ALLSTATE INSURANCE CO

In December 2014, I evaluated and compared 4 home & auto insurance providers. I got comparative quotes for the same levels of coverage and options as my current plans at the time.  I went through the process of speaking with an agent from the selected companies, providing claim histories, driving records, VIN #'s, etc. to get the real premiums.  After going through all the steps above, it was clear I could save between $600 - $1500 per year by switching to a new insurer. I decided to switch from my prior insurer,  Company A to Insurer B. Both companies are national brands and well recognized. Company A gave excellent customer service, but had raised their premiums steadily over three years and was no longer competitive. Company B was Allstate. I selected Allstate, even though it was not the lowest price I found, because I wanted to support a local small business and Allstate agent in my community, Seth Friedman in Salem, NH.  He quoted me the premiums for my home & auto over the phone. I accepted his verbal premium price and gave a down payment without an official quotation in writing from him before making a final decision. Big mistake. Lesson learned!  I received the actual insurance bill ~ 3 days later. The combined premiums were ~$125 higher than the verbal price Seth Friedman gave me.  I immediately called him to question the premium rates and get an explanation. Seth was not available. I called again several hours later. Seth was not available, but would get back to me. ... After not getting a return call within 2 business days, I cancelled Allstate. Fortunately, my prior insurance with Company A had not yet been cancelled or I really would have been stuck at that point.  It took 10 days for Allstate to process the cancellation. Even though I showed proof that I had other insurance in force at the time of cancellation, they charged me for the 10 day period from my cancellation to when Allstate completed processing it.  Bottomline: Get everything in writing before making a purchase decision!   Consequences: For misleading price information and poor customer service or follow-up, I will never recommend Allstate or Seth Friedman for home/auto insurance and have shared it with everyone!