My husband and I have been Geico customers for 6 years. We were referred by several family members. Several years ago, my husband bumped into another car. Geico did a full investigation - inspecting both cars and assessing the damage before paying the claim. Until July, 2009 we had been satisfied customers.
On July 22, I was rear-ended while sitting still at a stop-light by a Nationwide customer. At the scene of the accident, the individual said she was texting and did not see my stopped car. I was not pushed into the car in front of me. She hit my car so hard that there is a clear imprint of her license plate (Stickers and all) on my bumper. The bumper is badly cracked, the taillight is broken, the trunk will not open, and the frame is bent. I also hit my head on the steering wheel and sought medical treatment (the paperwork of which was provided to Nationwide and Geico). I took pictures of both vehicles, front and back, at the scene. I called Geico immediately. Explained exactly what happened and told them that I had photographs. The claim rep who handled the initial claim said it was not necessary to submit the photographs. I was then given the name of the individual handling the claim from Nationwides side and told to contact him, which I did. After 6 phone calls over 5 days, I finally got a response from him saying that the individual who hit me was now saying she was pushed into me (which was a lie). I immediate called Geico and told them what Nationwide was claiming. I again offered the photos as proof that she was not pushed into me and was again told it was not necessary. At this point, neither insurance company had scheduled an appointment to see the damage to my vehicle.
Tim Yates (the Nationwide adjuster) was extreemly difficult to get ahold of and diffcult to deal with so I asked Geico to begin calling him because they were dragging their feet doing an inspection of the other woman's vehicle. Geico offered to call him once a week, but I only ever received one follow-up call from Geico. The claim was not assigned to a Geico adjuster so every time I called, I had to explain the whole situation to whoever picked up the phone. Finally after 3 weeks, I reached an individual with their office who allowed me to upload my pictures, but they were never reviewed. 3 weeks after the date of the accident, I was told by Nationwide that they had found damage on the other woman's vehicle and would not be paying for my claim. Never did they come look at my vehicle. Again, I immediately called Geico. I was assigned to Laticia Boone. I explained my complaint and was told by Laticia that the claim had been mishandled on Geico's end from the beginning. According to her, Geico should have assessed both vehicles after the accident, especially after they learned there were conflicting reports. I also had a picture of the other woman's vehicle taken just that week that showed no damage that I submitted to her. Still no appointment was set up to view my car. She contacted the Nationwide rep after a week to set up an appointment to verify the damage to the other vehicle. She received a photo showing (according to her) a small one-inch scratch on the other vehicle. She was also told that the woman had her car repaired (she did not received any documentation of that fact) and was told there was no damage to view now. That small scratch apparently equalled the damage to my car because they decided to make me pay the $200.00 Uninsured Motorist Coverage charge before I could get my car fixed.
Clearly, I was not in the wrong here. I still have photos showing no damage to the rear of her vehicle. I was rear-ended. I did not cause the accident. I should not have to pay to have my car fixed. I pay Geico to fight for me. I pay for them to handle my claims. They will not provide me a rental car, they will not pay for my medical claims, and they are making me pay $200.00 before I can get my car fixed. Geico should have been proactive in investigating the claim once they learned there was a difference in stories and the Geico claims rep admitted to that, but offered to do nothing to correct the situation. I have sent numerous emails to the company and they refuse to respond in writing which means they know they did something wrong. I am prepared to file a claim with the State Attorney General's office, The Better Business Bureau, and the State Corporation Commission tomorrow (which is the deadline I have given them to remove the $200 charge) if the charge is not waived.
For all those out there looking at Geico as a possible insurance carrier - STAY AWAY! They do not fight for their own.
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