Windsor Group an Atlanta Casualty Insurance Company, Inappropriately Prolonging Obligations!

Windsor Group an Atlanta Casualty Insurance Company, Inappropriately Prolonging Obligations!

On Friday afternoon December 28th, 2001 I was traveling on a busy highway during my lunch our making rounds to the bank and to the local Chinese restaurant when my 1997 Dodge ram pickup truck caught on fire. I immediately called 911 and the City Fire Department came and put the fire out, but not before my truck was a total loss. The City fire Chief said my truck was a total loss and if the report was needed it could be picked up at the #1 fire station Monday, 31st. That afternoon I called my Insurance Company, Windsor Group/Atlanta Casualty out of Atlanta, GA. And they said they would have an adjusted call me. That Monday the adjuster Brett Bittner called me and said it would be later in the week, possibly Wednesday before he would make it out to inspect my truck. He also asked if I needed transportation and I told him yes, I needed transportation to & from work, and I told him that I also had a handicapped daughter that I needed to transport from time to time. That evening M from Enterprise rental called me and said that Brett Bittner had called and authorized $27.50 per day in rental with no max, No max in the rental authorization phase from insurance company to rental Car Company simply means the renter will be staying in the rental car until the claim is settled.

Brett Bittner, the adjuster with the Windsor Group arrived Wednesday morning, January 2cd, 2002 to look at my truck and take pictures. He said that he would get back to me in a few days. The next day I received an affidavit to fill out and mail back to the insurance company I filled it out the same day, got it notarized the next day and mailed it off that same day. When Monday, January 7th, arrived I had not heard from Mr. Bittner so Tuesday, 8th, I called Enterprise rental to get the phone number and claim number from them since I had failed to ask for this information personally. I then called Windsor Group and left a message at his extension. I waited a few day's and decided to call Mr. Bittner's office again, he wasn't in his office and again I had to leave message. The following Monday 14th, was now over two weeks since I reported my claim and only one contact initiated by Windsor Group. I called Mr. Bittner's office once again and left message, and I also called Enterprise rental. I was shocked to find out that they had been trying to get in touch with Mr. Bittner as well and couldn't. They said they needed an update on the rental status, but it was only a formality since the claim wasn't settled yet I had not cause for alarm since Mr. Bittner had authorized rental with no max. Finally, a phone call from Mr. Bittner on Wednesday 15th, he said he needed to come out and get more pictures and another look at the truck. He said that the truck was worth a lot of money and he needed more information to help him decide on whether or not he has going to total the truck or if he was going to repair the truck. I then said jokingly, sure!

It was now a week later Thursday 24th, and since I hadn't heard anything from Mr. Bittner, I called and left message on his voice mail again. Monday 28th, came and no response and I was livid. I called Enterprise and they said they were trying to get an extension from Mr. Bittner through electronic and phone calls but he wouldn't return their messages. I called three times that day, and twice on Tuesday, 29th, by noon and still no response. Finally I called my Insurance Agency O'Brien's, and they gave me they suggested I call the main number and ask to speak to Mr. Bittner's Supervisor. When I called his supervisor and explained what was happening he stated that Brett Bittner was in and asked if I would like to speak with him? I told him yes so he then transferred me to Mr. Bittner. Mr. Bittner was very apologetic that it took so long, he said he wasn't experienced enough to write such an estimate and asked if I could have a repair facility start a tear down process in which he could come back out a third time and check for more damages. I was appalled at the fact that this company has now gone for over a month and repair or replacement was still an issue. I then called several local body shop managers, made various appointments for them to come out and look to find out a time frame of the requested teardown and subsequent repairs. Most of who came out that afternoon and the next day just laughed at the idea someone even attempt to repair my truck. This was the same reaction I got from an independent investigator who came out a few weeks earlier on behalf of the Daimler-Chrysler Corporation to whom I had also reported the incident with after it happened. Now it was Wednesday 30th, and I received a phone call at work it was Enterprise rental. Enterprise said that Brett Bittner had just called and changed the orders on the rental authorization. Now instead of $27.50 per day rental with no max he said it was $30.00 per day and 30 day's max. Again I was appalled, to say the very least. How can someone legally be treated this way? I told Enterprise to come pick up the rental because I couldn't afford to pay the rental charges out of my pocket. They asked if I would need a ride home after work and I politely thanked them for the offer but said no. It was now that I knew what the insurance company had been doing all along. They had been sitting in there office ignoring my calls and taking care of way to prevent losses to the Windsor Group. I immediately called the North Carolina Department of Insurance and informed them about the devious activities that were going on. They suggested I file a complaint online so I wouldn't have to wait for the form to arrive in the mail. I did so that very same day. I also called Mr. Bittner back and left yet another voice mail telling him I had just filed a letter of complaint to the insurance commissioners office in the great state of North Carolina.

Later on that afternoon Mr. Bittner called me apologizing to me for taking so much time with the estimate but couldn't authorize anymore rental, I then asked to speak to his supervisor Jeff. Jeff said that it didn't matter to the insurance company I didn't have anything to drive to work and back, or that I had not secondary transportation for my handicapped daughter. Even though it was their fault so much time past they still weren't going to extend my rental. I told Jeff that if he didn't act immediately on the terms of my policy that I would have no choice but to pursue legal advice. He said that he would send an independent adjuster out to look at the truck Friday February 1st, if I would remove the dash back enough on the inside of the truck so the adjuster could see the damage behind dashboard. I laugh and said yes even thought huge globs of melted plastic piled high lay on the char-burned carpet underneath the dash. Friday February 1st the independent adjuster Bob came and looked at the truck. He laugh and shook his head as he wrote the estimate and when he was finished he smiled and said I should be hearing back from the Windsor Group shortly. Sure enough Mr. Bittner called me back about an hour and a half later. Mr. Bittner said that may truck was a total loss and they had a fair market payoff figure of $16,925.00, now come round two. I knew that when the incident happened in December, 2001 it was worth 18,900.00 NADA.com price, $19,621.00 NADAguides.com price, and $20,245.00 Kelly Blue Book price. If you add the $1,485.00 in dealer installed factory options, and dealer customized paint installed when I purchased the truck the fair market value now exceeds $20,000. This is unfair business practices and a breach of contract on their end and I intend on taking action.