...whose name escapes me at the moment for some reason.

We've never filed an auto or homeowner claim, so I really can't offer any personal experience regarding their service. However, whenever I've dealt with someone on the phone about my policies (dropping/adding a vehicle), they have been extremely helpful and the process was quick.

In the past I've been with Nationwide and had an agent who was a family friend. They were good to deal with, but got too expensive. I briefly switched to Allstate before GEICO and that was a mess. They actually dropped me a month after purchasing their coverage because they somehow confused me with my father, who had recently needed to make an auto claim on his policy. I called and got it straightened out, but needless to say, I was not happy and didn't stick with them.