. Got a secondary issue due to being laid up. They offered me $300 for my trouble. WTF!!!! 9 months later they would only give me $1,100 for my neck injury.
I wanted it direct deposited like their email said they could but no link was provided and Maria ** was NO help with the issue and left a message if I didn't answer the phone as soon as she called back within 2 minutes she would have the check cut and mailed. I'm like great... I have to wait a week for a check and then 2 more weeks before my bank clears it. What a total **! She didn't have to do that **. She could have waited for me to call back in the morning. I should have got a lawyer! If you ever have a claim against them, get a lawyer because they ** with people in every way.
We were searching insurance quotes online for our vehicles, then someone called me about my search for insurance. I gave her all my information and she came back with an ok quote, we started the process of purchasing the policy, then she came back with a little higher quote, something had changed, but still ok. After an hour we still were not finished, but we kept going. By the time it was said and done I had been on the phone almost two hours, the rate had went up yet again, and she told me our insurance was with Foremost not Bristol West. She gave me a policy number, we still have not received insurance cards and I have NO number to contact Bristol. I have googled until I am exhausted trying to find contact info for this company. I am changing insurance companies immediately.
Bristol West is owned by Farmers. The crappy Bristol Service, starting with their looped answering service, is a reflection of Farmers. I was with Farmers over 30 years, then due to an agent oversight, who forgot to include my auto insurance in the joint homeowner package, my insurance lapsed over 45 days, without my knowledge. Farmers kicked me to their sub company Bristol, and now charge me so much money, even the Farmers local agent can’t explain it. Guess who won’t fool me again? Or who is legally robbing me? FARMERS INSURANCE. Bristol is just a retail office in Florida who takes orders from FARMERS INSURANCE.
I was on automatic payment with Bristol West. Every 6 months they would deduct my premium from my credit card. At the last billing, my credit card denied the payment. Instead of contacting me by phone or e-mail to correct the problem, they cancelled my insurance immediately. I received a letter in the mail three weeks later that my insurance had been cancelled, and requesting a $25.00 NSF fee. I am relieved that I didn't have a claim during the three weeks that I was driving without insurance! Instead of paying the NSF fee, I am going to file a complaint with my Washington State Insurance Commissioner.
We called and filed a claim 3 days ago, we are without transportation. The assigned adjuster Justin ** initiated taking information to complete the claim but did not finish due to a meeting he had to attend, he stated that he would give us a callback and as of right now we have yet to hear back from anyone at this company. My daughter and I have called several times to receive an update and no one has reach out to us. Insurance companies are suppose to lighten the load of what you're experiencing not add to the situation. This company is HORRIBLE. They are making it possible for us not to spend the holidays with each other.
I have never had a worse experience with a company. I wish I could give ZERO stars because this was the worst service I have ever had! They were extremely negligent and they lied several times straight to my face. It took them 7 weeks to come to a decision and then they completely disregarded the police report and denied my claim. The communication was extremely terrible. I called many many times as did my collision company and the response was incredibly terrible and absent. I made a claim with the Utah Insurance Board and will have to litigate against them.
Found my insurance was canceled was not notified by phone or mail. I needed insurance went to their site called them and could not get a human. Only hours Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm. Canceled and got insurance with progressive. Paid 726 they still charged me 8 dollars for 2 days of nothing. LOL. Now 2 weeks waiting for my refund of the rest of the money. WARNING DO NOT GO WITH THIS COMPANY. HORRIBLE HOURS. NOT AVAILABLE ON WEEKENDS OR NIGHTS.
Debited my account for many months after I ended policy... 4mo later still waiting on refund of which I'm continually given the run around about... My accounts have been put in red due to their errors of which no recourse will be giving... You Just lose with this company!!!
Bristol West is a JOKE! I cancelled my coverage with them to go back to GEICO yet they still charged my account days after cancelling. I accrued a fee with my bank and was told by several different agents that they would refund the fee asap. However, 6 weeks later, I'm told that ALL of those reps were wrong and even though I cancelled my insurance on the 27th and they ran my account on the 30th for a cancelled policy, I will not receive the little $29.00 fee because I didn't cancel the policy 4 days before the payment was to come out, I did it 3 days before...That is ridiculous! You should be able to cancel your policy the night before if you want and if they can't stop the next payment in their system immediately then maybe they need to update it! Or get a better one! But what you don't do is still charge the consumer, lie about it for weeks, and then just not refund it! They suck! Don't use them, EVER!
Back in January of this year a claim was made against my daughter by another individual that she wrecked into him. The claim was made 3 weeks after the supposed impact. There were no police and the claim was made to Bristol by the father of the kid that had the damage. The damage was to his steering with no body damage. Bristol accepted his claim putting my daughter at fault causing my insurance to skyrocket as she was 18. I called Bristol adjuster Lagrant who was completely ignorant and hung up on me. This company is the worst and I will look for new insurance. DO NOT USE THEM!!!
Bristol West sent me a email saying it was almost time to renew. I contacted my agent to get a quote for farmers', which is the parent company of Bristol. He couldn't get me a much better deal so I went with Progressive. I told him this and he understood! Two days later, after I had paid Progressive, Bristol West debited my account $443. This made my account overdrawn! Called the agent he said no problem he had talked to them and all they needed was the declaration page from Progressive. That was sent to them electronically and they said since the EFT was from a day prior they couldn't reverse it, they would put a check in the mail that day! Here I sit eight days later with no check! Then today I get new policy paperwork emailed to me. They think I'm still a customer!!! I'm livid right now. As soon as the office opens tomorrow they will get an earful!!!
Two months ago one of their insured's T-boned me. The driver gave me their insurance card and I turned the claim over to my insurance company who contacted Bristol West. Two months later, I hear from Bristol West and they say "Gee, we can't find our insured so we are not paying". Worthless piece of crap company who obviously covers scumbags.
I was rear ended at high speed by a driver insured by Bristol West. This driver who was driving on an expired learners permit was texting and driving and failed to see my signal as I was turning. Another sad detail is the other person in the car, the drivers sister had her license suspended. The driver received two citations. The owner (the parents of these girls) has Bristol West Insurance.
Our State Farm agent helped us to file the claim with Bristol West. Soon after we get calls stating they are deducting the estimate total to reflect non original Toyota parts. This is not acceptable. The repair shop only uses original equipment parts because the substandard parts available by other manufactures other than Toyota do not fit properly, and require a great deal more labor.
Bristol West refuses to pay the claim as written because myself and my repair shop want original equipment. This accident was not my fault. You get nothing but a runaround with these people. You cannot talk to supervisors, or estimators. No one seems to have any authority and they are very difficult to deal with. They leave me no recourse but to file under my own policy with a 500 dollar deductible or file a civil suit against the auto owners and their irresponsible kids for the remainder of the unpaid claim. Under these circumstances, my lawyer advised me we can sue for much more than the claim due to the circumstances. Is this what Bristol West does? Throw their policyholders under the bus? I would hope no one would purchase insurance with these people. Worse yet I hope no one ever gets into an accident with a Bristol West policyholder. If you do, get an attorney, QUICK!
This company lies to its customers and takes forever to process a claim or resolve any issues. I change my address and a refund check was sent to a old address and it was stolen. The company treated me as if I stole the check when they made the mistake. Then I had to wait 6 months to only get a partial payment of 25.00. The remaining 488.00 has yet to be released to me. Even the supervisors are not willing to help. Nobody documents what was said during the previous phone conversations. Foremost Auto, Bristol West, Waterhouse and Associates all are garbage.
Last Friday I was in an accident with someone who has auto insurance with Bristol West. The other driver was at fault so my insurance agency instructed me to file the claim with the other driver's insurance. Bristol West and their adjustor Michael ** have been very prompt & cordial in getting me set up to have my car repaired and renting another car while mine is being repaired. They and their client have taken some of the sting out of being in an accident.
This insurance company is absolutely THE WORST. First, they tried to tack on fees for not picking paperless notifications (which I did and come to find out no one actually authorized it so by it never went through), promised to give me credits for my future payments to take off fees, and then constantly said I didn't have enough money in my account for payments which I always did. Never will respond to customer service emails or calls. All they've done is tack on fees for their own negligence and expecting me to pay it. Terrible. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. They are literally the worst insurance company I've ever dealt with. I'm sick of the "fees" from THEIR screw ups.
I got into a car accident this August 31, 2017. Despite numerous attempts to contact Bristol West Insurance in regard to my claim, no one seemed able to answer my questions or return my calls. The only answers we were able to obtain were through a friend of the family who works for the same company. As you can imagine, the telephone-game of information often got distorted and I became increasingly confused with what I needed to do regarding my accident and my claim.
Long story short, now I'm about to owe the DMV an extra $500 for the abandoned title fee that the tow company (impound?) filed for because we kept being promised, that an adjuster would be sent out and the car would be totaled any day. Well, after fighting, literally fighting, over the phone with my insurance company on and off today, on top of being called a liar and accused of "playing games" and trying to make me feel crazy when he stated that our family friend "doesn't exist", they are refusing to buck up and cover the $500 fee that has incurred due to their own negligence. DO. NOT. DO. BUSINESS. WITH. THIS. COMPANY. They will not only not be there when you actually need them but they will also talk to you like you're the scum of the earth and make you feel like you're less than for trying to figure things out for yourself.
I had a very bad experience with the representative management, named Paul **, they were overcharging me saying I missed a payment when their own website and my bank statements show they took it out, he's very unhelpful probably the worst manager for anything in the world. I'm currently starting legal proceedings against them.
After speaking with a customer service rep about cancelling my policy before the renewal date, I was told that I had to fax, email or mail my request for cancellation. I chose to email my request that very day (the day before the renewal of the next policy started). I am now being charged a $25.00 return payment fee as Bristol took the money out of my account and my bank returned the money to me as they agreed that Bristol took it out unauthorized. The rep did NOT inform me that my written signature was needed if I chose to send an email. In fact, I never SIGNED anything saying I wanted to renew my policy after I received a renewal notification, and went ahead and purchased a new policy with a different agent so that I had continuous coverage.
Since they are such sticklers for a signature, I argued about that as well. How can it apply to me but not to them? Customer service every time I have spoken with them is outsourced and is HORRIBLE. Rude, unkind and not willing to work with you. She would not budge and told me that I owe them the return EFT fee and that my conversation was recorded with the rep the day I asked it to be cancelled... I said go check the tape then, I was NOT informed. I refuse to pay this $25.00 and now they are threatening collections. Bogus company. They don't even deserve the 1 star rating I gave but since it recognizes that I am very dissatisfied with my experience, 1 star it is.
Bristol West Insurance Company Information
- Company Name:
- Bristol West Insurance
- Website:
- www.bristolwest.com
