Progressive Insurance Settles $8 Million Class Action Suit with MA Law Firms
In early 2016 Progressive insurance agreed to settle a class action lawsuit that accused the insurance company of using deceptive business practices in recommending coverage’s to Massachusetts insureds. Below you will find a link to the original article posted on Masslive.com, but in short, when Massachusetts residents went online to get a quote from Progressive between 2008 and 2010, the website asked if they had health insurance, which most did given recent Massachusetts law. By clicking yes, the potential customers were automatically given an $8,000 deductible for Personal Injury Protection. Personal Injury Protection or PIP as it is often referred to, covers medical expenses related to an auto accident. PIP covers up to $8,000, so the insureds ended up having no medical coverage on their policies. Generally speaking, Personal Injury Protection coverage costs very little on an automobile policy and a deductible is rarely added except for in this case with Progressive. According to the lead plaintiffs in the case, they purchased coverage online through Progressive, then later when they were in a car accident in which they and their children were injured their claims were denied based on the $8,000 deductibles they didn’t know they had agreed to.
The court settlement comes after a four-year dispute and according to court documents the company agreed to the settlement to bring the case to an end, but admitted no wrong doings. Even so, it is not hard to see how difficult it can be for the average consumer to purchase something like insurance online without much guidance from a trained professional. This is just another example of why it pays to have an insurance agent in your corner, making sure that you have the best coverage that suits your individual needs. Bright Insurance has been in the business of protecting our clients since 1931, and that’s something no online company can match.
Read the full MassLive.com story here: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/springfield_law_firms_reach_se.html