Mercury Insurance Group

Mr. [redacted]. You sent an email to Mercury Customer service on
10/28/15 with essentially the same complaints listed here, that Mr. [redacted] was
rude and accused you of being unemployed. In your email, as in your complaint,
you stated the offer that was made of $150.00 was inadequate. Upon...

reviewing
the email, I immediately composed a letter in response and sent it to you.  My hope was that by seeing our position in writing,
it would help you better understand the basis of our offer. For future
reference, my name is not Mr. [redacted]. My name is [redacted]. My response
letter is on the way and you will receive it shortly.  In the meantime, I am attaching a copy of my
letter to you, which is our response to the same complaints leveled here in
this forum.
Additionally, I unequivocally deny stating that you were
unemployed at any time during our conversation. I also dispute your accusation
that I was rude, I remained professional throughout our discussion. If you
misinterpreted what I said, I apologize for not communicating more clearly. The
content of my letter is as follows:
Dear Mr. [redacted]<DSCformfield
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.
I am in receipt of your receipt email to our customer
relations department. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the
concerns you raised.
I did not accuse of being unemployed nor did I backtrack on
any statements of that kind.  As I
explained to you, I had made a good faith offer to reimburse you for the amount
of wages you stated you had lost during the process of dropping off and picking
up your vehicle and the rental vehicle. This offer was made without any
documentation of an actual wage loss or any documentation that you were
employed. When you immediately accused me of besmirching your reputation by
saying you were unemployed, I further clarified that it was quite the opposite,
that I was taking you at your word and that is why I made the offer. This was
not a back track, it was a further clarification.
As I explained in our conversation of 10/22/15, there are
two potential coverages available through another driver’s policy to third
parties. The first is Bodily Injury. This would not be applicable to you as you
were not in the vehicle at the time of the loss. As the registered owner of the
vehicle, the Property Damage is the only coverage that would apply to your
claim. As I explained, Property Damage coverage reimburses for any tangible
losses that result from the damage to your vehicle, such as the damage to the
vehicle, reasonable loss of use expenses or the value of any contents damaged
in the vehicle. There is no remuneration for emotional distress, pain and
suffering or inconvenience for a property damage claim.
When you clarified that your claim was lost wages for lost
time. I made an offer of $100 without any verification. When you advised me the
offer was an insult, I asked how much your wage loss was and you advised me it
was $150.00. Again, without documentation, I offered you the $150.00 you stated
was the entire amount of your wage loss. Additionally, please note that under
California law you are not entitled to lost wages for a property damage claim.
This offer was made as a concession.
We have paid for the damages to your vehicle and we set up a
direct bill with Enterprise for your rental.
You advised that you purchased insurance for the rental car
and you will be out of pocket for those charges.  The majority of insurance companies will
provide coverage for you while operating a rental car. Therefore the insurance purchased
from a rental agency is not needed. I explained that if your policy with
[redacted], for some reason, had a provision that did not provide coverage
while you are driving a rental, if you were to send us a copy of that policy
provision, I would consider reimbursing those charges. Your reaction was that I
was “making you jump through hoops”.  I
advised you that I merely asking to provide documentation of your claim. To
date, we have not received the copy of your policy language.
We feel our concessionary offer of $150.00 for what you
declared to the amount of your out of pocket lost wages is fair.

Re: complaint [redacted]
Complainant: [redacted]
Mr. [redacted]:
            We received your response to complaint
#[redacted], on October 22, 2014.  As noted
in our previous correspondence, we have tried to contact you via telephone and
email, but to date have not received a response..  To resolve this matter, we must communicate
with you to determine if you have a Mechanical Breakdown Protection policy with
Mercury Insurance.  Please call me or
email me at your earliest convenience, so we can find a resolution to this
matter.
 
Regards, 
[redacted] Mechanical Breakdown Administration
[redacted]

Mr. [redacted], Thank you for your inquiry.  During our investigation of your claim, you explained that you first noticed water damage on December 12, 2016.  You reported the claim to Mercury on January 23, 2017, and explained that you found the damage to be minor so you did not report the...

claim earlier.  You also confirmed that the damage slowly got worse over the period of 42 days, and that you took no action to mitigate the damages. As discussed with you and as outlined in our letter to you, your policy specifically excludes any constant or repeated seepage or leakage of water or the presence of moisture that occurs over a period of 14 days or more, which was the case in your claim.  The duration of the leak is evidenced both in the long term damages to your dwelling and your own testimony.  Additionally, as discussed, the policy requires that you report a claim promptly, but provides one year from the date of loss for a claim to be reported and investigated for coverage.  We are sorry that we cannot compensate you for your claim, but trust you understand our obligation to pay only those claims for which there is coverage under the policy.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
My tires are in good...

condition. The damage to the tires due to road hazards. I received similar response from the agent appointed for my case. I use this car for my pleasure. This is a brand new expensive ($8X,000)vehicle with strong tires. If tires were worn then it will show on the console. There is no question of worn. Also note that My Vehicle was not towed, I drove the damaged(tires) vehicle to the dealer location.  Kindly issue reimbursement check.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for your feedback. At Mercury insurance our goal is to provide excellent customers service. We value your feedback that we have not achieved our goal in the handling of your claim.
Following your telephone call to our claim supervisor and manager we discovered that the claims associate...

had not completed the estimate of damages to your home. At the time of your call the claim associate was on vacation and we did not have access to the measurements and assessment of the damage completed earlier.
Your claim was reviewed with the claim associate on the day of his return to the office. He completed the damage estimate, issued payment, and reviewed the claims determination with you by phone. He   provided a check and correspondence explaining the claim payment to you by overnight mail.
Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience caused by the delay.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance.
 
[redacted]
Branch Claims Manager

Good afternoon,The complaint has been in filed in response to Mercury Insurance Company's denial of Ms. [redacted]'s claim following a disputed two vehicle. The accident occurred on February 8, 2013 at approximately 11:05 am in Hermosa Beach. There were no independent witnesses and a police report was...

not written as a result of the accident.  Following an investigation by Mercury Insurance which included a detailed statement provided by Ms. [redacted], we found that there was no evidence to support her claim. Our investigation revealed that Ms. [redacted] was at fault based on her statement and the physical evidence. The location of damages to the two vehicles involved supported our insured's version that Ms. [redacted] made an unsafe turning movement into our insured's vehicle. In fact, in Ms. [redacted]'s own statement she advised that prior to the impact she was stopped with enough room for another vehicle to pass on the right hand side. She then decided to merge to the right and into the vehicle being driven by our insured. Given the facts, evidence and the word versus word dispute we felt that Ms. [redacted] failed to prove her claim which she is required to do in order to be compensated for her damages. Ms. [redacted] was uninsured on the date of loss, in violation of California law, therefore; the matter could not be resolved via inter-company arbitration.  Mercury Insurance Company stands by its investigation and decision to deny the complainant's claim. The complainant has submitted no evidence to support any negligence on the part of our insured. If you have any questions please contact the undersigned.  Very Truly Yours,Mercury Insurance Company[redacted]Claims Branch Manager[redacted]

When Mr. [redacted] contacted his agent in January 2016 to change vehicles on his policy, there was a renewal pending to be effective 3/16/16.  The change of vehicle was processed on his current term that was set to expire on 3/16/16; however, it was never added to his renewal. Two renewal offers...

were subsequently sent but it was never brought to our attention that these renewal offers showed the previously deleted vehicle.  It was not until Mr. [redacted] contacted his agent to add another vehicle and it was noticed that the vehicle in question was not on the policy. Once this was brought to our attention, a correction was made backdating the addition of the vehicle in question as there would have been coverage had a loss been reported in spite of the vehicle not showing on the policy declarations page; therefore, the Company is entitled to collect the premium for the exposure. In addition, the vehicle has a loss payee and Mr. [redacted] could be subject to Force-Placed Insurance from his lender if he was not able to show proof of continuous coverage on the vehicle.

When the policy was written, Mr. [redacted] signed an application that states that the customer understands that they will be charged a $50.00 cancellation fee if, during the first 6 month policy period after inception of the policy, they cancel for any reason.  This fee is in addition to any...

premium the Company has earned for the coverage provided by this policy and may be deducted from any refund to which they are entitled.  After the first policy period, they understand that the Company will not charge any additional cancellation fees. The first policy period was from 5/13/16 to 11/13/16 and Mr. [redacted] canceled the policy effective 11/12/16; therefore, no additional refund is due to the customer.

We had been attempting to locate a rental property for the insured.  The insured was able to locate a property which we agreed to on November 30, 2016.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution...

would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Message from [redacted] President, [redacted]: "In the meantime, I’d like to offer my sincerest apology for the error that has been made and would like to offer you a full refund of all premiums paid to Mercury Insurance Group on your current policy term if you chose to cancel your policy. I’ve sent you a form “Cancellation Request - Policy #[redacted]” using my electronic signature vendor, Adobe EchoSign, that you can complete if you chose this option.  So that you may have some time to replace coverage, I’ll extend this offer though 03/06/2015." Regards,
[redacted]

Please find [redacted]'s perspective of the interaction with Ms. [redacted]: " Ms.  [redacted] reached out to me at approximately 805am on 4/14/2017 upset that the adjuster, Mr. [redacted] did not return her voice mails. She told me she picked up the vehicle from the body shop and it still...

had damage to the vehicle.   I advised her to take the vehicle back to the body shop, and if there were damages missed that were accident related, we would pay for the additional repairs.  Ms. [redacted] was also advised that if the issue was related to the repairs that were done already at the body shop, they  would remedy the situation. This explanation was apparently not satisfactory for Ms. [redacted] as she then continued to complain that Sean had not returned her calls.    Upon further investigation I learned that she had an attorney and so I informed Ms. [redacted] Sean did not return her calls because she has an attorney representing her,  which prohibits us from contacting her directly.   Ms. [redacted] denied that she had an attorney,  so then I read the letter of representation to her and  she admitted to having an attorney, but only in relation to her injury claim.   I advised Ms. [redacted] there was no such distinction in the letter of representation, so we would need written permission from her attorney to discuss the claim with her.    Ms. [redacted] disagreed with my statement and then said I was being rude to her.   I apologized and once again  directed her to the body shop.  Lastly I  asked Ms. [redacted] to have her attorney send us written permission to discuss the property damage claim with her.  Ms. [redacted] then asked to be transferred to my manager, to which I advised her that he would tell her the same thing.  She then informed me that she was recording the conversation, so I advised Ms. [redacted] that she did not have my permission to do so, and because of this I was disconnecting the phone call."    Mr. [redacted] did receive a call from Ms. [redacted]'s attorney on 4/14/17 and the matter regarding the physical damage portion of the claim was resolved.   Mr. [redacted]'s manager has reviewed the complaint with him and we both regret that Ms. [redacted]'s request for escalation was not acted upon immediately.Mercury values input from all parties and we appreciate the feedback by Ms. [redacted].   [redacted]Branch Manager

Better...

Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
There was no such email in my spam or junk mail folder as they eluded to in their response..  I  want the tickets, it's only fair, I complied with the requirements by getting the estimate.,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Unfortunately the answer of Mercury Insurance is not accurate for the following: 1. I have accessed Mercury’s online website in August and recall logging in when I went to pay. I will say it one more time, I do not know why my payment did not process and I did not notice that it did not process. I have never claimed anything else. I know now that my account was not debited. I realized it October 28th, 2014.2. I have never received any Notice of expiration because it was not sent to me! It is obvious that the notice of expiration is addressed to Butler-Vause (please see enclosed document). I have put the Notice of expiration in a Mercury envelope and the Butler-Vause address fits perfectly in the envelop window. My address does not.3. Mercury did not electronically notify the Department of Motorized Vehicle either (F.S. 324.0221), which is a violation of insurance code. Action, which indirectly would have allowed me to become aware of my situation.Because of the lack of communication from Mercury to me and between Mercury and the DMV, I feel Mercury bears responsibility. I do not consider the matter closed and will investigate all possible avenues to resolve this issue. I am still hoping we can find a compromise to resolve this issue without further legal action.Regards,[redacted]

Dear Ms. [redacted],
We are writing you this letter in regards to your request for assistance with the Revdex.com concerning the repairs to your 2007 [redacted].
After reviewing your file, we have determined that your Electronic Suspension Compressor was mechanically faulty and...

thus unrelated to the damage from the loss of 8/19/2014. The accident related damage to the rear of your vehicle was minor cosmetic damage, located near the rear bumper. The Electronic Suspension Compressor which controls the ride height of your vehicle is located by the front bumper near the right apron, far from the point of impact. When we initially inspected your vehicle at your chosen shop, they informed us that they were not equipped to diagnose and/or repair the issue with the suspension. Therefore, we advised you that a mechanic of your choosing would be needed to further diagnose the problem. We also expressed to you that  a fee may be incurred in diagnosing the issue with your suspension and will be paid only if it was found to be loss related. Otherwise, you will be responsible for such fees and correction of the problem. Once you selected a shop of your choosing, we could not direct or coordinate the repairs of your vehicle, as they are a separate entity from Mercury Insurance Company. All repairs that were performed were authorized by you. Therefore, we could not predict as to what order your vehicle would be repaired, nor arrange the time and place you would take your vehicle to your mechanic for further diagnosis. 
When we inspected your vehicle at your dealership, they stated that they could not relate the faulty Electronic Suspension Compressor to your accident, especially when the damage was to the rear end and the faulty part in question was located in the front of the vehicle. The dealership did not mention that any diagnosis would require that the vehicle would have to be in a pre-repaired state, or we would have presented photos of the vehicle before the repairs were commenced.  The shop, instead, continued their diagnosis and concluded their inspection without such photographs.  They volunteered that the part in question commonly fails due to wear and tear.
We would like to address that your shop of choice’s estimate was higher than the shop you initially brought the vehicle, while also taking this opportunity to clarify that we did not approve or pay for the damage to your front bumper, as it also was not part of this loss.  We were told that the repair and refinishing of your front bumper was a result of your negotiation with your shop manager.  Thus, the operation performed was free of charge and extended as a goodwill gesture to you. This was not repaired as being part of the loss on 8/19/2014.
At this time, we stand by our decision and findings in regards to your Electronic Suspension Compressor. Should you have further information which you feel may support your claim, please feel free to contact our [redacted]. He will be glad to review any new information you bring forward.

Revdex.com
Complaint Number: [redacted]
Policy Number: [redacted]
Insured: [redacted]
*. [redacted]
 
Response:
 
When the application for a homeowner’s
insurance policy was signed by Mr. [redacted], his agent quoted him with a
multi-policy discount for having his home and...

automobile insurance with
Mercury. Mr. [redacted] was advised that in order to qualify for this discount,
he would also need to secure an automobile insurance policy with Mercury by
April 14, 2015.
 The agent confirmed that all of the
paperwork was ready; however, Mr. [redacted] was never in contact with them again
to provide the payment for the automobile policy; therefore, the agency was
unable to submit the application.
 When our Homeowner’s department was
notified that an automobile application was never processed, the homeowner’s
policy was issued without the multi-policy discount as the policy did not
qualify without the supporting automobile insurance policy active.
   
Response Summary:
 We have carefully reviewed this matter
and have determined that we are unable to waive the $251.00 that is currently
in collections.

It is our position that we sent the information to obtain the tickets to the email address that we were provided by the customer.  I have also attached the official rules of the promotion.  Please refer specifically to rule number #12.  "Ticket voucher redemption information will be sent via e-mail within ten (10) business days to the e-mail address listed on the quote.  Mercury and USC re not responsible for e-mails not received due to spam or junk e-mail filters or any error in transmission."    We have complied with the rules of the promotion.

[redacted],There is no record of advising the customer that his payment for February would be lower due to the changes made on the policy. We stand by the bill which was sent on 2/11/16 advising that the credit for the changes made on the policy would be reflected on his March payment. A copy of that bill is attached.Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations Manager

We have looked into the issues identified in the complaint, and apologize to our insured for any inadequate communication.  Regarding the repairs to the vehicle, it appears that payment was issued to the body shop selected by our insured in a timely manner, less his chosen...

deductible.   We were recently advised that our insured would prefer to receive direct payment for his damages.  On the day of the request, we issued a second, or replacement payment, directly to him.    Accordingly, and as indicated in the Desired Outcome/Settlement portion of the complaint, the issue has been resolved.

Ms. [redacted]' agent forwarded her January 8, 2017 (Sunday) email cancellation request to us on Monday, January 9, 2017 via our endorsement/change system. We reviewed her request and processed the cancellation on January 17,2017 to be effective January 9, 2017 at 12:01a.m., the day after her...

request. Her January automated payment due January 11, 2017 was already scheduled to be deducted from her bank account when she notified her agent to stop the automatic withdrawal. Ms. [redacted] signed up for the [redacted] automatic withdrawal pay plan effective her April 4, 2014 renewal. The U240 form indicated she authorized automatic payment withdrawals monthly from her bank on the day each payment is due, or the following business day. The form also indicates she may terminate this agreement at any time by notifying Mercury in writing at least three business days prior to the next scheduled withdrawal. Every renewal packet includes the U251 form-Important Notice. This notice indicates that policies canceled at the customer's request or for non-payment of premium are subject to a cancellation penalty equal to 10% of the unearned premium. Ms. [redacted]' policy inception date was October 8, 2016. The cancellation date was January 9, 2017. The full-term earned premium is $3,144.00 multiplied by the unearned premium factor of 0.443 equals and unearned premium of $1,393.00. There was $6.64 in earned fees. The full-term premium of $3,150.64 minus the unearned premium of $1,393.00 equals $1,757.64. The total cash received was $2,102.64, resulting in a refund of $345.00.