Bristol West Insurance Reviews

Do not trust anyone from this organization when one of their drivers are at fault for an accident. I was specifically dealing with Hannah ** Claims Representative and she lied to me about everything and sent me a check that was only supposed to be for a few days that I needed for work and a few days to cover pain and suffering. And because I believed her I have now learned that my injuries are a lot more serious. And now Bristol has closed the case and refuse to help with anything, after a recorded conversation happened with Hannah stating they were gonna take care of everything. Do not trust them, do not accept any payment until you go to an accident and rehabilitation center and talk to an attorney.

Premiums are way too high to begin with. I have had a great driving record for decades and I’m paying as if I’m a new driver. Bristol West nickels and dimes customers into poverty. I had autopay setup for my monthly premium. My credit card was compromised a week before my payment was due so my credit card was cancelled due to fraud. I hadn’t received my new card by the autopay date so I tried to add my debit card. It raised my premium by $150 over the five months remaining on my current policy. So I selected to have it taken from my bank account. It raised my premium by $102. I’m being punished because I was a victim of credit card fraud.

My car was totaled by a driver who has this company for coverage. These are high-risk drivers who have the smallest amount of coverage which puts their victims at a great disadvantage. But more importantly, it was the claims staff. Natalie **, ** was my original adjuster. The car was appraised and storage fee collected on 7/13, but then I spoke with her about other compensation I was expecting, rental reimbursement, repairs I had made to the car recently that should have increased the value of the car, and pain and suffering due to a great bruise that was irritating a pre-existing lower back disc slip, she mandated that all of these documents be sent to her by 9am sharp. They were and she sent me to the limits team. I now know being transferred teams was unnecessary as she knew that NY does not pay out pain and suffering until you have received treatment for 90 days. She could have informed me of this and quickly closed this claim.

My insurance agent today has been Peter **, and this gentleman was a just outstanding Professional. He took care of all my needs, told me about the new promotions, 'cause it was time for me to renew and did a fantastic job. He’s very polite very respectful and I like this company. I have no understanding why the ratings would be so low because I write in many rating reviews on Google so I would recommend John Peter ** and if you have questions and always call the local office and they’ll be happy to assist you. Be sure and ask Peter. He’s great. Thank you all.

These people are criminals. I canceled my policy that had hidden fees and they continued to charge me for a policy I canceled then turned me over to a collection agency.

Waiting for a phone call for days from Shelby, she represent my claim.. I have baby shop waiting to fix my car for 4 days.. The only thing I need, the OK you rent a car for 3 days,... I made few call she don't answer., maybe she is out of the company.... Bristol West need a replacement/Very disappointed w/ this situation.... Maybe GEICO better company,. My name Samii **. Cell **.

This company is a scam, they say one quote then months later the price goes up, they charge several unknown fees then immediately send you to collections. Worst car insurance company ever, and don't be fooled because they are also Farmers insurance!! I have a reliable and honest insurance company now!!

I have insurance through them for one month and one day. They took out $157 on that day that I switched insurance. I called them and let them know that I switched Insurance to cheaper insurance. And my refund on 157 for one day of their service and coverage is giving me a $40 refund. Every time I call I talk to some idiot in Pakistan. And now I'm with local agency and I'm happy but this refund is unacceptable. And I am going to blast them every chance I get.

HORRIBLE! Not only did they quote me $536 per MONTH... my refund was issued via CHECK even though I paid via DEBIT CARD. I purchased the policy on 7/2 and cancelled the SAME DAY, yet the check wasn’t issued until 7/13, so who knows when I’ll actually receive it.

I would not recommend Bristol West Insurance. My daughter had an accident and had full coverage with a $ 1000 deductible. They do not pay towing, they made us take pictures of damage instead of sending a person to look at the damage to the vehicle, a lot of the damage was underneath such as suspension and frame damage, their estimate was way less than the cost to repair the vehicle. I have paid $ 2500 out of pocket for the mechanical issues and it still needs bodywork done. They are very slow to pay the repair shop and my daughter has been without a vehicle for 3 weeks. This company is bad. Do not waste your money with them.

Absolutely horrible service, have been harassed by them since day one, they took my premium out in May and took out 750.00 in June for me not providing my Medicare card, when I provided it I was told that they can only refund half of it, this is PLPD insurance, they did this without any notice, they have over 1,200 dollars of my money, on a car I drive once a week to the doctor because I’m a disabled senior, I’m canceling and going elsewhere.

Very nice when you can get in touch with them. Had an accident with one of their insured back on 3/28/26 and still no follow up. Last I heard on 5/11/26 was that they are waiting for evaluation of the loss from the appraiser. They said they would have a letter out by the end of last week and now another week has gone by and unable to get a hold of anyone. Super frustrating. Nice when you talk to them but really poor communication and follow up.

My experience with Bristol West had been terrible... from claims to billing it has been very stressful. Needless to say, my policy will be up in a month and I will be so glad to more on from them. I recommend that Bristol west take a look at how they handle customer service, and especially billing, I feel that they have wronged me from start to finish with my premiums.

This is the single worst experience I have EVER had with ANY insurance company EVER. RUN FAR AWAY. It does not matter what price they quote you--it is not worth their shady business dealings.

I had insurance through Bristol West Farmers which I purchased online. I am a retired insurance agent and I can say that this Company is definitely a scam. I have flags to pay because of their incompetence and lost my prior coverage discount which can cause me so many problems. I took this to the LA Dept. of Insurance which didn't help either. I was told to get an attorney. Really? That would cost me more than the flags and prior coverage discount. Buyer beware because this company is the worst!!!

I'm so mad. I'm just now looking for reviews. This company is a SCAM. I signed up because I was at a car dealership and needed something right then and they had decent rates. I paid $200 to start my policy. I was told the Lien holder's name will be added after a payment was made. It didn't sound right then either but I figured whatever. Then I get told after they can't edit the policy within 24hours and they also couldn't find me in the system yet so give it some time. That was a huge red flag to me. Not to mention I physically couldn't leave the dealership since they failed to list the lien holder. So I had to buy ANOTHER policy with a new insurance company and figured I will just cancel Bristol West and get a refund because I hated their customer service.

I was hit by someone on 4.6.26 and when I reported it to Bristol West, they DID NOTHING to investigate the situation. The other insurance company said it was a no-fault accident but yet Bristol West wants me to come off 1k for a deductible. The lines in the car, the dent in my door are ALL noticeable that someone hit me but yet, Heather my claims provider did nothing to help or circumvent the situation. I felt alone and pissed because Bristol West DOES NOT AND DID NOT have my back on the situation that was not my fault.

This was the most costly cheap auto policy I ever bought. Approximately a month after I prepaid Bristol its quote ($600) for 6 mo of auto insurance I discovered BRISTOL had, without notice, (NOT coincidentally) withdrew TWICE more that amount from my bank account for the SAME auto policy and time period; in effect Bristol's "bait and switch" tripled the cost of the prepaid auto policy for my 14 year old car without tickets, accidents or claims). Next, Bristol (NOT coincidentally) has no written refund policy. I called Bristol and Zebra (its paid cohort) SEVEN times (including hang ups, no call backs and department transfers) for help to terminate my auto policy (with no claims) until I set a deadline date for Bristol to end my policy and send my refund.

Had the pleasure of speaking with Shiaraillis today, she was very helpful and got the documents I needed sent over to me quickly. Never had a issue with this insurance. Highly recommend for younger/ high risk drivers.

I had a very disappointing experience with Bristol West Insurance. My policy was cancelled due to alleged nonpayment, and I was told that a notification had been sent on February 10th. However, I carefully checked all of my email folders — inbox, spam, and trash — and I never received any notice at all. Because of this, I was completely unaware that my policy was at risk of cancellation. When I called to resolve the issue, I asked if the policy could be reinstated without a lapse, since I was never properly notified. The representative refused to make any exception or show any flexibility, even though this situation was clearly not caused by negligence on my side.

I have had the worst experience ever with the claims department. It has been 39 days today and I haven’t received my claim money. I try to call everyday with no response. They lie to me saying they call me and they don’t and they said they mailed then check out on 3/6/2026 and to wait 5 business days. It’s way past that now and now he changes it to 10 business days which is today. He saying wait till Friday. I have paid out the pocket for my repaired so I can drive my car and I will be contacting everyone I can to make it known how poorly I have been treated

Horrible company. I paid everything on time and they kept making up payment notices while I paid everything on time in full. You shouldn’t be charged for cancelling your policy unless maybe you were late.

Bristol West is the worst insurance company I've ever had. You pay all this money and then you get hit at a red light and guess what. You have to do their job. You do the inspection and pics and videos and paperwork. Then after they send the check to your credit union gap insurance reaches out to them to finish paying your car off. They don't ever answer. So I call and ask why and they say they was never contacted. That's bull. Then the guy says, "You do know you can do this." "No dude. This is your job! I've literally done all your job for you. You can do this 1 thing." Very lazy and unprofessional and I'd never recommend to my worst enemy. The call center people are rude and unprofessional and sit there and argue with you like they are children. Way overpriced for what you get. I wouldn't go with them if they offered me $25 a month insurance.

Bristol West Auto Insurance has been the worst insurance company I have ever had. I deeply recommend not signing up with this company. After I wanted to cancel my agreement with this company they told me no if I wasn't going to pay the cancellation fee and that they would still charge me. Then after being told this information from a customer representative named Chadly, he gave me a very hard time about speaking with a superior representative. They give you an amount of cancellation fee but then tell you that this price may change tomorrow depending on after reviewing your policy. I am still currently waiting for my cancellation request to be approved.

I had my policy for the month of may-November. I didn’t like how they charged me an insufficient funds fee for a payment that they charged me TWICE for. They cancelled the 2nd payment but not the late fee. Then a month after that incident I paid the month of October and called AND emailed that I no longer wanted to keep my policy because of what had happened, then a $7 charge came up and I called and asked what for. The guy told me it was a CANCELLATION FEE. I paid it. Then a few weeks later I get a reminder that my November payment was coming up for $170. I called because I had already canceled them. The man said, "Yeah don’t make the payment ,"and I said ok.

I was up for renewal, on MLK day. So, I paid the premium Saturday, January 17. I kept checking the site and app for updates and it said FUTURE EFFECTIVE and gave me a scheduled payment timeline thru July 2026! Then, Monday MLK Day, Bristol tried to autodraft the payment I had already made, and charged me for x2 insufficient funds. Since that $70 wasn't on the card, they cancelled my insurance- WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME, and the refund minus BOTH insuff funds is scheduled for January 29- So, I will get it back AFTER rent is due. HORRIBLE COMPANY, NO WAY TO CONTACT ANYONE WITHOUT HEARING AD AFTER AD. POOR EXCUSE FOR A BUSINESS.

I requested a quote from Bristol West upon receiving the quote I entered the information to accept the quote and the policy. When the documents were sent for me to sign and had an incorrect address of another state but my Florida street address I did not confirm the address or esigner documents and Bristol West refuse to return my deposit. I called for 3 days and up on the third day they decided that I could cancel the policy that I have not signed for and did not confirm that address and they gave me part of the initial down payment back for account that I did not confirm or sign, east side. This should be illegal but they said if I did not cancel and take partial payment back the policy would continue and they would continue to take money off my credit card until I agree to the cancellation, of a policy that I never assigned or confirm the address which was incorrect

Agent is lying so much. Soon as you pay is something Else completely then she have to call customer care to fix anything. Just don't do it specially in Michigan. Let her send you papers before you pay.

I've been with this company almost 2 years. I always have billing problems. And I say this cause I've been trying to change my auto pay card for about 3-4 months with no results but I keep getting a $15 fee because they keep using the wrong card. Which I added cards on there and they don't even try them. On top of that I pay the same day about an hour after I get an alert of payment declined. No alert was sent about the extra $15. Until I opened my new policy and there is notice.

Just found 857.40 was taken out of my account by Bristol West Insurance out of Cleveland, Ohio to cover a premium for a man I do not know. It was set up to be taken out on a monthly basis. I had to close my entire account to keep from being cleaned out!!! I do not own a vehicle and have never received a traffic citation in my life! If I needed vehicle insurance I would not seek to get it from a company who is set up to cover high risk drivers!!

Their website will not allow you to pay your bill, and the auto pay never works, I think this is intentional as if they continue to cancel your policy, you will never get a better company to insure you! Customer service is the horrible, every month I have to call to pay my bill and I'm on the phone for over 30 minutes to get a link sent to pay my bill.

Is there a star less than one! This company is a scam. Pay your bill early they charge you more. WORST company ever. Never ever use these CONS. I'm not sure what else to say except be aware very aware. They will screw you!!!

They tripled my premium because I submitted proof of health insurance late (which they actually had on file already). When trying to figure out why my payment went from $300 to $900 a month, they said "you're not eligible to go paperless, but if you were you'd be able to see all of this information". So essentially, I'm not eligible to receive accurate information on why I'm paying 3 times more than I was.

Horrible company to do business for car policy. They cheated on my refund when it was money they owe me by overcharging. So don't let them fool you. Do what you need to do to fight it so you will get your money back that belongs to you.

Bristol West is the worst insurance company I have ever had to deal with. I had a car accident where I was NOT at fault. Bristol West was my insurance. I recently switched to them without looking at the reviews. I have never been treated so poorly in my entire life! They are so rude. They are making my life a living hell and the accident was no fault of my own, I am getting a lawyer ASAP. Please don’t get this insurance!!!

On October 21, 2025 I was T-boned. Although my vehicle was repairable, Bristol west deemed it a total loss. They didn't give me a chance to get any estimates at all. They sent a tow truck out the day after I called to take my vehicle to CoPart in Milwaukee, WI (it's an auto auction). I also paid $600 for a hitch and the hitch to be installed on my vehicle. I was told that I could drive the 5 hours to go and get my hitch. Mind you, my vehicle is sitting in their lot, TOTALED.

I find this company to be really shady. They give a low quote but if you don't pay before they "generate" an invoice, they charge you a $10 invoice fee. The billing statements aren't clear either so you can't get a breakout online but you supposedly get a discount for online billing. At my renewal, I had a $20 processing fee for renewal plus a $10 invoice fee, even though I had JUST paid in advance to avoid that dumb fee. Got into customer service and got bumped to a 2nd agent to start all over with platitudes and no real answers. I was done.

I am currently insured with Bristol West and communication has been a headache! My car is currently in the shop. When I made my initial claim, I was sent a link to take photos and stuff... They made arrangements for me to get a rental (cool) and then sent me a check to get the car fixed for less than half of what is needed to fix the car. The collision company has been having so many problems getting in touch with BW. I've even been calling and not getting my calls returned. It has now passed the 30 days for my rental to be covered, so I sent it back. My mom came in town since she was furloughed so I could drive her car, but now that the government shutdown is over, she has to return to work... meaning I am carless! I can reserve another rental at a discounted rate... but my car could've been done today had BW communicated properly with the collision center. This is ridiculous!

When it comes to a claim they cover ZERO so why even pay them? Purchased roadside and rental coverage for problems and they cover nothing nothing nothing. If you want insurance so you can say you have insurance, go for it otherwise worthless.

I thought Progressive was bad, Bristol West is by far the worst auto insurance I've came across. They simply do not want to pay for adequate repairs on your car. They fight tooth and toenail, even on small claims. I've been in the auto body business for years, I've now learned that when Bristol West is the insurance company, I pass on th