With the help of the Center for Life Insurance Disputes, consumers can resolve complaints about life insurance payments and benefits and avoid costly legal fees.
When you have a complaint about a life insurance transaction, there are a few different options you can use to resolve your problem: 1) directly with the insurer, 2) with your State’s Department of Insurance Consumer Investigative Division, 3) by filing a lawsuit, or 4) contacting the Center for Life Insurance Disputes.
Insurers have Compliance departments to handle complaints internally. Each State’s Insurance Commissioner’s Office offers an online form for consumers to use when registering a complaint. Lawyers will take input about your dispute and determine if there is a legal violation. The Center for Life Insurance strives to avoid lawsuits while quickly resolving client’s problems.
Each of these options has its own specifics but there are steps that you can take beforehand to make sure you have all the details and facts to support your violations so you get a good resolution. The time you spend upfront to build your argument will improve the outcome of your complaint.
#1: Define the nature of your complaint
According to the website for the California Department of Insurance, there are four main reasons that policyholders seek resolution of a problem that could involve a life insurance provider:
- Claim settlement is either overdue or wrongly denied
- An insurance policy is said to be unlawfully canceled
- Premium and rate charges become an issue
- The agent or broker is suspected of wrongdoing
Your complaint may cover one or more of these broad categories. The documentation you gather and present must back up the claim of misconduct or wrongful termination.
#2: Speak to your agent or broker
Each time you call your agent or the broker, make sure to record the date, time, and the name of the person who took your call. Jot down notes about what you discussed and what actions you requested during the conversations. This will be helpful for your complaint because it will give the investigator a better idea of what you were told by the insurer’s representative and what information you relied on.
#3: Formalize your complaint in a letter
Use your notes and documentation compiled from the phone conversations to write a letter to the insurance company. Plainly state the reasons for your complaint and how you expect the issues to be rectified. Attach copies of documents that support your claims. For example, if you are challenging the company for cutting off your policy due to lack of payment, attach copies of canceled checks and letters you may have previously sent. Keep a copy in a file of all correspondence in case you need to register a complaint with the state insurance commissioner’s office.
#4: Consider legal counsel as an alternative
The decision to seek legal counsel will be based on your individual case and requirements. If you decide to pursue legal action, look for an attorney who will not charge for the initial meeting. You can use the first consultation to summarize your documentation and to determine what type of legal assistance, if any, will be necessary.
#5: Evaluate if your Insurance Commissioner has the authority to resolve your dispute
By understanding the types of complaints handled by your State Insurance Commissioner’s office and providing thorough documentation, you will be able to draw the appropriate amount of attention to the issues you have with your agent or broker. Careful documentation also demonstrates that you tried to resolve the grievance first before filing the RFA. But not all life insurance disputes can be resolved by an Insurance Department. If your dispute is beyond their authority, look for an alternative solution.
#6: Engage The Center for Life Insurance Disputes
The Center for Life Insurance Disputes is an organization that only deals with life insurance matters and has the expertise to resolve your complaint. We know the proper processes and industry customs that must be applied to selling life insurance, underwriting life insurance and investigating life insurance death claims. When we accept a client it is with the intent of getting a full refund of their premiums from a bad policy or getting a full payment from a death claim. We save our clients a lot of time and money by uncovering abuses and discovering facts that favor a quick resolution by the insurer.
Contact us by phone or email for a free consultation about
your life insurance complaint.