changed my last name. As some of you know. Well, after it was all done...I never thought it would happen to me...
I paid my home owner’s insurance. Sent them a check. Now, though my new last name has changed, my identity has not. So, without a second thought, I paid my bill. Knowing for this month if all else fails or falls crashing down. My house, my investment would be OK.
Then a few weeks past, I noticed the check was still pending. Though, I thought this is not usual. Checks take a long time to clear....so I thought.
I got a call from the local agency who works with the national wide agency. She told me that my payment was not received. I did not understand her, with a puzzled look on my face ( if she could only see my face through the phone), and I wondered why. I even asked her "why did this happened?". she tried to look up the info, she could not and did not give me any indication on why or how it happened.
So, I called my bank and asked them "Why did this happened?" They said, "The check cleared on our system.”
Finally, after 3 weeks I got a letter with my check attached! In the letter it stated that they could not verify my account information. "DUH!" I said to myself. Feeling like a fool, why did I not tell them of my name change? Rolling my eyes, I felt a bit dumb. Though, I contacted them to tell them of this.( If anyone has done this, you know it can take a long to time to contact each and everyone of this, at times you forget who you have contacted, etc.)
So, just as I picked up my phone, it rang! It was my local agency. I interrupted her and told her that I got my check sent back to me, explained the letter to her. She said, "OK." Now, the woman who calls me from the local agency speaks in a very soft mousy voice. It is calming but at the same time annoying. Especially when at this time, it was getting frustrating to work it all out.
Thanksgiving came and went. Life moved on as usual. Then like a Mother, she called again in her mousy voice asking for payment. I asked if I could wait a few extra days to pay it then? Sure, she said.
Well, I made the payment a few days later. This time, though my local agency. Crawling through the phone was the same little voice. I asked if this time it will go through without any problems. She said "No it will not cancel, your payment will show today's date". Thank you, I said. Happy to get past it all and avoid my policy from canceling.
Thankful once again that if a tree were to come trashing down on my house or me, then we will be OK. This happened on a Friday and so I moved once again with my daily life.
Then on Monday it happened! By this time, I knew who it was. ( I also asked her not to tell me who she was) Called me again. This time to say my policy has been canceled! What? How? I was in complete and utter shock!
Apparently, the check over the phone did not process on time! Though the same woman with that soft voice said, it would be OK, not to worry, etc!
Then i lost it, yes I did! After 2 months of phone calls, my precious time was wasted! It boggles the mind. I will not repeat everything I said to her, but the very last sentence she said was this:
"I am sorry this did not work out for you."
One thing I did say was this:
"After 8 years of being a customer, never missing a payment or being late. All of this does not mean anything to you. After you told me it would be OK, after you told me it would not lapse, but it did. All you can say is, I am sorry this did not work out for you?" I hung up.
So like so many people I got strewed. By a company who's CEO's make millions while all other do the best they can and struggle along with it to make the payments. I did not chose to "not to pay." I did not decide to give them a bad check, I did nothing wrong. However, despite it all. I learned several things:
Insurance companies suck and they should never run for office!
Contact every bill collector with your name change!
Use money orders!
Never assume that the words, "Never late, or "missed a payment" means anything to insurance companies!
Understands why some go "postal." ( Please know that I do not condone it, just understand it)
I am picking another company and I will ask them not how much it cost, but what happens if my name changes, or if a check gets processed incorrectly. What happens if I stay a loyal customer after 8 years and miss one payment? Will you kick me to curb? Or will you help me?
I paid my home owner’s insurance. Sent them a check. Now, though my new last name has changed, my identity has not. So, without a second thought, I paid my bill. Knowing for this month if all else fails or falls crashing down. My house, my investment would be OK.
Then a few weeks past, I noticed the check was still pending. Though, I thought this is not usual. Checks take a long time to clear....so I thought.
I got a call from the local agency who works with the national wide agency. She told me that my payment was not received. I did not understand her, with a puzzled look on my face ( if she could only see my face through the phone), and I wondered why. I even asked her "why did this happened?". she tried to look up the info, she could not and did not give me any indication on why or how it happened.
So, I called my bank and asked them "Why did this happened?" They said, "The check cleared on our system.”
Finally, after 3 weeks I got a letter with my check attached! In the letter it stated that they could not verify my account information. "DUH!" I said to myself. Feeling like a fool, why did I not tell them of my name change? Rolling my eyes, I felt a bit dumb. Though, I contacted them to tell them of this.( If anyone has done this, you know it can take a long to time to contact each and everyone of this, at times you forget who you have contacted, etc.)
So, just as I picked up my phone, it rang! It was my local agency. I interrupted her and told her that I got my check sent back to me, explained the letter to her. She said, "OK." Now, the woman who calls me from the local agency speaks in a very soft mousy voice. It is calming but at the same time annoying. Especially when at this time, it was getting frustrating to work it all out.
Thanksgiving came and went. Life moved on as usual. Then like a Mother, she called again in her mousy voice asking for payment. I asked if I could wait a few extra days to pay it then? Sure, she said.
Well, I made the payment a few days later. This time, though my local agency. Crawling through the phone was the same little voice. I asked if this time it will go through without any problems. She said "No it will not cancel, your payment will show today's date". Thank you, I said. Happy to get past it all and avoid my policy from canceling.
Thankful once again that if a tree were to come trashing down on my house or me, then we will be OK. This happened on a Friday and so I moved once again with my daily life.
Then on Monday it happened! By this time, I knew who it was. ( I also asked her not to tell me who she was) Called me again. This time to say my policy has been canceled! What? How? I was in complete and utter shock!
Apparently, the check over the phone did not process on time! Though the same woman with that soft voice said, it would be OK, not to worry, etc!
Then i lost it, yes I did! After 2 months of phone calls, my precious time was wasted! It boggles the mind. I will not repeat everything I said to her, but the very last sentence she said was this:
"I am sorry this did not work out for you."
One thing I did say was this:
"After 8 years of being a customer, never missing a payment or being late. All of this does not mean anything to you. After you told me it would be OK, after you told me it would not lapse, but it did. All you can say is, I am sorry this did not work out for you?" I hung up.
So like so many people I got strewed. By a company who's CEO's make millions while all other do the best they can and struggle along with it to make the payments. I did not chose to "not to pay." I did not decide to give them a bad check, I did nothing wrong. However, despite it all. I learned several things:
Insurance companies suck and they should never run for office!
Contact every bill collector with your name change!
Use money orders!
Never assume that the words, "Never late, or "missed a payment" means anything to insurance companies!
Understands why some go "postal." ( Please know that I do not condone it, just understand it)
I am picking another company and I will ask them not how much it cost, but what happens if my name changes, or if a check gets processed incorrectly. What happens if I stay a loyal customer after 8 years and miss one payment? Will you kick me to curb? Or will you help me?
