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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[davebrogan]

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.

[constructiongeek]

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.

[Naturegirl]

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.

[kayjay]

They were told there was an issue, and they did nothing to fix it. Making that money.

[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!

[Greeneggsandham]

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.

[kokolovitch]

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.

[NYLI]

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.

[Greeneggsandham]

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

[synopticfixes]

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

[sunshine]

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

[diontaedaughtry]

Thank you was very helpful and informative 👍👍

[shadows]

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.

[ahmadsiyar]

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.

[Momzie]

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?!?

[Mystery]

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

[Mystery]

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

[scottsharp]

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

[patvandyke]

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.