What better way to complain about something than taking it to the internet. I’m in the middle or at the end of a dispute with Allstate over an insurance claim that was made in July of last year.

We bought a travel trailer in Missouri last year and on our way home I managed to get some bad diesel. We broke down in Eufaula, OK which is 4 hours from DFW. Coincidentally we happened to be near Eufaula Ford so we limped over to the dealership to figure out what was going on.

Out of options, the owner of the dealership loaned me a F-250 to haul my family and our newly acquired trailer home. I had it for a couple months. Here is where Allstate comes in and the issues start. Under a comprehensive coverage, you can make a claim for bad gas.

The problem is, that through a lot of miscommunication on Allstate’s end about what the claim was for, they kept thinking there was a collision and were trying to get damage pics of the car. This went back and forth for a few weeks until finally the work was approved. They had to replace the entire fuel line in the vehicle. A week or so later, the truck was finished and ready for me to pick up.

Mind you the dealership is 4 hours away so this isn’t a task that is taken lightly. I loaded up on the next Saturday and headed up to exchange vehicles. Everything looks good, although the dealership left my truck a mess. I didn’t really care, I was just happy to get it back. I drive the 4 hours back home and it works great. A couple days later I have to fill up and notice that there is diesel spilling out from under my truck.

I called my local agent and asked them how I should handle this, recognizing the fact that the dealership should warranty any work that they performed. The issue? 4 hours away. I was told I should take it to a local shop and then we can work out the issue with claims. It cost me $500 to fix a seal that wasn’t tightened on the gas tank. I submitted this invoice to the claim and was denied reimbursement because “they had paid for it to be fixed right the first time”.

That really doesn’t sit right with me so this begins the drawn out process of trying to get that money back. 5 calls and many hours later and multiple promised call backs  with the claims department over a span of months and they aren’t going to cover it. It’s not in their policy.

So let me explain something. I’m expected to drive 4 hours north  (8 hours round trip) to have a problem fixed I know nothing about. Who’s gonna pay for my time off? Who’s gonna cover the gas? Who is gonna cover the motel room room I may have to get if they don’t have the parts? Seems obvious to me that the fix is a lot cheaper buy just reimbursing me. But policy.

The second issue is because they drug their feet the first 3 weeks, I’m on the hook for the loaner vehicle which is another $500. They aren’t taking responsibility that either. So $1000 out and no one willing to see this situation for what it is. All this would’ve been a lot different had it been local.

It bears mention that both my local agent and the claims department weren’t very helpful in this situation. Everyone just kept passing the buck.

I get why policies are in place, but sometimes you have to take the situation for what it is. No one is willing to accept that sometimes there are circumstances and instead of making an exception they lost a customer.

I’m a small drop in a big pool but that’s not going to stop me from voicing my opinion. People already have a bad taste in their mouths over insurance companies specifically for this reason: their unwillingness to pay for claims, even though their pools drop ample amounts of money yearly to cover it.

Overall it’s really about the principle of the issue and not really the money. Yes it’s still $500 out of my pocket and constant harassment to pay the loaner bill, but what the fuck Allstate? Is policy really so important to you that you’re willing to lose customers over it?

A quick google search of “Allstate sucks” will reveal that I’m not alone on this. There’s even a dedicated website called www.allstateinsurancesucks.com

People are only willing to take shit from someone for so long. I’d suggest addressing these issues before you’re out of business. It’s only a matter of time.