This is the worst experience I’ve ever…
This is the worst experience I’ve ever had with an insurance company. My vehicle was stolen. They shattered my sun roof and climbed in. I had the keys. The claims agent Paula kept acting like I did this on purpose. Then she told me if the vehicle was found to call her immediately so she could get a tow company to get it so I wouldn’t have to pay. I called her TWELVE TIMES when it was found and she didn’t respond for FOUR HOURS. I had to pay out of pocket over $350 to get my car towed and out of the impound lot because she wouldn’t answer. I still have barely been able to get ahold of her for anything. My bank told me they’ve been fighting with them for weeks trying to get the police report and paperwork. They dropped me as soon as they sent the payoff check to the bank. It was a horrible experience and I wouldn’t recommend this company.
Francheska Lathrop
Lowlife Scammer answered the phone
I bought a used car and needed to transfer my ins from old car to newer...the man on the phone sent an email from Bristol West so I know he worked for them..furthermore, he tranfered my ins while i was on the phone with him. He asked me to read my card on file to him, expiration and 3digit code. He then somehow drained my account of 650 dollars that I had in there. The money did not go to Bristol West, it went to some shady website this man had...He kept me on the phone by saying "oh that charge was a mistake...We will return the money now. And in less than 2 minutes he had made 6 charges of about 100 dollars each go through. I was not quick enough to lock my card. He then hung up on me and blocked my cell phone. I quickly called back on home phone and spoke to someone who denied There were any calls from my cell that day. I told him that I had proof that the previous man had sent me an email and my ins was transferred in the last half hour! He then either listened to the recorded phone call I made w the scammer or he pretended to...At this point I trust no one there. Then he got back on line w me and told me the scammers name and said he was out of Florida. IDK if he made up a name or if he told the truth. This happened two days ago. My bank is investigating. I am a single mother, i dont get child support. That 650 dollars was a lot of money to us. Please do NOT EVER trust Bristol West w Anything, EVER. They must hire scam artists. I would like to sue just to find out how this couldve happened to me. March 3rd,'26at1:26PM
Confused and shamed
Unauthorized Charges and Terrible Customer Service
My experience with Bristol West has been nothing but stressful and disappointing. Managing payments with this company is extremely difficult. They do not allow you to change your payment date to match your pay schedule, and if anything goes wrong with your card — even an error on their end — they immediately charge a fee of over $20.Customer service has been another major issue. The representatives are often hard to understand, and the agents don’t seem familiar with state‑specific auto insurance laws. They rarely confirm what state you live in, yet they insist on asking for your driver’s license number before they’ll even attempt to help. If you don’t have your policy number memorized, they act like they can’t assist you at all.They also push auto‑pay aggressively. If you don’t enroll, your rate increases significantly, which feels like they’re forcing you into it. In my case, I explicitly declined auto‑pay, yet they enrolled me anyway and continued making unauthorized charges to a debit card I clearly stated was for a one‑time payment only. That’s when the runaround began — no accountability, no solutions, just more fees and more frustration.Even after forcing auto‑pay, they only sent email reminders. No text reminders, no mailed notices, nothing that would actually help you stay on top of your account.Overall, it genuinely feels like no one at Bristol West cares about their policyholders. You’re treated like a number, not a customer. Their priority seems to be collecting money, not providing reliable service or support. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this company to anyone.
elisha Smith
I requested a quote from Bristol West…
I requested a quote from Bristol West they gave me a coat quote I submitted my credit card information and when they sent my policy for me to sign it had a completely different address from the one I had entered when I requested my money back they said I would have to cancel that policy even though I did not sign and they kept a large percent of 1/3 of my down payment. Please do not use this company they are fraudulent and have a legal practices and will keep your money, and charge you for documents you never signed
Stephen
WORST Insurance Co. EVER
I cancelled with Bristol West (BW) on Oct 4th, a month before renewal, when they raised my 6 month auto ins by $80. On Nov 4th they charged my credit card anyway. On the 6th I called and was given the run around for >40 minutes, being put on hold intermittently. They demanded that I fill out a form w/new Ins. Co., proof of new Ins, my SocSec#, cell #, date of Birth and my reason for cancelling. When I refused, she hung up on me. Called back twice and requested a supervisor, hung up on me each time. Finally, I had to contact my Farmers agent, told him what happened and he said he's take care of it. Called my Credit Card Co and started a dispute (to which BW never responded) Got several other e-mails from BW demanding info and reason for cancelling through Nov. Then finally on 12/16 received a letter, back dated to 10/9 actually saying my coverage "expired" at my request 10/5, a month before my renewal date, so unknowingly I was driving for a month uninsured. THEN (oh it's not over), 12/17 I got a text from a Collection Agency about an overdue bill from, you guessed it, Bristol West. Took me two days trying to deal w/ BW who on each call gave me circular, rote responses and refused to forward me to a supervisor or aomeone who speaks english. They demanded $25 for their bank charge for their charge being rejected by mr credit card. Contacted my Farmers agent who took care of it over the phone, took 30 minutes. Note that Bristol is a Farmers Ins Subcontractor, so I have notified them several times regarding this <1 customer Sevice and that their agents should stop refering people to BW. Note #2, every contact w/ BW was outsourced to China and someone who had rote responses and was difficult to understand. I have never in my adult life, before Bristol West, had a company behave like these scammers when I cancelled with them. Thank God I never had to make a claim w/them.
Daniele Grasser
This insurance is very bad.
This insurance is very bad.
Furkan Mesee
We are going broke in just 5 months time.
We have only been with Bristol West for 5 months. It was recommended by our insurance agent. We began after we got our prices, but nothing else. Long story short, I am 65 years old and this is the absolute worst insurance company ever. We have paid 3 to 4 months at the highest rate. A rate that I never approved, never signed my name to. Every time something was wrong with our rates, Bristol West said that I've have to prove it. Well they need to learn a lesson about proving. Here's my demand, today's bill should be $440 and it is $675. This following a rate of $812 plus $440 last month. They are threatening to cancel us today and I don't have $675. We will only pay $440 and then require them to honor that same rate going forward and to refund the $812 from last month. The problem with the money is that months into our relationship you told us that we had a lapse in coverage with our previous company. Never did we and we had been with them for over 10 years. So that's a lie. Next is that we are against the law by not carrying full coverage on our vehicle. Well duh, we know that. We have carried full coverage for years and years. Sure we drop it if a vehicle is paid off and old, as is the second car on our policy. So I sent Bristol West all of our documents and declarations again, including always the accurate documents and with the original date on them. I don't know how you'll get in touch with me. I am Trudi Shaw and my phone number is (303) 671-2758,
Wilfred Pendleton
Incompetent and dishonest scammers
I had not realized that this company was a rip-off organization, until I saw that most of the reviews were very negative. I got stuck with these people last summer when I bought a car in L.A., after an absence of a couple years from the U.S. The car dealer, Seton Montgomery, who specializes in Crown Victoria's recommended this group to me. Since I had nothing on my driving record, no fines or D.U.I/s or anything there was no reason to go with such a shady bunch of people. When I left the States in November I called Bristol to cancel and got jerked around by clueless amateurs and finally talked to the person whom I had talked to when I bought my car in in June. He said he got everything settled, cancelled the policy and would refund me 100 dollars and change. He lied.I see today that this is typical. These people are incompetent and dishonest and they routinely over-charge and double-charge clients.
Daniel Cunningham
don't do business with this company…
don't do business with this company they are swindlers and shady car insurance. When they over charge you they refund money and then your policy goes up the next month by sending so many pointless letters to make it look legitimate. When in my case the original amount should be always the one you pay and but changing it.
Virginia Esquer
No one to talk to for almost a month
Been trying to contact costumer service for almost a month now after my nephew's car was hit in a parking lot .They assign an agent to the claim that never answer the phone and keep on hanging up on us. Never had a chance to talk to him. Next I will put his name...
BB World
Know your policy and coverage before signing
I chose to switch to this company after my car insurance rate increased due to two speeding tickets from the past. I regret that decision! I sacrificed quality of care to save a few dollars on my monthly insurance, and it turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. Honestly, it doesn't even deserve a one-star rating. This company shows a lack of genuine concern for its customers, and if you take pride in working for them, you're a loser too! The way the claims process is set up is absolutely ridiculous. Even if you are in a tight situation, check a company's reviews every time and make sure you read thoroughly every document, and you understand it.
Sheria
🚨!!!FRAUD!!!🚨
!!!!!Fraud!!!!I bought an insurance policy on August 29 and cancelled it the same day. Despite calling customer support five times, I was promised my $1,000refund by September 13, which never arrived. Now they are delaying it until September 25 without explanation.This delay has caused me severe financial hardship-I was evicted and am forced to live in my car. The lack of urgency and professionalism is unacceptable. Bristol West must take responsibility and issue refunds promptly.
joao castro
Bianca Lemus was professional and…
Bianca Lemus was professional and incredibly pleasant to work with. Thank you Bianca, you are a superstar!!!! in a very competitive market........
Travis Zosh
Very bad service
Very bad service - taken lots of my money and avoided doing any leg work. All questions I have asked are pretty much returned with "no we wont do this and we wont do that" The point of insurance is to INSURE!!!! they have given none of that - I am basically handling everything about my collision on my own.
Tanya Fearon
This company is sketchy af!
The worst thing they did is, I was going to let my policy expire. I had gotten a quote elsewhere that was over $400 cheaper than what I was paying with Bristol West. Well the morning after the policy was supposed to have expired, Boom, I get a notification from my bank that Bristol had just charged me for 6 months. I HAD NEVER TURNED ON AUTO-PAY. I checked my online account just to be sure, and nope, auto-pay was not on. So this sketchy af company illegally billed me, and then when I went to cancel my policy and get a refund, they told me “You’ll have to pay a cancellation fee.” WTF
Tyler Holbrook
Caution to all current and future…
Caution to all current and future customers: I now understand why Bristol West has horrible ratings on EVERY site. This was one of the most frustrating insurance experiences I’ve ever had. My ordeal with Bristol West began with a simple billing discrepancy tied to a policy managed through their partner, Jerry Insurance — and quickly spiraled into a nightmare of miscommunication, finger-pointing, and wasted time.Despite my repeated attempts to verify payment details and prevent issues in advance, I was constantly misinformed and bounced between Bristol West and Jerry. I spent hours providing documentation — chat transcripts, payment confirmations, even emails to corporate — and instead of resolution, I received deflection. Bristol West eventually acknowledged that the confusion was partly due to errors made by Jerry, yet still insisted I owed the remaining balance.Their so-called “Resolution Team” offered contradictory responses: blaming my bank one moment, admitting all return fees were waived the next. They kept repeating that Jerry is “independent,” yet continued referring me back to Jerry to fix what was clearly a shared failure between the two companies.I upheld my end as a customer — I paid what I was shown, confirmed balances, and followed up multiple times. Bristol West failed to do the same. They showed no accountability, no transparency, and no real interest in resolving the issue without penalizing me for their internal miscommunications.What most consumers don’t realize is that Bristol West (a Farmers Insurance company) relies on third-party agencies like Jerry — which creates a disconnect where no one takes full responsibility. Their customer service is largely outsourced; when you call, you’re likely speaking with a foreign call center agent reading off a script, with little to no power to escalate or fix anything. Then Bristol West had the audacity to follow up with a survey asking how the conversation went — as if being passed around between Zeenier, Welakazi, and Phirdose wasn’t frustrating enough. Even simple requests like stopping an auto-draft become overly complicated, and it’s the customer who pays the price — both financially and emotionally.If you value accurate billing, honest communication, and customer support that actually supports you, look elsewhere. Bristol West may market itself as a reliable insurer, but behind the curtain, it’s a disorganized mess that treats paying customers like afterthoughts.Bristol West claims “it all started in Florida in 1973,” but what they fail to mention is that today, when you need real help, you’re rerouted to foreign call centers and given robotic responses. The service is cold, dismissive, and overpriced for what you actually receive. As Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” Bristol West clearly hasn’t — and their reputation is suffering for it!
Tisha Fernandez
I had an awful experience with this…
I had an awful experience with this company. Their customer service is extremely poor, and I strongly advise others to stay away. I am canceling my insurance policy with them.
Vas Nallan
If I could give it zero Stars I would
If I could give it zero Stars I would. They told me I needed fr44 Insurance when I didn't, they overcharged me twice as much as the next insurance company for shit I didn't need. They don't answer their phone literally ever. And their chat Windows close on you leaving you having to go back and forth with their chat reps and starting over and over. Essentially just thieves to get your blood boiling.
Brian Brecht
My insurance rates doubled, hidden fees, dishonest company
My insurance rates doubled, DOUBLED after 2 years for a car that has no accidents/tickets and maybe is driven 500 miles a year. I always pay the policy upfront so am never behind on payments, before my next policy term started I cancelled Bristol West and found a new insurance that was less than half of what BW wanted. I cancelled my insurance with BW 10 days before autorenewal would kick in, had a zero balance owed and thought that was the end of it. 2 months later I find out that BW sent me to collections over an early cancellation fee that wasn't disclosed to me at any time (had I known I would have just let the policy expire but was worried they would charge me for autorenewal ). Customer service is out of country and doesn't give a rip about ex-policy holders, they know no one comes back to Bristol West after experiencing Bristol West "customer service" so no chance of getting hidden penalty fees waived. I told them that cancellation fees were not disclosed on the website when I was cancelling the policy, in fact the website told me I was going to get a refund for early cancellation and they blamed the insurance agent for not telling me a few years prior. I asked them to show me where cancellation fees are disclosed and they made up a phony legal reference justifying their ability to add undisclosed fees for residents of California, I asked for that in writing and they refused, they said "google 00822" as if that means anything (I did search for CA legal statutes with the phony number they provided and unsurprisingly it did not exist). Bristol West is worse than just an expensive insurance company with poor service, they are crooked and disrespectful, avoid Bristol West at all cost, they will lie, cheat and steal from you.
Lawrence Madsen
Be Aware of Bristol West Insurance
OMG! I've had Bristol West/farmers over a year and I'm so very unhappy! I blame myself for not leaving earlier but was ill. I'm not ill now. I noticed they debit my account 2x's In March..3rd & 31st! In April I get a notice of cancellation...On top of that, I panicked and pd$200.00 and realized I don't owe the, "anything" for payments! I'm really, "over paid' with the additional money I sent when I got the, "incorrect " notice! I was told by billing to send statements showing where, "two" payments where taken out in March and I wasn't, "behind" on payments! Public, be aware, read your bills and address issues! I will have no more dealings with Bristol West, once this is resolved! Oh, I have all emails and documents to support how they lack in, dignity! THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT!!!...FYI, I have no speeding tickets or dui's ....Not worth it, public!!
Christina Edwards
