Michael L Evans Farmers Insurance

Review: On October 29, 2013, I purchased Farmers Homeowners Insurance and Farmers Auto Insurance policies from the Michael Evans Insurance Agency in Bethel Park, PA. Subsequent to telling me that Farmers Insurance had accepted, and would underwrite, both the homeowners and the auto insurance policies, insurance agent [redacted] processed two electronic payments of $160.35 and $74.19, respectively, which were instantly electronically deducted from our checking account. Mr. [redacted], the insurance agent for Michael Evans Insurance Agency, FAILED TO DISCLOSE TO ME, PRIOR to electronically withdrawing the insurance premiums from our checking account, that Farmers Insurance COULD, AT ITS DISCRETION DURING THE NEXT 60 DAYS, CANCEL THE INSURANCE COVERAGE THAT I HAD ALREADY PAID FOR. Mr. [redacted] specifically articulated to me that both policies, which I had just paid premiums on, had been accepted by Farmers Insurance. Mr. [redacted] then said I should, on October 31, 2013, the day the two new Farmers Insurance policies would begin coverage, cancel my two current policies that we had coverage on from a different insurance company. At 11:04 AM on Thursday, October 31, 2013, the day that both the homeowners and the auto insurance coverage were to take effect, I emailed Mr. [redacted] that I still had not received the Homeowners Proof of Insurance, and that I needed confirmation that our home was indeed covered under this new Farmers Insurance Homeowners Policy. Subsequent to that email, Mr. [redacted], several hours later, phoned to say, to my great surprise, that Farmers Insurance had declined to write the homeowners coverage. At 9:49 AM on Friday, November 1, 2013, I emailed Mr. [redacted] to cancel the Farmers Auto Insurance Policy, and to please electronically refund both policy premiums that he had electronically deducted from our checking account prior to telling me of the homeowners cancellation terms. I AM STILL WAITING ON THE $160.35 "INSTANT" REFUND: THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS, AND STILL IS, APPALLINGLY AWFUL.Desired Settlement: A refund of $160.35 electronically deposited back to our checking account, as was promised 12 days ago.A record of this complaint to remain in the public domain for other unsuspecting insurance buyers to peruse prior to purchasing insurance from the Michael Evans Insurance Agency.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern, After reviewing the complaint received by our agency I would like to respond to the accusations set forth by our brief former client, [redacted], On 10-29-2013 Mr. [redacted] had decided to place his coverage with Farmers Insurance the Michael Evans Agency of Farmers Insurance (after praising the knowledge and level of service he had received from [redacted] during the sales interview process.) Mr. [redacted] also sought partnership with the Michael Evans Agency as he has a business in kitchen remodeling. He wanted to utilize our agency for a mutual client referral relationship. During the sales interview process Mr. [redacted] had misrepresented his claims experience over the past three years which affected the information I was using to Write the policy and may have ultimately resulted in a negative policy action. Upon taking payment and submitting the transaction the policy went through to the underwriting team which at this point means at the agency level the policy is accepted (not bound, and not guaranteed.) Mr. [redacted] absolutely was informed that a third parry inspection team CIS Group would be our to his property to inspect the property for acceptability to Farmers and that they had a 60 day window to make sure the property was accepted before coverage would be bound by Farmers. I did let Mr. [redacted] know that he is “covered” during this discovery period. The next day when Mr. [redacted] bad asked for his evidence of insurance I was unable to print it out for him. I made a call to my underwriting team who informed me that they would not be binding coverage with Mr. [redacted] for reasons which I am not willing to disclose to protect Mr. [redacted]’s privacy. I immediately notified Mr. [redacted] of their decision and asked how he would like to proceed. He waited a day and then notified me that he would like to cancel his automobile policy and receive a refund the same day for his automobile payment of $74.19 and his homeowner’s payment of$ 160.35. I made a call to our billing department and requested the refunds to be electronically deposited back into Mr. [redacted]’s account as soon as administratively possible. This was Friday, November 1”. Due to it being late in the afternoon I informed Mr. [redacted] that my billing department had informed me they “sent” the requested refunds to his financial institution and that it was now up to his financial institution when they decide to release his funds back into his On November 8th, 2013 Mr. [redacted] sent me an email to let me know be had received his refund for the automobile payment in the amount of $74.19 on November 6th He informed me he still had not received his refund for his homeowner’s policy and once again demanded it be credited back to him that day. I informed Mr. [redacted] on November 11th that I had once again contacted our billing department for a refund for his homeowner’s premium and that it was confirmed that it would be electronically redeposited it into his account once billing had completed processing the policy declination and refund on November 18th, This was not acceptable to Mr. [redacted] and subsequently he responded to me via this Revdex.com complaint notice, I feel that our agency took every avenue we could to not only find a way to see if our under-writing department would make an exception to the property after a physical inspection, but to settle the refund situation with Mr. [redacted] in an upfront, honest, and ethical manner. We responded to every inquiry and phone call Mr. [redacted] made and were very transparent with both positive and negative feedback AS WE RECEJVED IT. The service Mt. [redacted] received was extremely attentive, we feel this complaint is mote a result of the frustration he is experiencing with his current insurer’s actions due to his insurance record and subsequently Farmers not being willing to bind coverage for him for the same reason. Furthermore, vie have handled Mt [redacted]’s case with the utmost professionalism and courtesy even when it was likewise not demonstrated to out agency by Mr. [redacted]’s aggressive demeanor. His request was bandied in a timely manner; his inquiries were responded to promptly the same day, or first thing on the following business day. We feel there are no ground to file a complaint of this magnitude given the entire situation (which has been resolved) is LESS THAN EVEN TWO WEEKS OLD, We feel this action to be both unwarranted and premature as we have done everything in our power to settle this directly with Mr. [redacted]. Our Agency would like to see the following resolution: - Mr. [redacted] to acknowledge that his refund requests have been responded to with settlement dares given. - The EBB or Mr. [redacted] to acknowledge that given the very short rime frame in which this scenario to take place (with a resolution being given) does not warrant a complaint to the EBB for a an issue that is out of this agencies control i.e. date of refund processing. - This complaint to be sealed and not make public as we feel it is a frivolous attempt of Mr. [redacted] to “get back” at this agency for Farmers Insurance Underwriting to decline to insure his residence. Sincerely, [redacted] Farmers Insurance 2

Consumer

Response:

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by ?Mr. [redacted] and the Michael L. Evans Farmers Insurance Agency of Bethel Park, PA, hereinafter referred to as Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance, in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that their response clearly does not resolve my complaint. Furthermore, I unequivocally REJECT the response made by Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance to resolve this complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear herein. I will begin my rebuttal by saying that Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance have published statements in their response that clearly demonstrate their reckless disregard for the truth because Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance have maliciously published a specific defamatory false accusation against me, and furthermore, Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance have also published in their response other specific spurious statements pertaining to their insurance-sales conduct that Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance know to be completely false and untrue. Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance have made it quite clear that their response was prepared and articulated with a great deal of malice and forethought. I will add one more contextual item prior to scrutinizing and breaking down Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance 's response. My initial phone call to Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance marked the first time in over 34 years that my wife and I were in the market for Homeowners Insurance, and it is important to note that all of my telephone conversations with Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance were conducted in our home office via a high quality handheld speakerphone, and my wife was present during all of the several phone conversations with Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance, and both she and I took copious notes. Herewith is my breakdown of Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance 's response submitted to the Revdex.com: 1. In the first paragraph of Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance's response they state that Mr. [redacted], and I quote, "decided to place his coverage with Farmers Insurance the Michael Evans Agency of Farmers Insurance (after praising the knowledge and level of service he had received from [redacted] during the sales interview process.)" During the initial sales conversation, it was my perception that Mr. [redacted] was very pleasant and solicitous. I soon realized that my initial positive perceptions were totally incorrect two days after Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance had instantly electronically withdrawn from our bank account the two insurance payments. I learned on Thursday, October 31, 2013 at approximately 12:40 PM that Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance had withheld from me vital information pertaining to the specifics of the Farmers Homeowners Insurance policy: that Farmers Insurance had 60 days from the date of application to cancel the Homeowners Insurance. Had Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance disclosed to me, as they should have, this all important piece of information at the beginning of, to use Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance's vernacular, the "sales interview process," I never would have continued with the application. And, after Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance learned that Farmers Insurance had denied homeowners coverage, and I had canceled the Farmers automobile policy, Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance's eagerness to promptly reply to my communications to them vanished into thin air. 2. In the first line of the second paragraph Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance state, and I quote, "During the sales interview process Mr. [redacted] had misrepresented his claims experience over the past three years......" Absolutely and unequivocally NOT TRUE. Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance, by publishing this spurious statement, are falsely accusing me of insurance fraud which is a malicious and defamatory false accusation; an accusation that Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance know is completely and unequivocally untrue. I informed Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance at the beginning of our initial telephone conversation (the "sales interview process") on Thursday, October 24, 2013, at approximately 4:30 PM in the afternoon, that we had been covered by the same insurance company for over 34 years, and up until January 2013, we had never filed a claim. I then told Mr. [redacted] that we had three separate homeowner situations that had occurred one right after the other, and we had subsequently filed three homeowners insurance claims with our current homeowners insurance carrier. He assured me that three claims would not preclude Farmers Homeowners Insurance underwriting a homeowners policy. Mr. [redacted] asked me for my address, and once I had given that to him, he said he had just accessed my homeowners insurance claims experience record through his computer program, and he could see the three claims that I had just articulated to him. At that point Mr. [redacted] and I had an in-depth conversation about each of the three claims, and since I did not have a copy of these three claims in front of me, Mr. [redacted] told ME the dates, the dollar amounts and the codes under which these claims were listed, and I made specific notes on this information; a copy of said notes is attached. There was absolutely no misrepresentation regarding my "claims experience", and, in over 34 years these three claims are the only claims that I have ever submitted to an insurance company. 3. Midway through the fifth line of the second paragraph Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance state, and I quote, "Mr. [redacted] absolutely was informed that a third party inspection team CIS Group would be out to his property to inspect the property for acceptability to Farmers....." Absolutely and unequivocally NOT TRUE. This statement is another glaring example of Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance's reckless disregard for the truth: Mr. [redacted] unequivocally did not at any time, or in any way, inform us that a third-party inspection team would be out to our property. What Mr. [redacted] did say on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 during a telephone conversation that began at approximately 11:30 AM, was that HE would stop by our house, and I quote, "in the next seven days" and take a few pictures of our home. Mr. [redacted]'s exact words were "I'll sneak around on my way home" and take four pictures, one from each of the four corners of the dwelling. I said fine; please call before you come by. He agreed that he would. Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance's Revdex.com response was the very first time I have ever heard the term CIS Group. 4. Midway through the seventh line of the second paragraph Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance go on to say, and I quote, "Mr. [redacted] absolutely was informed .........they (Farmers) had a 60 day window to make sure the property was accepted before coverage would be bound by Farmers." Absolutely and unequivocally NOT TRUE. Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance withheld the so-called "60 day cancellation window" information from me until his phone call at 12:39 PM on Thursday, October 31, 2013. Mr. [redacted], in response to my email that I sent to him at 11:04 AM that morning, was calling to say that he had, and I quote, "bad news." Mr. [redacted] went on to say that he had been talking to his Farmers' underwriting team, and here I quote Mr. [redacted], "they had checked the loss history, which is not usually a problem, because we know you've had a few losses". It was at this point in Mr. [redacted]'s telephone conversation that he brought up quite casually and rather offhandedly the heretofore not mentioned "60 day discovery period from the date of application." 5. I now refer to the fourth line of the third paragraph where Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance state, and I quote, "I informed Mr. [redacted] on November 11th that I had once again contacted our billing department for a refund for his homeowner’s premium and that it was confirmed that it would be electronically redeposited it into his account once billing had completed processing the policy declination and refund on November 18th". Absolutely and unequivocally NOT TRUE. This is just another outstanding example of Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance's blatant and reckless disregard for the truth. A refund date of November 18 was never mentioned to me via phone or in any email from Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance . I irrefutably prove that Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance are not being truthful by submitting the enclosed email string from Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 1:12 PM through Monday, November 11, 2013 at 9:52 PM. In conclusion, I believe I have demonstrated and proven quite categorically and conclusively that Mr. [redacted] & M. L. Evans Insurance WERE NOT upfront, honest and ethical in their dealings with me, and this Revdex.com complaint should stand as a warning or "caveat emptor" to other unsuspecting insurance consumers who may have an inclination to deal with Mr. [redacted] and the Michael L. Evans Farmers Insurance Agency of Bethel Park, PA. Thank you. [redacted]