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In Reply to: Want to get screwed...Just do business with Farm Bureau and/or Nation Wide Insurance Companys! posted by Ken Owens on July 03, 2001 at 19:29:11:
re: "...stay away from these two disgusting bloodsuckers. They'll suck you dry, spit in your face and enjoy it."
Ken: You express a sentiment that thousands of others also have, I am sure. And, not just about those two companies, but most other insurance companies as well. While insurance companies have never enjoyed the best customer reviews, they have become particularly loathesome in the last 20 years. Why? Because they just don't have to please their customers to make money. It's as simple as that, in my opinion. They have repeatedly cut customer service departments and positions, the pay to those who are left is terrible, and their customer-service training is even worse. So, what's the answer? Well, I'll tell you what WON'T work. 1) appealing to an insurance agent - they get treated almost as badly as the consumer; 2) appealing to government - there's nothing in it for the legislators, and, besides, insurance companies can afford to buy them off at election time; and finally 3) consumer advocacy groups - don't have the money or staff to take on the big boys. What does work? Litigation. Sad, but true. Be a lead plaintiff in a class action law suit. You might make a couple of thousand out of it, the others in the class won't get much, and the attorneys will walk off with most of the cash. But, it will really hurt the insurance company because they can still get stuck with "punitive damages", and judges LOVE to stick it to these highly-deserving insurance companies. And, if you win, you will have the personal satisfaction of denying some of that blood that you so accurately described as being sucked up by those companies. Good luck, Paul (No, I'm not an attorney, and I don't play one on TV, either. And, by the way, judges are now reducing some of the fees the attorneys get and redirecting some of the punitive damages to consumer advocacy groups to help them keep up the fight.)