FORTIS INSURANCE AGENCY and Agent Fraudulent! Beware! Rip-off! Milwaukee Wisconsin
I was in the hospital with a broken arm. While there I found out I had a heart problem. I had a different insurance Company where I had to pay alot of the bill myself. I have a small business so I have to have a small business insurance.
To make a long story short, I looked for better coverage and found an agent from Fortis. He came to my home twice. I did not try to hide my heart condition to home and told him I would need surgery down the line for a defective heart valve. He told me this is what Fortis is for. I asked over and over again, he told me not to worry, I would be covered. So I took the policy and cancelled my existing coverage. I received the policy and saw the pre-existing clause. He told me not to worry that that pertained to having a previous heart attack. I was covered.
Now the time has come and I need surgery. I saw my cardiologist and he said the sooner the better, it had been 1 year and 6 months of learning my heart problem. I called the surgeon to schedule my appointment and she checked my insurance. Low and behold FORTIS will not cover it. I called the agent immediately and all he said was "he was sorry he made a mistake". I called Fortis and they didn't want to hear anything about their agent or my problem.
I did report to the State of Delaware and they are being helpful, but I still need the operation and do not have insurance, the American Heart Association has been very helpful..
Please, Please stay away from this so called Insurance Agency. I wish I could also give you the name of the agent so you could stay away from him to... Also BE AWARE FORTIS has changed their name.
Gene
wilmington, Delaware
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Byron
St. Louis,Missouri,
U.S.A.
Make a claim against the agent's errors & omission policy
#5Consumer Suggestion
Fri, July 30, 2004
I agree with Mark (if your story is accurate re. what the agent said and what U disclosed about your existing heart condition on the application)
Assuming that, I'd check with an attorney, to see what action U can bring against this agent's E&O coverage(professional liabilty) or sue the agent personally. Fortis is not at fault if they excluded the coverage (assuming U disclosed it on the application).. Fortis would have either placed an exclusion rider on the policy or totally declined coverage (more likely in this case) given all the facts. If the agent failed to note a "yes" answer in the heart question after U told him... he commmitted fraud and can lose his license and he's potentially liable, not Fortis, because they didn't know about your heart condition. If they did, and added a rider excluding "heart issues", and U still accepted the policy.... shame on U !!... however, U still may have some potential action against the agent.
Good Luck!
Byron
St. Louis,Missouri,
U.S.A.
Make a claim against the agent's errors & omission policy
#5Consumer Suggestion
Fri, July 30, 2004
I agree with Mark (if your story is accurate re. what the agent said and what U disclosed about your existing heart condition on the application)
Assuming that, I'd check with an attorney, to see what action U can bring against this agent's E&O coverage(professional liabilty) or sue the agent personally. Fortis is not at fault if they excluded the coverage (assuming U disclosed it on the application).. Fortis would have either placed an exclusion rider on the policy or totally declined coverage (more likely in this case) given all the facts. If the agent failed to note a "yes" answer in the heart question after U told him... he commmitted fraud and can lose his license and he's potentially liable, not Fortis, because they didn't know about your heart condition. If they did, and added a rider excluding "heart issues", and U still accepted the policy.... shame on U !!... however, U still may have some potential action against the agent.
Good Luck!
Byron
St. Louis,Missouri,
U.S.A.
Make a claim against the agent's errors & omission policy
#5Consumer Suggestion
Fri, July 30, 2004
I agree with Mark (if your story is accurate re. what the agent said and what U disclosed about your existing heart condition on the application)
Assuming that, I'd check with an attorney, to see what action U can bring against this agent's E&O coverage(professional liabilty) or sue the agent personally. Fortis is not at fault if they excluded the coverage (assuming U disclosed it on the application).. Fortis would have either placed an exclusion rider on the policy or totally declined coverage (more likely in this case) given all the facts. If the agent failed to note a "yes" answer in the heart question after U told him... he commmitted fraud and can lose his license and he's potentially liable, not Fortis, because they didn't know about your heart condition. If they did, and added a rider excluding "heart issues", and U still accepted the policy.... shame on U !!... however, U still may have some potential action against the agent.
Good Luck!
Mark
San Antonio,Texas,
U.S.A.
Your Problems was the Agent
#5Consumer Suggestion
Sat, July 10, 2004
2 parties to a contract
the company
the insured
the agent brings you two together. It apprears based upon your story (we haven't heard the agents story) the agent mislead you. IF this truely is the case he should be dealt with.
HOWEVER you blatently ignored what was written.
THE fault is clearly mostly yours as you read the pre-exisiting clause. In addition, I am sure health questions were on the application reguarding heart conditons. HOW did you answer those???
I am sure if you disclosed in the underwriting process your heart condtion (as your are required to do and signed your name to) the policy would never have been issued.
So how can the company be responsible to honor contract provisions if the contract was entered into under false pretenses?
Note, this is just an opinion and normally there are more to situations "than meets the eye".