For Consumers

Things to consider when looking at a company's complaint

Factors to consider when comparing complaints and shopping for insurance

  • A complaint means someone disagreed with something the company did or didn't do. It doesn’t necessarily mean the company did anything wrong. Check into the outcome of a complaint to find out what actions our office took.
  • A company may be new to the state and not have any records to compare.
  • The volume of complaints may reflect the size of the company. You can find market share information when using the Office of the Insurance Commissioner's company lookup tool.
  • In general, are the complaints against the company for the same reason? For example, are most are regarding claim denials? Most companies have a wide variety of complaints, so complaints about the same issue could be a red flag.
  • What type of coverage is the complaints about? For example, when looking at auto complaints, check to see if the complaint was submitted for private passenger or commercial auto coverage.
  • Has the company broken any state insurance laws in the past two years?
  • Is the company authorized to sell insurance in Washington state?