Complaint Review: The General Auto Insurance - Orlando FL

On Friday, February 12, 2021, Lisa Rosado was in a left turn-only lane at the corner of Dyer and Osceola Parkway. For reasons that only can explain she began backing up. I was behind her and I knew I risked hitting someone if I backed up as well. I hit the horn as she hit me. We both pulled over. She got out of the car and said we should just let it go. That would benefit her because she gets out of a ticket.

However, I wanted to make sure that none of my sensors were broken. So I insisted on reporting the accident and bringing my car to the shop. After she heard that she exclaimed-"didn't you see me?" As if I had run into her. So I called both insurance companies on the following Monday, February 15, 2021.

The General (her insurance) told me to take the car out of the repair shop. I thought this was odd. To begin with, an adjustor can claim the damage is less if they are not in the presence of an auto shop.  Secondly, they could claim that the damage was done when I was driving around after the accident.  I told that to the adjuster and he stammered. He had no answer to that. He said he was protecting me because some places charge per day.  I assured him the repair shop did not employ those kinds of policies.  Still, he insisted that I take the car out of the repair shop.

The General never called Auto Collision and Glass (the repair shop).  Instead, they looked for another way not to pay the claim. They said that some form needed to be signed and when that was done I could pick up the car. February 19, 2021 came and went and I heard nothing from the General.

I called the General the following Monday, February 22. 2021. I told them at the very least they should be paying for a rental car. Since we only had one car I was getting up every day at 4:00 AM., driving my husband to work and then driving home, getting ten minutes of sleep, before getting up again to take my son to school. Then I had to leave the house again at 1:30 PM to pick up my husband and then my son.

I was told that there was an investigation because it was a word versus word case. She had claimed I hit her. Joesph Bagnina said the investigation would take a month. They refused to pay for a rental car.  He said that was not company policy. Apparently, she claimed that she backed up and stopped.  Then I hit her.  Which is an obvious lie.  If she was stopped and I hit her she would have said that.  Why even mention backing up?

Anyway, I called back on March second and talked to Joesph Bagninas boss Wess. I said that the repair shop could tell who hit who.  That is what they deal with every day.  I could hear Wess laughing.  He said, "were they at the accident?".  His tone of voice was that I was an idiot for thinking that a repair shop could figure out what happened.  Then he went on to say that his client was at the accident and so was I.  He is taking her word over mine.

So Wess was basically saying he would take a biased person's perspective over an impartial person that fixes cars.  He said, "I only deal with facts lady".  Which is an extremely sexist and inaccurate thing to say.  However, I ignored it and said that the General is an insurance company that takes on people that can't get insurance elsewhere. Lisa must have a terrible driving record if she is with them.  So if we are only going with people who were at the accident.  He should take my account over hers.  I have a clean driving record.  My license says "safe driver".  He said he took his clients' word period.

Needless to say, they denied the claim.  I am now out $217.00 and I had to wake up at 4:00 Am for two weeks and a half, and I had to put up with a chauvinistic, illogical, and sleazy company spokesman.  

I would advise anyone currently using this company or considering using them to run away as fast as possible.