Mercury Insurance Group

[redacted]
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted]nd have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted]
They say that my dispute is with my shop of choice. They paid them in advance, so I had no way to accept or decline the repair of my car with said repair facility. Mercury's Estimate guarantee's safe repair. The repair is anything but safe, and is not to pre-loss condition. Since Mercury allowed the shop to guarantee repair for less than their estimate and paid them in advance, And they guarantee a safe repair they owe me either the amount to repair the car to a safe standard or the amount of diminished value. Mercury was ripped off by said company just as much as I was. There are at least $1,000 dollars worth of parts and 20-40 hours of labor that were billed but not completed. I had no way to refuse the repair. Since I am financially unsophisticated I feel both the repair facility and Merury are taking advantage of me. Since the insurance company paid in advance, The repair facility had no incentive to repair my car in a timely manner. It took eight and a half months to get my car back. The insurance company only supplied a rental fpr three months. I was left without transportation for five and a half months and now I'm left driving an unsafe car. If I were to be hit from behind again by a suv going 55mph I would most likely be killed due to the unsafe repair of the frame rails of the rear unibody structure. Here is a list of repairs by the shop of my choice that the insurance company who guarantees safe repair paid in advance to safely repair my car, did not repair safely: 1. The rear frame rails and unibody structure ate not properly welded. 2. The rear suspension is not properly attached to the structure. 3. The brake lines are bent improperly and hang down where they could catch on something. 4. They are not secured so they are always flexing and will eventually break. 5. They are touching the exhaust pipe which could boil the brake fluid which would render the brakes ineffective. 6. The fuel lines are bent and hanging down just like the brake lines and are touching the exhaust in two places which is a fire hazzard. 7. They are also rubbing the shock and could rub through. Which would also be a fire hazzard. 8.The rear brakes are improperly assembled and one has already came apart. 9. The left rear wheel was left loose. 10. Two nuts were left off the exhaust system. This is a carbon monoxide poisoning risk. I have tried on several occasions to get the insurance company to come and ispect their repair and see what $30,000 dollars got them and me but they have no interest in evan checking to see if mycar is safe or if they were defrauded much less whether my car is in pre loss condition. Their client hit me over a year ago and my life had been nothing but a mess ever since dealing with them, the repair facility, attorney's. Getting rides, borrowing cars all while making $837.00 a month car payments for a car I couldn't use and I no longer have any equity in. I had $11,000 in equity before the accident that is gone and I'm left to drive an unsafe car. If I were to die because of this repair not only would [redacted] be liable so will Mercury insurance group. I can fix the issues but, I will not until this is resolved but I will still be driving it, so wish me luck!

Mr. [redacted] was rearended on the 215 freeway.   He gave us information on the other party (there was no police report filed) that turned out to be incorrect.   We have just recently found the correct information and are in contact with their carrier to verify they accept...

liability for this loss.  The only time we waive deductibles is when another carrier accepts liability.  Otherwise, the deductible applies to every claim that is made.   Mr. [redacted] did not want to be paid until we could waive his deductible.In regards to his estimate, we only pay off of estimates where either the customer has had one of our appraisers inspect the vehicle and write an estimate or go to one of our approved body shops in the area and they will write an estimate.  Mr. [redacted] did go to one of our approved shops - Signature 2 Auto Collision and received an estimate for $2756.82.   There was a second estimate written for unrelated damages totaling $1353.86.   This may have been included on the two estimates that he obtained from the other shops.  We have now issued payment to him for $2756.82 less his deducitlble amount of $500.   We have advised him he can take our estimate to any shop of his choice for repairs.Thank you.

The California Department of Insurance mandates that we notify our Insured's when we believe they hold 51% or more liability for a loss.   Accordingly, based on the initial report that our driver entered an intersection after pulling from a stop sign and was struck by another driver...

who had the right of way, a preliminary decision was made to make the loss chargeable.  Our Adjuster subsequently completed a fair and thorough investigation and concluded our Insured held more than 51% liability for this loss.  The liability determination was reviewed by the Adjuster, Supervisor and Manager. It is not our practice to pay for claims we believe we do not owe to "gouge" our customers.  I can assure you our liability decisions are based in accordance with the California Vehicle code and not a complaint call. The other driver is claiming injuries and is represented by an Attorney.  The Bodily Injury settlement is still pending.

Dear Mr. [redacted],
 
I have had an opportunity to review the matter.  I do not agree with your contentions that the
initial claims representative “repeatedly lied” or applied any “pressure” and there
certainly was no “intentional malice” as you have outlined.  These...

allegations are completely
unfounded.  With regard to the need for
future chiropractic care,  I have sent
you a copy of your chiropractor’s July 22, 2014 report that clearly outlines
“no future chiropractic care is needed.” 
In response to your demand for settlement, we have offered you $3,500.00
for your bodily injury claim. 
Furthermore, I do not see any reason why the Company should apologize
for the handling of your claim.  We
believe our offer is fair, given the information that has been submitted.  The handling of your claim has recently been
transferred to a new representative who you have been in contact with.  Please continue to work with the new
representative so that a settlement can be reached.Sincerely,[redacted]Claims Branch Manager

Dear Ms. [redacted], We are in receipt of your settlement demand and medical billing for treatment following your accident of 12/6/2013.  As we have advised the statute of limitations for your injury claim expired on 12/6/2015. Due to an oversight on our part resulting in a lack of notice...

to you regarding the statute of limitations for your claim, we are extending the time allotted to resolve your claim with you. The statute will be extended for 30 days following contact by your adjuster, [redacted] Guido by phone and/or correspondence. We anticipate speaking to you on 12/18/2015 and apologize for this oversight and anticipate reaching an agreed settlement with you.   Sincerely, [redacted]Arroyo Claims Branch Manager

Management has noted your concerns and we apologize if the adjuster did not communicate that he may be out of the office for an extended period of time.  It is certainly not our intention to treat you unfairly and we will continue to work with your representative to resolve your claim as quickly as possible.

The policy term was set for 1/21/15 to 1/21/16. The total annual premium was $157.00 which the insured paid 12/2014.  A refund of $28.00 was issued to the insured 1/2015 for a policy change which reduced the total premium on the policy.  The policy was then canceled at the insured's...

request effective 7/31/15 and we do charge a $50.00 cancellation fee on any policy that is canceled during the first policy term regardless of the reason for cancellation.  Therefore, the insured was charged $68.00 for the period of time coverage was in force and the $50.00 policy fee and a refund of $11.00 for the overpayment was issued back to the insured when the policy was canceled final.

An email was sent to this customer after the complaint was received asking them to verify if they had received the refund yet and to date, we have not heard back from them.

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 ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
*** ***

We have carefully reviewed the areas of concern that Mr. [redacted] has addressed in his complaint. The renewal offer that was recently mailed to Mr. [redacted] for the policy term beginning July 2, 2017 reflects a premium increase due to a speeding ticket with the violation date of August 30, 2016.  ...

The second factor affecting the premium is due to a general rate increase we had in California. Just some of the reasons insurance companies change rates are due in part to the escalating costs of repairing cars, the rapidly increasing costs of medical services and the growing cost of simply running a business.  Other reasons include adjusting rates to reflect actual loss experience.   Mercury applied for and received approval to change rates.  Not only are our new rates designed to generate adequate premium to pay the costs described above, but also our new rates are now more in line with the frequency and severity of losses that occur across all of the various risk classifications we have established.  The percentage of change indicates to what degree our previous rates were out of line with current loss statistics.   The general rate increase we had in California also affected Mr. [redacted]'s previous policy term beginning January 2, 2017 and the policy term beginning July 2, 2016.   In conclusion, we have reviewed every rating factor on Mr. [redacted]'s policy and can confirm that the rates being charged are in accordance with our rate structure as filed with the Department of Insurance.

On 12/21/15, we sent Ms. [redacted] a notice advising that she had an outstanding balance on her initial policy.  A 2nd notice was sent on 8/25/16 advising that the funds were still due.  When Ms. [redacted] then rewrote a policy with us, we sent a notice on 11/3/16 advising that...

since the balance was still outstanding on her prior policy, we would then deduct it from the funds applied to her new policy and since her policy was set up for automatic payments, the payment was directly withdrawn from her account.  This was amount for was for unpaid premium from a prior policy and will therefore, not be refunded.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response ma** by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have **termined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, **tails of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Mercury insurance has denied liability based on false statements provided by their client [redacted] and solely based off of google earth pictures. And actual agent from Mercury insurance hasn't visited the location of the acci**nt which proves the according to the structure of that area that I was unable to cut [redacted] off and stop in the middle of the road. There is a middle separator that prevents [redacted] from maneuvering to the left which is why he rear en**d me to the right si** of the vehicle. If someone were to cut him off he would have rear en**d the left si** of the vehicle. After I was rear ended I provided My insurance card, registration, and license to [redacted] after the collision and asked if he nee**d police involved and he stated it wasn't necessary as it was a rear en**d. He only showed me his insurance card and didn't provide his registration or license. he told me he was an actor and that he didn't share his details. Since I got his insurance information, I trusted his word and continued to take pictures of both vehicles. At this point, [redacted] called his father and was on the phone for 10 minutes. I mentioned to [redacted] my children were being cared for by a baby sitter. He then got off the phone and I asked him one more time if he was sure that we didn't need to call the police. He once again confirmed that it wasn't necessary. As I was getting ready to leave he received another call from his father who asked [redacted] to stall me till his father came to the scene of the acci**nt. At this point, I was very frustrated that I was running late to pick up my kids. I told him that I had no intentions of waiting for his father so I called the police and reported the accident over the phone. And police officer over the phone told me as long as I exchanged information from the other party I didn't need to worry about waiting for his father. So I proceeded to leave, as I got in the car [redacted] kept trying to stall me and I got furious he was purposely trying to stall me for no reason and then I left. Mercury insurance has not provided any statement here that I provided sufficient video and photo evidence.In One video I asked [redacted] to explain to me  what happened, where you could see him quietly whisper that no we don't need to do that and then reaching to press the button of my phone to shut off the videoThe second video from the Dash cam shows that I was stopped at the light behind another vehicle when I was struck from behind where my camera blurs and shuts off. this vi**o completely confirms that [redacted] made false statements to police and his insurance company that I cut him off. But Mercury insurance hasn't brought this to evidence or sent me back the flash drive which I sent all the files to them in.The third video shows that [redacted] was talking to his father for a long period of time asking him for instructions on what to do.Mercury insurance claims that I didn't have a witness when the recorded statement was given to them. I had clearly told mercury insurance that I didn't need a witness, to begin with, or was required to give them a statement. But  [redacted] repeatedly told me that they cannot investigate further unless I gave them a statement. Although I didn't have information of a witness at the time I provided a statement as my car was inoperable and I needed it fixed as soon as possible. [redacted] and her supervisor ** [redacted] had purposelydeclined my claim for the damages to my vehicle were very severe. it was cheaper for them to fix their insured [redacted]s Vehicle.I have told the police repeatedly that I have video and photo evidence but the report was never completed by the investigating officer, [redacted] with relevant evidence. By this time Mercury insurance finalized their decision and denied my claim.Now that the witness came forward Mercury insurance still stalls the process of accepting liability for my vehicle damages and claim they need more information. They also have possessed my flash drive in hopes of hiding the video evidence and haven't refunded me the money for the flash drive.
[redacted]

When the total amount billed to Mr. [redacted] was not paid by the due date of 3/16/16, a notice of cancellation was mailed to the customer on 3/23/16 advising that the policy would cancel effective 4/8/16.  Once a notice of cancellation is sent on a policy, the payment must be honored when first...

presented or the cancellation will remain in effect and a subsequent notice is not sent.

Dear Ms. [redacted],
Thank you for the information regarding your lost wages following this loss. We are in receipt of a copy of your payroll check pay period 1/26/14 - 2/8/14. Sick pay indicates 16 hours and a handwritten note regarding one additional hour on 2/9/14. Thank you for the correction of total loss of earnings $178.50 in addition to the total of your medical bills $1328.65.
Our settlement offer of $6000.00 remains fair and reasonable as compensation for this loss. Fortunately, your injury complaints resolved with report of no further pain and you chose to stop the care you were receiving. Again, we are looking forward to resolving this matter with you. Please contact us to finalize your claim and we will promptly issue a release for your signature followed by payment. 
 
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Arroyo Claims Branch Manager

It's been 9 months now, still no resolution and Mercury's tactic to take as long as they can until they use all your policy funds to pay for their investigation. They would rather pay for their vendors to come into my home and mess around! Yet they want to give us only 1/3 of what they are obligated to! I needed baby proofing items for our 4th rental in 9 months, Yadira Galvan had to come to my rental and count every door, drawer, outlet,cabinet etc... it's been over 6 weeks... still they have not given us any funds to baby proof! We are also in the middle of an adoption, our little one is now 11 months old! Mercury insurance is a MUST NOT if you are working with any foster/adoption offices. I suggest anyone working with the state department to notify all caretakers of this, one day it maybe to late!

I am having the worst experience with my homeowners claim, this company is practicing "Bad Faith". Supervisor will threaten you, try to intimidate you, call you a liar even if you have proof. Clearance reports for mold and asbestos disappear, they will only use their vendors! The vendors will NOT give you any information about your own house! Even with the department of insurance CC'ed on emails they will lie! They will not help you, they will torture you and force a family of 7 to move 4 times in 5 1/2 months! They will only approve amounts that they feel you deserve, not what you paid for! My home is still under containment, I have a case with the department of insurance and I am looking for a good attorney! 9 preferred vendors, 5 abatements and only 1 clearance? We have problems! My home is still wet after 5 1/2 months, mold is growing and Mercury is acting in "Bad Faith"! I have been dealing with Rodrick Hill, he is suppose to be a supervisor but he is just a communication bully!

Review: I hired Mercury Insurance Group for: Liability Insurance (my insurance policy contract is from 11/29/12 to 05/29/13). I had an accident the morning of the 05/18/13, I reported my accident the same day; they have avoided the responsibility of coverage saying that "your policy was cancelled for non-payment of premium effective 05/07/13". I have proof of my payment, which they already know. After the accident, they have passed my claim to 3 different people, the last person attending my claim is [redacted], he now says that my policy got cancelled 5 months after I made the contract because I didn't presented enough information. I never received a call, a letter or an e-mail saying that my insurance was going to be cancelled because I needed to present more information. It seems like they have been trying to avoid the payment by inventing excuses for not paying. My policy number is [redacted]My claim number is [redacted]Desired Settlement: I want my insurance to represent me and be responsible of the damages that my accident caused, because that's why I payed for an insurance; and because my policy was paid from november 29/12 to may 29/13, and because I never received a letter saying that my policy was going to be cancelled after being effective for more than 5 months.

Business Response:
Dear Mr. [redacted]
This will acknowledge receipt of your request for assistance from the Revdex.com and your E-Mail message dated May 29, 2013 wherein you, in essence, disagree with the denial of coverage for this loss.
In your E-Mail of May 29, 2013 you stated, “I was told to leave my car where it was so someone of your company could see it (nobody went, it got towed and I had to pay more than 400 dollars). Mercury Insurance Company did not advise you to leave your vehicle where it could get towed.

The following is a timeline of the major policy and claims activity:
-12/5/12: Your producer, [redacted] Insurance Agency, contacted you via telephone regarding the needed transcripts for your Good Student Discount.
-12/14/12: Your producer contacted you via telephone regarding the needed transcripts for your Good Student Discount.
-1/16/13: An amended declaration page was mailed to you advising that the Good Student Discount had been removed effective 11/29/12.
-1/16/13: A notice of Premium Due was mailed to you in the amount of $38.00.
-4/9/13: A notice of Premium Due was mailed to you in the amount of $38.00.
-4/26/13: A Notice of Cancellation was mailed to you; you needed to pay $43.00 in order to avoid the May 7, 2013 at 12:01 a.m. cancellation.
-5/7/13 at 12:01 a.m.: Your policy cancelled for non-payment of premium.
-5/18/13: The loss occurred.
Mercury Insurance Company initially applied the Good Student Discount to your policy based on your verbal presentation that you qualified for same and that the evidence needed to qualify for the discount would be provided by you at a later date.
Unfortunately, the needed evidence was not provided so the Good Student Discount was removed resulting in an additional charge of premium. As your policy cancelled for nonpayment of premium effective May 7, 2013 at 12:01 a.m., prior to the May 18, 2013 loss, we are unable to provide coverage to you for this loss.
As such, we must respectfully reiterate our denial of coverage for this loss.
Pursuant to California Code of Regulations, Title 10, Chapter 5, Subchapter 7.5 Section 2695(b)(3), this matter may be reviewed by the California Department of Insurance, Claims Services Bureau, 11th Floor, 300 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013, ###-###-#### or ###-###-#### (Out of State).

Consumer Response:

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.
I was acknowledged the same day I made the contract about the student discount, I brought the day after the information that the seller asked for (gave her printed information from my school website), she made a photocopy of my school ID. I don't understand why they keep saying that they talked to me through the phone or received letters saying that something was needed; that never happened. My grades are really good, I don't have the need to not show them; it would have been the easiest thing to do if they really needed more stuff, but I was never contacted: not through phone, not through e-mail, not through a letter. The moment I called my insurance they started inventing different things to avoid responsibility. First, they passed my case through 3 different adjusters, then they sent a letter saying that they had to make an investigation on my policy, and they recommended me to take care of the car (almost implying that they weren't going to cover anything); the next thing was 2 phone interviews (that happened when I called to see what was the status of my claim) the first time, they told me that I didn't make my last payment, and the second time, he said that I didn't give enough proof (I told him that I gave what she asked for from the school), then he just said that my policy was cancelled and that I had to take care of it by myself. I really need to take care of this problem, I don't understand why they are making it too difficult; everything has been difficult, but the payment I did to hire an insurance; it all seems to me that it is a strategy from the insurance company to avoid responsibility.Regards

Business Response:
This will confirm receipt of your rebuttal with respect to your request for assistance from the Revdex.com.
We acknowledge that you previously provided a copy of your 2012/2013 class schedule. However, that was not what was requested with respect qualifying for the Good Student Discount. We needed a copy of your transcripts showing the grades earned for the Spring 2012 semester or the current quarter grades. Your producer, [redacted] Insurance Agency, confirmed that they contacted you on numerous occasions to obtain the needed information. Please note, Mercury Insurance Company initially applied the Good Student Discount to your policy based on your verbal representation at the time of the policy application. Unfortunately, the evidence of your good grades was not received which resulted in the removal of the Good Student Discount and a premium charge.

The following is a brief timeline of the major policy and claims activity:
-12/5/12: Your producer, [redacted] Insurance Agency, contacted you via telephone
regarding the needed transcripts for your Good Student Discount.
-12/14/12: Your producer contacted you via telephone regarding the needed transcripts for your
Good Student Discount.
-1/16/13: An amended declaration page was mailed to you advising that the Good Student
Discount had been removed effective 11/29/12.
-1/16/13: A notice of Premium Due was mailed to you in the amount of $38.00.
-4/9/13: A notice of Premium Due was mailed to you in the amount of $38.00.
-4/26/13: A Notice of Cancellation was mailed to you; you needed to pay $43.00 in order to
avoid the May 7, 2013 at 12:01 a.m. cancellation.
-5/7/13 at 12:01 a.m.: Your policy cancelled for non-payment of premium.
-5/18/13: The loss occurred.
As outlined above, Mercury Insurance Company sent several notifications to you via mail to advise you of the premium owed; you have a duty to read the notices.
In your letter you state, “the moment I called my insurance they started inventing different things to avoid responsibility. First, they passed my case through 3 different adjusters, then they sent a letter saying that they had to make an investigation on my policy, and they recommended me to take care of the car (almost implying that they weren’t going to cover anything); the next thing was 2 phone interviews. We acknowledge that you were contacted by two different claims adjusters, however, this was due to the coverage question; we are not inventing. Also, it is your responsibility to minimize your expenses while we investigate a coverage issue on your policy and a letter was sent to you advising of the same. Please note, this letter does not confirm or deny coverage. Please note, we do appreciate your cooperation for the 2 phone interviews. Had your policy been in force we would have provided coverage and handled the claim.

Unfortunately, the Good Student Discount was removed when the transcripts were not provided. As such, you owed an additional premium. Although we sent you several notices to make that additional payment, no additional payment was received. There is no coverage for this May 18, 2013 loss because your policy cancelled for non-payment of premium effective May 7, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.
As such, we must respectfully reiterate our denial of coverage for this loss. Pursuant to California Code
of Regulations, Title 10, Chapter 5, Subchapter 7.5 Section 2695(b)(3), this matter may be reviewed by
the California Department of Insurance, Claims Services Bureau, 11th Floor, 300 South Spring Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90013, ###-###-#### or ###-###-#### (Out of State).

Review: I am having issues negotiating with a claims adjuster. The switch adjuster as much as they change clothes...Very unprofessional organization. Just over this insurance company. I believe their goal is to let the case expire so that they don't have to remit payment for the damages caused to my son.Desired Settlement: This is an unprofessional organization. I don't want to deal with [redacted]. Put another adjuster on the case.

Business Response:
Thank you for your inquiry.This claim involved a value dispute on a bodily injury claim. Our final offer of $4000.00 we believed to be fair and reasonable and this was accepted and a release signed. Our Check is being mailed tot he claimant today, May 20, 2015. Sincerely,[redacted]Branch Claims Manager.

Consumer Response:

It wasn't about fairness but lack of professional ethics that your office exhibited thru this whole process. Actually, I was supposed to receive a call from you Ms. [redacted]. I never did. I still would like that phone call from you to resolve this issue I have.

Review: I was mis-quoted on auto insurance(6 months instead of 12) so I canceled before policy went into effect. I also cancel the home owners policy before it went into effect. Both were paid in full at the time of quote, 11/19 and I DON'T HAVE INSURANCE WITH MERCURY, but I am being told that my policy will be canceled on the date it was to go into effect, 12/17. I was told that they cannot cancel the policy until the 17th, I don't have a policy until the 17th and don't want a policy with Mercury. What this means is that it will be a month and a half before I receive my money back from a company, which I didn't have a policy with IN THE FIRST PLACE. This is a corrupt way of doing business, retaining someones money for over a month and a half, who doesn't even have a policy in effect with your company. They should've refund the money when they received the full cancellation notice from the local agency.Desired Settlement: Full refund, change in their method of handling refunds on mis-quoted policies which are paid and canceled before they go into effect.

Business Response:
We have contacted [redacted] and refunded all premium for both the auto and homeowners policy. The auto policy was refunded via credit card on 12/9 and the home policy was refunded via check on the same day.

Review: I had a homeowners claim for a busted water pipe in the wall near my bathroom vanity that ruined the cabinets, sheetrock and surrounding floor. Mercury sent out and adjuster right away and within another couple days I let them send in another contractor. The estimate for total repairs came in for less than half of what it costs to repair the damages properly and they are now threatening to close the case. The damage occurred on February 11, 2014 and I decided to pay for the bathroom, hallway and bedroom repair out of pocket because every time I submitted a proposal it was ignored or they said they had to send out another contractor. I paid eight thousand dollars with proof for repair and they paid two thousand. They also do not want to pay for the floor but would rather piece newer wooden planks alongside older planks that are tongue and groove.Desired Settlement: Refund for expenses submitted and floor replacement would be ideal.

Business Response:
Good afternoon,
Upon our initial inspection on February 13, 2014, the areas in question in Mr. [redacted]'s btathroom did not appear affected by this loss. Despite been previously advised in our initial Claims Acknowledgement letter dated February 13, 2014, our payment letter dated February 19, 2014 as well as on page 2 of our estimate dated February 19, 2014, and verbally on March 21, 2014 that we needed to be notified of and inspect any supplemental damages being claimed, Mr. [redacted] proceeded to have demolition completed in his bathroom on March 23, 2014 without allowing us to reinspect said damages. This substantially prejudiced our rights to inspect the undamaged and damaged property under the terms and conditions of Mr. [redacted]'s policy with Mercury Casualty Company. For this reason, any additional damages being claimed to the bathroom were denied.

As to the wood flooring, Mercury Casualty Company had the wood floor inspected by two experts, [redacted] and [redacted]. Both experts determined that the wood flooring could be repaired and did not require replacement. Mr. [redacted] claim for full replacement of his flooring has therefore been denied. Mercury Casualty Company paid for repairs to the wood flooring.

The claimed damages noted above were denied in accordance with the terms and conditions of Mr. [redacted] policy with Merucry Casualty Company.

Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely

Manager, Claims Branch
Brea Property Claims

Consumer Response:

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.
The Insurance Company was allowed to view the damage and take pictures and measurements of the whole house on February 13, 2014 and I was told that they would send another contractor out for further review. The contractor arrived February 14, 2014 and measured the floor. In the meantime I was told I could repair the damage. The February 13, 2014 Letter I received in the last paragraph states, "when repairs are completed, please forward the receipts and invoices." The next paragraph states "the repairs may be made by a contractor of your choice."

I received a letter and check on February 19, 2014 that was a very low offer as mentioned in the prior details. I informed [redacted] our adjustor by phone February 28, 2014 that I had very high bids to repair the damage. Two weeks went by with no response from the adjustor regarding the cost difference and on March 14 I sent her a copy of a proposal that was three times her offer to repair the damage of the walls only.

On March 21, 2014 I emailed Mercury with a letter stating the [redacted] should be 100% replaced and the walls removed in the bathroom and expressed my concern of a musk smell so I couldn't wait any longer to remove the sheetrock in the bathroom and hallway.
On March 22 I had [redacted] demo the damaged areas. That same day I received a letter from the insurance company basically ignoring my concerns of the wall damage and said they would be sending out another flooring contractor. I waited 5 weeks to demo the bathroom and hallway but could not take the smell any longer.

On March 26 I allowed Delta Flooring to do a second estimate on the floor for the insurance company. On March 28 I sent pictures of the damaged water soaked studs in the walls. That same day I had a contractor give me another estimate and a third estimate on April 9 to try to lower the overall cost. On April 9 I e-mailed the adjuster again to let her know of the proposals. I accepted the lowest cost estimate from a licensed contractor and he completed the repairs on April 30, 2014. On May 5, 2014 I sent another e-mail to the adjustor with pictures of the repairs and a spreadsheet of all the costs incurred.

I submitted the receipts for the overage on the bathroom, bedroom and hallway as informed in the initial letters. Therefore I refuse the partial payment on the wall repair

As for the wooden tongue and groove floor, I sent a proposal from out local expert flooring company in our city< [redacted] and it was overlooked. I also have another proposal recommending the entire floor be removed because the color will never match based on each boxes flooring color being different. My concern with the floor also is their two experts came up with different places to cut across the floor and neither one informed me where that line would be. This hinders my ability to have my own expert repair the floor since they could come back as they are attempting with the walls and say I removed too much flooring. For this reason I am refusing the partial payment on the flooring.
Regards

Business Response:
Good afternoon,
As previously stated, Mr. [redacted] was repeatedly advised that Mercury Casualty Company would need to be notified and given the opportunity to reinspect any supplemental damages being claimed as outlined in the conditions of his policy contract with Mercury Casualty Company. Mr. [redacted] was advised verbally and in writing on March 21, 2014 that [redacted] of Tustin would be reinspecting the bathroom in question. Despite knowing this, on March 24, 2014 Mr. [redacted] informed Mercury Casualty Company that his contractor completing demolishing of the bathroom on Sunday March 23, 2014. Again, our rights were substantially prejudiced and any additional damages being claimed to the bathroom have been denied.
With regard to the wood [redacted], [redacted]’s proposal was mentioned, but never received nor was the second proposal. However, as previously outlined, Mercury Casualty Company had the floor reinspected by two [redacted] companies that agreed it could be repaired and did not require full replacement. Mr. [redacted] has been previously provided with this information.

Our position on these matters remains unchanged. Please be advised that there may be other grounds for Mercury Casualty Company to deny coverage for this claim.
Nothing is this response should be construed as a waiver of any of the policy terms, conditions or exclusions by Mercury Casualty Company.

Sincerely,

Manager, Claims Branch