Jane Guice - Biloxi, Mississippi

MY ALLSTATE HORROR STORY

I have had my home insured by Allstate since October 1985. I am a single income family on a limited budget. I recently learned through a complaint at my office that Allstate was going to write a separate wind policy if your car insurance was not with them.

I contacted Allstate a couple of weeks later and asked about having my car insurance with them and was told that the deadline to insure my car and prevent a separate wind policy through the Mississippi wind pool was November 2005 and that my insurance was now going to increase in excess of $2,000.

I was never informed of this by Allstate or I would have taken immediate action prior to November 2005. On August 18, 2006, I contacted several offices on the Coast and each story was a little different.

I did learn that the office where my agent is located has been sending letters notifying individuals that there wind was being dropped by Allstate. I asked when I was going to be notified of this and she indicated it would be 45 days before my renewal date, which is in June. On that same date I called the Allstate 1-800 number and was told that this “no car insurance-lose wind coverage deal” was still a proposal and had not been approved by the MS State Insurance Commission.

I learned today that the MS State Insurance Commission does not have to approve this policy. Once again I have had my home coverage with Allstate since 1985; I did not receive any notice of any deadline to have my car covered with them or lose my wind coverage. I contacted State Farm, which is the only insurance company on the Coast writing wind insurance, to try to get coverage, but I am not 2,500 feet from the beach – I am 1,880 feet from the beach – I did not flood, but did have significant wind damage resulting in an $11,000 claim due to Hurricane Katrina, which is minimal in the light of this national disaster.

I cannot afford a $2,900 (as I found out today) increase in my home insurance. How can Allstate be allowed to arbitrarily set a policy with such a devastating affect without any notice to its policy holders of a November 2005 deadline? My agent did not even know about this deadline. What about the elderly who do not own cars? What about the poor who do not own cars? What are they to do? How can this happen?

They stopped work and ordered the return of the rental car that I  got 3 weeks late. I have other means of transportation so I will get by.

MY POINT IS THEY ARE CORRUPT AND DOING PEOPLE WRONG.

Please if anyone has insurance with these people please cancel. The only way to fight large companies is with the lose of accounts and money.

"There is no incentive for insurance companies to do what is right, such as live up to the promises made in their policies. Tort reformers fueled by insurance money think big business and the insurance industry need to be protected against "runaway juries." It's the other way around. Big business and the insurance industry have always been able to take care of themselves. The little people need protection from them. This country was founded on the common law right of the little guy to get into court with his hired gun to fight the oppressor, be it big government or big business. Take that away and we have nothing left. Look around. It's being whittled away, bit by bit, caps on damages here, restrictions on jury trials there. It won't end until we recognize the enemy and join together to take a stand against them. It will take the little people to do this together".

Louis G. Fazzi, Esq. Attorney & Counselor At Law