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

[VintageDrummer]

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) ...

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

1. 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. 

[dc63507872]

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. 

[goffprof]

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. 

[s802272m]

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

[VintageDrummer]

As best as I can determine, AARP is not doing anything for its members regarding its partner arrangement with The Hartford. AARP has, however, earned billions of dollars from royalties from insurance companies. 

“AARP has probably received roughly $8 billion to $13 billion in total royalties from insurance-company relationships that are publicly visible, and very likely more if every older, less-documented insurer relationship is included.” per my query today to Perplexity AI. 

[ChrisT526811]

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. 

[goffprof]

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? 

[VintageDrummer]

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. 

[MichelleM700353]

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

[BrianL447351]

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. 

[VintageDrummer]

That’s great news to hear!

[goffprof]

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.   

[ChrisT526811]

Yea that is how this world works. Senior citizens complaining. Actually think AARP can’t fix and tell Hartford insurance to fix this. Hartford Insurance gave money to AARP. 

[jamesk679813]

We just received our Hartford renewal, and have placed coverage with Allstate, effective 01/01.  We will be cancelling the Hartford after 10 years.  They have been a great carrier.  No tickets or at fault claims.  Only two small comprehensive losses and a new windshield.  We selected comparable coverage and are saving $1,600 a year.   We also cancelled our AARP automatic renewal.  We only signed up for a discount with Hartford, which has not turned into a discount.  We also took the driving safety course through AARP/Hartford, and only saved what we paid for the course.  

[VintageDrummer]

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Hartford. It's too bad that AARP is causing so many people costly problems with their auto insurance. One would think that AARP could find better insurance partners for members, but, alas, no. And not a peep out of AARP about what, if anything, they're doing to rectify the situation. 

[ChrisT526811]

Going senile. AARP causing this problem. AARP is not the insurance carrier. You are putting blame on AARP and it is not at all the fault of AARP. Hartford Insurance raised your rate. Hartford is the carrier. Insurance has been going up. Stop complaining move on. I’m very happy still with AARP if they do raise rates. I will find another.  DONT PUT BLAME ON AARP. Hartford gave money to AARP to put there name besides old people driving. They decided to raise rates it happens. I’m in California Hartford been great with me

[PhillipS887398]

Add me to the list of those dropping The Hartford "benefit"!  After getting hit with a substantial renewal increase I started shopping around.  I had both Homeowners and Auto policies with The Hartford.  It took one phone call to a local independent agent to save $5,200 across both policies.  Same coverage and with an A++ rated insurance company.

AARP - Read this thread and do your job in saving your membership money!

[VintageDrummer]

AARP has lost its way. It’s living off a long expired reputation for solidly and transparently protecting seniors. Yes, it does a few easy things that are helpful. But it seems it is much more focused on business relationships (to put it kindly). Perhaps it’s time for some trusted external party to clarify AARP’s operating practices and what things need attention and improvement? 

[SereneSeagull]

Who might that external party be?

[goffprof]

Congratulations on getting away from the Hartford’s predatory rates! I dropped them and will never go back.  I also have lost respect for AARP as they continue to promote The Hartford while they cheat AARP members. I don’t recommend AARP to anyone any longer and won’t renew when my membership ends.  

[SummerOnTheWay1]

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

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➡️[*** @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]

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.  

[MartynP267354]

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..... 

[mtthwsc43]

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.

[VintageDrummer]

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.

[BalbonisMoleskine]

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?

[goffprof]

Dropping The Hartford was easy and saved me a lot of money.  Progressive’s sales person made the transition easy.  I had new car insurance certificates printed 10 minutes after I pre-paid the premiums. The Hartford’s predatory rates are MUCH higher and the coverage is not as good.  

[VintageDrummer]

@goffprof 

I’m delighted to hear your success story about finding a substantially better auto insurance solution than what The Hartford offers! I’m also glad that I dropped The Hartford in favor of Progressive and am much better off as a result. 

It’s too bad that AARP still promotes The Hartford - I imagine that is costing AARP Members a huge amount of money collectively when totaled across everyone who stays insured by The Hartford. 

[MauraG724900]

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.

[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