Complaint Review: Baltimore Life/Life of MD - Ownings Mills - Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MD, PA

Below is a copy of the letter I sent to Life Of Maryland (Baltimore Life Insurance) after they told us we no longer had an insurance policy: Re: Policy #01101042359 As a result of talking with the manager of the Lehigh Valley (Allentown) Branch, he suggested that I write a letter to the main office. I am very, very upset about the fact that after paying on a policy for 13 years (nearly $10,000), we find we have no policy.

We have been with Baltimore Life since shortly (I believe) after we got married in 1958 and have had several policies during that time. Needless to say this is the absolute worst news I have ever received-to get a phone call telling us we are no longer insured. When we purchased the policy we were told This a good policy, a nice amount for you 'guys' to have.

Dorothy Kresini told us she would use the money from the previous policy to pay for the new one until the money ran out and then the premium would be about $100.00 quarterly. To our surprise, when the money ran out, we received a bill for $191.92 quarterly. She apologized and we decided we would sacrifice to pay this premium because we already had paid for some of it and thought this would be nice to have.

If I am correct, it started at $75,000 for my husband (a smaller amount for me, his wife) Lo and behold, sometime later we were contacted by your company telling us that we either had to pay a higher premium or lower the benefit amount. We had to lower the benefit amount to $25,000 and 15,000 because we were unable to pay more.

Now it is down to nothing! I told your Allentown manager that I did not receive a yearly statement last year but did receive one this year. I told him to check with the local post office to prove that I have been complaining about not receiving all my mail (I have been talking to a woman that works there but I dont know her name-it can be obtained if necessary). She told me to file a complaint (I didn't) BUT she can tell you I have been in there quite often. When I didn't receive a statement last year I figured everything was okay.

When I received this year's statement, I mentioned to my husband that there is only a cash value of $250.00. Shortly after that we were contacted by Mr. Roper who told my husband that we had to get together to discuss our policy. I told my husband, He probably wants to either lower the benefit again or have us pay a higher premium! never suspecting our policy was no more. Page 2 In our conversation with the manager, he told me they were trying to contact us for quite a while. THIS IS NOT TRUE! We have a recorder and a caller ID. Mr. Roper called about two or two and one-half weeks ago to make an appointment which he cancelled last week because he was busy with something else.

We then made an appointment for today (July 26, 2001). When he called to clarify the new appointment, I told him what I thought about the whole incident. It is ironic that your company could call when you wanted more money or to lower the benefit, or even better, when you wanted to sell the policy. When the policy was going downhill, we did not hear a thing from you until it was too late. Even if I would have received last year's statement, we should have been notified by at least a phone call. This is poor management. Or since we are moving on up, did you figure, They are getting old now and we don't want to pay out a combination of $40,000.

What the heck, let the policy run itself into the ground! I talked to many, many people and they were appalled, never heard of anything like this. In fact, my daughter had a policy with you a few years back and left it lapse. Boy, was she glad after I told her this story.

Everyone is asking, What company are you dealing with? I think it is poor stewardship to allow this policy to run down so far and take $10,000 from someone and not inform them until it is over. I want you to know that I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Protection Agency and will send a copy of this letter to them also. If I can find an address, I will also write to the agency for insurance fraud and corruption. Even if I get nothing, I will have the satisfaction of filing a complaint that will be on your record. We are now on a fixed income, I am driving a beat up old car, the interior of our house needs quite a bit of work, my husband has to work a part time job even though he has retired and we have NO INSURANCE POLICY that we struggled for thirteen years to pay for. Put yourself in our shoes ...how would you like this to happen to you? Mr & Mrs. Snyder Copies to: Manager, Baltimore Life Insurance Company (Lehigh Valley) Better Business Bureau Consumer Protection Agency.

PS: Oh, by the way, better change your brochure which says and I quote: Our mission is to provide protection with life and health insurance, annuities and financial services. To ensure that the promises we make today will be fulfilled tomorrow, we pledge to: Manage our business on a sound financial basis Treat all policyholders equitably Adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards We will maintain financial strength and stability to ensure your policies and annuities are SECURE AND SOLID. We will provide honest and fair service to you--our customer

With this commitment and dedication, you can be assured that: We will provide customer-focused sales and services and perform a complete competent evaluation of your needs and objectives (yah, until you sell the policy). .........When necessary, we take action to protect you, our customer.