Allstate

As the second largest house insurance company in the nation, Allstate is a major player in the insurance industry. Considering that a quarter of their business comes from home insurance, you could definitely say the company has a vested interest in maintaining a quality product. Founded in 1931, Allstate has come a long way and has firmly entrenched itself as one of the top insurance providers in the nation.

Company Information

Originally part of Sears Roebuck, Allstate eventually became independent in the 1980’s. Currently, the company is providing insurance products to more than 17 million households in every state and it employs nearly 15,000 agents and financial specialists. According to current numbers, Allstate is ranked second in home insurance market share, only behind State Farm. Aside from house insurance, Allstate also offers auto, life, and health insurance. Though this review will focus on home insurance, we can attest to the quality of Allstate’s other types of insurance as well.

Customer Service

With an extremely large network of insurance agents, you can get personalized customer service from Allstate just about anywhere in the country. Is the company putting quantity above quality though? One recent survey suggests that Allstate provides less than stellar customer service during the home insurance claims process. Nearly half of the policy owners surveyed also stated that they would not renew their policies with the company. Despite these results, anecdotal online reviews from current customers tell a different story. While several customer reviews claim they received poor service and went through a difficult claims process, there are a number of positive reviews out there as well.

Online

Thanks to a fairly clean and simple layout, the official Allstate website appears to be in good hands. For new customers, it allows you to purchase home insurance directly from the site and even receive quotes. Should you need help with the process, the website even offers to have a local agent contact you for personal assistance. There’s also several helpful tools for home insurance buyers, such as software for creating a home inventory and a service that shows you the most common types of claims in your area. Current policyowners can file claims through the website, as well as check their status. Compared to many of the other major insurance providers, Allstate’s website clearly ranks as one of the best.

Bottom Line

With their long history of quality service and great online interface, Allstate has proven to be a dependable home insurance provider. Although prices are always changing, current Allstate house insurance rates are extremely competitive and are often the lowest available. If the recent survey is any indication, one area the company may be able to improve in is it’s customer service, though our anecdotal evidence may suggest otherwise. Bottom line - if you’re looking to purchase home insurance online through a dependable provider at a reasonable rate, we think Allstate would make an excellent choice.