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American Family Home Insurance Ratings
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Reasons for Buying from American Family
Customers of American Family originally decided to purchase from the company for these reasons:
| Recommended by friend or family member | 28% |
| Offered best price | 24% |
| Reputation | 16% |
| Was the company my parents had | 10% |
| Saw TV commercial | 9% |
| I had other insurance with this company | 8% |
| Saw online ad | 3% |
| Financial Strength rating | 1% |
| The company website and mobile apps are easy to use and helpful | 1% |
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About American Family
Homeowners policies offered
- Home
- Condo
- Manufactured home
- Renters
- Flood
Additional policies include
- Auto
- Life
- Business
- Manufactured home
- Boat
- Farm and Ranch
- Umbrella
- Travel
- ATV and RV
- Health
Best Home Insurance Companies 2020: How American Family Home Insurance Measures Up
In this year’s Best Home Insurance Company survey American Family came in 14th overall with a score of 82.19. Its highest showing was 9th place for ease of use of website and apps and worst was 15th place for claim servicing but with a decent score of 81.43. For the other individual rating factors, AIG received 10th place for value of price and 12th place for customer service. Most all of the surveyed policyholders, 89%, said they plan to renew with American Family
Gauging an insurance company
Before buying with a company it is wise to check on a company's financial strength and complaint record. The A.M. Best rating listed above gives you an idea of American Family's financial strength to pay claims. A complaint ratio can be found on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) site. The median complaint ratio from the NAIC is always 1.00. This means half of the insurers have a complaint ratio of under 1.00 and half have a ratio above. Basically, numbers lower than 1.00 are better with fewer complaints than the median and a number higher than 1.00 has more complaints than the median. For home insurance, American Family (NAIC# 10386) had a complaint ratio of 0.90 for 2018. 2019 complaint numbers will be available in 2020.
Company Background
American Family homeowner programs
- Smart home -- Does your house have things like the Ring Video Doorbell or a smart smoke/fire alarm system? You'll likely get a discount.
- New home -- Talk to your agent; you may be able to get a discount if your home is new.
- Family member discount -- Are you parents an American Family customer? If they are, and you're between 18 and 30, you may end up saving money.
- Renovations discount -- If you've completely replaced the plumbing, electrical and heating systems in your home, you can get a discount.
Farming roots
Herman Witter, an insurance salesman, started Farmer Mutual Insurance Company in Madison, Wisconsin. His is a familiar tale, if you've been boning up on your insurance company history. Witter focused on selling car insurance to farmers because they were seen as a good risk compared to city drivers.
As the years went on, Witter's company evolved, and like many regional insurance companies around the country. In 1963, the company changed its name to American Family to reflect the expansion.
Today, American Family Insurance is a Fortune 500 company serving customers nationwide in areas of auto, home, health, life and business in 19 states across the country (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin).
Consider American Family Insurance if you have a family
Yes, many insurers are very pro-family, but American Family Insurance seems to take its name very seriously. As noted earlier, if you're a young homeowner, and your parents are American Family Insurance customers, you'll get a discount. That said, American Family provides numerous discounts, for virtually every type of family. Is your kid in college, 100 or miles away, and the car is parked in your garage? You get a discount. Are your kids doing volunteer work? If they do 40 hours a year, you can get a discount. If they're getting good grades, you can get a discount. You get the idea.
Contact information
Corporate Headquarters
American Family Insurance
6000 American Parkway
Madison, WI 53783-0001
Telephone: (800) 692-6326
Types of special coverage
Home-based business. Liability coverage and business property protection for home-based businesses.
Sewer backup and sump pump overflow. Coverage for sewer backups and sump pump overflows.
Identity theft protection. Protects your credit and identity.
Discounts
Multi-policy. Discount for more than one type of policy with the same insurance provider.
Smart home. Discount for homes with smart technology.
New/renovated/recently purchased home. Discount for covering a new, recently renovated home or a newly bought home.
AutoPay and full pay. Discount if you set up AutoPay or pay the premium in full.
Paperless. Discount for going paperless.
Loyalty. Discount for sticking with the company.
Generational. Discount if your parents were customers.
Feedback of Surveyed Policyholders
Our survey asked policyholders to share experiences or give feedback that they would
like to share with others looking to potentially buy from their current insurance company. Here's what they had to say:
Positive Feedback
Neutral/Negative Feedback
"Customer service is good but takes too much time in processing of documents"
"It give me just efficient service"
"They kept raising the premium without prior notifications"
"Bad, high prices wouldn't recommend"
"They are alright"
"They are ok."
"Good enough but could probably get a better price"
"I haven't really had any experiences with my insurance company"
"In 20+ years I have never made a claim so I cannot comment at all on their service. I just keep renewing my outdated policy because it is cheap and some coverage is better than none."
"They are pretty helpful and are always ready to extend a hand for those in need but the only times I have needed them was when I was simply asking question. I was not in any serious situation so it was all hear say as they say they can do this and that but whether they actually would or not is to be determined."
"Not friendly, and act like they dont have time to deal w people in general"
"Good coverage and service but need to add more benefits and perks"
"They are not the best customer service. Long waits. But they're online helps handles everything and makes it easy. Just makes me leery of I had a claim in the future."
"The only time I needed to make a claim was when my basement flooded. It wasn't covered. I was unhappy to receive an exclusion rider for bug damage and mold damage as well. I feel my insurance pays for less and less coverage."
"They don't have the greatest customer service."
"I haven't had to deal with my current person since my old one retired"
"They are eager to help, but you have to ask them to check your policies."
"They just recently changed the website and I do not like it"
"I would want other people to know that this company is just okay. There are probably better companies out there."
"One little claim made my rates go up way too much"
"They do not return calls and agent is never in the office"
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"This is an insurer that cares for the good of its customers and pampers them ad nauseam, always aware of their clients for good or bad."
-Age 18-36, Illinois"Representatives are very friendly and makes the process easier"
-Age 18-36, Illinois"Very good connection and excellent service"
-Age 18-36, Illinois"Excellent customer service and friendly staff."
-Age 18-36, Indiana"They will help you very quickly"
-Age 18-36, Indiana"Very fast in their services and very friendly too"
-Age 18-36, Indiana"Great company"
-Age 18-36, Iowa"Best competitive rates"
-Age 18-36, Kansas"Good. They answer questions in a helpful manner"
-Age 18-36, Kansas"This company update me with new policies and help me understand it all"
-Age 18-36, Missouri"Easy to deal with and quick response time."
-Age 18-36, Missouri"Offer best prices for your credit rating"
-Age 18-36, Nebraska"They are a great company and will help you with all of your needs"
-Age 18-36, Nebraska"Good company for home insurance"
-Age 18-36, Nevada"Best in business"
-Age 18-36, Ohio"The claim people I worked with were really busy but did get the problem solved"
-Age 18-36, Ohio"They have a good reputation"
-Age 18-36, Ohio"I have a great experience with this company because it clears up your issues by online in very minimum time."
-Age 18-36, South Dakota"I feel good with the as my choice for home insurance because they helped me understand my coverage and what to do."
-Age 18-36, Washington"They went above and beyond with my coverage and got great rates"
-Age 18-36, Washington"They are easy to work with and are best price"
-Age 18-36, Wisconsin"It's a good company with a strong track record"
-Age 18-36, Arizona"They treat you like family"
-Age 18-36, Arizona"Offering different type of home insurance policies also help with different issues of its customers with ease and reliable approach."
-Age 18-36, Colorado"They are flexible while providing services and coverage"
-Age 18-36, Colorado"They genuinely care about you and your needs"
-Age 18-36, Colorado"They have very high services for their customers."
-Age 18-36, Colorado"A very good company to be a part of"
-Age 18-36, Georgia"It's pretty great"
-Age 18-36, Georgia"They are very helpful."
-Age 18-36, Georgia"Offers great deals according to your paying capabilities"
-Age 18-36, Idaho"We have a long time relationship and found them very prompt"
-Age 18-36, Idaho"Good service when I need it"
-Age 18-36, Illinois"Friendly reps and good price"
-Age 37-52, Arizona"I have been insured with American family for 20 years and I have gotten quotes from others and they are way higher tham AF"
-Age 37-52, Arizona"They treat you like a family"
-Age 37-52, Colorado"Best offers are always available; company is willing all the time to help its customers in helping with their problems."
-Age 37-52, Georgia"I haven't found any company cheaper"
-Age 37-52, Georgia"They are helpful and send me emails for information I need"
-Age 37-52, Illinois"Unique covers and exceptional service, prompt response and best offers."
-Age 37-52, Illinois"Always there when you need them; good policies and prices"
-Age 37-52, Indiana"Different types of coverages are offered by this company, that's why I prefer them"
-Age 37-52, Indiana"Nice policies at fair rates"
-Age 37-52, Indiana"We have had a dog bite claim which makes it nearly impossible to get insurance elsewhere. When we had difficulty paying our insurance agent worked with us to ensure we maintained coverage and did not risk losing it. They knew the dog was taunted into biting and have never demanded we get rid of our dog or lose coverage while other companies have denied and told us to destroy her."
-Age 37-52, Iowa"You will experience a very different working style with high quality service"
-Age 37-52, Iowa"They're prompt with claims"
-Age 37-52, Kansas"Good to work with to get coverage and if you need to make a claim"
-Age 37-52, Minnesota"Offer good value and are easy to contact"
-Age 37-52, Minnesota"They are nice and friendly; they have the lowest rates in this town"
-Age 37-52, Missouri"The customer service is great. Questions are answered promptly. The agent is very knowledgable and works to get me the best value in a policy."
-Age 37-52, Nebraska"I have a good experience because this company is work to inspire, protect and restore my unique dream."
-Age 37-52, Nevada"The company has a good value with strong financial strength reating."
-Age 37-52, Nevada"Very good policies and plans as per your requirements"
-Age 37-52, Nevada"My insurer seems to care about my well being and consistently makes sure my insurance needs are met."
-Age 37-52, Ohio"Excellent service."
-Age 37-52, Utah"Everytime that I need my insurer the representative is always avalible"
-Age 37-52, Washington"They have excellent homeowner plans"
-Age 37-52, Washington"Best price that I could find"
-Age 37-52, Wisconsin"They have great rates"
-Age 37-52, Wisconsin"They understood my concerns about odd situation of having part of my property be in village and part in township and needing coverage to match what each requires."
-Age 37-52, Wisconsin"Wonderful company"
-Age 37-52, Wisconsin"You will get quality customer service"
-Age 37-52, Wisconsin"I always have the same car insurance and renters with the same company as it enables me to save money and this company works for that quite well"
-Age 53+, Colorado"I recently did a price compare with a well know broker in our state and they could not beat the price we are getting, and our coverage is top notch."
-Age 53+, Colorado"Inexpensive and easy to get hold of"
-Age 53+, Colorado"The company is very good with good offers, but needs to improve customer service."
-Age 53+, Georgia"Extremely fast payment after a claim"
-Age 53+, Illinois"Agent called and wished me a happy birthday!!"
-Age 53+, Indiana"Fastservice. Zero waiting time. Good feelings atatched."
-Age 53+, Iowa"Excellent customer service"
-Age 53+, Minnesota"My agent is really on top of things"
-Age 53+, Minnesota"Good, I recommend them to others"
-Age 53+, Missouri"I feel the amount of coverage I have for this insurance very much will take care of all belongings I have in my house."
-Age 53+, Missouri"They get back to you within a 24/hr. window."
-Age 53+, Ohio"Can refer to renew in future, no drawbacks. We think it is a good option."
-Age 53+, South Dakota"They represent good things for the customers."
-Age 53+, Utah"Easy to get a hold of"
-Age 53+, Washington"Always good service and rates"
-Age 53+, Wisconsin"They work with you to make sure you have the right amount of coverage."
-Age 53+, Wisconsin