Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 21:04:38 -0600
Reply-To: Carl Hansen <carl_hansen@ATK.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.sdsc.edu>
From: Carl Hansen <carl_hansen@ATK.COM>
Subject: re Cautionary Tale.....
SyncroBeast re Cautionary Tale.....
Chris, and all. I'd say been there, done that, except my tale is only
similar, and does not involve the wreck part. At some point in time, say a
year ago, I had this urge to redo my insurance, check coverage, add/remove
glass coverage, etc., etc. To my horror, I discovered that I no longer had
coverage. My Insurance company, Illinois Farmers, had "LOST" my payment, and
assumed I did want to be covered. Since they had lost the payment, no
coverage was continued, and of course, I got no premium notices. On my part,
maybe I should have realized it had been a while since I had gotten billed for
coverage, but as life goes on, it wasn't exactly at the top of my mind.
So what happened. Farmers had dropped me 9 months prior. They initially said
screw you, we'll be glad to give you coverage, but at a higher rate. Then
they said, sure fine, we'll continue your coverage, but you owe us for 9
months payments.
I persisted and pointed out that I was a customer of 15 to 20 years, and
didn't exactly like the treatment I was getting, I wasn't the one who lost the
check, and maybe credited it to the wrong policy, (yes, I had a canceled
check, but that didn't tell us what policy had it had been credited to.) and
wouldn't they like to talk to both my attourny, and oh by the way, I've copied
the correspondence to the MinneSnowta Attorny General and the MinneSnowta
Insurance Oversite Commitee (My Mind is a blank on the correct name, but you
get the idea, there is probably an Insurance Ombudsman of some sort that
oversees the companies in California just like there is in MinneSnowta.) who
I'm sure would like to sit in on the conversations.
It didn't take them long to realise that they were being jerks, and that I
wasn't about to buckle under and fold. They reinstated me, I made a nominal
payment, nowhere near the full amount due, and life went on.
MORAL or the story: Don't buckle in at the first sign, or even the second
sign of trouble with the Insurance industry. They want you to think that they
hold all the cards, but they are just in buisiness trying to make the maximum
buck. It only seems like they are ass holes. If you apply pressure right
back and make it clear in no uncertain terms, that you as a consumer have
rights, and will not be treated without compasion and common sense, eventually
you can prevail.
My apologies to any insurance agents I may have offended.
Ch
'89 Syncro Beast
'87 GTI 16V
'86 Scirocco (SO's)
Prior Lake, MinnneSnowta ;)
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