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AARP Auto Insurance

AARP Insurance • • Auto • Homeowners • Life

Peter of Anchorage AK (10/20/04):
I have had a Hartford/AARP auto policy since 2000. I called today to make a minor adjustment to the policy and was told my policy was CANCELLED in May 2004 due to nonpayment. I was shocked to be told I had no insuurance since May. I never received the notice of non payment nor any notice my insurance was cancelled.

My wife and I have had no auto insurance since May 2004 and been in violation of Alaska state law. I would NEVER not pay the bill. I usually pay for the full year. I am willing to pay the back fees to reinstate the policy but they refuse to reinstate us or write a new policy as we have been uninsured for six months.

Peter should check his bank statements to see if the company cashed his check. If so, he should write a certified letter demanding reinstatement with a copy to his state insurance commission.

Waunita of Paris IL (7/19/04):
I have been trying over two hours to contact the insurance company for my car to ask a question. How in the heck do you ask a machine a question. I am about ready to cancel next year because of this. It is so frustrating.

I simply want to know the answer to this question: Two weeks ago I got an emergency call from my granddaughter in Wisconsin, asking for help due to illness. She needed her mother and I to come. We got home yesterday and I had forgotten to send my $393.00 in for car insurance. It was put in the mail yesterday. It was overdue. I want to know If I can drive my car to store etc, and will I be covered?

In most states, there is a 30-day grace period.

Bear of Masonville CO (4/9/03):
Over the past 5 years I have had both automobile and homeowners insurance with Hartford through AARP. In both cases they have turned out to be wholly retired-consumer-unfriendly. As a retired person, I live on two checks per month -- my annuity payout and my small Social Security check. Thus, I am able to pay my bills once a month.

This seems to have been a problem for Hartford, as their billing date for my homeowners policy assured that I would get their statement too late for the date I pay my bills. As with many retired people the income does not stretch far enough to cover all the outgo. Over the past 7 1/2 years I have asked Hartford to change the statement date so that I would get the statement towards the end of the previous month in which the premium was due. They refused.

As a result, about every 8 or 9 months I would get a certified letter from them cancelling my policy because of non-payment of premiums. Of course, usually, my payment the following first of the month would cross the certified letter in the mail. They would then reinstate my policy. Most recently, this happened, and they started asking for payment of two premiums at once to re-instate. When I called they informed me I had to pay them the equivalent of three premium payments to get re-instated.

I told them I couldn't afford that. Their agent, "Jeff" was demeaning to me, and insulting, and nasty. I asked to speak with a supervisor, and was told one would call me. Eventually a "Danielle" called me from San Diego office. She claimed she would try to arrange to have me reinstated by paying two premiums and spreading the payment for the others over the next number of months. She promised to call back within the hour, or next day latest. Never heard from her again.

The aggravating part is that I had gotten myself on a monthly payment plan of $85.48. I had made a payment of that amount every month. But, due to their inane policy, I was automatically in arrears eventually. I have since gotten a policy with Country Insurance, and will never do business with HARTFORD again.

With the auto policy, after an accident, they increased my policy rate with so large a surcharge as to make it impossible to maintain the policy. I got coverage elsewhere at about half the cost.

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