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*UPDATE : American Income Life join Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program and submit to independent investigation. American Income Life pledges to resolve all legitimate complaints and address any issues from the past, present and in the future.

I am a starting Trainee with American Income, Meadville branch. I have the policy information and script right here with me.

The lies you perpetuate are bogus. It's very possible some agents misrepresent either the policy or themselves to commit insurance fraud by it is in no way encourage or allowed by AIL.

I will quote directly from our script "The name of our company is American Income. We have been around since 1924... We are a 100% wall to wall union company... Everybody is a union member, from the guy who sweeps the floor to the CEO. We are member of the Local 277, which is the Office and Professional Employees International Union." We then present them our union membership card for OPEIU 277 Union!

No where do we start we ARE their union, we state repeatedly we work WITH their union to provide benefits their union is NOT ABLE to provide directly.

The primary policy we sell is a $10,000 burial policy which will pay out for any reason of death. There is an included AD&D policy that pays more for accidents and double and triple indemnity pay outs for specific types of accidents.

Obviously there will be dishonest insurance agents for absolutely any insurance company however do not blame AIL there is absolutely no training, support, encouragement, or allowing of INSURANCE FRAUD HERE!!

Mark,

You're doing a great job working for the unknowing insurance consumers swindled by these clowns. Do not take these last two people seriously, they are AIL agents who, like members of Amway, A.L. Williams (later The Primerica Life Insurance Company) the Jim Jones' cult, or Metabolife have been brainwashed by individuals much smarter than they are.

This is a copy of a letter sent to the President of AIL. This letter was entered as evidence in a case involving more than 150 AIL victims in California. AIL got their checkbook out and settled these cases for a great deal of money.

American Income Life Insurance Company
ATTN: Mr. Roger Smith, President, CMO
P.O. Box 2608
Waco, Texas 76797-2608


Dear Mr. Roger Smith,

This letter is in reference to my recent employment with your company, American Income Life (AIL). I ended my employment with your company due to insurmountable stress and morality issues. The stress was brought on by the State General Agent (SGA), Slav Bitman, and the Managing General Agent (MGA), Joshua Robinson. Their management style was very similar to a dictatorship and was consequently, just as ruthless.

I hold a FIC designation and am currently taking classes to complete my Life Underwriters Training Council Fellowship (LUTCF) designation. I am a past member of the Million-Dollar Round Table (MDRT) and have won various sales awards, certificates, plaques, contests, and trips in my insurance career. In July 2003, I was the top producer in an Illinois AIL office. I have been in the insurance industry for more than 25 years. During this time I have performed as a debit agent - collecting premiums from clients on a monthly basis, been a General Agent (GA) managing 50 agents or more, personally consulted for individuals opening an insurance agency, managed and operated a multi-line insurance agency representing over sixty insurance companies. I hold insurance licenses in Missouri, Illinois, and Texas in life, health, accident, and property and casualty insurance. I am a Deacon with a Baptist Church in Missouri and an Ordained Minister as well.

When I applied for a position with AIL in 2003, I was told I would be making a six-figure income, and quickly move up the corporate ladder. I was told that every agent in their operation made over $60,000 last year and were on track to make more this year. After I contracted with AIL, I quickly realized this was simply not true. I was also told that everyone in the office obtained a bonus each and every month, which was again untrue. My manager assured me that I would not have to set appointments because my time was too valuable as a professional salesperson. They, AIL management, would rather pay college students seven bucks an hour to make appointments for us. However, each and every week, we would get berated and cursed out if we did not set at least 2-4 appointments over the phone on a daily basis (and between servicing our clients and going on appointments).

Our normal workday usually began between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. and usually ended between 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. Our drive time home (which was anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours) was also very stressful due to our leaving late each day from the daily meetings. The following morning, we were still expected to report to work between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.- regardless what time we arrived home the previous night. This placed extreme pressure and stress on the agents, especially those of us with families. After the long morning meetings we would leave for our scheduled appointments (anywhere from 5-6 per day). The appointments, coupled with the long drive and lack of sleep, insured we did not return home until well after 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. On most evenings, we would not return home until after midnight. We were constantly told and shown that management did not care about the agents or their families - only sales.

On Monday mornings, we were required to be in the office at 8:30 a.m. These meetings were usually tainted with obscenities, vulgarities, and discouragement instead of being informative, motivational, and encouraging. Mr. Slav Bitman was constantly reminding everyone that unless we were making more than $1.2 million per year (as he claimed he was) he didn't want to hear anything we had to say. Therefore, he was very unapproachable. He refused to accept ideas from agents and often said that we could not tell him anything because we were all losers. He said that he didn't need any of us and if he had to pick up his pitch kit and start over in the field he would do so. He also made it known several times that he had job security because he was writing 800% of quota and that he would always be there (SGA in the Swansea office). Mr. Bitman went on to say the company would be foolish to get rid of him, but the agents in his operation were expendable.

During the Monday meetings, agents were forced into Slav Bitman's world of braggadocio. He constantly told us about all the brand-new cars (20 at last count) he purchased and the $30,000 stereo he had installed in the most recent one. Mr. Bitman often bragged about how he could buy his wife anything she wants and that if we didn't (as a sales force) sell another policy this year he would still have money in the bank and all his bills paid. We were often kept in the office ranging from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon or longer, often making us late or missing our first appointment completely. Usually on Mondays and Saturdays we were required to be in the office at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday we were required to be in the office at 9:00 a.m. the hours we were required to maintain were not only unnecessary and inhumane, but also nonnegotiable. Usually we would sit around (giving the illusion we were busy) for several hours each morning before the meeting with Josh Robinson would begin. Eventually this meeting would take place around 11:00 a.m. As was often the case, we would discuss the same material each and every day and these training meetings usually ended up being nothing more than a negative session with the agents being cursed at and belittled.

The agents were constantly subjected to obscenities, vulgarities and temper tantrums at the hand of Mr. Robinson. We were also threatened and degraded in front of the other agents. Mr. Robinson would also resort to throwing items at agents he was disappointed with. Needless to say, this behavior was totally unprofessional and created an extremely hostile work environment.

Mr. Josh Robinson told the agents we would be charged for appointment lead "packs" if we did not increase production. In the AIL agent's handbook, article 18 section 2 states: an agent shall not be charged for leads or appointments. However, we were often threatened to work in the phone room without compensation as punishment for not complying with management demands. On many occasions, agents would be sent home (myself included) and not allowed to go on pre-set appointments as punishment for expressing a difference of opinion. On one occasion, I was told by Mr. Robinson "to get the f*** out of his f***ing office" during a meeting for disagreeing with one of his many incorrect insurance statements. As a 50% agent, I was charged $100 on a weekly basis if I did not meet our quota. This quota of having to write $3500 in annualized life premium each week was often unattainable. Many weeks would go by with only a few of the agents in the Geneaser-Bitman operation actually meeting the required quota and not having to pay the $100 fine. Obviously, many agents realized that this fee was actually paying the phone room to set appointments for us and helping to pay for the leads themselves. This fee was paid directly to Josh Robinson, who in turn said he had to pay Slav Bitman $2700 on a weekly basis to cover the phone room expenses (see attachment-copy of check payable to Mr. Robinson).

The Swansea AIL office exhibited many violations of insurance law and guidelines. Such as: rebating, signing clients names to various paperwork (including applications and modifications with or without their knowledge), and completing applications in the office instead of the potential insured's home. The office also misrepresented sales and falsified records on a regular basis to give the appearance the agency was performing better than it actually was. Several agents complain that they did not receive their last paychecks after leaving are being discharged. In some cases these checks were not sent back to the company, nor the agent but instead placed a manager's personal account.

I was very troubled by the misrepresentation of AIL products offered to union members. All agents were required, (forced) to learn the sales pitch word for word. This "pitch" was scripted and very misleading. For example, we represented ourselves, not as insurance salespeople, but instead as Union Benefit Representatives. There were many union members I and other agents visited that refused the free benefits, and also refused the insurance and accidental death plans. In these cases, we were instructed to tell the potential clients that everyone takes these benefits which was a lie. Also, we would lead to clients to believe that the accidental coverage was a true hospital indemnity (instead of accidental only coverage) paying out benefits as needed. We would tell the customer that the accidental coverage "pays above and beyond any other coverage they may have. This is false. For example, if any covered dependent children were on Medicaid, the insured would not receive any money for their injuries (since money received in benefits will be intercepted by the governmental agencies involved). We also explained waivers in the policy that were included (lay-off and strike) but were instructed not to explain that there were many restrictions regarding collection of those benefits. In addition, we would tie the union into our sales pitch quite often. For example, we would say it's done per design, by the union, so it's very affordable for us. The union wants us covered because that's how we keep working; these are our benefits, right? As long as you step up and take care of your benefits, they give the farm away to (your family) in the end. Again, insinuating that if we purchased these benefits the union will take care of our families when we die.

In the Freedom of Choice (FOC) sales pitch, we were taught to mislead the elderly. They are told the union has sent us out to find out if you ever thought about - or invested - in any kind of pre-paid or prearranged funeral. Obviously, this statement is untrue. A few other examples of misrepresentation included, the union says the average funeral is from $6000-$12000. Also, there are three ways the union does not want you to pay for final expenses, now the union has come up with a way to protect your family from these things and it is similar to a prepaid funeral, the union is not going to let me give you (that much coverage), I'm sorry; the union is only going to let me give you (the amount of coverage we're attempting to sell the client). These statements are very misleading because they insinuate that the customer's local union is heavily involved in the decision for them to take the benefits. The following scenario we used was the most misleading. The agents tell the client that the FOC will prevent them from having to wait before the insurance policy becomes liquid. We would tell them AIL did not need a death certificate, unlike other insurance companies, and all the death benefits would be made available in a matter of days, not weeks or months. We stated that we would direct deposit proceeds in the funeral home account (not true) in a couple of days and the balance would be sent to the survivor a couple of days later (also not true). We also stated that the funeral home would fax a copy of the final expenses to AIL and we would match them to union specifications to ensure our customers were not taken advantage of. As a experienced insurance agent, I knew this sounded suspicious. I contacted AIL's home office in Waco, Texas and spoke with representatives in the claims department about this issue. I was told that the statements were completely untrue. In fact, the benefit payment period could not be predicted due to coroner's reports and doctor's records, which could take up to three months or more before they are received. These mandatory reports must be received prior to benefits being paid out.

Hey Colbert, how much income did you report to the government last year?
The best boy scouts are always the biggest frauds.

Ian is 100% correct, either your story does not wash, or your numbers are way off.

If that particular agent sold policies in a fraudulent manner, prosecute him, throw the book at him, he deserves it. But you better come up with some better evidence than that ridiculous story about the old crying woman.

Every single policy sold by my agency is explained to the core. This is how I was trained, my manager was trained, his manager was trained, and my own trainees are trained. This is not a company problem, this would fall into the category of an individual agent problem. The company would never condone this type of behavior, they would boot his a*s in a hot second. Why would a company with awesome financial status and supererior claims paying abilities owned by Torchmark, one the largest life insurance providers in the free world, knowingly allow a crooked agent to bamboozle clients and jeopardize facing a lawsuit that could potentailly cost them billions.

All for $120 in ANNUAL premiums?

When you really think about it, nothing you said makes any sense at all.

And don't mess with SENIOR 10. That is a policy for the otherwise uninsurable. I have senior citizen clients who cannot thank me enough for issuing them a policy when other companies wouldn't even speak with them. Call Prudential and tell them you're an insulin-dependent diabetic with high blood pressure, a heart murmur and you recovered from skin cancer 5 years ago, let me know if they call you back to set an appointment. I would go see them.

Hey Colbert, how much income did you report to the government last year?
The best boy scouts are always the biggest frauds.

Ian is 100% correct, either your story does not wash, or your numbers are way off.

If that particular agent sold policies in a fraudulent manner, prosecute him, throw the book at him, he deserves it. But you better come up with some better evidence than that ridiculous story about the old crying woman.

Every single policy sold by my agency is explained to the core. This is how I was trained, my manager was trained, his manager was trained, and my own trainees are trained. This is not a company problem, this would fall into the category of an individual agent problem. The company would never condone this type of behavior, they would boot his a*s in a hot second. Why would a company with awesome financial status and supererior claims paying abilities owned by Torchmark, one the largest life insurance providers in the free world, knowingly allow a crooked agent to bamboozle clients and jeopardize facing a lawsuit that could potentailly cost them billions.

All for $120 in ANNUAL premiums?

When you really think about it, nothing you said makes any sense at all.

And don't mess with SENIOR 10. That is a policy for the otherwise uninsurable. I have senior citizen clients who cannot thank me enough for issuing them a policy when other companies wouldn't even speak with them. Call Prudential and tell them you're an insulin-dependent diabetic with high blood pressure, a heart murmur and you recovered from skin cancer 5 years ago, let me know if they call you back to set an appointment. I would go see them.

Hey Colbert, how much income did you report to the government last year?
The best boy scouts are always the biggest frauds.

Ian is 100% correct, either your story does not wash, or your numbers are way off.

If that particular agent sold policies in a fraudulent manner, prosecute him, throw the book at him, he deserves it. But you better come up with some better evidence than that ridiculous story about the old crying woman.

Every single policy sold by my agency is explained to the core. This is how I was trained, my manager was trained, his manager was trained, and my own trainees are trained. This is not a company problem, this would fall into the category of an individual agent problem. The company would never condone this type of behavior, they would boot his a*s in a hot second. Why would a company with awesome financial status and supererior claims paying abilities owned by Torchmark, one the largest life insurance providers in the free world, knowingly allow a crooked agent to bamboozle clients and jeopardize facing a lawsuit that could potentailly cost them billions.

All for $120 in ANNUAL premiums?

When you really think about it, nothing you said makes any sense at all.

And don't mess with SENIOR 10. That is a policy for the otherwise uninsurable. I have senior citizen clients who cannot thank me enough for issuing them a policy when other companies wouldn't even speak with them. Call Prudential and tell them you're an insulin-dependent diabetic with high blood pressure, a heart murmur and you recovered from skin cancer 5 years ago, let me know if they call you back to set an appointment. I would go see them.

Hey Colbert, how much income did you report to the government last year?
The best boy scouts are always the biggest frauds.

Ian is 100% correct, either your story does not wash, or your numbers are way off.

If that particular agent sold policies in a fraudulent manner, prosecute him, throw the book at him, he deserves it. But you better come up with some better evidence than that ridiculous story about the old crying woman.

Every single policy sold by my agency is explained to the core. This is how I was trained, my manager was trained, his manager was trained, and my own trainees are trained. This is not a company problem, this would fall into the category of an individual agent problem. The company would never condone this type of behavior, they would boot his a*s in a hot second. Why would a company with awesome financial status and supererior claims paying abilities owned by Torchmark, one the largest life insurance providers in the free world, knowingly allow a crooked agent to bamboozle clients and jeopardize facing a lawsuit that could potentailly cost them billions.

All for $120 in ANNUAL premiums?

When you really think about it, nothing you said makes any sense at all.

And don't mess with SENIOR 10. That is a policy for the otherwise uninsurable. I have senior citizen clients who cannot thank me enough for issuing them a policy when other companies wouldn't even speak with them. Call Prudential and tell them you're an insulin-dependent diabetic with high blood pressure, a heart murmur and you recovered from skin cancer 5 years ago, let me know if they call you back to set an appointment. I would go see them.

I'm not going to comment on everything you posted, just on a couple things, first, the senior ten thing. The senior 10 is a graded policy (like you said), what you did not say is that these policy's are designed for individuals with health problems who cannot qualify for ordinary whole life insurance. Also, it cannot be outlived because its guaranteed renewable (at least in my state). The price goes up 10 points every 10 years.

hmm, you also said something about a sixty seven year old man paying 323 dollars a year for an 1800 policy, what kind of policy is this supposed to be? You know that wouldn't get through any insurance commissioner. explain

next, that story is a joke, you could switch a few words around and apply that to any company. Your story is saying that we didn't pay her claim because her husband died of natural causes. Ok, so if we had sold them a 50k accidental death policy how come earlier you mentioned the agent overcoming price objection. A 50k ADB would cost about $50 a year. That story was the most generically-lame piece of trash i've ever read.

i know you are trying to do your job and honestly i appreciate what it is you do. but you should spend more time getting company's in trouble that sell UL to 67 year olds, that has more potential to be damaging than our senior ten.
sheesh

all past present and future AIl employees should be required to read this thread from Mark. its scary to think how many trusting union members have been duped by these undereducated fast talking frauds in cheap suits.
please keep us posted in your investigation.

all past present and future AIl employees should be required to read this thread from Mark. its scary to think how many trusting union members have been duped by these undereducated fast talking frauds in cheap suits.
please keep us posted in your investigation.

all past present and future AIl employees should be required to read this thread from Mark. its scary to think how many trusting union members have been duped by these undereducated fast talking frauds in cheap suits.
please keep us posted in your investigation.

all past present and future AIl employees should be required to read this thread from Mark. its scary to think how many trusting union members have been duped by these undereducated fast talking frauds in cheap suits.
please keep us posted in your investigation.