Safeco and Liberty Mutual Wrongful Claims Practices Montitored Full Time By Vivian Persand
Safeco and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company claims practices impact the lives of millions of claimants. Over the past several months, we have been coordinating efforts with others to learn why so many of the claims are paid slowly or not for the amounts which claimants have demanded. This has been a national effort and a relatively enormous project for any one person with other matters to attend. Some prior posts have alluded to this effort we have initiated:
Safeco and Liberty Mutual Claims Practices Questioned on a National Basis: Policyholders Organize Against Wrongful Claims Practices
Should Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance Company Customers Expect Great Rates for Poor and Wrongful Claims Performance?
We are proud to announce the retention of attorney Vivian Persand, who will coordinate the networking and collection of information regarding Safeco and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company on a full time basis. I strongly encourage anybody with information about the claims practices of Safeco or Liberty Mutual, who may have a claim, former employees, vendors with problems, and those attorneys trying to help customers of Safeco or Liberty Mutual to contact Vivian at:
Coral Gables, Florida 33134
Phone: (305) 448-4800
Cell: (305) 890-6955
As previously indicated in Should Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance Company Customers Expect Great Rates for Poor and Wrongful Claims Performance:
"As a result of Safeco and Liberty Mutual delaying turning over information about reports and estimates...we have now uncovered over 150,000 claims manual operation procedures and guidelines which address how Liberty Mutual and Safeco go about their claims procedures and documents evidencing Safeco's profit oriented program of "quantum leap."
We think this information can be very important to explaining Safeco’s claims practices of Safeco and strongly encourage others to contact Vivian for them. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel and go through costly litigation when others have already blazed the trail. In addition, we have other evidence collected such as Charles Miller's affidavit, which explains some of Liberty Mutual's claims programs. We had an investigator obtain this from an Arizona Court.
Information is power. Transparency demonstrates whether insurers walk the walk, or simply talk the "good faith" talk, while routinely delaying or underpaying claims.
Chip:
Well! Let"s see now,this is an interesting article. I have Liberty for 10 years, AUTO and H.O ( SAFECO in my opinion always gave a hard way to go) We need to compare Liberty Mutual with CIPI Northern Capital, Homewise,Lloyds,STate Farm, Universal, Magnolia,Tower Hill. and so on and so forth..
L/M complies with all the points of coverage in their H O 3 policy including "Appraisal" Being a Floridian, where do I go for the best Coverage at reasonable rate, when and if L/M cancells or non-renews?? (Any of the above ???)Please..
When a proper Claim is presented ,L/M will cooperate and pay.. With me it was Wilma where my Tile roof was compromised and interior as well. Their first shot to settle fell short.
I asked for a reinspection with the help of a respected P/A, that I hired because I was overburdened with Commercial Claims handling. End result all damages were paid.
I think the L/M California Adjuster who wrote the original damages for my Dwelling, was just trying to close out and Invoice his file. My claim was paid at more than double of what was initially written,and much thanks to my P/A..
Secondly, They Paid over $2500.00 to repair my auto and then Paid it directly to me. There was no short change on this.
My concerns are great, What the heck kind of Coverage will be afforded to Homeowners, and at what peril..Meaning the risks of Policyholders relying on the Guidelines of Forced Carriers who are made available for Policy Coverage, by the Fla Ins Commision..The way most have amended the HO3 is a crime Oh,by the way Zurich/Maryland non renewed me in 2000
I guess they seen Wilma coming..
Thank'd for the oppotuinity for letting me respond
Ed Rega
G/A
Umpire
Appraiser
Claimsd Consultant
IAUA
Ed,
Sorry you had trouble with Liberty Mutual and had to hire a public adjuster.
Maybe AMICA is a better insurer for you.
Chip,
Thanks for undertaking this project.
Unfortunately, the fact that private lawyers once again have to take on the task, as happened with Allstate, testifies to how lax the state regulators have been. The regulators have neither investigated the companies' obvious failure to follow fair claim practices nor required them to provide consumers the information needed to make sound buying decisions.
Jay Feinman
Ed,
On 11/16/2009 the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) approved the elimination of the Appraisal Clause from the homeowners multi-peril policy for Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company (NAIC Company Code 23035) and The First Liberty Insurance Corporation (NAIC Company Code 33588). This change is effective 12/14/2009 for new business and 02/04/2010 for renewals.
A copy of the filing (File Log #: 09-17480) is available from the OIR website.
http://www.floir.com/edms/
As a former employee of Liberty Mutual I have seen first hand what Liberty Mutual does to it's claimant's but also to it's employees that do not see fit to follow the delay, delay, deny strategy that Liberty Mutual employs.
I was an adjuster who did not agree with the delay, delay, deny tactics and I was eventually made so uncomfortable at work I was forced to leave. Many employees still struggle daily under these conditions, forced to choose between doing what is right and keeping their jobs. Most choose to keep their jobs rather than honor a claim correctly. You can't blame them in this economy. Liberty Mutual is not the only company doing this either which is the reason why I left the insurance industry altogether.
I was also "lucky" enough to see what Liberty does to it's claimant's. My grandparents, Liberty customers for 25 years, had a major heating oil spill in their home 4 years ago and to this day my grandparents estate is still fighting Liberty Mutual. It made no difference that I was an employee there.
Chip, there is a growing group of current and former employees who, if organized correctly, would be willing to talk and I'm sure have a lot of information.
Interesting article. A customer of ours is having a great deal of difficulty pursuing an Automobile Diminished Value claim against SAFECO Insurance. Insurers in general are averse to paying DV here in Florida but some companies are stonewalling claimants more than others. You may feel free to contact me if you'd like to know the outcome of this situation.
Franklin Colletta
The St. Lucie Appraisal Company
P.O. Box 2700
Fort Pierce, FL 34954
Phone: (772) 359-4300
Fax: (772) 466-8400
Email: contact@stlucieappraisal.net
Web Site: http://stlucieappraisal.net
Well let me say my 83 yo mother, now dying of alzhiemers, a 50+ year liberty mutual customer with multiple policies. While transitioning with this condition in and out of hospitals, just when I decided to move her in with me in spring of 2011 while trying to empty her home, midways through someone broke in stole things and then set house on fire. Liberty is denying her claim. she didnt sleep in the house 30 days before claim (even though She and I then I being there sometimes 4-7 times a week taking care of her animals) Iwas a 30+year customer. I've hired a Law group now I think I should make a video for YouTube and eventually TV showing my mom, her burnt house, and some pics of over 30 vehicles insured with LM. the public should know about LM and their bogus commercials