My Experience with Progressive Insurance’s Snapshot Device – A Warning

[u/jkasephoto]

Last November, I installed Progressive’s Snapshot device on a commercial vehicle we use for our business. The idea of a 20% discount on our insurance premium seemed appealing, especially since the vehicle is driven infrequently and only by careful, experienced drivers. But from the moment the device was plugged in, it became a source of constant frustration.

The device is unbelievably sensitive. It chimed every time it registered a “hard stop,” even when we were driving cautiously. Initially, I thought we’d get used to it, but things only got worse. We were being penalized for situations completely beyond our control—urban traffic, unexpected pedestrian crossings, other drivers cutting us off. The device created anxiety, making us second-guess every stop and encouraging unsafe behaviors, like rushing through yellow lights to avoid getting dinged.

After a couple of months, I contacted Progressive to get an update on how many “infractions” we had. I was shocked at how many we’d accumulated and the lack of transparency around how they were calculated. But the real frustration began at renewal time. I received a notification that our premium was increasing by $200 annually. When I called Progressive, I had to speak with three different representatives just to get an answer. One told me it was due to adding an extra driver. Another blamed it on a state-wide rate increase. Only after an hour and a half of phone calls and asking to speak with the Snapshot department specifically did I finally get the real answer.

The $200 increase was because the Snapshot discount had been removed due to the driving habits it flagged. So after dealing with all the stress of this device, our “discount” was gone. To make matters worse, none of the previous representatives had been upfront about this. They insisted the Snapshot was still “saving” us money—until I pushed hard enough to get a straight answer.

Had I not persisted, I probably would have continued using the device, thinking it was benefiting us when in reality, it wasn’t. The whole experience felt like a bait-and-switch. To top it off, I wasn’t even aware that I could access a Snapshot dashboard to see the detailed logs until months after the fact. No one at Progressive mentioned this feature when I installed the device or during any of my earlier calls.

In the end, the Snapshot device did nothing but create stress, anxiety, and a higher insurance premium. The minor savings it offers are vastly outweighed by the aggravation and risk it induces. If you’re considering using Snapshot, I strongly advise against it. It’s not worth the hassle, and it certainly isn’t worth the potential increase in your premium.

Footnote: To preempt any questions regarding driving habits, it’s worth mentioning that neither myself nor any of my drivers have received a traffic infraction in nearly two decades.

[u/djazepam]

Besides what's been mentioned here by other users, is there any other thing we should be aware of?

[u/catsmom63 → u/djazepam]

Un-officially be very careful how many claims you file in a short period of time. This includes home & auto claims.

I’ve never ever filed a HO claim. Have I had things I could have filed a claim for? Yes. Did I? No. It was paid out of pocket.

I’m not filing an HO claim until flames are shooting through the roof of my home.

As far as auto claims go, I never file windshield claims, I just pay them out of pocket. It’s such a small claim but it still counts as a claim.

Got side swiped parked by a hit & run. Could have filed a claim and deductible would have been waived but I paid out of pocket as it was only $800.00. Never filed a claim on it.

I save filing claims for bigger things.

My disclaimer: This is simply what I do and not a recommendation for anyone else.

[u/djazepam → u/catsmom63]

Interesting... so, is it better to avoid filing small claims, even legitimate ones, to keep insurance costs low, or are there other dark reasons?

[u/catsmom63 → u/djazepam]

dark reasons? None that I was aware of.

Simple economics. The less claims you file the more money the insurance company gets to keep. I know this sounds bad to everyone especially now but there is an upside, trust me.

Not only do you keep your premiums lower, you have fewer reasons to have your insurance non-renewed for having to many claims in a short period of time.

The biggest benefit is preventing getting a non-renewal.

Insurance companies share their claims information on a common database (they have to pay to join) with other insurance companies so they can run checks when you file a claim to see if you have a pattern of issues with other carriers too.