Have You Ever Been Dropped By a Company?

As a genre, Personal Finance sites spend lots of time discussing and reviewing the best companies to enter into contracts with, and the best companies to do business with.  There is also no shortage of reviews on companies which don’t live up to those same standards.  One thing we don’t tend to touch?  Companies which don’t want to do business with us.

My Story

3 years after this web site and I can finally share my tale.  I’ve been a customer of Progressive Insurance since 2008 when an unfortunate incident with a red light drove up my car insurance premium at my old company.  A happy customer I was – I had a few incidents with people breaking into my soft top convertible, and Progressive was always quick and businesslike with claims.  I had a very good experience with Progressive on the automotive side.

You may recall that we bought our current home last year.  I didn’t bother to shop around for home insurance – I used the discount provided by doubling up on Progressive policies and went with Progressive Home Advantage on that front – underwritten by a partner firm, Homesite.  No qualms with that process – they stacked discounts for us being loyal customers, some of our home features (and the neighborhood) and other nice touches.

So, what blew up this seemingly dreamy relationship?  Look to your right and you’ll see – that’s our dog, Camo(“uflage”), the American Staffordshire Terrier.

So, you’ve probably heard that a “Pit Bull” is a type of dog.  Descendant from English Bulldogs and Terriers, Pit Bulls include the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Bulldog, the Boxer, and yes, the American Pit Bull Terrier (the dog most commonly coming to mind upon thinking of ‘pit bulls’).  They are also ‘cousins’ with other breeds known as bully breeds – Boston Terriers, Bullmastiffs, and Bull Terriers (the Target Dog) among others.

Anyway, apparently many home insurance companies have a discrimination clause against members of the Bully family, and also a number of other dogs – a list which probably includes even the German Shepard.  Long story short: when Progressive found out I had one of these supposedly dangerous animals in my house?  I was suddenly un-insurable, from their perspective.  Mind you – this is for dogs without any history of aggression, and even mixed.  (Look at Camo – he’s definitely got some hound in his ears).

Long story short, I’m now with Farmers, and now you know why I switched (and yes, thanks for asking: it is cheaper, overall, and the transition was great).

Ever Been Dropped By a Company?

I’m not one to dictate to a company what it’s policy should be, but let’s be serious – the majority of any of these breeds are gentle unless provoked, assuming they have the right owners.  A bad dog is often the symptom of either trauma or a bad master – assuming a dog is bad because of its breed?  Silliness.  Regardless, I’ve now switched.

So – tell me, have you ever been dropped by a company… especially for something (in your opinion!) arbitrary?  I want to hear about it… sound off in the comments!