For Immediate Release
Contact: Cindy Gittelsohn
Michelle Mandara
Jericho Communications
212-645-6900
AGENTS SHORT ON TIME GET RELIEF FROM
PROGRESSIVE CLAIMS PROCESS INNOVATION
“We’ll Take Care of Everything” Approach to Auto Repair
Gives Agents Less to Worry About After Customers Have Accidents

MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio (January 12, 2004)—An agent can spend a lot of time following the progress of a claim for a customer. There’s the back and forth with the customer, the insurance company, and perhaps a rental car company. Now imagine it’s all taken care of for the agent. Sound too good to be true? It’s not.

The Progressive group of insurance companies (NYSE:PGR) has become the first in the industry to take responsibility for the entire vehicle repair claims process and provide agents and customers with a simpler way of getting cars fixed following an accident. In 17 markets across the country, drivers have the option to manage the auto repair process themselves or have Progressive claim representatives and hand-selected auto body repair shops manage it on their behalf.

Claims Service Center process:

--The customer calls 1-800-PROGRESSIVE to report the claim, any time of the day or night, and brings the vehicle to the new center. The centers are conveniently located for most of the Company’s area customers.
--At the claims center, the customer drops off the car, picks up a rental vehicle and leaves.
--A Progressive claims representative prepares a repair estimate and selects a repair shop that has met strict quality requirements.
--The vehicle is transported to the shop and the repairs start. The customer is kept informed of the status of the repair throughout the process.
--When the work is finished, the vehicle is transported back to the Progressive claims center.
--A Progressive claims representative and a shop representative inspect the quality of repairs and the customer is notified.
--The customer and claims representative inspect the vehicle together and the customer drives off knowing the repairs are guaranteed by the shop and Progressive for as long as the customer owns the vehicle.

"The Progressive Claims Service Center is one of a kind,” said Rick Goldberg of the Contemporary Insurance Agency in Monroeville, Pa. “It's the future of claims service. It saves the customer and the agent time. There are fewer follow up calls to make, and a lot less follow up work.”

Goldberg said: “When a claim is handled well, and quickly, your customer doesn't want to switch companies at renewal. Even prior to this, Progressive had an excellent claims department. They're only making themselves stronger now.”

“It used to be that our involvement in the claims process was pretty limited after we wrote the check,” said Brian Passell, claims group president for Progressive. “But when we saw that consumers and agents were still having to deal with issues around the repair process, we asked ourselves, ‘can’t we do more?’ and we changed everything.”

"The Progressive Claims Service Center worked out well for me as an agent, and for my son [who had a claim with Progressive],” said Sandra Nelson of the Daly Merritt insurance company in Wyandotte, Mich. “The Progressive claims rep called us every step of the way, letting us know the schedule and the appraisal, and even called half-way through the claim to ask if we had any questions. To me, that’s unheard of. As an agent, the centers are going to save me time returning calls because my customers won’t have to worry about the way their claim is handled, or who they should they talk to."

Progressive tested the concept in seven markets before it announced its national rollout on April 8, 2003. Existing test sites included Cleveland, Ohio, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pa., Virginia Beach, Va., Orlando, Fla., New Orleans, La, and Phoenix (Tempe), Ariz.

In 2003, Progressive opened facilities in Columbus, Ohio, two in Atlanta Ga., Washington, D.C., Richmond, Va., Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla., Dallas, Texas, two in Houston, Texas, Indianapolis, Ind., and Detroit, Mich. Progressive has plans to continue rolling our more sites in 2004.

The Progressive group of insurance companies, in business since 1937, ranks third in the nation for auto insurance, is the largest writer of motorcycle insurance in the US, and also provides RV, ATV, boat, personal watercraft and commercial vehicle insurance. The company offers insurance through more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies throughout the US. In November 2002, Progressive was hailed by Fast Company magazine as ‘a master of operational innovation’ and in February 2003 the Company was selected as one of the magazine’s prestigious ‘Fast 50 Champions of Innovation.’ And, according to the March 12, 2003 edition of The Investor’s Business Daily, ‘While claims processing is core to all insurance companies, it's a standout for Progressive, which has used its skill in that function to become one of the most profitable firms in the industry…’ Authorized agents can login to Progressive’s agent-dedicated Web site, ForAgentsOnly.com (FAO), to access customer policies, state and countrywide news, and other interactive features.