Complaint Review:
Victoria Insurance Group
Victoria specializes in "NSA", or Nonstandard Auto
insurance...and it shows.
They've been through several mergers over the years and are
now enriching their parent company Nationwide Mutual
Insurance.
One has to wonder why they keep getting absorbed every so
many years. Could it be their operation is so profitable due
to their unethical treatment of claimants?
Don't agree?
Keep reading and decide for yourself. I'll give you plenty
of facts upon which to base your decision.
Lets start from the top.
The Victoria policy holder that hit me ("Nonstandard drivers"
Victoria calls them. He ran a stop sign!) was the first
incident in a long line of troubles for me with Victoria.
As is typical on insurance company websites Victoria
(www VictoriaInsurance com) touts customer service as a #1
concern. My experience was the exact opposite...from start
to finish. They even ignored my attorney.
What is an innocent accident victim to do?
I releived the attorney of his duty and fought Victoria
directly, on my own...and WON!
The insurance adjusters (IA's) at Victoria use the same
industry wide practice of DENY-DELAY-DEFEND to ward off
claimants.
Thats right. The motto of auto insurance companies is -
DENY all claims if possible,
DELAY as long as possible due process and finally
DEFEND in court, if necessary, a laundry list of bogus
reasons to discredit the injured parites claim.
Victoria pushed hard to blow me off. I stood my ground and
demanded fair compensation for my loss.
So what were Victoria's tactics and how did I get a fair
payout?
Lowballing a claim is the bread and butter of profits for an
insurance company. It's the name of the game so you must
expect this and hit them back...hard.
First off, Victoria IA's ignored my request for a fair rental
car so that I could look for a replacement car for the one
their policyholder totalled...leaving me stranded. They
count on you depending on YOUR insurance to cover this.
Sorry Victoria...I'm NOT having that.
They also denied real market value of my totalled car. Their
regional manager lied through his teeth, along with his
cohort associate, about how they "scientifically" determine
the value of totalled vehicles.
At my request, they sent me a 15 page report chock full of
numbers and other offical looking references they used to
value my totalled vehicle. The regional manager assured me
that this report would accurately show my cars worth.
WRONG!
Breaking the report down I found three distinct areas that
outrageously favored Victoria. When I questioned them about
this they were quick with wity replys and lack of
objectivity. I stood firm and proved my point of view with
facts.
By this time their DENY-DELAY tactics ran out of steam and I
knew there was NO way they would take such a simple issue to
court as I'd make a fool out of their attorney in front of
the judge. Thus, their DEFEND option was not an issue.
Result?
Their initial offer was $2000 for my vehicle. I got $2700
after a counter from them of $2400.
However, Victoria's ripoff antics were NOT over...they tried
to screw me further by sending a check for $2400 hoping that
I'd just give up and cash it. I ripped up the check and had
to start all over again with email and phone requests asking
where my money was. I demanded that they send the $2700 that
was originally agreed upon.
Finally got that check after a significant delay and a
"...checks in the mail..." song and dance for weeks.
Yes, Victoria tried to rip me off but failed in the end.
They were forced to pay 35% more than they wanted to for my
car.
They knew $2700 was fair, that I had facts to back it up and
that I was more than willing to go to court. They were
beaten at their own game. I controlled the clock. Time was
on MY side.
So what happened to my expenses for the rental car?
Glad you asked.
This was the most amusing part of my claim.
The key here was securing a short term rental in a reasonable
car. That way Victoria could not deny my claim as I actually
helped mitigate their damages.
Judges love this and it is a big reason Victoria ended up
settling out of court. If you show an honest attempt to keep
costs down and it is not even your money to begin with the
insurance company will look quite foolish trying to deny your
claim.
Since Victoria dragged their feet and NEVER contacted me with
a rental car offer I took action on my own and rightfully
demanded payment.
Of course, as you would suspect, I got the cold shoulder in
response to many email queries to several managers at
Victoria. Finally had to contact a few managers at Victorias
parent company to get attention and a check.
What really prompted action from Victoria was showing
intention to pursue media attention if they did not payoff
this legitimate rental fee.
This took MONTHS to accomplish, endless emails and displayed
how Victoria really treats accident victims.
In the end, a new manager invited themselves in the loop, saw
the foolishness, and payed DOUBLE my rental fee to compensate
me for my significant troubles and wasted time I endured with
lower level Victoria employees over several months.
Moral?
You WILL get ripped off by Nationwide/Victoria if you don't
pay attention to the details, stand firm and get what you
deserve!
Be prepared! You'll have to fight every step of the way.
Most important, help your fellow accident victims out and
post your experience with ANY insurance company on ROR today!
Justice 4 you
Las Vegas, Nevada
U.S.A.