Shady business practices by Grundy Insurance? You be the judge.

Grundy has gone thru a few changes and hopefully the old business model is returning in it's complete form.

 

I have yet to see a company I work with move their customer service dept offshore. Not saying that includes the entire company. But I haven't experienced that yet. Call customer service for Grundy and you will be calling PA. Calling Hagerty will get you the sleepy little town of Traverse City, MI (God's country on Grand Traverse Bay). Call American Modern and it's Columbus, OH.

 

Dog wardens?

Why do I want to put a picture of Ron Burgundy in front of all these job discriptions...?

 

Swifster. I usually like to read your posts about ins. companiy inner workings, but, ... I will have to disagree a little on this one. Ins companies are about limiting liabilities, so somewhere high above you someone has a job that is figuring out how not to pay. So that is his job figuring out how to screw someone. They write the policy in language that most lawyers cannot understand, they are the judge and jury as to what they will charge and pay.
In most states they must be licensed to sell it, I know other people who sell protection, they have flowers on thier lapel, The license is about the only difference. I know this is a little harsh, but I have gone to war with ins. companies. I got my way more than once.

 

I'm with Haggerty and have not had anything like this happen yet. I know that between car shows and cruise nights you almost trip over a Haggerty rep at each one. They have a strong presence around here. I think its a good thing.

 

I'll disagree.

1) Believe it or not, insurance companies don't actually write the policy. These all start out as a standard form. Yes, a company may change a few items to reflect their business and the laws of their state. I would bet that if you looked at a Allstate policy next to a Grundy or Hagerty policy from a given state, they would almost be identical.

2) Yes policies can be difficult to read. Most are 'easy read' forms with definitions spelled out in each section. The main problem isn't that it's too technical, but that it's so dry. 2 pages in and you're half asleep, which is why no one reads it.

3) Just about every state has an insurance commissioner. Their department oversees the companies doing business in their state. They insurance policy also allows for 3rd party arbitration. And yes, if you are not happy with what an adjuster tells you, ask for a supervisor. A policy is a black and white contract, especially when it comes to cars.

4) Not only do you have to be licensed to sell insurance, in many states you have to be licensed to handle claims in those states. I have to be licened to handle claims in FL, GA and SC. Oh, and I have no flower on my lapel.

5) If there is a difference in companies, it's in their guidelines to repair a car. Auto Owners won't put a used or aftermarket part on a car until it's 3 years old or has 36,000 miles on it. That's better than some new car warranties. Allstate will put used or aftermarket parts regardless of age or mileage. Who would you want to be insured by? But both policies have wording for LKQ (used) and aftermarket parts with no mention of when they can be used. There is a reason why Allstate is cheaper.

6) If you look at a collector policy, it reads the same way. The wording on how repairs are to be made, it reads almost word for word with a standard policy. The difference is the guidelines at Hagerty and Grundy are far more liberal with an internal policy that allows them to go above and beyond up to the limits of the Agreed Value to repair the vehicle. Have a Candy Apple Red paint job on your car and Allstate will tell you under their standard policy that they don't pay for show car paint jobs. Hagerty, Grundy and other collector car carriers are limited only by the policy and the dollar limits.

 

Swifster makes sense in wha he says. The point of the original post goes both ways. A friend recently had a claim with Grundy. He was underinsured at 40,000 but never did anything about it. After an accident, the car was totaled. When he checked his policy, that is when he found he was covered for 47,300. This helped some, but it was through no fault of his own that the company was watching out for him. So it can go both ways!
The claim was paid in about 1 week. Doesn't seem like such a bad company to me.

 

As mentioned, most policies are based on a standard, plain language form. These are all based on ISO's base form. Companies then make changes and that is the form they sell you. This is the gateway to their list of forms in their library. I'll leave it to those who want to join and and do a search. They have over 9000 forms.

ISO

 

I have heard many insurance agents say" We insure cars not the driver" when that clearly is not the case. peace

 

Variation on an old joke...

How can you tell when an insurance agent is lying? His mouth is moving.

/ba-dump

 

I hope so. It's disappointing to receive that level of service from a niche company.

 

It is and it isn't. The policy follows the car. But obviously the insured driver is covered too. Each state sets up it's own insurance laws. And in most, your policy follows you medically from car to car. But in the case of a collision, the primary insurance for your CAR is your policy. This is followed by the other driver's liability insurance if they were at fault.

If you have a car policy of any kind (and please keep in mind I'm generalizing based on states I've worked in. There are 50 states and Canada and they are ALL different) that will be primary, even if you are in someone elses car. The STATES list who is primary, who is secondary, etc. This stuff that insurance companies pull out of thin are.

 

Philly is far from a niche company. But the collector car business is a niche market. This isn't making excuses. I went to school for marketing and nothing ticks me off more than poor customer service. How happy do you think I am at Christmas time...?

 

Should have said a company in a niche market.

 

So if your market value increases, they'll be giving you more money for your car if something should happen to it, right? That's how I understand what they're saying. Of course, I'm wrong. Unless there is a different deal agreed to your insurance isn't for market value, it's for "agreed." Sounds like the person you talked to just wanted you off the phone.

 

Another good reason to work through your local agency. Mine called me yesterday to go over my coverage due to my policys being payable in July.

 

^ Agreed. I use a local broker. She takes care of me. ...and she sounds hot on the phone.

Add Chubb to that list. They've been fantastic so far.

I agree about under/uninsured policies ...but... I was in a motorcycle accident that was 100% the other driver's fault and my first surgery cashed out her entire policy plus an additional $7k. Never mind the value of my antique bike or any of the pain I'm still in 10 years later. The woman had nothing to go after. I was sure glad I had a $100k insurance under/uninsured policy.
That said, I had to sue my own insurance company (Progressive) for 5 years to get anything out of it. The policy I ****ing paid for after the accident they said I was not at fault for. So, add 1/3rd payout in legal fees to that. Insurance is a racket. They take a gamble and dodge you when they loose.

 

Could you not have went after her insurance company? I thought that's how it works. Or your insurance company pays up front, then goes after the other company. God willing I'll never need to go through something like this, but it happens all too often, as you know.

 

Mr. Sinister is my people, **** Grundy!!!!! Bottom line: Notify prior to.

 

It doesn't seem very "agreed" if the policyholder didn't agree to changing the insured value (thus raising the cost). Seems like "agreed" is when both parties come to the same conclusion on something. Maybe Merriam-Webster didn't understand the term either.

 

My "Agreed Value" went up $1000, and my premium went up $8/yr. Seems fair to me...

 

I to am with Grundy, just got my policy renewal in the mail last week, they raised my "agreed" value by $4000 and my bill had another $50 tacked on. Been paying the same rate for the last 10 years! I'm currently looking for another insurance company! BS!.........

 

See, this should be something you opt in to, not have to opt out of.

 

Yeah, that's sort of my point about the term "agreed." Seems like Grundy's idea of "agreed" is to just TELL the customer the terms (coverage amount and rates) have changed. I guess I'm just one of those kooky old school types who feels like "agreed" should mean that there was a discussion that lead to an agreement. Silly me.

/$0.02 more (we're up to about $0.10 in this thread now)

 

Nope. They raise the amount on the car. If totaled, you do infact get the 'extra' value. As mentioned earlier, I have a '48 Chevy where the value was raised. And he'll get the adjusted value.

 

I'm sure if you asked to decrease the value that they would be more than happy to. But I also don't see the purpose in this.

 

Then call and take off the extra $4000. Really, I don't get the whining when the insurance company is trying to make sure you are completely covered should an accident happen. $50 for an extra $4K sounds reasonable.

 

Nope. She had the state required minimum, which is $25k, but because the damages exceeded the amount of her policy it fell into the under insured category. Had I not had an under/uninsured policy I woulda been up ****s creek and completely lost mobility in my right arm.

 

But we'd be AGREEING... not somebody arbitrarily changing the previously "agreed" value. See, agreeing is when I call the guy who mows my lawn and tell him I need the front yard done. He says, "that'll be $40). I say, "OK." What it sounds like Grundy is doing is that they ALSO start mowing the BACK yard, and then tell me it'll cost me more. That's not "agreed."

If _I_ want to raise the covered value of my vehicle, I will discuss it with my insurance provider IN ADVANCE. If _they_ want to raise the covered value of my vehicle, they need to discuss it with me IN ADVANCE. Then we can "agree" on either raising it... or not.

 

What you apparently don't get is the "whining" when one party arbitrarily and autonomously CHANGES the previously AGREED terms without first discussing it. It's not that we don't want our vehicles properly insured... so maybe that means raising the agreed value. It's the we DON'T WANT them to do it capriciously without talking to us first. If that's whining, let me know when you come into my store. You can pick something up off the shelf that is marked $0.99, and I'll ring you up, and charge you more... but please don't "whine."