Elephant Insurance is mainly an auto insurance company that operates out of Virginia and provides auto insurance to a handful of states. They hold a strong presence when it comes to financial offerings but what about their customer interactions?
Elephant overview
Elephant was founded in 2009 and has since grown into a rather competitive auto insurer. They are a subsidiary of Admiral Group which is a company with over 20 years experience and a presence in seven countries around the world. Admiral Group is the third-largest auto insurance provider in the United Kingdom, Elephant has used this position to branch off into the United States and Canada.
Elephant is located in Henrico, Virginia. They provide auto insurance to Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois. Elephant does provide homeowners and liability coverage, but they mostly work with insurance companies like Homesite or Dairyland to provide the bulk of their homeowners insurance policies. Elephant offers discounts for bundling your auto insurance with a homeowners policy from their partner companies as well as purchasing a homeowners policy directly from them.
As a younger company, Elephant has attempted to establish more of an online existence by providing services through their website and offering additional discounts. Claims can be filed online as well as searching for quotes about a possible repair. You can still contact them via phone, fax, email, or in person, but they recommend an online interaction.
Elephant’s whole idea is that the customer is part of the “herd” and they will take care of the herd at all costs, just as with Elephants. Because of this, Elephant likes to pride themselves on quick and easy customer interactions that make the customer feel part of the family. Financially, Elephant seems to offer some rather compelling and better than average policies for a company so young. The customer satisfaction ratings, however, seem to be lacking and in need of addressing.
Home Insurance: Coverage Options And Discounts
Elephant homeowners insurance offers a replacement cost policy. This means that your policy is able to cover up to 100% of the cost to completely repair or replace your home and your belongings. Insurance companies of the size of Elephant typically don’t offer a replacement cost policy so this shows their growth and ability. Elephant homeowners insurance seems to be rather comprehensive and protects clients from your basic array of risks. They do offer homeowners insurance through partner companies, but the homeowners policy they have developed seems to be growing in trust.
Elephant offers a broad list of added benefit options anywhere from security installation discounts to good student discounts. By bundling an auto insurance policy with a homeowners policy from an approved company like Homesite, or through their own homeowners insurance, Elephant might offer you a discount up to 9%. A 15% discount might be offered for submitting a claim online, again advancing their stance on having an online presence.
Homesite, the company which Elephant partners with to offer quotes on homeowners insurance, seems to be rather reputable. They are an industry leader when it comes to offering home insurance quotes and reviews of the company support Elephant’s choice to partner through them. Homesite’s policies cover basic home protection, property loss, and liability coverage. Homesite and Elephant offer the replacement cost policy mentioned before. The replacement cost is the total amount it would take to rebuild your home – tools, materials, labor, etc.
Homesite also offers renters, condo, and umbrella insurance plans to protect their clients from all sorts of risks. Each of the above mentioned policies covers your average amount when compared to other companies, but for a provider the size of Elephant, that’s rather impressive. Their umbrella plan offers extended liability protection from all sorts of situations along with legal advice on how to proceed with a lawsuit.
Financial strength – Rates and Claims
As aforementioned, Elephant offers some compelling and enticing rates to their policies. A number of discounts are offered to loyal customers or safe drivers as well as for higher premium policies. The insurance premiums seem to be on par with other insurance companies offering liability-only coverage at around $97 a month. The company claims to offer a base policy of about $12 but that will go up with added benefits.
Elephant processes claims mostly online through their website, but will also take phone calls, faxes, emails, etc. Offering a roadside assistance program similar to Uber, Elephant will be able to service you and repair your car right there as needed. Their claims process is relatively easy to follow and provides simple instructions on what to expect.
Consumer reviews
Many consumers seem to have a decently negative opinion on Elephant for a company this small and young. Customers claim that the claims process is slow and often unresponsive to their inquiries leaving them without assistance. Some customers are upset by their lack of responsiveness to their complaints as Elephant doesn’t respond to online issues despite being an online company.
Customers are displeased by their lack of reliance when it comes to servicing a claim and the amount of time it takes them to respond. They seem to be lacking in their promise to treat customers as “part of the herd.”
Despite the negative reviews on sites like Yelp, Elephant retains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. They seem to be doing things right when it comes to the business aspect but lacking in the customer service category.
Pros and Cons
PROS
The pros of Elephant are related to its rates and financial strength. Elephant offers its customers quality service for relatively cheap premiums and a plethora of discounts and opportunities for more bang for your buck.
The homeowners insurance that Elephant offers seems to be comprehensive and covers a lot of situations. Their partnership with Homesite is a benefit to any customers as well since Homesite is a reputable and trustworthy lender. If you’re looking for a young insurance company who offers quality protection for almost any situation with a good reputation, Elephant might be your go-to.
CONS
The cons of Elephant Insurance seem to be its responsiveness and reliance when it comes to servicing claims. Many customers feel the company lacks in actually providing the services they promise when it comes down to the situation.
