Wawanesa Insurance

Terrible insurance!!! I did report a claim regarding a car accident which was not my fault, giving all information of the other driver including a police report … What did they do for me? They called me back in 4 days to say thank you for filing a claim, you can go ahead and call the other driver‘s insurance company and make them pay for your car, thanks for your business!!!

Wawanesa is the cheapest auto insurance you can get in San Diego. But that’s because phone calls with customer support can have you waiting for 2 hours with no results. I changed addresses so they kicked my car of a multi-​car policy without warning. Okay, understandable maybe. But then they kicked my brother’s car off the policy because it was the same make and model and they were confused. Trying to get this rectified took HOURS of phone time.
If this was just a car insurance issue it wouldn’t be all bad, but their home/​apartment insurance is the same customer service. I had to make some small changes for my mortgage company and again, hours of calling time.
Pay the 200 bucks a year extra for another insurer, because they’ll take up that much of your time if anything minor happens. And these weren’t even collisions

If I could give a 0, I would. Wawanesa is the worst company you could turn to. Thankfully, they are not who I am insured under. I was in an accident with a driver who is insured by Wawanesa and he was 100% liable (he backed into my stopped car). After two weeks of trying to stay in touch with the adjuster, I had to resort to calling Wawanesa once again to try to get some information about my claim.
I’ve basically been told that I will not be receiving anything from Wawanesa as the driver who hit me does not have insurance that will cover the accident (makes absolutely no sense). Oh, and icing on the cake: they have treated me terribly and have told me that I am not educated enough in order to understand insurance.
Go anywhere but Wawanesa.

Just renewed, but only so I don’t have any lapse in coverage while I shop the competition. I came back hoping to see an improvement, but looks like the same old story. Im starting to feel sorry for Dave S. Been trying to put out the fire for 6 months. LOL
If anyone finds a company with similar rates or even slightly higher rates with better customer service send me a message please. Thanks!
See pics, they wanted to give Thauan D. a Wawanesa Sunshade, hat, magnets? WTF?

I purchased Wawanesa Auto Insurance and had it for about a week. I read the Wawanesa auto insurance policy declarations and found them to be too restrictive for my needs. For example, I am NOT insured if I am driving another vehicle that belongs to friend or relative. I am only insured for my vehicle and a vehicle that I rent from a rental car company. Furthermore, if anyone drive’s my car Wawanesa will not cover them. I called Wawanesa about my concerns and the Wawanesa representative confirmed what I read in the auto policy declarations pages.
I returned to State Farm Auto Insurance and it will cost me an extra $ 250 per year but I have PEACE OF MIND knowing that if I drive a relative’s or friend’s car that I am covered. Wawanesa does NOT provide that kind of coverage so you get what you pay for.
My suggestion is read Wawanesa Auto policy declarations carefully before you purchase an auto insurance contract with them because it may be inexpensive now but very costly later when you have no auto insurance when driving someone else’s vehicle and get in accident. Do you really want to risk the chance that they have an insurance policy like Wawanesa?
Insurance companies love taking your money but when an accident happens will they be there to help you or try to weasel out of the insurance contract?
READ THE WAWANESA AUTO INSURANCE DECLARATIONS BEFORE BUYING!

I am not insured by Wawanesa, but I was hit by a driver who is. Right out of the gate it was pretty awful. My claim adjuster Deloris was not helpful and at one point yelled at me. It took a month to get a check for my totaled car and I am still waiting for them to reimburse me for my $ 800 plus car rental. I hope I never have an accident in the future with someone insured by Wawanesa.

What the f… We paying insurance for ??? My car was park and got hit, I don’t even know when that happen. So I call to get a claim after a week later they send a person down to check my car. After that I didn’t hear anything from them I call again then 2week later they send another one with computer to do check my car again. still samething didn’t hear anything from them so I have to call them then they said that was My fault the car was moving wth ??? I bought insurance full coverage. If I was in the car and been hit, me have go to dr to check up my Heath even more money for them to pay. why the fuck I’m lie for? Wawanesa insurance not good at all.
If u guys do not get paying from them so just do BAD FAITH CLAIM from now on. Fuck Wawanesa

I have been with Wawanesa for quite sometime. I never have any problems with them from the past. Anyway, two weeks ago, I called to ask for auto quote for my son, we agreed with how much additional premium will be, but when we rec’d the bill, the amount was much higher than what they quoted for. I called, was on hold for 30 minutes, then got transferred and put on hold again for 20 more minutes… ridiculous! Finally, someone answered, explained everything, they said it was a mistake on their part… awful!!!
Moving to farmers.
I should have listened to my co workers and friends, that wawanesa is one of the worst.

Low premiums but don’t count on them being there when you file a claim. I am a long time Wawanesa customer who was hit by a guy who ran a red light. The other guy was 100% at fault but his insurance limits were too low to cover my claim. Wawanesa took 6 weeks settle my total loss claim, even though they were aware it was a total within 6 days. My adjustor never returned my calls nor did he believe in following up with me.
Needless to say I am looking for a new carrier.

I had recommended them because of the great rates, but that was because I hadn’t had to make a claim. Finally when I did it took me 3 hours the night I got a flat tire to find out they couldn’t help me that night even though I had roadside assistance. Even if it was my fault, why did it have to take 3 hours of me on the phone on the side of the road! To make a really long story short, I just found out 2 MONTHS LATER that they are declining my claim. Even if it’s not covered, why did it have to take 2 MONTHS TO FIND OUT!!! Horrible service and non responsive. After 16 years I will be switching insurance. I’m glad that it was just a flat tire and not a major accident for me to realize the service is horrible

I have always recommended people to this company, but so far I’m not so happy with how they are handling my claim. So I looked up reviews and they are horrible!
As far as waiting on the phone, it’s not to bad.
I’m currently in the middle of a claim and I’m hoping everything goes well. They have so far sent two appraisal people to look at my car and now I’m going to get interviewed.
I have an excellent record with them for many years so I don’t know why they are doubting me.
The «special investigations» guy Shawn stated my car damage doesn’t go with my story.
I don’t mind the investigation process, but I feel a little sad that they are doubting me, a loyal customer with no prior claim history. My parents have been with them for 16 yrs. Depending on how this goes, I may be looking for a new insurance company.
I will update my review once this is over.
Julie is however awesome and helpful. Shawn is professional and returns my calls in a timely manner.
I really hope this nightmare is over soon.

I’ve been a policy holder for over 20 years and have recommended Wawanesa to numerous friends and family. I’ve been very happy with them over the years through several car accidents (not my fault) and one home insurance claim.
Sadly, the comments below about customer service are true. What used to be a very short wait on the phone is now a 1 hr excercise in frustration. What used to be a helpful customer support is now indifference.
Their prices for car insurance are the lowest. Unfortunately so are their standards.

I have had Wawanesa since I first started driving. Prices were ok. Service has been the worst these past years. I was in an accident where I was hit. When I called to report it they simply referred me to the other parties insurance. Wawanesa was not helpful at all. They didn’t want to deal with my concerns or answer any of my questions. What is the point of paying Wawanesa for insurance if they are not going to do ANYTHING for me.
I will be looking into a new auto insurance company

I have had this insurance company forever. My daughter was looking at the reviews and said they weren’t good. Never had a problem with a claim or service. I JUST called them to see if I could get in. Within 2 minutes I was talking to a rep. I have had numerous claims over the years. Tires slashed, accidents with teenagers, windows broken with theft, major accident. Got rapid response and a check in my hand. NO HASSLE! If this ever changes I’ll change my review. I have recommended Wawanesa to friends and family and they are all very happy with it, especially the amount of money they saved!
My daughter just called them and they were $ 50 less a month than State Farm. (Same coverage)

IF YOU ARE THINKING TO GET THIS INSURANCE, YOU MUST READ IT FIRST.
This company is a junk!!! Yes they are very cheap compared to other companies, but believe me, you get what you pay for, a cheap and scam service. Someone hit on my car while it was parked in a one way street curb (hit and run) while I was travelling in San Marcos-​CA. I called them to make a claim right after I saw the damage and i told them what happened and gave all the information they asked for. The lady told me to wait untill one of their adjustors call me. First in their website they false advertise that the people their office represatatives works from Mon– Friday from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm, thats a joke and not true, they told me that they are open untill 4:30 pm and after that you just get a message saying that their office is closed, but even if you try to reach anyone after 4:00 pm they are not in the office anymore. Second, the guy who was designed to «help» me as my adjustor called TONY was EXTREMELY RUDE unprofessional (maybe because i have an accent), he treated me like trash, like he was doing me a favor, he told me he was sending an estimator, it was kind fast. Two days later this guy (the estimator) came to my house and i showed him everything that happened to my car, I opened the hood and I showed him all the fluid from my steering power all over my engine, he took few pics with his little camera and wished me good lucky. The day after Tony called me and told me to take my car to a body shop, but I told him my car was not driving at all, he told me to not worry about it because they would take care of it (again, extremely RUDE). I took my car to the body shop and then I got the check 4 days later, then my nightmare started. My body shop guy finished his job after a week and half and I toke my car to my mechanic who gave them an estimate, so they sent the estimator again who according to my mechanic stayed there for 3 min and before he started check the car, he already told him that it was not the part of the accident so my mechanic told him that how could he state that without even look at my car and he just took few more pics and left. So, this estimator took 3 days to send the adjustor my paper work, I was calling this adjustor called TONY everyday since he never called me to keep me updated or to at least apologize for his incompetence, he was always RUDE every time i called to see if he had any updates. One day he called me and told me in a very rude way «if I have any news I call you do you understand?, I will call you. «I have all our conversations recorded on my phone, including one that he insinuates clearely that if I had taken my car to one of their shops it would be faster. REALLY???(if anyone needs the conversation I’d be more than happy to send it to you). Then finally they denied to fix my car and one of the services supervisor called Willian left a super RUDE message saying that they wont pay in any circumstance to fix my car because based in the PICTURES I was not saying the truth (he basically called me a lier in a kind way). Ive tried to call them after that message and they never answered the phone when i called, I’ve called them 30 times and I left messages to 3 different people including the district manager called GORDON. They are cowards and refused to even answer my calls, they know my number and they refused to let me even contest about their decision. Everytime i call the representatives already know with who I want to talk and the managers never answer the phone or call me back.
THEY TREATED ME LIKE TRASH, THEY MADE MY BLOOD PRESURE GOES UP, THEY TURNED MY LIFE INTO A NIGHTMARE AND SO STRESSFUL. PLEASE BE AWARE ABOUT THIS COMPANY, THEY DONT CARE ABOUT THEIR COSTUMERS AND THEY TREAT YOU LIKE YOU ARE BEGGING FOR A FAVOR, WHATS ABSOLUTELY NOT THE CASE SINCE I PAY MY BILL EVERY SINGLE MONTH! THEY ARE THE CHEAPEST INSURANCE, BUT ONCE AGAIN, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. IF YOU GET IN ACCIDENT I WISH YOU GOOD LUCKY AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD HEALTH INSURANCE BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED. THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING TO NOT PAY FOR WHAT THEY SUPPOSE TO. THEY ARE CRIMINALS AND SCAMMERS.

I was with Wawanesa for 12 years until this year. Had great service and awesome prices. Back in April I bought a new car and had to wait on hold for hours and hours. So I canceled in May. I have tried calling them back over the months, including today. And still waiting on hold. Somebody had to get fired over this upgrade. What a great company that has gone down very quickly. I can’t imaginie what their financials look like for the California region compared to previous years.
As people get older and have more assets to protect, you want a company that will answer your calls and give you good customer service.

If you have a good insurance company, you will have minimal dealings with them and you won’t think about them at all. The only people who write reviews are the people who have a bad experience. So I understand why Wawanesa has such a low rating. But having had to deal with a genuinely awful insurance company, I have to give appreciation where it’s due.
I started with Wawanesa because my sister used and recommended them. Their prices were slightly better than other companies (Geico, Esurance, etc.), but the biggest difference was the quote process. For every other company I had to fill out long forms multiple times to see how different options (changes to the deductible, changes to coverage) would affect price. It was time consuming and annoying. With Wawanesa, they gave me a sheet that had my selected options, and then a list of higher and lower ones with the cost adjustment. It was easy to see in a glance that raising my deductible by $ 100 would save me more than $ 100/​year. Excellent!
The company (or at least the local branch) has grown dramatically in the last few years. This has some up sides (you can now handle payment online!) and some minuses (hour+ wait times on the phone when you call the general number). However, I think (hope?) that the minuses are just part of growing pains that the company is doing their best to manage. Their call back system (you leave you number for a call back instead of sitting on hold) works well, and the apologies for the inconvenience are polite.
I dealt with the claims department earlier in the year, and everyone was polite, friendly, and helpful. The assessment was done efficiently without any waiting around. If my agent was not available when I called, she always got back to me promptly after I left a message. When the other driver’s insurance company was being difficult, Wawanesa offered me alternative options to get my car repaired. When the other company dragged its heels, I was kept up to date with the process. Everything was politely and professionally handled.
It’s hard to love an insurance company, but I definitely like mine.

I am not a fan of insurance. But Wawanesa works for me. Better than ANY of the other companies I have done business with over the decades since I started driving. I have tried most of them, usually with far less than satisfactory results.
I have had Wawanesa insurance for many years now. Both homeowners and auto. They are local to SD, easy to work with, and the agents go above and beyond.
Over the years, we’ve been involved in a few auto accidents, from fender benders to pretty serious crashes. In the most recent one, a teen-​aged driver carrying another company’s coverage decided to back up his large truck at a stop light without looking behind him! That’s right. He backed up right into our car and crunched the hood, broke a headlight, etc. Of course, he was at fault and admitted so at the time. His insurance company, however, kept giving us the run-​around, mostly about his coverage limits and other stuff that you need to be in the insurance industry to understand. None of that mattered to us — we just wanted our car repaired! After many frustrating weeks, our carrier (Wawanesa) stepped in an just cut us a check to cover everything. Even a rental car. Mind you — this was the OTHER DRIVER’S FAULT, and his worthless company should have paid us, not ours.
Wawanesa does have limited business hours, for sure. Like some of the reviewers have said. But you get what you pay for. They keep their rates DOWN by working hard — during business hours — to keep you satisfied. And if you hate having to pay for insurance as much as I do, the less you pay — the better. Even at the price of a little inconvenience once and a while.

I called today to add a new car to the policy. It was lunch time. I’ve been on hold for 6 (six hours) all together today. It is 7.51 PM, and I am still on hold. Bizarre. They have been actively working on the solution for more than four months, apparently.
Update:
I kept calling this insurance with the two phones at the same time. After finally reaching a claim office around 9.10 PM last night, The other line (customer service) was still reminding me to be patient and wait for next customer representative.
The lady in claims department told me the unit is closed, and messaging playing must be an error of some kind. I sent two emails that were not answered.
I called next day. After being on hold for approx. 1 hours I was referred to a supervisor’s mailbox. Since supervisor hasn’t called me back, I had to call back.
Today, I am on hold for approximate 3 hours without any progress or resolution of the issue.
I have been on hold altogether about 11 – 12 hours in last two days. The car is still not on the policy.
Update 2:
I managed to talk to representative on or about 2 pm on the third day. Her name was Anna. The supervisor was apparently out at lunch and later on had a meeting. I was promised a call back after the meeting. Supervisor never called back. I sent a fax. I have not received a response to the fax either. I messaged Mr. Dave Below and not received any response or resolution to the matter as of now.
I am attaching my galaxy dial screen for those who find hard to believe that is possible to be on hold for four hours; and please, don’t let these four hours make you believe I actually got to talk to someone, this is time when I got cut off because they closed their offices…

So far I’m starting to see why they’re so much cheaper than competitors. I just started with them a week ago and even in getting a quote and purchasing, I was on hold for about 20 – 25 minutes. I’ve currently (yes right this minute) been on hold for… ONE HOUR and FORTY MINUTES. How do people ever get anything done with this company when only a couple of items can be changed online, there is no email contact and no direct phone number at all? It seems to ALL go to the general prompt and I cannot even fathom how this company is still in business working this way.
Already looking for a new insurance company, how sad.

TERRIBLE service. Only good thing about this company is nobody can beat their prices. However, it really proves the concept of you get what you paid for. Even E.D.D. and I.R.S. have better service than this place like what few Unilocalers have said about this company.
Real reason for one star is terrible service. I paid them online through credit card. They refund my money in check, didn’t renew my policy, and then ask me to renew and pay them again. WTF? My insurance is expired over their lack of processing action. So right now, I am uninsured regardless of me paying month before the deadline. What kind of idiots do they have working here, refunding the money that I paid them, and then ask me to pay them again while expiring my policy?
Sad to say but in the insurance industry, you get what you paid for. Before I became independent from my parents, I used to have AAA and I must say, although it’s the most expensive insurance company, their service is top notch.
EDIT: They finally picked up after 48 minutes, and they told me it was an error done by them and they were supposed to refund someone else but they mixed it up with my account? WTF? What kind of idiots do they have working here? Thanks a lot, d**s****. Now I am uninsured for a week thanks to their lack of promptness to process my money and issue my proof of insurance on time.
Every little action they do, they will put you on hold and you have to wait 5 f***in minutes. They give me an email for me to go through and when I am stuck on a page where I have to put in my name, pw, I had to wait another 5 minutes just to get instructions on how to go further steps from there. After that, I asked if I can at least get my refund back for the «processing fee» for something they didn’t even process in the first place. Also asked if I can get refund for the 10 days that I wasn’t covered due to their lack of service where I thought I was covered for and I had to wait 10 minutes on the phone for them to talk to their «supervisor» just to say yes. I dunno if they’ll even compensate me for it.
EDIT: Been over 3 weeks and not a single check to refund the days that I have not been covered. No refund for the «processing fee» that they didn’t even process.
I’ve had enough of this place. I am scared to renew again. It will literally be my last year of insurance with this place. I am going to look for a different company. If I had an accident within past 10 days, I would’ve been screwed over big time since it turns out I didn’t have insurance during the past 10 days regardless of me paying month before the deadline because they refunded my money for NO REASON.
I am going to look for a different insurance company and starting next year, I will hopefully get a good insurance company not as bad as this one. It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed of all insurance companies out there. My 5-​year-​old nephew can organize papers and accounts better than this place.