Stonewood Insurance Services, Inc.

We received an application for auto insurance on behalf of the insured from his broker on 10/11/16.  This was for one driver (named insured), one vehicle and liability coverage only, for an annual premium of $543.00.  A down payment in the amount $55.43 from the broker’s account was...

included.  The next day, on 10/12/16 an endorsement was processed by the broker to add a lienholder and comprehensive and collision coverage to the policy.  This generated an increase to the premium in the amount of $1891.00.  The additional down payment required for this change was $157.49.  This payment was received through our automated system from the insured’s EFT account on 10/12/16, but was later returned to us as “unauthorized.”  A $30.00 Returned Item fee was applied.  On 10/14/16 we received an email from the broker to cancel the policy.  The cancellation was processed, effective that day.  Currently, there is a remaining balance due on this account in the amount of $86.33.  This amount will remain due until paid or will subsequently be turned over for collections.  Since we are the Managing General agent for the carrier [redacted], there would have been no payments taken directly by them relating to this policy. Accounting Breakdown: $     15.00              Earned premium for the term of 10/11/16 to 10/14/16 $     32.00              Policy fee $       6.00              NSD Membership dues $       1.76              Fraud fee $       7.00              Endorsement fee $     30.00              Returned item fee $     50.00              Cancellation fee   $   141.76              Total due $     55.43              Total paid $    86.33              Balance due remaining   Please feel free to contact our office if you should have further questions.

I am rejecting this response because: I was never told about these fees at the time of signing up . And yes I was very confused about it being two different entities because I called more times then what has been stated. At the time of signing up I was out at my aunts birthday party and barely had charge on my battery so never was I explained or aware of all those fees whether or whether not I cancelled my policy. I just want my money back at least half of it . I am not in a great financial position to get my money taken this way when I never actually utilized your insurance . I only signed up that night because I was almost certain I would get the car I wanted and I needed to have a policy the next day if I bought the car which I never did . The car dealership even agreed on a personal level they had experience with stonewood not giving them they're money back also in reviews I've read. I jus want a fair share of what is owed to me period.

This policy was originally written on 12/13/13 through an online process.  One of the questions asked on the application/contract is, “are all residents of your household 14 years and older, all regular drivers of the vehicles, and all names currently showing on the...

registration of any listed vehicle either added to the policy or excluded from coverage?”  The insured, Mr. [redacted] answered “yes” to this question as indicated on the application/contract, by the date and time stamp of 12/13/14  4:10:30 PM PST.  In addition to this, the Applicant’s Certification section of the application/contract states, “I understand that I have a continuing duty to notify the company of any changes of:  (3) members of my household of eligible driving age or permit age…”  Mr. [redacted] agreed to these terms by clicking“Accept” as indicated on the application/contract on 12/13/14  4:10:01 PM PST.  In October, during the course of a claims investigation for this policy, it was discovered that there was an undisclosed member of the household, a roommate who had been residing with the insured for one year.  Once the claims department notified us of this, we proceeded to take Underwriting action by issuing a Notice of Cancellation requiring the insured to either add or exclude this resident from the policy.  The notice was mailed out on\ 11/14/14, giving the insured the required 20 days to provide the necessary information.  On 12/01/14, we did in fact receive a call from the insured advising that he would be mailing the require  information that day.  This was noted in our system, pending the receipt of the information.  The postmark of the received information was 12/03/14, one day before the cancellation was to take effect on 12/04/14 12:01 AM.  Unfortunately, during the processing time, a cancellation generated.  Once the received information was processed, honoring the postmark date, a reinstatement was issued the same date and time of the cancellation, 12/04/14 12:01 AM, rendering no lapse in coverage.  Mr. [redacted] did not comply with the terms of the contract by failing to disclose all household members.  We respectfully invite him to refer to the terms and conditions of the policy in which he agreed to and accepted.     In regards to the claim, we have been advised by the claims department that currently they are waiting for Mr. [redacted] to advise them of where he will be taking his vehicle for repairs.  Once this is determined, a claims payout will be made to that repair shop.

[redacted]   The insured, [redacted] renewed her auto insurance policy with Stonewood Insurance for a second term, effective 9/04/16.  Regarding the issue outlined in the filed complaint, below is a narration of events relating to the billing of this...

policy:           October payment received from the insured on 10/27/16.Payment returned as unpaid on 11/01/16 ($25.00 Returned Item fee incurred).  Insured is notified accordingly.Payment replaced by insured on 11/05/16 (short the Returned Item fee)Next payment due by 12/08/16 12:01am to avoid cancellation (including Returned Item fee).  Minimum amount due $84.48.  Insured is notified and billed accordingly.Received payment from insured on 12/05/16 in the amount of $60.00 (short the Returned Item fee).  Did not receive minimum amount as billed and notified, therefore policy cancelled on 12/08/16 12:01 a.m. Received another payment from the insured on 12/08/16 at 4:08pm in the amount of $60.00.  Policy is reinstated with a lapse in coverage ($20.00 Reinstatement fee incurred).  Insured is notified accordingly.On 12/09/16 we received notification that the prior $60.00 payment received from the insured was returned unpaid (another $25.00 Returned Item fee is incurred).  The insured is notified accordingly.Notice of Cancellation is issued to the insured on 12/27/16 for the minimum amount due of $102.22 (including unpaid fees), to be received by 1/06/17 12:01am.  Received a payment from the insured on 1/02/17 in the amount of $60.00.  Less than the minimum amount required, therefore, policy cancelled for non-payment.On 1/11/17 a Notice of Reinstatement Offer is mailed to the insured advising that the amount required to reinstate the policy would be $62.22.  On 1/12/17 we received a call from the insured inquiring about her policy.  Our notes indicate that she was advised the amount required to reinstate the policy as of that day would be $62.22.  On 1/12/17 the insured made an on-line payment in the amount of $25.00.On 1/16/17 the insured called again to inquire about her policy.  Once again she was advised of the required amount of $62.22 to reinstate.On 1/16/17 the call was escalated to our Customer Service supervisor who also advised of the amount necessary to reinstate.  In conclusion, the billing issues on this policy originated from the returned (unpaid) payments and the multiple “short” payments received, causing the billing to be unable to catch up.  In each instance, the insured was properly billed and notified.  As of this date, sufficient payment for reinstatement has not been received and the policy remains cancelled.  Below is a current accounting breakdown (all fees are disclosed on policy application at point of sale and on every coverage declaration page issued, as required by California Insurance Codes and Regulations): $ 156.00                Earned premium for the active period of 9/04/16 to 1/06/17 $   35.00                Policy fee $     1.76                Fraud fee $   25.00                NSD Membership dues $     4.00                MVR fee $   65.00                Installment fees – 5 @ $13.00 each $   50.00                Returned Item fees – 2 @ $25.00 each $   20.00                Reinstatement fee $ 356.76                Total amount due   -$330.42               Total amount received from the insured $   26.34                Remaining Balance Due   We apologize for any inconvenience on the part of the insured and hope that we have satisfactorily explained our position in this matter.

[redacted] We would first like to apologize to the insured, [redacted] for her inconvenience when contacting our office to discuss this matter.  We will take this opportunity to provide a thorough explanation for the current billing situation.  Ms. [redacted] has had a policy with us since...

1/06/15.  Her most current policy term started on 2/02/16 and ended on 6/10/16, cancelling due to non-payment.  There was also a prior lapse in coverage from 5/08/16 to 5/22/16.  The last billing notice was issued on 5/22/16 for the amount of $196.37.  This included a $25.00 Reinstatement fee due to the previous lapse.  Upon the due date of 5/29/16 payment was not received, therefore a cancellation notice was generated and mailed out, giving until 6/10/16 12:01a.m. Payment was not received and the policy cancelled.  Accounting Breakdown:    $   563.00              Earned premium for the period of 2/02/16 to 6/10/16 (no earned premium during lapse period of 5/08/16 to 5/22/16) $     40.00              Policy fee (fully earned) $       2.64              Fraud fee $     30.00              NSD Membership dues $     65.00              Installment fees – 5 @ $13 each $       8.00              MVR fee $     50.00              Reinstatement fees – 2 @ $25 each (lapse at renewal and mid-term) $       7.00              Endorsement fee (added vehicle)   $   765.64              Total due -$   647.92             Total paid $    117.72             Balance due remaining   As you can see, the balance due is the combination of the earned premium and fees that accrued over the period of time that the policy was in force.  We hope this information has been helpful.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Thank you

GSP90188850 – [redacted] Stonewood Insurance received an application from the broker on 8/16/16 for a non-owners auto insurance policy on behalf of the insured, [redacted].  A payment of $837.00 was included.  Due to a suspended driver’s license the insured had also requested an SR...

Filing as proof of insurance to the DMV.  The policy was issued as requested and the proof of insurance (SR filing) was electronically transmitted to the DMV.  On 8/24/16, we received a (required) signed request to cancel the policy.  This was processed and the DMV was also notified.  A refund in the amount of $714.00 was issued to the insured on 9/29/16.  Accounting Breakdown:      $   18.00                Earned premium for the period of 8/16/16 to 8/25/16 $   35.00                Policy fee $   15.00                SR filing fee $    5.00                 NSD Membership dues $   50.00                Cancellation fee $ 123.00                Total Due   -$837.00               Total Paid -$714.00               Balance remaining (refunded on 9/29/16)   Since we are not the broker we have no knowledge of conversations or situations that occur between the broker and the insured.  These matters, including the broker fee, should be handled directly with them.    It is unclear why the insured would expect a full refund.  He was charged for nine days of coverage and all applicable fees, disclosed (per California Insurance code and regulations) in the original application that he agreed to and signed at the point of sale.  We apologize for any misunderstandings.

In response to the insured’s rejection of our explanation that the policy fees were disclosed to her at point of sale of the insurance policy, I am attaching a copy of the documents that she electronically signed/accepted through an on-line policy process known as [redacted].  The insured purchased this policy online through a broker.  This process is used at the convenience of the insured so that necessary signatures can be obtained without having to physically go to the broker’s office.  Please refer to the last page that indicates the applicable fees and the insured’s acceptance of these at 10/30/15 at 11:12 p.m.   As previously stated, if the insured can provide something from the dealership showing when the vehicle was returned or that she never took possession, we would be willing to review this and possibly backdate the cancellation, reducing the coverage charges.  As for the fees, we are unable to waive these as we must remain in compliance as directed by state regulations in which we adhere to our own guidelines. [redacted]Underwriting & Customer Svs. ManagerPhone | [redacted] [redacted]E-Mail | [redacted]

GSP90119012
The insured, Mr. [redacted], renewed his automobile insurance policy with us, effective 4/18/15 by submitting the required down payment to continue the policy for a subsequent term. On 5/22/15 we received a call from the insured’s spouse who inquired about cancelling the policy. She was...

advised that this would require a written and signed request from the insured and that he would be charged for earned premium and accrued fees, including a $50 cancellation fee. We received a written cancellation request from the insured dated 5/23/15. The cancellation was processed effective 5/24/15 12:01 a.m. Below is an accounting breakdown for this policy term:
$ 92.00 Earned premium for period of $4/18/15 to 5/24/15
$ 26.77 Fully earned policy fee
$ 3.52 Fraud fee
$ 8.00 NSD Membership dues
$ 3.06 MVR fee
$ 18.00 Installment fees – 2 @ $9.00 each
$ 50.00 Cancellation fee
$ 201.35 Total due
- 193.04 Total paid
Each applicable fee was fully disclosed on the policy Declaration page, issued to the insured on 4/18/15. The cancellation fee was also verbally disclosed, along with other accrued fees at the time the insured inquired about cancelling the policy. In regards to the $4.00 monthly NSD Membership dues, this is an affinity roadside plan that is included with this policy. There is no option to opt out. This, and all conditions and fees of the policy were agreed to at the initial point of sale on 4/18/14 and upon the submission of payment for each renewal.
Unfortunately there is no refund due the insured, only a remaining balance. Since our guidelines state that we will charge the applicable fees, any deviation from said guidelines would place us in a non-compliance status. Therefore, we are unable to waive fees and the balance due will remain until paid.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this matter has caused the insured, Mr. [redacted], and hope that we have addressed all areas of concern.

This policy was purchased by the insured, Ms. [redacted] on 3/16/13 through her broker. Per her request, the policy was set up on an Automatic Recurring Credit Card Monthly Payment plan. On 4/15/13, we were notified that the first monthly credit card payment had declined. We immediately placed a call...

to the insured. A message was left and a letter was mailed to her. The insured called us back this same day. During a recorded call, she remembered that she had a new credit card and provided us with the information for this card. A replacement payment was made at this time and the account was placed back on the Recurring Credit Card plan. If the insured had replaced coverage elsewhere on 4/10/13 as her complaint states, why would she make a payment five days later on a policy that she wanted to be cancelled? On 5/15/13, we were notified that the monthly credit card payment was once again declined. A call was placed to the insured, a message was left and a letter was mailed to the insured advising of the declined card. We received no reply. On 5/16/13 a Cancellation Notice was sent to the insured requiring a payment by 5/26/13. No payment was received and the policy cancelled. On 5/31/13 and again on 7/10/13, we sent a Reinstatement Offer and Balance Due Notice advising of the amount necessary to reinstate the policy AND the balance due on the account. We received no reply to these. At no time did we receive a request from the insured by phone, mail, fax or email to cancel the policy. We provided quality service for this policy. The issues that occurred were due to declined credit cards submitted by the insured and lack of payment. We did in fact attempt to collect the outstanding balance (see attachments) with no success, therefore the account was turned over to an outside collection agency. The balance will remain due until paid.

[redacted] Stonewood Insurance is the Managing General agent for the insurance carrier on this policy, National General Insurance.  The broker, Cost U Less Insurance Center is the representative for the insured, [redacted].  On 2/03/17 Stonewood Insurance received a...

submission for auto insurance on behalf of Ms. [redacted] by her broker, Cost U Less Insurance, along with a down payment in the amount of $62.11.  An automobile insurance policy was issued for Ms. [redacted], effective that day.  Stonewood policy documents were mailed out to her by regular mail.  Ms. [redacted] contacted our office, once by phone and once by email, to dispute that she had purchased a policy with us.  She was advised to contact the broker who had assisted her with the initial transaction.  Our records indicate that there was no further contact, correspondence, documentation, cancellation request, etc. from the insured or the broker.  We have now been advised by the Cost U Less broker that Ms. [redacted] entered into a transaction for insurance with them by way of a telephone conversation in which she gave a verbal authorization and provided funds (down payment) for the submission of an insurance policy.  We have advised the broker that this policy will be voided back to the original date of 2/03/17 and coverage will be null and void, to which they have ensured they will return to Ms. [redacted], all funds collected by them at point of sale.  We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused Ms. [redacted].

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  I have read the response and see that the reimbursement is to be mailed later this month. They should reimburse customers sooner if not immediately when they are at fault. NOT ONE PERSON from Stonewood Insurance has called me with an apology. Just the generic words of they had a problem and something about inconvenience .  My own grandkids respond and apologies better than that. Further more, The agents that spoke to me over this matter spoke to me as if I was a criminal and in the wrong. All except for one man whom I identified in earlier emails and responses. [redacted], you should take a course on how to train your empoyees.  Even your apology was all about excusses and not towards me personally. Just how did you get your job? If in fact Stonewood Insurance does refund the small refund to me I will except this yet hope others can still read just how they responded. Further more, The stress they caused me was unreal. They should pay more than a refund. If not for [redacted] my agent at Cost You Less in Folsom Ca. calming me down I was ready to explode on Stonewood. You should be so lucky that a professional such as [redacted] was there to work with me. He apologies to me and it felt personal. even apologies for the dead beat Stonewood.... Poor guy should not ever have to do that. Stonewood should apologies to all clients by hand and in person!Sincerely [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

[redacted] An auto insurance policy was initiated through us on behalf of the insured, [redacted] by her broker, effective 10/30/15.  After this, the next correspondence received on the insured’s behalf was on 11/04/15 in which we received an email from her broker stating the...

following: From: [redacted] Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2015 5:16 PM To: SW-Customer Service Review Subject: FW: Signed Consent pol # [redacted] Hello, Attached is a cancellation letter from ni pol # [redacted]ust waiting on Dealership letter that she did not take possesion of veh. Please give us a call back if you have any questions or concerns at numbers listed below. Thank You [redacted] Customer Service Representative Insurance Services Center The letter provided was a handwritten statement by the insured, advising that she wanted to cancel the policy as she had not taken possession of the vehicle.  As indicated in the above email from the broker, we did not receive a letter from the auto dealership confirming that the insured never took the vehicle from the dealership lot (possession) therefore, the policy was cancelled effective 11/05/15.  A cancellation cannot be backdated without sufficient proof to do so. The insured contacted our office on 11/16/15 to inquire about a refund.  She was advised that it takes 20 to 25 days from the date of processing.  On 12/10/15 a refund check was issued to the insured in the amount of $25.92.  We received a call from the insured on 12/14/15 regarding the refund amount, at which time she was given a breakdown of the charges, as follows:  $     25.00             Earned premium for the period of 10/30/15 to 11/04/15 $     35.00             Policy fee $       1.76             Fraud fee $       8.00             NSD Membership dues $      13.00             Installment fee $     50.00             Cancellation fee $   132.76             Total Due - ($158.68)           Amount received from insured - ($  25.92)           Balance – refunded on 12/10/15   We apologize for any misunderstanding the insured may have had regarding the policy charges, however, we are in compliance with state codes and regulations that require us to disclose our fees on the initial application for insurance that the insured signs at point of sale and on the policy documents that are immediately provided when the policy is issued.    It is possible that the insured may have provided a larger down payment to her broker and had other conversations with them, than the ones we have indicated.  She would have to contact them directly to obtain this information, as we are separate entities.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  When originally opening insurance I was not asked to exclude my 14 year old son.  My son was 14 when I received insurance.  This is their job to discuss that at time of signing.  To blame me, my wife or penalize us for a mistake they made is upsetting no one gets it.Second, my wife was asking for a quote for my son in case we decided to add him.  The company was not clear regarding this.  The broker we went to said we did not have to worry about the exclusion form if he was not driving, they would handle it.  This was at the Fairfield Cost-U-Less.  We will not be doing anymore business with this insurance company as they obviously don't want our business.  I have seen reviews regarding this company that talk about the extra fees they tack on.  I refuse to give another penny because they couldn't get it right.Also, no manager should talk to their client in the manner in which I was talked to.  Seems as though that was over looked and found acceptable.  We were not treated fairly, no it's a matter of their word Vs. ours.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is a little okay with me.
This could go on and on. So I have decided to send the company-Stonewood Insurance- my replacement policy for a possible backdate of cancellation as they stated. This way we resolve this and everyone go their way. Much I have learnt.  Thank you the docs have been sent through [redacted]Sincerely,[redacted]

[redacted] Stonewood Insurance is the General Managing agent for the carrier of this policy, NGIC (Integon).  We received an application for an annual auto insurance policy on behalf of Mr. [redacted], to be effective 3/06/16.  At the signed request of the insured, the policy was set...

up on an EFT payment account in which payments are automatically withdrawn from his bank account on specified dates.  On 12/15/16 we received a call from the insured asking for instructions on how to cancel the policy.  We advised him that we would require a signed written request from him and referred him to his broker’s office for assistance in this matter.  He expressed that he preferred another option, therefore we provided him with our direct fax number to send the request to us.  We received the cancellation request and this was processed, effective 12/13/16.  Below is an accounting breakdown that includes a $50.00 cancellation fee, along with other applicable fees and earned premium.  All fees are disclosed on the application that the insured acknowledges and signs at point of sale.  These fees are also disclosed on all declaration pages provided to the insured throughout the life of the policy.  In addition to this, the insured was provided with a policy booklet when the policy began that disclosed the following conditions of the policy, 1) you may cancel the policy by advising us in writing, 2) the refund will be calculated on a pro rata basis minus a $50 cancellation fee, 3) we will send you any refund to which you are entitled within 25 days of the cancellation.  The insured’s desired settlement of a full refund would not be applicable as he has been provided with insurance coverage and has accrued fees as agreed upon at inception.  We apologize for the insured’s inconvenience but have acted within accordance of the conditions of the policy.       Accounting Breakdown: $   1607.00           earned premium for the period of 3/06/16 to 12/13/16 $       35.00            Policy fee $       15.00            SR filing fee $         5.28            Fraud fee $       40.00            NSD Membership dues $       81.00            Installment fees – 9 @ $9 each $       21.00            Endorsement fee – 3 @ $7 each $       50.00            Cancellation fee   $   1854.28           Total due -$  1932.31           Total paid -$      78.03          Balance owed insured

[redacted] Our records indicate that the insured, [redacted] contacted our office on 1/03/17 requesting to add and remove a vehicle.  Per policy procedure, he was referred to his broker for the servicing of this endorsement.  Our notes do not indicate any prior mention of...

cancelling the policy.    In receipt of this Revdex.com inquiry, the matter was escalated to our Customer Service Supervisor who placed a call out to the insured to clarify what actions he is asking to be taken on his policy.  Based on this recorded call, it has been determined that the insured's intentions are to remove a vehicle and to NOT renew the policy.  There is only one vehicle on the policy.  He then stated that he wanted to cancel the policy as of the upcoming renewal date of 1/29/17.  He was advised that in order to avoid the previously disclosed cancellation fee of $50.00, he could disregard the Renewal Bill and the policy would just expire effective 1/29/17 12:01 a.m. with a zero balance.  He stated that he understood and a recording of his request to remove the EFT account was taken and promptly processed.  It seems that this matter has been resolved.

On 5/18/16 an application for auto insurance was submitted to us by the insured, Mr. [redacted] broker, listing one driver (himself) and one vehicle, a 2007 Ford Ranger.  The policy was issued as requested. ...

              Effective 12/27/16 an endorsement was processed by the broker to add a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee to the policy for the same coverage as the 2007 Ford.  This increased the annual premium to $711.   On 3/23/17 an installment billing was issued to the insured.  Around this time, our accounting department had made a procedural change with our bank pertaining to how payments are received and applied to our policy accounts.  Unfortunately, during this transition an error occurred causing some checks to be cashed but not applied to the appropriate policies until a later date.  Regretfully, a cancellation for this policy was generated.  Once the error was rectified and it was confirmed that the payment was postmarked prior to the due date of 4/07/17, the policy was reinstated with no lapse in coverage.            Based on the insured’s request and proof of replacement coverage received from his broker, we have cancelled the policy, effective 4/21/17.  The premium has been pro-rated and the $50.00 cancellation fee has been waived.  There is a balance due to the insured in the amount of $53.00.  This refund is scheduled to go out on 5/19/17.Accounting Breakdown:$ 291.00                Earned premium for period of 5/18/16 to 12/27/16 – $1.30 per day x 224 days$ 222.00                Earned premium for period of 12/27/16 to 4/20/17 - $1.95 per day x 114 days (Endo)$   40.00                Policy fee$   72.00                NSD Membership dues$     3.52 Fraud fees$ 143.00                Installment fees – 11 @ $13.00 each$     7.00 Endorsement fee$ 778.52                Total due -$831.52               Total paid-$  53.00               Remaining balance due insured We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and unfortunate misunderstanding this matter has caused. The feedback and comments regarding our customer service have been forwarded to the appropriate supervisors for continued training and coaching purposes.  [redacted]Underwriting & Customer Svs. ManagerPhone | [redacted]E-Mail | [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: I was not informed that all household members including those without drivers licenses had to be added or excluded; only those which I wanted on the policy with driver licenses. Had this information been given to me I would have added or excluded [redacted]. I had no intention of misrepresenting any information. Had the company also sent me an exclusion form for [redacted], I would have gladly filled it out and returned it to the company. I also did not receive my policy and it's terms until September 19th. After the companies decision had already been made. Had I received those in a timely manner I would have added or excluded [redacted].