Car Insurance Woes

Recently I have had difficulties with my car insurance. I could write the whole thing out for this blog but, instead, I am going to post the e-mail I just sent to my former insurance company. I am changing the names in order to…well…not get sued.  This is the e-mail:

Dear Oscar,

I am your former customer. I was, for many years, a very loyal customer. I paid you every month for my renters and auto insurance. I didn’t question when you raised my bill. I was grateful for the insurance you offered me and was satisfied with the service you provided.

But, alas, I am now your former customer.

Why?

Well, a woman at Kens Insurance in Small Town, ME decided that I wasn’t important to their company or to your company.

You see, I signed up with Kens when I first moved to Maine in February 1996. At first, they had me with Allstate but then switched me to your company. Things went along swimmingly for years. Then I moved last fall to a friend’s house. I contacted Kens to tell them that I didn’t need renters insurance any more. They said they would cancel the policy.

They didn’t. I received another bill from your company demanding payment and I contacted them again and they said that they would cancel the policy.

Ok…irritating but these things do happen.

Then I moved again…in June. I thought, in the chaos of moving, I was caught up on all my bills. So imagine my surprise when I opened my July bill for my auto insurance and you had sent me a cancellation notice!! Unfortunately, I opened the notice the day after it took effect.

I contacted Kens the following Monday and this woman said that, if I paid $143, they would have your company reinstate my policy. I said that I got paid on Thursday and I would call her back then.

Between Monday and Thursday, I did some research and found out that I could actually get auto insurance for around $30 a month. Less than half of what I was paying your company. I received quotes from several different insurance companies and they were all the same. After all, I am single 47 year old woman who has never been in an accident and received only one speeding ticket and that was in 1991.

On Thursday I contacted the woman at Kens and she said, in a patronizing tone, “Are you ready to pay the $143?”

I said that I had done some research and I could actually get car insurance for a lower rate and I didn’t want to pay $62 a month any more.

She said that she would look into this for me and put me on hold. I thought maybe she would contact your company so that you could give me a better deal and not lose a customer.

No…that isn’t what she did. She came back on the line and said that she could get me a quote from Progressive. PROGRESSIVE!! You know, the home of Flo???

Ok…let’s see where this goes. I said ok and she started the process.

First she had my address wrong even though I had given her my current address the week before.

Then she asked my for my VIN number.

“What?” I said “I have had this vehicle since 2002. How do you not have my VIN number?”

She said that is apparently was wrong in the system and could I go out to my car and get it.

Now, by this point I am more than a little annoyed and it was that really hot and humid day last week. So I said that the vehicle was all the way downstairs and across the parking lot and how could she not have my VIN number?

She said…here it comes…”I think we need to end this now. Good bye”.

WHAT??? I said “Hello, Hello?”

She said “Hello?”

I said “What do you mean we need to end this now?”

She said, “You are being difficult and we need to end this”

“I have been with your company since 1996 and you are ending this? Why? Because my car insurance was canceled and you never contacted me to tell me that Oscar was canceling it?”

She replied that they had mailed me a letter and tried to call me but my phone was disconnected. I said that she had my cell number AND my e-mail address.

She said that I was being difficult and it was over. I said “FINE” and slammed the phone down. Sort of. Hard to slam a cell phone down. But I hit the “End Call” button really hard!

So what do you think? Are you upset that you have lost a loyal customer because of Kens Insurance’s incompetency? Does this bother you?

I’m sorry this e-mail is so long but I wanted you to know the whole story.

Oh…and I have bought insurance from another insurance company. For $30 a month. After all, one does need car insurance.

Thank you for listening to my story and I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Juliane
A former Oscar customer