CONSUMER NEWS    RECALLS    COMPLAINT FORM    SCAM ALERTS  


Complain about a product or service

Small Claims Guide | Class Actions | Lemon Law | FAQ | Resources | Newsletters | Spanish
Automotive    Education    Electronics    Family    Finance    Health    Homeowners    Shopping    Travel   
FINANCE:   Annuities |  Banks |  Credit Cards |  Debt Collection |  Debt Counseling |  Insurance |  Investing |  Loans |  Mortgages |  Payday Loans |  Tax Prep

American Family Insurance - Auto

Advertisement



Marsha of Pleasant Valley MO (08/12/08)
Mike E side swiped my can on 07/28/2008. He admitted that he hit me at the accident site. A police officer Sgt. Stanley D arrived right behind us. We pulled off on a side street and the officer asked if we need any help. I replied that as long as Mr. E had insurance (since he hit me) I believed that everything was OK. Mr. E acknowledged his fault and showed us both his insurance. I gathered his information along with his insurance informatin and he took my name and address and phone #. He did not ask for my insurance, as he knew it was his fault.

I later filed an accident report 08/01/2008 and contacted Sgt. D( Gladstone police dept.) to confirm that he knew that E was at fault and he agreed that he acknowledged fault. He said he would testify for me, if I needed him to.

Mr. E's insurance company is only willing to pay 50% of my damages which are $1554.32. I feel this is totally unacceptable. He side swiped me and admitted it. I received a letter from American Family Insurance stating the 50% offer. I feel it is unjust. The claims agent has been out of the office. I hope you can help me with this problem.

My car has over $1500.00 in damage and they only want to pay half. I don't feel my insurance should have to pay the rest.

Kevin of Boise ID (08/12/08)
My wife and I had insurance with them and found cheaper insurance elsewhere. My wife called them and told them about the change in April. Now thats its August, they are telling me I owe them $103, for the end of the term. Of course they will 'fix-it' if I get papers sent over to show them of the change. I guess its not that big of a deal, but if the office staff would pull their heads out of their rear-end this would have never happened. The only time I ever got anything resolved was if and when I got in touch with Rachel Boston. Half the time she was never there, or she made a bad habit of calling me back 5 minutes BEFORE the office closed!

At one time my we had home-owners isurance and moved and changed it to renters insurance. We had to fight with them every month because they were still charging us for home-owners even though we wanted renters..home-owners was alot more spendy. The last two months (the last straw) was we found out that once we got the whole renters insurance thing fixed, they were charging us for 'mold and mildew' insurance. When we called and asked aobut it, we were told they would check into it and not to worry about it. Thats the main reason I don't recommend anyone dealing with them.

Whats funny..is they say I owe them money, but technically, I had isurance on my motorcyle for a full year..paid in full. I cancelled that in April even though it was paid up for June or July...so they actuall owe me money. I doubt they will be willing to cut me a refund..but we will see.

Hazel of Dayton OH (07/21/08)
Spoke with Rachel at the claims center and Mindy an adjuster regarding damages to a 1988 Omni I was driving that was struck in the rear by their insureds pickup truck at a red light. They told me that even though their insured was cited and accepted responsibility they had not determined liability.

After she inspected the vehicle she stated that since the vehicle would be a total loss it would require a different adjuster. When we did not hear from anyone, my husband who is the title holder of the vehicle attempted to call Rachel abnd was told that they had never heard of her and knew nothing about our claim. He was transferred to another number where he left a message as the person was in a meeting. He called several times and was sent to a different person every time all of whom were in meetings. No calls have been returned.

The car is in the tow lot gathering storage charges and I am paying for a rental car until this is resolved.

Christopher of Aurora IL (05/29/08)
I got into an accident with someone that has this insurance back in Dec 2007 and I still haven't had everything settled. The ticket was issued to the other driver and there also was a witness that saw the whole thing yet I'm being belamed for the accident. I had to pay for the dedutible and the rental of the vehicle which total about $1700. And I'm only getting 75% because they lied and said that I caused the accident. My insurance company took pictures and everything to show how everything took place but that stood their ground. I really didn't want to go to court for this because there was no guarantee of me winning and I would be out a lot more.

I was out $425, my truck isn't the same, and my girlfriend had to deal with a lot with trying to get a hold of someone to talk to. I spent the money that I was saving for my property taxes and now I have to find another way to get the money because this doesn't cover the total anymore.

Laura of Streator IL (04/09/08)
My payment is due on the 18th of every month. I admit fully that I did not make my payment on March 18th. Instead I took it to my local branch of Carol Weiss- my agent on March 31. I must have just missed the 5:00 deadline because the door was locked so I put it in the box. Now, even though I made the payment and I'm not due again until April 18th, they are telling me that I have to make the April 18th payment by April 11th or I will be cancelled on April 12th. I told them that I am now current because the past due amount has been paid. I told them that I cannot imagine by any stretch of the imagination how a person can be cancelled 6 days before their premium is due. They informed me that it is their company policy to demand the next month's premium when a premium comes in past due and that's just how it is. This just seems very wrong that someone may be cancelled before their premium is even due.

I have not suffered a loss because I will make the payment on the 11th. Basically, because I cannot risk driving without insurance. However, I do not feel that this company is practicing fair business.I'm wondering if it is legal to cancel someone when they do not have a past due balance especially when that person has been a customer for 2 years.

Becky of Frontenac KS (12/22/07)
I was involved in a vehicle accident on Nov. 2, 2007. While sitting at the light I was rear ended. Found out later through police report that passenger (not driver) of the other vehicle reported that my car rolled back or stalled, which it did not, I hadn't moved. The police officer that took our statements made the report out to be my fault, but the police report is being amended because of the officer's mistake. American Family has sent me a letter already saying that I'm at fault and is denying my claim, before receiving the amended police report and medical records.

$1100 damage to car. Sister was transported to hospital by ambulance for back, neck and leg pain. I later went to hospital for right shoulder and neck pain.

Katherine of Scottsdale AZ (11/28/07)
Late last year, my American Family insurance agent failed to set-up the automatic payments on my account, that I had signed up for. After two months, she finally informed me that she hadn't set up the automatic payments and that she had canceled my coverage. Because of her error, I ended up with an SR-22 on my driving record, which doubled my monthly premium. My coverage was then reinstated in February, and it renewed in August of this year. On October 18th, I called my agent to pay the monthly premium over the phone. I spoke with her assistant who told me the amount due was $146.23, same as every month, since the SR-22. I gave her my credit card number to process the payment. On November 2, my agent called me and left a voicemail stating that my coverage had been canceled for non-payment. I immediately called her back and spoke with her assistant who stated that I've had a past-due balance since March.

First, I advised her that I have proof that there was not a past due balance on my account. Then I asked her why she hadn't mentioned a past-due balance when she told me the amount due on Oct. 18th. She said it wasn't important. She then accused me of not paying my bills and hung up on me! When I finally got my agent on the phone, she told me that I had been one month behind on my payments since March and that the outstanding balance is $107. I reminded her that my monthly premium is not $107. I also reminded her that she renewed my coverage in August and asked her why she would renew a policy, if there was an outstanding balance. She couldn't answer my question.

After making numerous calls to various people at American Insurance, from underwriters to management, I have since signed up with another insurance company; and I've reported the agent from American Family to my bank for committing fraud. It would appear that the agent is running a scam and pocketing her clients' money. She should lose her license to sell insurance.

American Family caused me to unknowingly drive around without insurance, resulting in an SR-22 on my driving record. Also, the SR-22 unnecessarily increased my premium. Nina Falls has taken several hundred dollars worth of payments from me, but hasn't applied them to my account, which means that she now owes me money.

Andy of Salt Lake City UT (11/10/07)
i just got my drivers license and bought a car. Therefore i needed insurance and american family gave me the lowest quote so i desided to get my car insurance through them. aaron assured me that only if they run my record and a ticket or accident would show up the insurance can go up. So i signed everything and payed about $ 155,- right away. Then i payed for about 3 month around $ 80,- and all of the sudden i received a letter with my new bill showing a minimum payment of almost $ 400.  

So i called aaron and he told me that they adjusted my rates because i had no prior insurance before but that he could fix the problem. After to weeks and the bill due in just 7 days i called several times and no call was returned. So i went to look for another insurance and found such. So i went on the day before my bill was due to the office and canceled my policy with aaron affective the day the bill was due. now 2 weeks later i received another bill with a minimum payment of almost $500.

Mark of Plainfield IN (09/26/07)
I was involved in a terrible auto accident with a man whose insurer was american family. He was clearly at fault and totaled my car and another vehicle.Sent two people to the hospital. American family low balled me on my vehicle.refused to return phone calls,never mentioned my medical bills and have been terrible people in an overall fashion.wont pay for rental car,been 30 days,no property damage settlement so I hired an attorney and Im gonna sue em!

I have no car to drive to work. Paying for rental out of my pocket.doctor bills and xrays. Impact was so hard I was knocked out. Now I have to see a shoulder specialist.

Robert of River Forest, IL (03/14/06)
On 12/9/05 my wife and I were hit by a 22 year old female driver insured by American Family Insurance. Our car was totaled. She has admitted full liability to us, and her insurance company. She was ticketed by the police.

On 1/21/06 I received a settlement offer on the car for $1,168.84. My car, in the condition it was before the accident, could not be replaced for that amount. After some research, using sites such as Edmond's, Kelley Blue Book, and Auto-Traders, I sent a letter to American Family making a counter offer with the results of my research.

After following up with them by phone I have gotten nothing back from them. The last conversation I had with them was on February 25th with Simon who stated "if you don't like it, sue me. I have 15 lawyers on staff and this is all they do".

The State of Illinois can not help me and The Department of Insurance told me that their laws are not strong enough to help me.

Seth of Wausau, WI (03/09/06)
My fiance, was driving in the center lane of a one-way road when she was struck by a truck who "didn't see her" (and two other cars).  The truck driver amazingly was not issued a citation, however the police report noted his failure to yield. 

The trucker's insurance agent was a nightmare - incredibily unprofessional, arrogant, and unintelligible saying my fiance was 20% liable for the other drivers "failure to yield at a stop sign.  I now know American Family is the worst insurance company ever.

Damage to my fiance's car - $3500. 

Jenny of Paris, France KY (05/24/05)
I was a pedestrian in a walkway with a light and was hit by a Jeep Cherokee and the vehicle was insured through American Family Insurance. I have had to file a civil lawsuit against the driver and the insurance company and they have refused to pay any of my medical bills. This lawsuit has been going on for three years. I now live in Paris France and have married a French man and am now covered by insurance and thank God it is paying for my medical bills.

Curtis of Forest Lake MN (11/4/02):
On September 20, 2002 my daughter was involved in a 4 car accident. Our 1998 Neon was the second of three vehicles stopped in traffic. The accident was caused by an American Falmiy insured person who rear ended the third vehicle which casued a chain reaction damaging all three stopped vehicles. My complaint is with the way American Family Insurance is handling the matter. My daughter is a college student who needs a car. American Family has indicated the car is totaled. Our damage estimator quoted damages of $4131.06. Because there was prior cosmetic damage to the Neon, we have been offered $2,033.24 if we surrender the car. We have looked at many cars and cannot find a comparable vehicle to replace her Neon for less than $4,500.

Alex of Aloha OR (1/2/03):
I was involved in an accident on Dec. 22 with an individual with AFI. He was not paying attention and rear-ended me. He assumed responsibility and we proceeded to exchange info while the police, fire, and paramedics were in route. My 11 month old daughter was in the back seat at the time and I had her taken to the ER to be checked out. Since that day I have spoken to the AFI agent once. She has not returned my calls and is consciously avoiding me, which shows poor Customer Service Skills. Her story is that she can not get hold of the other party involved. This is getting extremely old and frustrating very quickly. Apparently after 30 days they can either accept or deny the claim.

Theresa of Wildwood MO (11/9/01):
In August of 2001 I was stopped in traffic. The car behind me failed to stop ,as he admitted to me he was looking at the police officer in a parking lot, and rear ended me. My car was less than 5 months old when this happened. I suffered whiplash and was treated by a chiropractor. The driver that hit me was insured by American Family Insurance. American Family sent out a "Investigator" to take pictures of my car. According to "their engineers" my back pain couldn't possibly be caused by the accident. American Family refuses to release who they outsource this engineering investigation to. They will not pay my claim.

I can't see the doctor anymore because I can't cover the payments and American Family won't cover it. I'm embarrased because the American Family agents are condesending on the phone and make it out to be my fault. I've tried contacting attorneys but they all say American Family usually wins these cases. This is so frustrating.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.


Consumer News

August 21 2008

Recent Recalls & Safety Alerts



FREE CONSUMER NEWSLETTERS

The Daily Consumer
Afternoons M-F

Sign up now!


Consumer News & Alerts
Every Sunday

Sign up now!


Knowledge is free.
Knowledge is power.



Back to the top |

Advertisement


Home | Rogues Gallery | Good Guys | Complaint Form | News | Recalls | Search | Site Map | FAQ |
Consumer Resources | Small Claims Guide | Lemon Law | Newsletter | Contact Us
Advertise With Us | Testimonials | Newsroom | RSS Feeds | Video | Job Postings




Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2008 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.