Issue with AARP and Hartford Insurance

[LiL712645]

I joined AARP recently. Did an auto quote online with Hartford Insurance using the link provided by AARP a few days ago. As the phone number is optional for the quote, I provided email only. At the end, the quote is about 10% higher than my current premium, so I did not proceed. Hartford Insurance keeps sending me emails. Unsubscribe does not work, so I have to block it as spam. To my surprise, I received two calls from Hartford Insurance today! AARP, can you tell me who gives my phone number to Hartford Insurance? What a shame!

[BillH614618]

doesn't it feel horrible that your AARP org  sells its name and endorsement to an ins carrier which then over charges its trusting senior members.....I have asked AARP to tell us dues-paying members "HOW MUCH ARE YOU BEING PAID BY HARTFORD?"     They won't respond, its a secret, they get payola and endorse this overcharging corporation.   They tried to double my home insurance from $1000 to $2000 in one year!   no reason...just "rates went up, sir"    I went to Allstate and the same insurance cost $1100.   I think allstate should get the endorsement from AARP., they are delivering value.

[Foundas]

AARP signed a contract with Hartford to be allowed too scam members with bogus promotional items that are never sent.  Calling Hartford resulted in an agent comparing himself to a person giving out free taco chips from Sam’s Club.  AARP allows Hartford to make promises that they never plan on making good on!  This has been going on for many months.

[Texconsin]

After I got my 6-month renewal with Traveler's for $831, I thought I found a good rate with State Farm at $648.  USAA is supposed to be the best, but they came in at $811 or $818.  AARP/Hartford came in at $1,145 for a YEAR, $1,081 paid upfront and $1,073, after dropping towing coverage, since I have a car with GM roadside assistance for the next 4.5 years.  I haven't paid $536.50 per 6-months of full coverage on a new car since, I don't know, the 1990s?

[Texconsin]

Rather than edit my 2021 comment, I'll reply to it.  The following spring when my homeowner's policy came due for renewal, I called The Hartford, only to be told that my zip code (near Houston, Texas) cannot be insured.  I had almost moved to El Paso in October 2021 and I locked in a great rate with them, but the Gulf Coast is uninsurable at ANY cost.  Then, when I bought a new Tesla in 2024, The Hartford won't insure them in Texas because of lack of authorized repair facilities, although Houston has TWO TESLA locations and the car, itself, was manufactured in Austin.  I've never liked the fearmongering of the AARP, so I will NOT renew this December.  I already joined Amac for the next 5 years.  The Hartford is too risk averse, which is ironic, since the whole idea of insurance is mitigating risk and they could set their rates to pay claims and make a profit.  But I guess they're too damned lazy.

[gs43516205]

I responded to the offer from AARP to get an auto ins. quote from Hartford and receive a free travel bag. Well, after a long time on the phone with a Hartford agent I was quoted double what I already pay. I think they sold my number because I am getting a lot of off the wall solicitation calls since the call. The agent seemed annoyed that I didn't buy their insurance. I wonder if AARP will send my travel bag? 

[GuyC849123]

No the bag is a scam. I've waited 3 months now, I've called them twice and each time they said it was being ship .

[Foundas]

Ditto!  Told by AARP that they have contract with Hartford allowing them to be able to scam members and they do not have to stop it!

[Texconsin]

NOT A SCAM.  I got TWO of them today, apparently either the original and one from a complaint phone call or one each from two calls.

[Texconsin]

Don't sweat it.  They're basically junk.

[Foundas]

Never had that opportunity to call them junk!  They DON’T SEND THEM ! !

[WilliamJ686435]

It really is a scam. I got a quote a year ago and there was nothing about a duffel bag on the quote so I assumed I would get it from information supplied on the quote. I never got it and I called AARP about it twice and I just got a canned answer basically saying that they couldn't help me. I just got another quote again today and then called the number to ask the customer service people that are at the Hartford about the free bag and the guy told me it would automatically ship to me. I doubt that it will but we'll see. Unfortunately, their quote was very high

[AARPLakeisha]

@WilliamJ686435 

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the service provided by The Hartford. We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at The Hartford for their thorough review and investigation if you’d like. To do this, we will need more information. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “AARPLakeisha” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:

• Your first & last name
• AARP membership number (or home address)
• Best contact phone number

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[sl9531]

3x I attempted to get quote from AARP /The Hartford in June & July 2024. Once digitally on their website, twice with phone calls from 2 different “agents.” None were the same. I give up. Also give up trying to register a complaint with AARP. l Ike some writers on this community thread, I’m ready to not renew my AARP membership when it comes around again. Further, phone calls from AARP or The Hartford don’t ring on my phone bc they are not on my contacts.  salieberman@ gmail.com. 

[BillH614618]

thanks for your comment Lakeisha.. Join me in demanding from @WilliamJ686435  and anyone else at AARP : tell your members HOW MUCH ARE THEY PAYING YOU at AARP?   We members want too know how much your org is getting in cash, from Hartford Ins Co, for the right to sell us seniors overpriced, price gouging, insurance that is no bargin, hasn't been vetted for value/quality....they are just the high bidder for the AARP name endorsement.    Why have all my requests for this info gone unanswered?  Cause that big ins co money is paying your salary, and you want to continue getting it, even though its hosing your membership....unconscionable!!! Do your **bleep** job, negotiate great deals for your membership and stop filling your own pockets and ignoring your membership getting cheated just so the payola continues

[GailL1]

@BillH614618 

AARP Services, Inc. is the (for profit) arm of AARP - they are the ones that establish these company/member relationships.  

 AARP.org - AARP Services, Inc.

from the link:  (there is lots more at the link)

Our Purpose

AARP Services connects companies to people by helping bring experiences, products and services that matter to them as they move through specific life stages. This work includes providing AARP members with access to quality member benefits in the form of products and services. These AARP-branded products and services cover a wide range of member’s needs and are managed with four key principles in mind: Value, Quality, Put the Member in the Middle, and Ease of Access. 

[BillH614618]

Hi Gail,   well the AARP folks got the "for profit" part right by sacrificing the "value/quality" needs of their membership ( clearly, their mission is to serve themselves, not us...who should be their priority be? its clearly not us).   This is a classic example of conflict of interest:   Lets see...should we make millions from selling a corporation our endorsement ?--- or actually serve our members? Hmmm....difficult choice!      They are moral failures in thier dilemma, choosing profit over their clear moral responsibility to serve the senior's in their membership.

If AARP is listening:  TELL US HOW MUCH $$$ you are getting for this endorsement of overcharging Hartford.............silence......crickets.....no answer.....What does this tell you seniors?

[Texconsin]

Thanks for reminding me!  I just called and was assured it is not a scam

[BillH614618]

I've requested several times that AARP state how much money they get from Hartford to use the name "AARP".    This tag, "AARP ins" implies its a vetted company, that maybe gives a better group rate to us in the membership....seems quite the opposite, I saved over $900 on home owners and $300 on car ins.  How much is Hartford giving you AARP?   they are hosing your members, you don't seem to care, it must be quite a lot.  I Smell conflict of interest, big funding for AARP org  vs  getting fair treatment and good rates for your membership.

[CheriB432164]

I've been trying to reach them through e-mail on my bundled homeowners/auto policy with increased - yet again - but can't.  What's up with that?  I've never had a claim in all these years.  I've searched for an e-mail contact and they don't seem to do that any more.  Put responses in writing, is you will. 

I want a written response.  Anyone know how to get that?

[LakeishaT901230]

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the service provided by The Hartford. We can request a written response for you.  We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at The Hartford for their thorough review and investigation if you’d like. To do this, we will need more information. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “LakeishaT901230” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:
- AARP membership number (or home address)
- Best contact phone number
We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[BillH614618]

AARP is a business, in it for their own profit.  they sell their name to Hartford for millions a year.  Us gullible old folks think we are getting a discount that AARP  arranged for us, when in reality we are being delivered to a price gouger.....my recent latter to AARP Hartford:

Please forward this msg to CEO  and corporate headquarters:

After 7-8 years as your customer, you chose to DOUBLE my insurance bill in a single year...for no reason; I made no single claim against you all those years, my credit rating is nearly 800, there have been no changes in my property, no increased risk.

I went straight to your competitor, Allstate, getting identical coverage for less than half of what you demanded.   I will be telling this story all over the internet.   

please take my name off of any communication list, remove my e-mail from your data base, I consider you a greedy, price gouging corporation I want nothing to do with.   I am suggesting to AARP they sever any ties  with you.

Sincerely,

Bill  Hopen,  former   AARP Hartford home and auto policy holder

[ll5325]

The price and service from Hartford Ins. Is terrible. They act like senior citizens are stupid.

[postman29]

@BillH614618 Thank you BillH. I will look into Allstate. Same has happened to us. I appreciate the tip.

[kentoni]

Lil, I hope your experience got better, but I would be very cautious doing business with Hartford. I am very surprised a solid company like AARP supports them. I think they do NOT give seniors any pricing in fact after having been with them for years and both my wife and I have ZERO accidents and nothing new for vehicles, I found they are charging me twice as much as two other quotes I received recently for the "same" coverage. 2 vehicles over 2 years old and they charged us $1400 per year. New quotes from Progressive and Geico were almost half that cost per year.

Didin't take me long to cancel Hartford. Good Luck!

[BillH614618]

Hartford = price gouger.  They pay AARP for the name license, then over charge  seniors.  they raised my bill 105% in one year.....I dropped them  and went to Allstate, got same insurance at half the cost.

[GailL1]

Everybody should review their insurance coverage periodically - I do mine about ever (2) years.  But it is not just cost that I am analyzing - it is coverage benefit to coverage benefit as well as premium cost.  Lots of things go into auto coverage that makes it escalate - 

• age is a big one especially for our group - for many companies, the age of 70 hikes it up
• zip code - if the area has an increase in traffic  or more claims for a specific insurer 
• as is the case right now - the cost of new autos and the inflated cost (and repair cost) of used ones
• you already mentioned credit score

Then if there is auxiliary type coverage like a car rental - same thing there, right now these cost are inflated - 

Then as with some companies, they give you a great rate for the first few years and then up them cause they know that people do shop around.

Does Allstate have that "disappearing deductible" benefit?  

Does Allstate have the "RecoverCare Advantage"?

and other such benefits that could be important to some people

• New Car Replacement
• Lifetime Car Repair Assurance

An AARP discount on premium cost is something that the website says "they [MAY] offer.

- I have ever looked at either of these companies - but I am sure that these offerings are added into the price.  So the decision is always to fully compare what the different ones offer in total - some of the benefits may be more valuable to some than others.

AARP Hartford Auto Insurance - Benefits 

Glad this has worked out for you - 

[srk5cats]

I signed up for Hartford auto insurance and got a discount for the first year. When it came time to renew, however, the premium tripled in price.  I complained to AARP and even cancelled my membership for a couple years. I will never use any of these so-called benefits except for maybe local restaurants. The only time I received a benefit was 10% off at Denny's.

[LawrenceL46503]

Couldn't agree more.  In general, AARP seriously needs to get its act together in the areas of email communications (both from AARP itself and its "partners"), as well as privacy/information sharing with partners. 

After years of trying to surgically manage the numbers and types of emails I received from AARP using the tools they provide, I finally unsubscribed from ALL emails from AARP- which worked!  However, when I just recently renewed my membership, AARP automatically changed my communications preferences to their default and I again started to receive emails from AARP-  the first being from The Hartford...And as you've noted, none of the unsubscribe links at the bottom of the emails from The Hartford actually work (you get routed to Foresee, the online survey company, and are told that "Feedback isn't Available".  This is entirely unacceptable - both the change to "default" communications preferences upon renewal, as well as the inoperable unsubscribe links in the emails from The Hartford..  

As much as I believe in  much of the good work being done by AARP, I also believe their privacy policies are unacceptable and that their online (web and email) presence and processes need a real kick in the pants as well.

[GailL1]

Might want to read your membership small print.

AARP Services, Inc.  (profit arm of AARP) develops all of these benefit type things as many other organization's do to get and support membership - AARP.org receives royalties from these companies that says they offer these benefits to AARP members for use of their name.  

I think many times members that seek info on these benefits kind of jump the gun and go thru the AARP.org site to check them out.  OR they automatically think these benefits offer a discount type thing.  They don't - they might offer other things that they have developed for this demographic group.  The benefit of these things is still up to the individual and how they might use these benefits in their own lives.

One should investigate the AARP-linked benefit anonymously by going directly to the company's plan - just so you can read all about what the benefit is and unless it has some discount stated on specific areas of the AARP benefit - don't just assume.

Many times these benefits are just specifically designed in some way that gives something  to the over 50 crowd -  then it is marketed as an "AARP" (logo included) benefit - Do you need them, do you want them - up to the individual.

These added things also make it very difficult to compare price to price what you might have now.  That's why you have to weigh what things they have added to the plan to make it an AARP name carrier.

But this is not just what one should do with these branded products - it is just being a smart consumer.  You have to compare apples to apples to determine any good/better/best price - then it may be an introductory offer so you have to check that too.

The integrity of the company is also good to use in the comparison. 

A friend of mine made the mistake of trying to research insurance on one of those e-sites - she thought she would never see the end of those solicitations.

Privacy starts with how much information you give out to them or they have access to from your affiliation.