DeVane Insurance Agency, Inc.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I have received no offer of a solution to my complaint, instead I've received a defense in which I am misrepresented. I've attached my response.
[redacted] Complaint ID #10299436 Response to Business Response First of all, the gentleman in the scenario is [redacted] (not [redacted]) and he is my boyfriend (not my fiancé). If [redacted]’s memory is fuzzy on these very basic yet significant details, I must call into question the validity of his statements regarding specifics. An organization that cannot be bothered to spell check a professional document, certainly cannot be expected to fact-check. I am appalled by the blatant lies that are outlined in the businesses response, each of which I will respond to now: “I asked him if she was with him and he said yes and he went up to get her and brought her to the back office where I was sitting. I obtained the quote for her in which they had liked the price that I had quoted. I am not sure what date it was exactly when the quote was done but I did end up writing the auto policy for her because she did like the price compared to what she was paying with [redacted].” “Both the fiance/boyfriend were both present at the time the policy was written.” I did not step foot into the DeVane office until our interaction in September regarding obtaining a quote for adding my boyfriend, [redacted]’s, vehicle on the account. When we started the policy back in February my boyfriend called the DeVane office to obtain a quote. He spoke with [redacted] and “handled everything” if you will. All I did was provide my boyfriend with a copy of my driver’s license and sign the documents he picked up from the DeVane office. The first time I ever spoke to [redacted] was when I called the office to request the excessive e-mails stop. I even called under the impression that [redacted] was my agent since his name was on the e-mail – I specifically had to ask my boyfriend who I should ask for. Moreover, I recall my boyfriend pointing out the location of the AllState office during an unrelated trip to the shopping center, after we already had the policy. In retrospect I should have been skeptical of a company that was willing to open an account without ever verifying the policy holder’s identity in person, but I was 8 months pregnant, very busy, and needed car insurance. “I asked him if he could get the Title and bring it in as well as have [redacted] come into the office to give the okay to add the vehicle. He then went home since they only live literally 10 minutes from the office and he came back with [redacted].” I was there the entire time. In fact, I was standing right behind [redacted] while he was having difficulties finding the VIN. He is correct that it was late in the evening- they were poised to close and I personally confirmed with him that they would remain open while we ran to the house to get the Title. [redacted] had a suspended license at the time (we were working on getting him an insured vehicle so he could apply for re-instatement), so there is no way he would have gone to the house to pick me up – I drove us there. His previous trips were made either via bicycle or a co-worker stopping before dropping him off at home. P a g e 1 | 4 [redacted] Complaint ID #[redacted] Response to Business Response “She did though state that it was okay to do the endorsement because she was going to put the truck in her name. So, after making several attempts to add this vehicle and to obtain the quote as to how much it would be. I called Mr. [redacted] and gave him the numbers to relate to [redacted] and if she wanted me to add the vehicle that she would have to sign the documents to complete the endorsement process.” I left the office that evening with the understanding that [redacted] was “going to do more work” to see if he could find out why he was having trouble with the VIN, even with the Title. I at no time gave my permission to add the vehicle - we couldn’t even get a quote for me to approve. [redacted] states that “if she wanted me to add the vehicle that she would have to sign the documents” then he later states “I emailed the documents to her to E-Sign in which she never sent the documents back.” This is a confirmation that he added the documents without my consent. “As for the double billing that she is talking about with regards to the Homeowners policy we never double billed her. Our Homeowners were to start on 3/8/14 and they were going to cancel their current carrier's policy directly” [redacted] informed [redacted] at the time the policy was written that he would handle everything, including canceling our Homeowners policy with our previous carrier. [redacted] even signed a document with [redacted] saying that he was giving them permission to cancel on our behalf. Additionally, we have even received a refund check from AllState in the amount of $405.95 for the double billing of our Homeowners policy. “I did reach out to her a number of times when I was mad aware of the cancellation and her dissatisfaction over a month ago. [redacted] elected not to call me back.” I elected to deal with the National Office directly, who canceled my policies on the dates requested with no problem. “Where she should have been notified at that time if there was any outstanding premium owed a bill would be forth coming).” There was absolutely never a mention regarding any unpaid balance on the account. “I explained to [redacted] that she does owe the money, however I would be willing to speak with customer service to see what Allstate would do” I have received zero correspondence for either [redacted]s office or the National AllState office regarding this matter. P a g e 2 | 4 [redacted] Complaint ID #[redacted] Response to Business Response It is common when a customer is experiencing Issues with ez pay enrollment that the office will re enroll the customer back if it was error on the agencies part. Billing errors are unavoidable when dealing with multiple systems and other components that go into setting up policies. Although [redacted] had all the right in the world to be upset about the many billing corrections, the office despite what [redacted] felt,continuously worked to correct the issues. The billing process sometimes is difficult to understand from the customers eyes and many times leads to frustration. Our office manger worked diligently to try and explain what had happen and the corrections that had been put in place to remedy the billing situation. What a poor practice to acknowledge that errors are imminent and accept them as “unavoidable” even though they “many times leads to frustration” for the customer. For the record, here is a detailed summary of my payment history, obtained from my bank statements. Payment History 2/14 - $100.95 – Initial Payment – Sign-Up March – Automatically skipped. First payment scheduled for April 1st. 4/1 – First payment scheduled, but never came out. 4/11 - Called [redacted] to ask why my April payment hasn’t posted, he told me to wait a few days it would probably clear after the weekend. A few days later I called [redacted] back because payment still hadn’t posted to my account. He explained that re-setting my account in in March caused the system to skip April and re-set my payment due to May. This increased my monthly balance t $125.91, which I did not wish to pay. He transferred me to [redacted] (the accounting person) and she told me I could return to my monthly payment of $103.43 but I would have to pay Aprils payment that day. I made the payment over the phone with her. 4/14 - $103.43 – April payment made over the phone with [redacted] clears. 5/5 – $22.49 – Called [redacted] – Why was $22.49 taken out of my account and not the $103.43 for May? She said it was the balance due because I made a payment on April. I told her my April payment was FOR April, not an early payment for May. It should have been applied to April and not May. She clearly conveyed that I was wrong here and she was frustrated I couldn’t understand her. Eventually, she told me she would have to look into it and call me back. By the time I heard back from her and was able to call again I was about due for my next month’s payment. Since I couldn’t afford to pay $103.43 in late May and then again on June 1, I had to let it go and my monthly payment increased to $125.91. 6/4 – $125.91 7/3 – $125.91 8/5 – $125.91 *New Six Month Policy Started in September 9/4 - $103.32 P a g e 3 | 4 [redacted] Complaint ID #[redacted] Response to Business Response If the increase amount did not cover the “debt” owed, as [redacted] implied during my conversation with him earlier this month, that is something that would have been addressed before my renewal in September. Moreover, the number was auto-generated so if there was an error it would have been on his end and I shouldn’t be responsible for it. P a g e 4 | 4

As the agent and owner of the agency I oversee and have total responsibility for the activities which take place in my establishment. However because I am not involved in every activity I have assigned personnel to handle sales,support,and customer service transactions. The initial concerns that **...

[redacted] has brought forward were the result of a transaction with one of my Licensed Sales producers,[redacted]. The first part of the stated facts are from a written statement from [redacted]:
With regards to her statement made about us as a company writing a policy for Auto/Homeowners coverage without her consent. That is not correct. When [redacted] came into the office to obtain a quote for auto insurance for a vehicle. Once I found out that the vehicle was not his that it was his fiance. I asked him if she was with him and he said yes and he went up to get her and brought her to the back office where I was sitting. I obtained the quote for her in which they had liked the price that I had quoted. I am not sure what date it was exactly when the quote was done but I did end up writing the auto policy for her because she did like the price compared to what she was paying with [redacted]. I went on to do  a Homeowners quote for them also to try and bundle their coverage so she can obtain the multi policy discounts. The Homeowners policy was done the same day the Auto policy was done but with an effective date of 2/12/14 for the Auto and effective date of 3/8/14 for the Homeowners. Both the fiance/boyfriend were both present at the time the policy was written. I had met [redacted] before so there was no reason for me to ask for D when she came into the office the last time with her fiance when he was trying to get a vehicle added on her policy. I always advised [redacted] that I could not do anything on her policy without her consent since she is the policy holder. He wanted to get a quote on adding a 2001 Ford E-350 onto the policy which he clearly had the title to. I asked [redacted] if the vehide was going to
be put into Ashley's name if not I could not add the vehicle onto the policy. He gave me the vin number to add the vehicle to see what the quote would be if it was to get put into her name.
However we had some difficulties in adding the vin number because it was not coming up in the database. I asked him if he could get the Title and bring it in as well as have Ashley come into the office to give the okay to add the vehicle. He then went home since they only live literally 10 minutes from the office and he came back with Ashley. She asked me at that time that if I needed to see her D and I said no since I had already met her and knew who she was. She was very adamant about doing anything without her permission as she stated this very clearly
to her fiance there in the office. This is when I told her that is why I asked him to bring you in because I could not do anything regarding the Auto policy without her permission. She came to the middle desk where [redacted] our student intern sits and I attempted to add the vin number from the title he had brought back. The vehicle identification number still kept on having difficulties. Itwas late in the evening and she had her child with her and I advised them that I would work on this and that I would get back in touch once I was able to get the truck added. She did though state that it was okay to do the endorsement because she was going to put the truck in her name. So, after making several attempts to add this vehicle and to obtain the
quote as to how much it would be. I called [redacted] and gave him the numbers to relate to [redacted] and if she wanted me to add the vehicle that she would have to sign the documents
 
to complete the endorsement process. She did give okay to add the vehicle the next day in which the vehicle was added on 8/12/14. I emailed the documents to her to E-Sign in which she never sent the documents back. After resending the documents to her on 9/18/14 for her
to E-Sign and after speaking with her regarding the documents. Iwas then advised by her that she was not going to sign the documents that she has gotten insurance elsewhere. Iadvised her about how time sensitive the documents were. At that time she had not advised me that she was unhappy with the policy.
She then later advised me that she wanted to cancel the policy both Auto and Homeowners.
Iask her why and she indicated that she was not happy with the customer service. I advised her that she had to sign a Cash Affidavit form in order to cancel out the policies. As for the double billing that she is talking about with regards to the Homeowners policy we never double billed her. Our Homeowners were to start on 3/8/14 and they were going to cancel their current carrier's policy directly. So we were only pald once on this Homeowners policy by the mortgagee company Wells Fargo Bank on 3/5/14 when we received a payment of $405.95 prior to the policy being effective. So I am not sure what she is talking about in that regards. As for me dealing with [redacted] after this transaction Ihad no more contacts with her or her fiance [redacted].
Some other facts that must be further clarified with the interaction [redacted] had with [redacted] and our agency are as follows:
A signed agreement from every customer when a policy first starts must be obtained from the policy holder. (please see attached documents signed by [redacted] at the inception of her policy}
It is common when a customer is experiencing Issues with ez pay enrollment that the office will re enroll the customer back if it was error on the agencies part.
Billing errors are unavoidable when dealing with multiple systems and other components that go into setting up policies. Although [redacted] had all the right in the world to be upset about the many billing corrections, the office despite what Ashley felt,continuously worked to correct the issues.
The billing process sometimes is difficult to understand from the customers eyes and many times leads to frustration. Our office manger worked diligently to try and explain what had happen and the corrections that had been put in place to remedy the billing situation.
The issue with regarding to consent being given to adding the truck was addressed in Ronnie's statement,however it is understood if a customer lets us know that they did not want a vehicle added and it was added inadvertently or through a misunderstanding that it would be immediately be removed. Ronnie was asking for the signature because he was under the
• understanding that the truck was added. ( please also note that if the OMV solicits for proof of insurance for the truck for the days it was removed from the policy per Ashley's request, no coverage verification can be provided)
With regards to my personal interaction with [redacted] which only took place here recently. I had explained to [redacted] that I understood her frustration,but that I did reach out to her a number of times when I was mad aware of the cancellation and her dissatisfaction over a   month ago. [redacted] elected not to call me back. When Ispoke to [redacted] on or about the 6th or 7th of November it was because she had received a final bill. I informed her of a document that she would have to sign in order for me to get the bill taken care of. At this time I was unaware that she had already went through our National office and completed this cancellation process (where she should have been notified at that time if there was any
outstanding premium owed a bill would be forth coming). Once I researched the Issue further, I immediately called [redacted] back at her work place. At this time [redacted] was not trying to hear that she owed anything. [redacted] began to let me know what I should do as the
overseer of the office to remedy this situation. Although Iunderstood her frustration, I explained to her that Idid not have the authority to void this bill,but thatIcould contact customer service to see whatIcould do. This was not acceptable and [redacted] proceeded to let me know that she would be lodging a complaint with the Revdex.com.
Actions that can be taken to resolve concerns
I explained to [redacted] that she does owe the money, however I would be willing to speak with customer service to see what Allstate would do

Statement of FactsIn the initial response to [redacted]'s complaint,Ronnie the office sales person working this policy stated the facts as they related to the customer concerns. As the agent Iconcluded that I would be able to escalate the concern of the unpaid balances,and attempt to get this resolved through our customer service team. As stated in my prior explanation,I explained to [redacted] that I could not authorize such a decision at my level. When offered the above solution [redacted] stated she would contact the Revdex.com. My offer to contact customer service and proceed with working to see If they can handle this is still open. Even though [redacted]s stated that this process was not acceptable,Ihave moved forward to speak with customer service about removing the balance.Actions that can be taken to resolve concernsAs stated previously Iexplained to [redacted]s that the money is outstanding, however I would be willing to speak with customer service to see what Allstate can do. I definitely understand  [redacted]'s frustrations and I am currently moving diligently to resolve . I will contact [redacted] directly within 7 business days to update her of this situation.

Review: I got a new vehicle in February and due to long hours at work, my boyfriend called with my information and set up an auto and homeowners policy in my name without them ever once speaking to me or asking for my ID. In fact, I never stepped foot into the office until a few months ago when we wanted to inquire about adding a vehicle onto our policy. Still, they never once asked for proof that I was who I said I was. That should have been a red flag right there.

After our initial sign up, I received such an exorbitant number of emails and paper mailing that I called to ask them to limit them. Most of the mailing were conflicting: I’d receive an e-mail congratulating me on signing up for easy pay and then I’d receive a paper mail the next day telling me that I was no longer enrolled and might lose my discount. It was clear that these were automated mailings and that someone on their end was enrolling and un-enrolling me in programs while they attempted to get my account set-up, a clear indication that they were not competent. By March, I spoke with [redacted] who told me he didn’t see me on easy pay so he fixed the error and re-enrolled me.

April 1: I expected my monthly payment to auto-debit out of my account. By April 11th I still hadn’t seen a transaction on my statement, so I called them to inquire. [redacted] explained to me that when he re-set my account in March, it automatically skipped the next month and scheduled my next payment for May 1st. Unfortunately this increased my monthly payment by $20 and I couldn’t pay that. I spoke with the accounting person, [redacted], explained to her the situation, made a payment that day and was told my regular monthly payment would come out on May 1st.

May 1st: Payment of only $22 was taken out. It was clear that they applied my April 11th payment towards May instead of making it cover April – the $22 was the difference between my old payment amount ($103) and my new inflated payment amount ($125). When I spoke with [redacted] on 5/5 she was rude and sounded rushed. She answered the phone after hours and it was pretty clear she didn’t want to be bothered with me. By the time this was all straightened out, it was nearing the due date for my June payment and since I couldn’t afford to pay the May payment and June payment within days of each other, I sucked it up and accepted the new $125/month payment.

September: Went in to get a quote about adding my boyfriend’s truck on the policy. After repeated attempts to get a quote, we drove back home to pick up our title to clarify the VIN. The VIN still didn’t come up and [redacted] couldn’t figure it out, so he said he would look into it and sent us home. He assured me the vehicle wouldn’t be added without my signature.

A few days later I received the document but I did NOT sign it because I decided I was canceling my policy with AllState. Shortly thereafter, I received a document that listed the new truck on my policy, which [redacted] added without my consent. He pushed me to sign the document he sent, but I told him I would not because I did not consent to the addition of the truck. It seemed to me he was trying to cover his behind because he shouldn’t have added it without my consent. He gave me pushback when I asked him to remove the truck form my policy.

I have since signed up for a new policy with Nationwide, in which I happily pay more monthly. While in this meeting we learned that AllState had double billed us for homeowners insurance for the year (since we had already paid for 2014 with our previous agency before switching to Allstate). After signing up with Nationwide, I called Allstate national to inform them of the cancelation of my home and auto policies. The National Representative removed my boyfriend’s truck from my policy with no problem and scheduled the cancelation days (retroactive and future) of my respective policies. I received a refund check for the double-billing of my homeowners insurance timely and thought we were all taken care of.

November: I received a bill from the DeVane office with the explanation that it is “an outstanding balance for the coverage provided prior to the time the policy was terminated.” Called [redacted] directly & he explained to me that he would fax me a document and the bill would go away. The fax never came through, so I called [redacted] back to tell him that and suddenly he rescinded his statement. The conversation that followed can only be described as unprofessional and offensive. If this review allowed me enough characters, I would happily quote the discussion. As the person in charge of that office and as a representative of the company his response to me should have been nothing more than “I’m sorry about your experience with our company. As a courtesy to you as a customer and the trouble you have gone through, I’m going to waive this fee.” The call ended with me informing [redacted] I would be calling national as well as the Revdex.com.

I have never had such a negative experience with a company of any sort in my entire life. The entire process with AllState has been nothing short of exasperating. I have had multiple telephone conversations with [redacted] and [redacted]. I have never encountered such unprofessional staff in my life. When I tried to speak, I was spoken over. I was told I do not understand the policy when I assure you, I clearly understood it. As a professional in the customer service industry with over 13 years of experience, the blatant disrespect towards the customer is mind-blowing. This company has started a policy without ever confirming I am who I say I am, overcharged us on our homeowner’s policy and added a vehicle without the policy holders consent. They have displayed nothing short of incompetence, unprofessionalism and gross education of their own policy.Desired Settlement: I wish to have this $92.75 fee waived off of my account.

Business

Response:

As the agent and owner of the agency I oversee and have total responsibility for the activities which take place in my establishment. However because I am not involved in every activity I have assigned personnel to handle sales,support,and customer service transactions. The initial concerns that [redacted] has brought forward were the result of a transaction with one of my Licensed Sales producers,[redacted]. The first part of the stated facts are from a written statement from [redacted]:

With regards to her statement made about us as a company writing a policy for Auto/Homeowners coverage without her consent. That is not correct. When [redacted] came into the office to obtain a quote for auto insurance for a vehicle. Once I found out that the vehicle was not his that it was his fiance. I asked him if she was with him and he said yes and he went up to get her and brought her to the back office where I was sitting. I obtained the quote for her in which they had liked the price that I had quoted. I am not sure what date it was exactly when the quote was done but I did end up writing the auto policy for her because she did like the price compared to what she was paying with [redacted]. I went on to do a Homeowners quote for them also to try and bundle their coverage so she can obtain the multi policy discounts. The Homeowners policy was done the same day the Auto policy was done but with an effective date of 2/12/14 for the Auto and effective date of 3/8/14 for the Homeowners. Both the fiance/boyfriend were both present at the time the policy was written. I had met [redacted] before so there was no reason for me to ask for D when she came into the office the last time with her fiance when he was trying to get a vehicle added on her policy. I always advised [redacted] that I could not do anything on her policy without her consent since she is the policy holder. He wanted to get a quote on adding a 2001 Ford E-350 onto the policy which he clearly had the title to. I asked [redacted] if the vehide was going to

be put into Ashley's name if not I could not add the vehicle onto the policy. He gave me the vin number to add the vehicle to see what the quote would be if it was to get put into her name.

However we had some difficulties in adding the vin number because it was not coming up in the database. I asked him if he could get the Title and bring it in as well as have Ashley come into the office to give the okay to add the vehicle. He then went home since they only live literally 10 minutes from the office and he came back with Ashley. She asked me at that time that if I needed to see her D and I said no since I had already met her and knew who she was. She was very adamant about doing anything without her permission as she stated this very clearly

to her fiance there in the office. This is when I told her that is why I asked him to bring you in because I could not do anything regarding the Auto policy without her permission. She came to the middle desk where [redacted] our student intern sits and I attempted to add the vin number from the title he had brought back. The vehicle identification number still kept on having difficulties. Itwas late in the evening and she had her child with her and I advised them that I would work on this and that I would get back in touch once I was able to get the truck added. She did though state that it was okay to do the endorsement because she was going to put the truck in her name. So, after making several attempts to add this vehicle and to obtain the

quote as to how much it would be. I called [redacted] and gave him the numbers to relate to [redacted] and if she wanted me to add the vehicle that she would have to sign the documents

to complete the endorsement process. She did give okay to add the vehicle the next day in which the vehicle was added on 8/12/14. I emailed the documents to her to E-Sign in which she never sent the documents back. After resending the documents to her on 9/18/14 for her

to E-Sign and after speaking with her regarding the documents. Iwas then advised by her that she was not going to sign the documents that she has gotten insurance elsewhere. Iadvised her about how time sensitive the documents were. At that time she had not advised me that she was unhappy with the policy.

She then later advised me that she wanted to cancel the policy both Auto and Homeowners.

Iask her why and she indicated that she was not happy with the customer service. I advised her that she had to sign a Cash Affidavit form in order to cancel out the policies. As for the double billing that she is talking about with regards to the Homeowners policy we never double billed her. Our Homeowners were to start on 3/8/14 and they were going to cancel their current carrier's policy directly. So we were only pald once on this Homeowners policy by the mortgagee company Wells Fargo Bank on 3/5/14 when we received a payment of $405.95 prior to the policy being effective. So I am not sure what she is talking about in that regards. As for me dealing with [redacted] after this transaction Ihad no more contacts with her or her fiance [redacted].

Some other facts that must be further clarified with the interaction [redacted] had with [redacted] and our agency are as follows:

A signed agreement from every customer when a policy first starts must be obtained from the policy holder. (please see attached documents signed by [redacted] at the inception of her policy}

It is common when a customer is experiencing Issues with ez pay enrollment that the office will re enroll the customer back if it was error on the agencies part.

Billing errors are unavoidable when dealing with multiple systems and other components that go into setting up policies. Although [redacted] had all the right in the world to be upset about the many billing corrections, the office despite what Ashley felt,continuously worked to correct the issues.

The billing process sometimes is difficult to understand from the customers eyes and many times leads to frustration. Our office manger worked diligently to try and explain what had happen and the corrections that had been put in place to remedy the billing situation.

The issue with regarding to consent being given to adding the truck was addressed in Ronnie's statement,however it is understood if a customer lets us know that they did not want a vehicle added and it was added inadvertently or through a misunderstanding that it would be immediately be removed. Ronnie was asking for the signature because he was under the

• understanding that the truck was added. ( please also note that if the OMV solicits for proof of insurance for the truck for the days it was removed from the policy per Ashley's request, no coverage verification can be provided)

With regards to my personal interaction with [redacted] which only took place here recently. I had explained to [redacted] that I understood her frustration,but that I did reach out to her a number of times when I was mad aware of the cancellation and her dissatisfaction over a month ago. [redacted] elected not to call me back. When Ispoke to [redacted] on or about the 6th or 7th of November it was because she had received a final bill. I informed her of a document that she would have to sign in order for me to get the bill taken care of. At this time I was unaware that she had already went through our National office and completed this cancellation process (where she should have been notified at that time if there was any

outstanding premium owed a bill would be forth coming). Once I researched the Issue further, I immediately called [redacted] back at her work place. At this time [redacted] was not trying to hear that she owed anything. [redacted] began to let me know what I should do as the

overseer of the office to remedy this situation. Although Iunderstood her frustration, I explained to her that Idid not have the authority to void this bill,but thatIcould contact customer service to see whatIcould do. This was not acceptable and [redacted] proceeded to let me know that she would be lodging a complaint with the Revdex.com.

Actions that can be taken to resolve concerns

I explained to [redacted] that she does owe the money, however I would be willing to speak with customer service to see what Allstate would do