NC woman says the Safe Driver App is costing her money

'Something is messing with my discount!' NC woman says the Safe Driver App is costing her money. The speed limit changed on the road she drives every day, but the app didn't update the info so the app thinks she's speeding.
Shanna called the number on the app to report it and she says she called her local agent too. So far, the app info hasn't changed and her bill is not back to normal.
2 Wants To Know contacted State Farm to see what was going on and why this app was costing her money instead of saving her money.
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[@davebrogan7941]

I’ve been with State Farm for over 30 years - never had an accident and no speeding tickets. I gave the DSS program a try and I’m thoroughly disappointed. For the first 6 months, my scores have been between 90-100%. I got a $180 discount, but my base premium increased by $150! So, ultimately my bill is now $180-$150=$30 cheaper! Seems like a shell game and a scam to me. So now I’m being invasively tracked and my bill has only decreased by $30. I feel like a sucker for enrolling in DSS.

[@timothyjohnson6258]

Like a "good" neighbor State Farm is there!! What a load of crap!! If they don't get you upfront, and they will definitely try, they will play games with you. They will do the usual BS campaign with outdated statistics and blame it on bad drivers from other parts of the country. They will blame the pandemic which, for all intents purposes, was over 2 years ago. They will unabashedly lie to you. Who needs neighbors like that? I would definitely be finding a better neighborhood to do business in. It's all done with sleight of hand and wordplay. GREED! It's the American way. State Farm is the crack house on the corner.

[@Invertedworldx]

TOTAL Scam, total scam. Logically it's all a scam. I'm attempting to debate the app again but everytime i consider it i'm ohh this is why i didn't sign up for it cause you're scamming me indefinitely meanwhile still scamming me on my overall policy. So sign up for chump change Orwellian discounts yah idk.

[@mitchdogstudios]

I think it's all a gimmick so they use the data against you in a claim

[@JRETCH0218]

Can we stop after enrolling?

[@abandonedcranium6592]

When I first got the device I was paying ~$60/month. I have full coverage and maximum liability coverage. I never drive more than about 7,500 miles/year. But...I've been unemployed for the last 5 months and I'm not really driving anywhere except to the grocery store. So at most I've been driving 80 miles/month. Now I'm paying $100-110/month for my insurance. It's some kind of scam. They apply a discount but AT THE SAME TIME they increase your base rates, so you aren't really saving anything. Anyone who has only had the device for a few months and says it's worth it.... they are in for a rude awakening. Use it for more than 18 months and then tell us your opinions 😂

[@Naturegirl1976]

I got rid of mine. It always says I'm hard breaking even when I wasn't.

[@EfrainQuezada]

I wonder how many roads are not updated because state farm knowingly keeps old records to deny drivers discounts.

[@Quintos.]

I feel sorry for anybody who has State farm they're the worst company ever as long as you're not having accidents and paying their rate they're fine as soon as you need a claim you'll get treated like crap and they won't pay

[@samuelbeatsminecraft2049]

@@Quintos. any statefarm alternatives?

[@lachlanhudson7404]

@@Quintos. Sorry you had a bad experience. Everyone I have talked to has loved state farm. The two claims I put in were handled immediately (no fault claims/ accidental uninsured driver). Heck, State Farm came to my parents how to inspect their roof after a hail storm 6 years ago, because they got reports of it and wanted to take care of the roofs they covered, and this was before my parents knew the extent of the damage. They ended up putting a new roof on the house through state farm. I met a government employee whose parents lived in Paradise during the california wildfire, they have all state and haven't gotten their insurance money in 5 years. Their neighbors with state farm got the money as soon as the cause of the wildfire was investigated and confirmed. My and others experience show that State Farm often will pay out sooner than other companies. You just need good proof of what has happened, just like any other insurance claim. Once fraud is out of the picture, state farm is great. (If you are insuring cars, go and look at any reddit post of forum and see how annoyed drivers are with all state, progressive, and geico. Those companies are literally hated, because they don't value the car community and have terrible customer service ratings in auto related incidents)

[@constructiongeek4361]

The app is junk. I get dinged for excessive cornering, fast acceleration, all sorts of stuff, just backing out of my drive way and leaving my neighborhood. It's due to the grade changes of the asphalt, the little gyroscope inside the beacon swings as my car adjusts to the slope change, and it wrongly thinks I just punched it in reverse from 1mph to 50mph or something. It's really annoying and has wiped out half my potential discount. The constant speeding dings as well, with the wrong speed limit being recorded is insane. I don't have an hour to sit on the phone everytime I get dinged for speeding and the limit in the app is wrong. That requires me to email in a geotagged photo of the speed limit sign change... how can I do that, when I can't use my phone while driving, and I don't know where the wrong zones are until I'm at the end of my trip? Good idea, bad implementation. Zero chance there's a "discount" they're just raising the rates for everyone and selling your data and giving you some of the cash back for participation.

[@deadpoolongoogle9682]

Yeah it's bullshit 😂😂😂

[@JRETCH0218]

Can I get rid of it while I'm still enrolled?

[@mitercut]

I'm saving big time with this. At first it was tough but when I found out they give you an 8 mph over the posted limit buffer, all was good. My only complaint, getting an "event" when braking for the many dogs, cats, students, bikes, and bad drivers running stop lights and signs in town. My current discount is $121.65!

[@alanbluhm3461]

I love State Farm and my agent. I've never had a problem with them. I've saved a fortune in payments due to my safe driving record. I've looked around at other rates, not even worth my time anymore.😀

[@Notfiveo0]

Try using the new adaptive cruise control on your car, the app hates the way it controls your car and will bring down your score a lot.

[@scottsharp3356]

I pay 71:00 with Progressive. They used a bait n switch. Be prepared, they’ll get ya

[@ahmadsiyar4148]

People just stop using it instead of complaining, that's what I did. State Farm as an aggressive financial institution is not your friend to give you a free device so you pay them less. They just fork out penny with every press on gas or brake. Doesn't make sense to let a stranger put an ankle monitor and follow you every step of the way for a few bucks.

[@kokolovitch56]

I’ve used this for 2 years. If you go even 2 or 3 miles too fast for too long, you will get penalized. Braking hard, definitely penalized. Moderate hard braking, penalized. Because how easy it is to get penalized, I don’t use it everywhere I go, only late at night when traffic is light and I'm going to work.

[@Dolphins-are-Stinkyfish]

This may have been the case some time ago, but now they give you a buffer of 9 mph. I always set my cruse to 8 over the limit, and when going down a hill I sometimes hit 10 to 11 over briefly. It NEVER penalizes me if I decrease in speed. I do agree with you on breaking. Cornering is also pretty sensitive. I live in a rural part of Indiana, so I always disconnect when traveling on the back roads. Everyone travels 45 - 60 on some of those roads that are marked 30/35, and I don't want a line of pissed off neighbors behind me.

[@OrianaMalina]

I didn’t realize I was “allowed” to disconnect. How do you do it? Just log out of the app or leave the beacon in a garage?

[@kokolovitch56]

@@OrianaMalina I just shut off my Bluetooth on my phone when I don't want the beacon to track me.

[@OrianaMalina]

@@kokolovitch56 thank you for replying and letting me know! I greatly appreciate it! I have the condition known as “need for speed”. That darn device is stressing me out:) once in a while I’ll have to turn it off and now I know how. Thank you!

[@elizabetha.torres4294]

How do you use only at night to not track your other driving trips?

[@1dontknow4321]

I live in a tiny dead end wooded road. No traffic. You have to slam on brakes because squirrels constantly running across rd. I decided saving a couple of bucks wasn’t worth murdering 30 squirrels.

[@billyn9580]

I don't stop for squirrels just another speed bump. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@BoxCarBoy12]

Really lol? Not saying you should use the program, but squirrels are pests and hitting them won't damage your car. Only risk is the app mistaking the bump from a squirrel hit as hard braking event

[@synopticfixes6213]

Can’t do 55 on Memphis freeways unless you want to get run over and make yourself the hazard. Everyone goes 70+ in a 55. Not enforced at all. Even police pass me and everyone else at 70 when posted speed limit is 55. This won’t work in Memphis

[@sharonloranger9614]

It's not the thing to have given some daily driving situations. I'm retired so not really in a hurry...it's the other people I share the roads with...in FL. Lord help us there

[@Momzie808]

I’m curious as what if you left your phone at home along with that monitoring button. Would they still know your car is being used?!?

[@noteasybeingweezy]

No. It won't record for that trip.

[@PriceWordplay]

Yes its the feds

[@scottsharp3356]

RIPPPPP OFFFFFF! First the bait, oh, $80 a month. Cool! Didn’t install timely even tho truck wasn’t driven. Goes to 157.00. I install, my discount, 42:00, put me at 118.00. Huh? Oh I failed to take some test, not mentioned, and other crap. It’s too stupid! I got a policy from Progressive for 71:00

[@diontaedaughtry974]

Thank you was very helpful and informative 👍👍

[@99shadows66]

Why do these apps calculate the regenerative braking of a hybrid car as "hard braking" and don't use your cruise control as it will calculate it as "high speed" when you are on a downward slope on the highway. I have been driving at posted speed limits (driving like my grandma), and people have honked and or given me the middle finger salute because I am actually impeding traffic flow. The developers of this app need to fix these issues as I have done everything I can to keep the hard braking from not being registered and it continues to happen. When I drive my gas-only powered gas guzzler the app doesn't record any events. I have stopped using my cruise control to avoid the high-speed events from being registered. Same driver, same roads, same driving styles, two types of vehicles equals two very different results.

[@Quintos.]

Yeah you're supposed to stay with the flow of traffic this is dangerous practice even the driver's test ask the question if you're driving in a 65 in the flow of traffic is doing 75 you're supposed to do 75 stay with the flow of traffic if you're not then you are endangering everyone insurance companies are crooked as hell State farm is the worst of them all

[@Quintos.]

Yeah you're supposed to stay with the flow of traffic this is dangerous practice even the driver's test ask the question if you're driving in a 65 in the flow of traffic is doing 75 you're supposed to do 75 stay with the flow of traffic if you're not then you are endangering everyone insurance companies are crooked as hell State farm is the worst of them all

[@1dontknow4321]

You would thing being 60 with never in my life a traffic ticket or car accident would give me this discount, but no.

[@joepaul1763]

@statefarm where y’all at in this ?

[@NYLI11]

They totally lie about how you drive. Such a scam. I just now noticed it says I drive one way but it’s all lies. Unbelievable.

[@sharonloranger9614]

I've had this for 2 years. The upcoming savings will be a $5 savings from last 6 months...$222. I'm registered and drive in FL. Enuf said right there. Bad, uninsured, unlicensed and unregistered drivers 🙄. My renewal went up $50..... This enrollment is not for commuters. It gets me on braking but your driving habit brings score back up to 100%. I'm never in a hurry, leave room between me and the car in front but FL DRIVERS!!!!! I've had to get a new season. Told they only last around a year. Overall have no problem with DSS

[@sunshine1450]

Over $25 dollars? It’s not worth anyone tracking you

[@sharonloranger9614]

This next I'm saving over $200.

[@Mystery322]

Sometime you have to speed to get in freeway speacily TX most drivers are ridiculously stupid. Even that it keep saying I speed . I speed one’s up to 89 cause there was crash behind me I was basically trying to get away it’s been 14 days still on the app . I hate it And also I have auto brake on my car which does hard brake . But if someone jums front of me my car hard breaks before I do sometime . So consider this is my second month ans I’m done with it

[@Mystery322]

It’s so stupid I was in the car with someone cause they hard brake few times it’s shows my app I wasn’t even driving ans it wasn’t even my car it was rental but I connected the phone for free hand . This app even ur Passenger it does effect you. I will be shopping around this week . I miss GEICO

[@patvandyke5357]

I have had beacon installed 3 times due to st farm saying it wasn't tracking,therefore no discount.I received discount 1time in over a year. I don't drive much at all ,I ride with my daughters most all the time,I even called in my milage to make sure they had it,still no discount.I quit bothering with it.flusterating and don't expect to get discount for having the beacon installed,st farm can just say sorry you didn't qualify thus mo.

[@cosentinocosentino4731]

The parameters set by the app are unbelievably low....take cornering for example....you get "dinged" for taking a corner greater than 20 mph.....you complain....they have no intention of updating some of their low parameters..they do nothing......bad pr

[@abandonedcranium6592]

That's what my issue has been. False detection of hard cornering and braking. I'm going to stop using mine real soon.

[@wannabe181]

I did not want to install this but my insurance agent had went ahead and put it on our account so I could get a discount so I had no choice but they told me that it would not negatively impact me so it would never make my insurance go up it would only make it go down

[@Knowthyself_92]

Me to I’m about to to put it in my car how was it for you so far?

[@wannabe181]

@@Knowthyself_92 it's not bad but I still can't stand the fact it's like LoJack and it says you hard break even when you don't. I think it's stressful for others to because I would bitch about losing points all the time. I installed it and the uninstalled the app so I wouldn't worry about it lol honestly Idek if it is still working. My agent said to link it to my phone the one time and I could trash the app if it was to big for my phone so yeah that's what I did. I've heard it's a way for law enforcement to get you for every little thing because you give them permission to do whatever with your info.

[@jamesz.williams8746]

I told my insurance agent I didn’t want one when I signed up for State Farm, he sent one anyway. I live in a South Carolina preferably Columbia where we have some of the worst drivers. You have to be defensive.

[@lachlanhudson7404]

@@Knowthyself_92 I just got it and I've only had 1 event in 2 weeks of driving. While at night in an area I had never been, I almost missed a turn onto an on ramp, so I took the turn a bit faster than I would and even while doing it, I knew it would ding me for it. But I am also a very safe driver, no tickets, no accidents, no issues. I changed nothing about my driving except my speed (must stay below 8mph above posted limit to avoid a ding). So it hasn't been stressful at all to me. The people that complain that they have to think about it all the time are the reasons we have so many accidents in the first place. You shouldn't all of a sudden need to think "oh, I can't tailgate anymore, because I may need to brake hard and then it would ding me." You should have been thinking "I don't want to tailgate, because it increases my risk of rear ending someone." This app just pushes your driving characteristics to your primary consciousness. If you don't want to be challenged, don't get it lmaoooo.

[@dmariewalker6880]

Until you have an accident and SF refuse to pay, saying it was your fault, via the app/beacon. Soon I’ll be leaving & will never sign up for something like this again.

[@joec.4238]

She's very conscious of her driving with one hand on the wheel while it's resting on her left thigh. 0:29

[@jrm2383]

Holly Hunter is doing news now?

[@MsLovemar]

Thieves !

[@abandonedcranium6592]

When I first got the device I was paying ~$60/month. I have full coverage and maximum liability coverage. I never drive more than about 7,500 miles/year. But...I've been unemployed for the last 5 months and I'm not really driving anywhere except to the grocery store. So at most I've been driving 80 miles/month. Now I'm paying $100-110/month for my insurance. It's some kind of scam. They apply a discount but AT THE SAME TIME they increase your base rates, so you aren't really saving anything. Anyone who has only had the device for a few months and says it's worth it.... they are in for a rude awakening. Use it for more than 18 months and then tell us your opinions 😂

[@deadpoolongoogle9682]

Hate to tell you this lady but they are going to raise your insurance no matter what you do!!!!!! State farm is money hungry all car insurance companies are money hungry 😂

[@marymayer4875]

I got nailed for a typo in reporting my mileage.

[@MsMajorjo]

How were your nailed? Did they increase your premium or just not give you as much discount with your drive safe and save?

[@marymayer4875]

@@MsMajorjo Increase in premium as tho I'd actually drive, 20,000 miles in a year over the 1000 I'd previously driven.

[@MsMajorjo]

@@marymayer4875 ok so explain what happened…. You reported 1,000 miles but drove 20,000? And they upped your premium…?

[@marymayer4875]

@@MsMajorjo For the first three years I drove maybe actually 500 miles the while year then made a typo with one wrong number in the 10,000 spot of the odometer which would say I had driven over 20,000 miles that year, which is an obvious error.

[@jimhunter4999]

HARTFORD uses my phone. I have an EV that has REGENERATIVE BRAKING and I get dinged for excessively hard braking when I let off the accelerator. (For example going around workers painting crosswalks; when I was only going 25 MPH in the first place.) We live in a hilly community, my wife gets dinged for accelerating her Subie Crosstrek uphill....

[@kay6257]

nonsense, why make your self a slave for a stupid insurance company because of a few dollars that is worth nothing

[@abandonedcranium6592]

When I first got the device I was paying ~$60/month. I have full coverage and maximum liability coverage. I never drive more than about 7,500 miles/year. But...I've been unemployed for the last 5 months and I'm not really driving anywhere except to the grocery store. So at most I've been driving 80 miles/month. Now I'm paying $100-110/month for my insurance. It's some kind of scam. They apply a discount but AT THE SAME TIME they increase your base rates, so you aren't really saving anything. Anyone who has only had the device for a few months and says it's worth it.... they are in for a rude awakening. Use it for more than 18 months and then tell us your opinions 😂

[@jasonhall4025]

Don't care about the tracking my every move. Go ahead. It saved me quite a bit at first, but then when we hit this premium increase it is using my "not so perfect" driving against me. I think they are using it to raise your rate as well if you don't score 100 on everything. It was giving me a $5 discount, but my rate went up $90 a month. I took it off and threw it in the trash. They're using it against you to raise your rate and then giving a $5 discount to say they're following the rules. BULL. Totally scamming people.

[@davidlow7217]

Invasion of your privacy

[@sharonloranger9614]

We invite that when we sign up for DSS

[@esquire9445]

It was difficult or impossible for this reporter to understand the only thing that app measures is hard turning or breaking. It’s the accelerometer in your phone.

[@shaunspellman2856]

Man I wish I was paying that little for insurance!!! I'm paying Quadrupal that amount!!

[@jefferyjones7765]

Dash cam

[@synopticfixes6213]

I’m dropping State farm because of this Communistic monitoring.

[@connoisseurkrvidoes]

spread this video rather a state farm customer or not

[@johnhudson3095]

yep! app doesn't take into account speed limit changes, along with all the idiots on the roads..etc good concept just doesn't adjust to real time traffic conditions.

[@Jotun87]

One step closer to a Social Credit system with this, I'll pass.

[@chriss4365]

What a scam.

[@danieljacob8897]

I would rather speed than save money.

[@sharonloranger9614]

You must have great cash flow! I'm in a very fixed income situation and started with this option cuz my increase in a 13 year old was creeping up there, dollar wise

[@Sayurilia]

It didn't cost her money. Overall, it still saved her money, just less money.

[@foysolahmed9856]

Hahahahahha

[@Quintos.]

You're supposed to stay with the flow of traffic this is it very dangerous practice if you're on the highway and everybody's doing 75 and the speed limit 65 and you're doing 65 well you're going to cause an accident this is stupid and dangerous

[@thesovereignspark]

lol what, how are you causing the accident. if the speed limit is 65 and others are going 75. those going 75 are causing the accident and are at fault per law.

[@isaiahayala4793]

That’s one way to say you only know how to speed 😂

[@PascalGienger]

Wrong. It is up to you to choose a speed you are comfortable with. You do NOT need to have the same speed as everyone else. It is hard breaking without visible reason which is dangerous. At least you see who accepted to be tracked around the clock to cut some dollars from insurance and drives exactly how the insurance wants you to drive - they do exact the speed limit. The next iteration will be "You used a US highway when an interstate would be more efficient and less accident prone, we will raise your premium" - and people will still fall for it and let themselves be tracked again and again.... Same with health insurance and "fitness and location trackers".....

[@dmariewalker6880]

Received an email offer from SF, now they want you to get some contraption for your house against fire, no thanks. Probably can check when you’re home.

[@MichaelWeitz]

Hello