Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

I resolved The Hartford insurance rate increase and saved $$$

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
June 4, 2024
112 replies
79957 views

Here's how I successfully resolved the interrelated problem with The Hartford raising the insurance premium dramatically for my auto insurance even though I have an excellent driving history, and AARP acting helpless to leverage the matter with its business partner (i.e., The Hartford) ...

I recently dropped The Hartford at renewal time in favor of a different carrier (Progressive) and, in the process, save substantial money.

I subsequently called AARP and cancelled my membership and will be receiving a prorated refund of my five-year membership payment (more savings for me). If more people took this approach and there was a decrease in membership, perhaps AARP leadership would redirect its energies to be more member centric?

It seems that AARP has lost its way helping members in favor of income from royalties paid by business partnerships.

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goffprof

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

AARP sent me renewal quotes for 2026 from The Hartford even after I cancelled last year. The new quotes were even more ridiculous and 50% higher than my coverage with Progressive. The Hartford’s high rates are a never-ending nightmare for AARP but they refuse to respond or change carriers. AARP is failing and more long time supporters are dumping The Hartford and not renewing AARP. Very disappointing.

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dc63507872

Contributor ⭐

I'm 100% on board with you. The Hartford jerked me around regarding a PIP issue with my auto coverage and even though the mistake was on them, they threatened to cancel my policy unless I paid the additional premium. I reached out to AARP and asked them to advocate on my behalf. That was a waste of time. I just cancelled my auto with them as I found a much better rate. My homeowners will be next. Followed by my AARP cancellation.

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goffprof

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

The fact AARP still refuses to respond appropriately to any member complaints about The Hartford is very disappointing. I won’t renew my AARP membership and advise others to avoid AARP and The Hartford. I changed from The Hartford to Progressive and saved $1500 with better coverage.

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s802272m

Contributor ⭐

I just went through a similar experience with The Hartford. Their quote was much higher than Progressive. What is AARP doing for its members?

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ChrisT526811

Contributor ⭐

That is ridiculous saying it is AARP fault that your insurance raised. Hartford raised the rates on the policy. AARP can’t do anything about it.

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goffprof

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

Chris- respectfully, you are completely missing the point. AARP signed the contract with The Hartford and it was a bad contract for AARP members as it contained no limits on premium increases or other safeguards. When our insurance rates suddenly increased 40%+, many of us quickly found alternative insurance from Progressive or other carriers at FAR less cost. AARP members continue to drop The Hartford and also ask AARP why they don’t do something about the predatory rates with no substantive response. Do you now understand the issue?

VintageDrummerAuthor

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

Exactly.
AARP has dropped the ball time and again and has failed to put members’ interests first over business relationships. Plus, AARP has benefited $$$-wise from the requirement that to obtain that AARP-promoted insurance with The Hartford, membership in AARP is necessary.

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MichelleM700353

Contributor ⭐

I canceled mine and went Geico at half the price. Now I will cancel AARP.

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BrianL447351

Contributor ⭐

In 2024 my Hartford auto premium was about $940 for the year. Clean record for both older vehicles with two drivers. Last year without provocation our premium jumped $400. Then this year the premium jumped another $200. A 64% premium spike in two years. So come early May if we stayed with the Hartford we would have paid $1540 for the year. I found this thread and read people switched to Progressive for a better rate. I just purchased a policy from Progressive and now I'm paying what the Hartford charged me in 2024, $950. By switching we're saving $600 for the year which is a 64% savings from the Hartford policy which would have started in May.

VintageDrummerAuthor

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

That’s great news to hear!

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goffprof

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

Update -- AARP wasn't able to assist with anything related to The Hartford's Insurance rates and essentially said we have to call The Hartford directly. I called after my 30% rate increase and got no reasons for the high costs other than it was due to a general rate increase. However, a recent Consumer Report's review and ratings of insurers resulted in The Hartford being rated #45 on the list.

I called 3 other carriers this week and all offered lower rates. Progressive offered a good Auto / Home bundle at a total cost that's $1100 less than The Hartford based on 12-month costs. I called The Hartford again to advise I was cancelling and was transferred to another agent who was nice but admitted many customers were cancelling and moving to other carriers. AARP is still not doing anything about customer complaints with The Hartford, so many AARP members are cancelling BOTH The Hartford and AARP. It's very disappointing that AARP will not even attempt to fix the mess they caused with their contract with The Hartford. I agree with many others that AARP has lost its way. The Hartford's predatory insurance rates resulted in the loss of another long-time loyal customer who will advise many others to AVOID The Hartford and to think twice about joining AARP.

SummerOnTheWay1

📎@goffprof , have you picked ANOTHER company? 🤔 My daughter in Florida has Progressive. I have Allstate in Virginia. Take care, Nicole 👵

➡️[*** @goffprof wrote on Tuesday 6/10/25:
Update -- AARP wasn't able to assist with anything related to The Hartford's Insurance rates and essentially said we have to call The Hartford directly. I called after my 30% rate increase and got no reasons for the high costs other than it was due to a general rate increase. However, a recent Consumer Report's review and ratings of insurers resulted in The Hartford being rated #45 on the list.

I called 3 other carriers this week and all offered lower rates. Progressive offered a good Auto / Home bundle at a total cost that's $1100 less than The Hartford based on 12-month costs. I called The Hartford again to advise I was cancelling and was transferred to another agent who was nice but admitted many customers were cancelling and moving to other carriers. AARP is still not doing anything about customer complaints with The Hartford, so many AARP members are cancelling BOTH The Hartford and AARP. It's very disappointing that AARP will not even attempt to fix the mess they caused with their contract with The Hartford. I agree with many others that AARP has lost its way. The Hartford's predatory insurance rates resulted in the loss of another long-time loyal customer who will advise many others to AVOID The Hartford and to think twice about joining AARP. ***]

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goffprof

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

Nicole- I contacted several of

the best rated insurance carriers listed in Consumer Reports recent review and ratings. The Hartford was rated #45 on the list and it was a pleasure to cancel. The fact AARP is still completely non-responsive is angering many long time AARP members. AARP has lost it’s focus and commitment to senior members despite the propaganda. I can’t recommend AARP and especially won’t ever recommend The Hartford to anyone. AARP can’t even provide any rationale for supporting The Hartford which is against the best interests of members.

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MartynP267354

Contributor ⭐⭐

I'm FREE, bye, bye Hartford. It's a wonderful feeling to kick Hartford down the road. A bit like that first time as a kid when you learn to ride a two wheel bicycle without falling off. AARP members, follow me, I'm the Pied Piper.....

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mtthwsc43

Contributor ⭐

LI just spoke with another carrier today. I'm about to kick Hartford to the curb. I have been overcharged for 5 years. I was done when I filed a claim for my roof and the claim was denied, they even sent an inspector to say the roof was put on incorrectly. The contractor who came to look at my roof stated that he had 3 customers who had roof claims denied by the hartford. Good riddance Hartford.

VintageDrummerAuthor

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

Wow. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that Hartford mess. More reason for folks to avoid them. I hope you find an insurance company that has your back.

And, I continue to notice, AARP publicly stays essentially mum about The Hartford and continues to partner with them.

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BalbonisMoleskine

Conversationalist ⭐⭐

For those of you who switch every year other than two, how many hoops do you usually have to jump through to get coverage? When I switched to Hartford, I had to either allow an agent to inspect my home or use their app to take photos. Not too bad but not something I want to have to endure every year or two.

What is Progressive like in that regard? State Farm? GEICO? Others?

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MauraG724900

Contributor ⭐

The Hartford increased my premium by $1800. And I wanted to know why, they had no response for me.Only that in new york, the rates have gone up, nice try. That was not the case at all. They use a database with info from Lexus Nexus, which had me confused with somebody else. How did I know that well? I never got into an accident in those 3 years, and they had a date, tows, apparently Lexus Nexus is full of errors. It has different information on me, apparently mixed with other people. If they don't stop using lexus nexus, they will lose a lot of people! I got an abstract of my driving record from dnv online. It was just a few dollars, and I emailed it to geico, who gave me a wonderful premium. Much less than what i've been paying the last three years. The rest of my family has progressive, which is very competitive, pretty good.

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GailL1

@MauraG724900

Lexis Nexis is a huge company that provides all kinds of database information globally. For auto insurance it is a place where your record of driving is kept. It also reports on whom else may be able to drive your car within the household. For insurance purposes, it is known as a A CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report.

Generated by Lexis Nexis, it is a detailed record of insurance claims made on a specific property or vehicle within the past few years. Insurance companies use it to assess risk and determine premiums.

It is like your credit report except on driving and your autos. As such, you have the right to get your Lexis Nexis report (CLUE), review it and if applicable correct it.

Since the info it contains comes from some other place, it might be a good indication that the original source is also incorrect and will also need to be corrected too. Just depends on what the info might be - Any database can have errors since the human factor is usually responsible for feeding in the info from whatever the source.

In most states, it is a requirement that IF a Lexi’s Nexis (CLUE) report was used then there s/h/b a disclosure of this within the renewal declaration stating this and also tell you how to order your report, review it and if an error is there, what you do to correct it. Your state Dept of Insurance should also have the contact info for securing your report. Or you can order your report from their website.

Everybody should review their own Lexi’s Nexis (CLUE) report for correctness periodically - especially if it has been used to rate an insurance premium. The report is also used for risk assessment on other types of property for which insurance coverage is sought by the consumer.

Lexis Nexis- Risk Solutions - Consumer Portal

VintageDrummerAuthor

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

A little over a year later [as of August 24, 2025] and still no action from AARP!

Over 25,000 views to my June 2024 post about The Hartford above. And yet, AARP clearly hasn’t been meaningfully responsive and isn’t doing much of anything substantive to help Members with the auto insurance rate problem with The Hartford. I cannot help but wonder why. AARP needs to learn how to better choose business affiliates and figure out how to regain a focus on actually helping Members.

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jg5115

Contributor ⭐

My elderly, retired father, living on SS paycheck to paycheck, has used AARP/The Hartford for decades. His rates began to go up exponentially as of 2023.

2022=$2019/yr

2023=$2665/yr,

2024=$3018/yr

2025 $4926/yr... they've gone up by $2261 in 2yrs and $1908 in 1yr... WHY??? He hasn't made a claim since 2012 which was for hail damage. If natural disasters are causing the rates to go up then only raise the rates for either those who made claims or those who live in the natural disaster areas, instead of across the board. I just dumped AARP/Hartford and added my dad to my State Farm account, 2 automobiles, 1 cargo trailer and Homeowners (with even more coverage than he had with AARP/Hartford) and it's only $2713/yr. Even Lloyd's of London admitted insurance is nothing but a Ponzi-style scheme, so just stop with the excuses and blame.

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GailL1

@jg5115

Some reasons why premium are increasing - everywhere.

1. The age of the driver i - you know why, right - not as agile- slower reflexes.

Premiums are high for those less than 25 - especially males. Premiums are also high for those over 70.

2. The cost of cars - not just the one that the insured is driving but the ones that they might hit. I read somewhere that with all the tech in cars today, that many are just claimed to be a total loss because of the cost of the repairs.

3. Under insured and UNinsured drivers are another reason and there are many driving around with little or no coverage so it is up to a person to insure against people that this.

5. Added liability to protect what one might have in cash, investments and in assets/resource.

I know there are more reasons - but I am running out of juice. Raise the deductibles, see if he might qualify for low mileage, talk to his agent to see what other discounts he may be eligible.

tklemen

Contributor ⭐

The reason why "many driving around with little or no coverage" is because auto insurance is very high and there seems to be no limit in rate increases. I just asked for a low mileage adjustment/reduction to my policy from the Hartford now that I'm driving about 5k miles/year, and they increased my premium by 25%. Insurance rates increase every year, and my fixed income can't keep up.

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RosettaW353361

Contributor ⭐

I too got a Progressive quote which is $400 cheaper. However, when I did a customer review Progressive customer service rating is extremely poor.

VintageDrummerAuthor

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

@RosettaW353361

I needed to use my new Progressive coverage last year (after switching from The Hartford) to file a claim for windshield damage. The customer service I experienced was top notch, no hassles at all and the windshield was replaced professionally. This was my only experience with them and I have no complaints at all unlike my experience with The Hartford and AARP in terms of discussion about rate increase. I cannot attest to others' experience with Progressive; maybe others can chime in?

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