I got a quote from NJM which is about $350 less per year than Geico who I'm currently with. However, when I look online, NJM appears to have horrible reviews over the past several months. People don't seem to be able to reach customer service or adjusters to the point where if someone else was at fault in an accident, the at fault insurance company isn't able to reach NJM adjusters and end up calling the person in an accident.
Does anyone have any first hand experience with NJM vs GEICO?
Second this
I've had NJM for almost 20 years, all the way back when they were so restrictive, the company you worked for would give you a pin number in order to even be a part of it and even then you would need a perfect driving record. I hear a few years ago they opened it up completely to anyone in NJ. Been in a few fender benders over the years, never ever had an issue. I've gotten quotes from Geico and others over the years, but the NJM rate I have is so low, other companies can't even come close.
Same here. Had a major claim (fire) a few years back and NJM was nothing short of fabulous.
I grew up on NJM through my family. Newly insured and had to go with another company. Now that I'm insured for six months, I plan to switch to NJM.
If your family still has NJM, you should have been able to set up a legacy policy. I'd call their rep and ask them who to speak with.
A bit late for that now, I've been on State Farm since November. May as well stick with them until the renewal.
I'd be curious to hear if anyone has had good experiences with claims at NJM recently. I just added home insurance to my NJM bundle, and that was very easy. Dunno how things are over in claims though
Can't say I had the same experience with them. I had them for two years and each year they drastically raised my rate despite having made no claims or having any adverse events on my driving record. I'm convinced it was a teaser rate to get me to bite and then they raised it when they felt they could.
Of my coworkers? Many swear by them and recommend them like yourself. That said, there are also a decent amount of guys who said that they were dropped after one claim.
They don’t drop you for one claim, but if you have points on your license, they will drop you for certain.
That may have been your experience… But I have it on good authority from people who I trust that would have no reason to lie to me that they got dropped after a single claim. And honestly? It stands to reason that they might drop you after one claim to keep rates low.
Same here. I have not had to call them too many times, but when I did, they were great. No insurance company has come close to their rates in quite some time (I can only speak on having a clean driving record)
I switched from geico to progressive about 2 years ago, 2 auto/home, and I am currently saving $1600 a year...F geico
Fuck Geico. Never had a claim, never missed a payment. Same car the entire time. For no reason raises my rates $30/month. Bye Felicia.
Did the same in January and we are saving 1200 per year. Was with GEICO for 9 years.
I have had Geico for my car for almost 20 years and their customer service has been great. I also have roadside assistance on my policy which is very simple to use through the Geico app.
Yeah I've had no problem with GEICO, but I could be paying less for coverage.
It’s weird I’ve never had issues with geico and they never bothered me even when I had a fender bender; they just paid the claim. My premium didn’t go up so I was like huh maybe I’m just paying an exorbitant amount. I got a quote from NJM (which I use for home), and their policy was $700 more for two people. I have no idea how or why.
NJM is about $400 more for me than GEICO.
Depends I would say. I haven't been a NJM customer, but if you pay less per month but out of pocket is high when you have an accident, how much did you save? Of course that 100% case by case and policy by policy situations.
Insurance is 1 for 1. So $1k deductible for both NJM and Geico.
I loved NJM when I had it but they raised my rate each year I was with them despite me having made no claims or getting any tickets while with them. Also have a decent number of coworkers who claim that NJM dropped them almost immediately upon making a claim.
Food for thought. The dividend check is nice and so is the price of insurance, but just be careful to double check the price when you renew and don't be surprised if you get dropped for making a claim.
Is it actually true that 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on your car insurance??
I have everything through them and have no negatives aside from actual process to pay for the premium is a bit painful. Had a car accident years back. Wasn't at fault, but they took care of everything right away, got it towed to a dealership, rental car for the time of the fix, etc. No delay or waiting for the other person's insurance to pay. Home, a few years ago, had to file two claims in the same year. Got checks within a week of calling (adjuster was there next day). Neither made my rates go up significantly (maybe $100/year, total for claims was over $20k).
Everyone is different. I've had NJM over 20 years. And they've done a good job for me. House and car.
This posting and 100+ comments was very supportive of them.
I have had NJM for home/auto/umbrella for a while. Had some recent claims and they were very easy to work with, paid very quickly and have solid relationships with local body shops. I am very satisfied with there customer service.
My body shop told me that NJM is one of their two preferred insurance companies (along with MetLife) because NJM/MetLife don’t pressure the shop to use non-OEM or other cheaper parts/materials. I like knowing that my insurance company isn’t trying to save money at the expense of making things right.
I also had two claims within a couple of years (hit a deer, $12k in damages; car keyed, something like $2500) - I think my premium went up like $18/year.
I’m an NJM fan.
Funny because my truck was just in shop for hitting a deer. Only 1800 but NJM super easy to work with and also paid rental car quickly
I have been with with NJM for over 20 years and highly recommend and I work for a competitor.
NJM pays out better medical than ANY other insurance company (god forbid you need it). I’ve never had an issue other than the fact of the ASININE way they use your credit history in your premium. Both of us have well over 800 scores but get hit by number of accounts etc. it’s a joke
ALL of the insurance companies factor your credit score into your premium.
I understand that….but my credit is literally perfect I’m every aspect. (I take pride in that). But apparently it’s hurting me with something that doesn’t even correspond. Driving and credit. Kills me
What's the result of using your credit history? Higher premium amount, or..?
Apparently so. When you renew they send you a report from some 3rd party company who rates the customers. They list the “issues” which in turn have an affect on your premium. Like “too many accounts open” etc. We haven’t missed a payment on ANYTHING (in fact we over pay if it’s a balance) in 2 decades.
Fucking Lexus Nexus report 😡
Yep
have you had any claims with them, how did they go? I am trying to decide between NJM (where I currently have 1 car) and State Farm, both rates similar in total. NJM generally gets high scores for client satisfaction which includes claims. SF gets dinged a little on claims satisfaction and timeliness. That said, SF reduces their auto rate over 3 years without accidents. Current is selective which has done fine but seems to be much more expensive (though an agent, vs. SF and NJM which are direct). These days, I don't feel the agency / agent does much anymore or really helps, even when I've had claims.
I've been with NJM over 15 years. I never had a problem reaching someone and they've taken care of two accidents for me.
I dropped NJM after 20 years. It’s a long story. I concur with the above comment on them being outdated. I got more perks and the same coverage with Allstate. I was always on the phone with NJM as they kept cranking my replacement cost estimate for no reason.
I was hit by someone with NJM insurance and it took a full year to get any sort of payout from them even though she was 100% at fault according to my insurance & police, NJM claimed I was 25% at fault. They also only offered to pay 75% of repairs that were left to do AFTER I had already paid to make the car driveable, even though they are liable for that damage as well. It was IMPOSSIBLE to get ahold of my claim rep and she only offered the full amount they’re liable for after I threatened her manager and the managers managers manager with a law suit. I can’t imagine their customer service for actual customers is any better.
Didn't your own insurance handle that?
No I had a separate issue with my own insurance, but they also informed me that they could not get into contact with NJM and kept giving up.
Two data points: I've been with NJM for 20 years or so, got into a single-car accident a couple of winters ago and they paid for all-new OEM parts within like 48 hours, premium didn't increase by a penny. A colleague of mine had GEICO, got rear-ended on the Turnpike (100% not their fault), got the run-around for months to get reimbursed. YMMV
NJM or USAA if you qualify. Can’t do better.
I second usaa if you can get it, we’ve had them over a decade and response was super quick on 2 accidents, 1 at fault, 1 not. Rates are a tiny bit more than some if you have an at fault, but well worth it. We have them for both cars and house- and they made sure to go over everything with the house to get an accurate rebuild cost. They are pretty well known for being super responsive with homeowners as well, but I haven’t had to test it and hopefully never will.
I've got USAA from my dad being in the Air Force. Great company IME.
Just switched back to NJM from Geico actually! My family had NJM growing up, they were amazing to work with even as a household with a bunch of teenagers collecting tickets and accidents every year. At least as far as we were concerned they were always responsive and on top of things. We actually managed to have two at-fault incidents almost back to back, one with a ticket, and they paid out for both and didn't even raise our rates.
I had to switch to Geico when I moved to NY, Geico was fine but very like cold. No complaints, it just always seemed like whenever I needed something I was just a ticket in a call center. All my dealings with them were through the app, and they seemed a lot more rigid. For instance we had a crack in our windshield, and Geico had to replace it twice. The first time they used cheap off-brand glass and it messed up our car's auto-driving camera stuff, but they wouldn't let us get an OEM windshield until they'd installed one and it failed.
I have no idea if this is still the case, since when we first had NJM it was before it was open to everyone, but you used to even get a dividend every year because they considered policy members shareholders. I definitely felt like every time we interacted with them it was way more of a "member" experience not a "customer" experience. I just moved back to NJ and I switched back to them. I know it's all a subjective experience but I always felt more secure with them than with Geico, which to be fair is like the entire thing you're buying with insurance.
Thanks for this.
NJM is the best. I lost my car in Ida, and NJM got me a rental before any of my neighbors, and was super easy to work with.
NJ Man for decades. Wouldn't think of switching and never had any issues.
I also love the small, but just enough, rebate just before Christmas.
I have Geico for the cars and NJM for homeowners. Never had any issues with either. Although NJM raised our rates after I put in a claim for some water damage. Might look to someone else for the house. Only claim with Geico was fast, deer hit my car, Geico paid right away, didn't even look at the car, just accepted the repair estimate.
Might wanna check NJM and what they’re covering for your dwelling. They like to under insure
I recently switched from Geico to AAA since I already had homeowners with AAA. Only saved money because of the bundling otherwise Geico would've been a better rate.
Every year that my insurance is up, I look around at the other options and every year, no other company ends up being significantly cheaper than the Progressive plan I've had since getting my license 20 years ago.
I have NJM for home and auto, no significant claims but the smaller ones I had were handled well and quickly. Never had issues and when I've checked nobody has been able to match their rates.
I've always been happy with NJM. I've had a few auto claims over the years and they were always easy to work with. Just a few weeks ago added then deleted a car and did part of it online, but also needed a rep a couple of times and always easy to get through. They insure my home, cars, camper, and umbrella.
I have had a meh experience with NJM.
They also were one of the lowest cost for insurance companies. progressive jacked my rates up almost 250% even though I didn't get into any accidents or have any tickets.
NJM has a discount where they have you install their safe driver app. it is really terrible. it constantly doesn't work and drains your battery in the background. I would suggest installing it on a dummy cell phone that you rarely use and dont ever bring with you. their safe driver app is insanely critical. I have no idea how it grades driving but it constantly will ding you for any acceleration or sudden stops.
Also unfortunately I had my first accident and I tried to talk or call the adjuster that NJM assigned me. they were unreachable. they would take up 1-2 weeks to respond to any emails or voicemails.
I just would caution with NJM. you pay for what you get. don't expect good customer service and their smart phone app is terrible.
They are one of the most expensive in my experience.
I got a quote from every insurer and they were the cheapest for me. I own a tesla. What insurer did you go with?
I stayed with NJM for now. Also own a Tesla. Lol
yeah. just for your own knowledge.NJM does have tesla certified body shops. that is kind of nice to know.
This is what I'm worried about.
Interesting because NJM always gives me the highest rate for auto and home quotes out of any insurance company. GEICO gives me the best rates.
Same here and I have a clean record. Weird how pricing seems to vary so much person to person
NJM all day. I worked at geico and I am still in the claims end of the business. Geico is fine but NJM is a gem.
As NJM expands beyond NJ I wonder if all the good things will continue but yes they are wonderful and well priced.
njm is gold, I've written estimates for them before, and they let us use more new oem parts than any other insurer
We’ve been very happy NJM auto insurance customers since 1970. Never ever a problem with claims. we live 5 miles from their campus however, so we have dealt face to face with them for some issues.
every couple of years i price out various companies just to see if i can save some money. njm was going to charge me way more than some others. have heard very mixed things since they opened it up to everyone in the state and now advertise just as much as your geicos and allstates and state farms.
Weird I had NJM initially and it was massively more expensive than Progressive who I ended up switching to. Just call everywhere and get an apples to apples quote and go with the cheapest. I do this every year or so. I had NJM, then Progressive, then Geico, then went back to Progressive lmao.
Had NJM for just about 30 years now and I have had zero complaints.
Can’t say enough good things about NJM, it’s the best insurer out there.
I have had NJM since 1989. They are probably the best company I've ever dealt with on any level. Not sure where the bad reviews could have come from. I find it amazing that there's still a company where when you call, you get a human picking up the phone right away.
Yes. I loved them. I miss them. Don’t live there anymore or would still have
Njm has been amazing for me. It's a mutual company so there are no shareholders to pay. When insurance claims are lower than they expected they give you a rebate.
I have NJM and have since I started driving (6 years ago). I have no complaints.
I’ve had NJM for 20 years. They’ve always answered the phone. When I get a new car, it’s a 4 min phone call. If I need to make a claim, they tell me the closest approved mechanic. No questions asked. They always replace parts with OEM or better so there is no issues with turning my car back at end of lease. Plus I get a dividend check at the end of the year.
Even if it were more expensive, I’d still use NJM
Always been happy with njm
I’m a federal employee and decided to get a quote from Geico, you know, the govt employee insurance company. Their discounted federal employee rate was double the price of NJM for essentially the same coverage.
Actually no, it was worse. They gave me a 6-month quote, which was the roughly same price as NJM’s annual quote. I’m glad I noticed Geico’s quote was for six months. Fuck Geico.
I was an estimator/manager at a body shop for the last 7 years. NJM is hands down the best company you could have. They are in my experience the only ones that are actually customer first.
How did State farm do?
They’re just outdated with coverages. I got rid of auto home and umbrella with them.
What do you mean "outdated with coverages"? Using old data?
Like for homeowners they don’t cover market adjustments , cost increases, labor etc. my home was under insured because they wouldn’t go up in coverages. Fine print on most documents doesn’t extend coverages
My sister works for NJM and she doesn't have NJM...
I swapped from Geico to Plymouth Rock and they gave me so many perks I can't even remember them all. They were super friendly.
I had Plymouth Rock for a year and they were great, then they tried to raise the price by an absolutely silly amount. I guess the plan is to lure people in with a steep discount, then hope they'll be too lazy to switch? They were very responsive when I got rear ended, though.
I'm on State Farm now fwiw, it seems fine.
That's what happened to me with Geico this year and they had the audacity to blame the pandemic. I've only had Plymouth Rock a few months, fingers crossed. I have no issue jumping around.
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Lime some other folks who've already posted, we've used NJM for YEARS. their staff have been easy to reach and easy to work with. Claims have been handled quickly and well. I recommend them without hesitation.
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I've found NJM to be more expensive than Geico for the same coverage.
$290 NJM but $202 for Geico
Trying to decide if it's worth paying that much extra per month.
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Manufacturers used to be a private company/invite only company, that would pay out great dividends at year end, with absolutely fantastic customer service. Now theyre open to anyone, and it seems like customer service has slipped and people are unhappy.
People in my household get mail from those people every week. It goes right in the trash.
They’re all going up like 9% YOY in my experience, sucks
Yeah rates have been raised every year since 2020.
They were great with my claim and were sending a dividend at the end of each year. NOt sure if they will after my claim.
How quickly and well was your claim handled?
It was quick. No real delay.
for me NJM has always been higher that GEICO, and always like 600-700 more, I just checked through my employer and it was 700 more for the same coverage.
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I know this is not the question, but I switched to progressive from geico and saved a lot! Try comparing NJM vs Progressive! I went tru a flooded claim with them and it was handled well and as quick as possible.
Progressive was more expensive for me. We have 2 EVs in the household, might be why.
Still not cheaper than Geico
I can't speak to Geico - but I've had NJM since I started driving in 1992. I now have them for home owners as well, and they have been wonderful. They were amazing and responsive during Sandy when I had tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to my home. They are my ride or die, pardon the pun.
The one thing I love about GEICO is it’s app. Can pull up insurance cards and any other documents whenever I need them. Easy to track billing too. But my premium has up from $110/m to $133/m this past year and I don’t know why?
*IF* NJM is cheaper, go for it without question. It's a big IF these days though. I was with NJM for 20years with a clean record, but found that GEICO was 25% cheaper for me for the same coverage. NJM wasn't really interested in keeping me as a customer.
So if you go with them, make sure to check prices with competitors regularly to make sure their underwriting doesn't catch you out.
Yes I’ve had njm for 20 years. I love them.
I love mascots too much to get car insurance from a company that brags about not having a mascot. They also promote how they have no jingle but the jingle for fake “Top Insurance” from their commercials got stuck in my head
I've had NJM for maybe 25 years. I have found them to be prompt in paying claims and easy to work with.
Anything is better than geico lmao, talk about bottom of the barrel. Geico has priced themselves out of the market and now their clients are going to pay for it because their growth is not enough to cover their losses, so premiums will skyrocket over the next few years. Not to mention geico is infamous in the insurance industry for shady practices and screwing people over. NJM is a great company, but imo travelers is probably the best in the market right now if you're looking at price and quality together.
Not for nothing when I called they gave me a quote over the phone which was less then I was paying with Allstate when I got the quote it was to the penny double what I was quoted.
OP when is the last time you left a review for an insurance company? People only tend to leave reviews if something real good or bad happens. Much more likely bad things happening so you get a bias in the reviews.
I love them - have never had an issue
NJM has been consistently rated very high. Usually #2 behind USAA. But one thing to note is that they recently started expanding to additional states. They used to be primarily NJ, with some PA policies. But now they opened up to all of PA, OH, DE, and MD. That could impact their customer service.
Have to remember insurance companies can use credit scores late payments etc against you
colonel_batguano t1_jeal6v9 wrote
Have had NJM since I started driving, which was well into the last century. I would recommend without question. I have to wonder if some of the bad reviews are paid bots from insurance agents that represent other companies.
I’ve had no issues getting a person on the phone, if I have a claim, I get a dedicated representative to deal with and I can call or email them. They pay ME as the policyholder very quickly. I’ve not had to deal with them on the other end of getting paid by someone else’s policy (I always though that with NJ being a no-fault state, I just deal with my insurance, and let them fight with the other one)
For homeowners, I have the chance to adjust my policy every year, so I make sure I have enough coverage.
I just had to make some adjustments on my auto policy and always got someone on the phone within 2 minutes and got my issues taken care of right away.