Frankenmuth Auto Insurance Review

Company Background Information

Frankenmuth Insurance was founded in 1921 in Frankenmuth, Michigan with 23 stockholders, and in 1922 the company began operations with the minimum required 200 subscribers. In 1958 Frankenmuth Insurance became the second largest insurance company in Michigan with 16,000 policy holders, and in the 90s the company expanded to seven states and increased its revenue to around $300 million. In 2007 Frankenmuth was merged with Patriot Insurance to expand its insurance market to the East Coast.

The company presently has over 700 employees and 500 agencies sell its insurance in 16 states. A.M. Best has awarded the company with an A (Excellent) rating and a credit rating of “a+” with a stable outlook due to the company’s strong market presence in the regions where it sells its insurance and history of profitability.

Pros of Frankenmuth Auto Insurance

• A well-established financially stable insurance company
• Multiple coverage options

Cons of Frankenmuth Auto Insurance

• A lack of third party customer support reviews
• Several consumer complaints regarding various business practices

Types of Insurance Offered

Frankenmuth sells both personal and commercial insurance lines. The personal insurance lines include: home, auto, boat and sport vehicle, collectible car, umbrella and personal marine insurance. Life insurance is sold through Patriot Life. Various commercial insurance lines are offered such as business owners insurance among others.

Frankenmuth sells the minimum auto coverage required by Michigan state law as well as the other states where it sells insurance including: personal injury protection, personal property protection, bodily injury, uninsured/underinsured motorist, comprehensive, and collision coverage. In addition to these coverage options, Frankenmuth offers these forms of coverage:

• Excess electronic equipment – this covers the cost of non-factory electronic equipment installed in a vehicle up to $1,000 such as navigation systems, stereos, televisions, radios, scanners, phones and other devices.
• Extended non-owned liability – for drivers of an employer issued vehicle who need additional bodily injury and property damage liability .coverage.
• Named non-owned liability – for drivers who need coverage on a vehicle that they drive but do not own.
• GAP coverage – covers the difference between the cash value of a vehicle and the amount remaining on a loan or lease. This can only be added to comprehensive coverage and only applies if the vehicle is totaled in an accident.
• Towing and labor – covers the cost of towing a vehicle after an accident and any related labor costs.

Customer Reviews

Many customer reviews of Frankenmuth are negative with the majority of complaints regarding their delays when handling claims, difficulties with adjusters disputing claims, increases in premiums, refusal to pay certain accident related costs, and lower than expected claims payouts. The number of complaints is substantial for a company of Frankenmuth’s size. Without reviews from independent organizations there is not much to refute these customer claims, although the company still seems to be doing well financially as reported by A.M. Best.

Recommendations

Frankenmuth Insurance is known as a financially stable insurance company and offers several coverage options. However, with the lack of third party independent review information regarding their customer support practices, new insurance seekers should probably get their first quotes from insurers that have better reviews. Frankenmuth’s auto insurance rates are worth a look at the very least, and if you are interested in a new policy or getting a better rate on your current policy, you can get quotes from multiple providers by entering your zip code on this page.

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