Print the value of index0
Direct General Insurance Company Failed to pay all medical bills due to auto accident caused by their client Baton Rouge, Louisiana
On February 3rd while stopped behind another vehicle at a red light, I was struck from behind by a drunk driver insured by Direct General. The police report mentions that the driver was arrested for DUI, and also left 89 feet of tire marks before hitting my vehicle. As this was at around 10 pm I called Direct General the next day after I was released from the hospital for injuries to my knees and whiplash. I was out of work for the next 6 days per doctor's orders.
The first call to Direct General (1-800-627-8006), I spoke with someone named Melinda, but was disconnected 15 minutes into the call. I called again and spoke with Alex, who gave me a claim number 143XXXX. I was then transferred to a claims adjuster, where I got to listen to an open headset for 10 minutes. Finally someone named Desiree answered, and was told that I would be contacted by an adjuster within 24 hours. This is on February 4th.
I was not contacted by an adjuster until the 7th! The adjuster, Courtney Bolton, recorded my statement. I asked about a rental car, and she said she couldn't do that until after she spoke with all parties, and that she had not been able to get in touch with her client. I mentioned that she couldn't get in touch with him because he was in jail. She said "Just because he was arrested for drunk driving doesn't mean he was the cause of the accident."
I needed a vehicle so I called my own insurance agent with Farm Bureau and filed a claim with them. I was contacted by an adjuster a few hours later, he set up the rental car and Enterprise called me less than an hour later. They even picked me up. Kudos to Farm Bureau for being on the ball!
Now, I was asked to fax the medical bills I received to Courtney, which I did, and then didn't hear anything more from her for almost a month. I again had to go with my own insurance company, who took care of the payout for my vehicle (it was totalled by the accident) and I was able to search and find a replacement.
Long story short, Courtney has all of the medical bills, and tells me they will offer a settlement and gave me an amount that would be paid to me in a check. She said the last bill that needed to be paid was the EMS bill, and that would be subtracted from the amount I was to receive. I was okay with that, assuming all of the bills were paid, so I agreed to the settlement offer.
Now, it seems she failed to pay the hospital ER physician bill, in the amount of $759.99, which she admitted to receiving and including in my case "evaluation". When I noticed the past due bill, I emailed and left her a voicemail asking why this bill wasn't paid. She emails back saying they only paid the bills that had a lien on the claim. This was NOT what she told me prior to discussing the settlement.
I sent two additional emails asking for answers and why she is all of a sudden only paying certain bills, and she has failed to respond. The last time I heard from her was on November 23rd, 2011. I did not want to deal with an attorney, thinking this was going to be a straightforward claim and easy to settle. I wasn't asking for millions, I just wanted my medical bills paid and fair compensation for the loss of my vehicle, lost wages, and pain/suffering.
I can only say, if I ever have to deal with Direct General again, I WILL be contacting a lawyer before I ever talk to one of their claims adjusters again, and I WILL be suing for as much as I can get from them. They can only blame themselves. I will also be filing a complaint with the Louisiana Department of Insurance.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Nana
CAMPBELLTON,Florida,
USA
Got crooked n rip office
#3General Comment
Fri, August 07, 2015
On November 1 ,2013 ,I had got rear end by someone , then I called my insurance company direct general auto n then they sent someone to appraisal the damage to the car , what so messed up I could still drive my car,but they said it was total no fix in it . so I was still making payment on the vehicle that I had paid down from 16,900 to almost 5 ,000 , . they sent me the paperwork but didn't send me the check they sent of the settlement check that was only 3,125 that after all the chargers that they charge me . then I still owe the car company that I was l buying the car from now my credit is messed up . all I wanted was get me my family an car I could even do that I got rip and crooked by an insurance company that I was with over three year I was an loyal customers Dnt go bck
fightincamel
United States of AmericaSimilar Experience
#3Consumer Comment
Thu, May 31, 2012
I USED to have direct general insurance. I had no problems with them until I had an accident in May of 2011. Not only did I have to pay for a rental car and wait for them to reimburse me, BUT the representatives had attitudes. At first they told me my policy was cancelled even though my premium had been paid. Then it took me over a month to get a settlement. I kept talking to different people with different numbers in different locations. This was the worst experience I have ever had with a company. You call the representatives and they never answer the phones and will not return calls. "Doug" has the worse attitude. He acted like I was inconveniencing him. The inconvenience was having to pay for a rental up front. I finally got my settlement, purchased a new car and had to pay $389 to insure the car before I could drive it off the lot (mind you my policy expired at the beginning of August). I made up in my mind that day that I would not renew my policy with them. I have since switched to Liberty Mutual, a reputable and reliable company. Not only that, the agents in the local office couldn't help me with anything with my claim. If you see DIRECT GENERAL INSURANCE, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!