# Auto Insurance Experience



## Guest (Oct 4, 2011)

I had my auto insurance with a well known agency and my experience was disheartening, to say the least. In February, my pickup truck was stolen as part of a home invasion and assault. They also took all of the associated paperwork. The policy states they will pay in 30 days but it took quite a bit longer than that with a check issued in May. In August, I was notified that the truck had been recovered and boy was I ever lucky. I was going to get the truck back according to the attorney for the agency. How could that be, I asked, since I had already been paid? Your name is on the title, says the lawyer and so the saga began. I traveled here and there at my expense and continued to prod Ministerio Publico. After two months, the big day arrived wherein I was to get the document of release to take to the impound lot and retrieve my vehicle. But no, says the lawyer and the Ministerio Official. The insurance company paid me and it would be released to them, not me. 

That was logical. But dragging the issue out for two months and letting (making) me believe it would be mine again so that I would be motivated to assist them in acquiring my truck was appalling, deceptive, and cruel. Their request for me to sign one more paper and make one more sworn statement in the matter fell on deaf ears. I called the insurance company to get to the truth of the matter. They were prompt and courteous and, although I still ended in the same place, I could at least understand the process. They told me that the agency was wrong. Insurance agancies are a lot like big box stores. And changing the name of to string me along and misrepresent the truth. Changing the name of the agency while retaining the same promoters will end up with the same results. Glitz and smiles without integrity are useless.

My suggestion would be to deal with an agency in the US . The end result may well be the same but perhaps at least you will know the truth in the matter.


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

Do you really think that dealing with an agent in Calif or Texas will make things any better. You're still dealing with a Mexican Chartered insurance company with all of it's faults. You are also dealing with people who may not know very much about a claim like yours. It sounds to me like a combination of miss-communications and "Ah gee, I'm not sure". 

One thing is you said you were dealing with a large insurance company. Was that the broker or the company that actually issued the coverage? In the states there are a lot of "owned agencies". The State Farm agent specializes in that company's policies but can sell other coverage if needed. Most of the brokerages I've dealt with here have one or two general carriers and that's it. You go to a Sanborn brokerage and you get Sanborn coverage. 

I'm sorry but IMHO dealing with a local brokerage is much better than dealing with someone over the phone or the internet. If needed face to face I can tell him is a SOB, it just seems to loose something over the internet.


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2011)

*Auto Insurance Clarification*

The brokerage is well known as is the Insurance Company, HDI Seguros. The brokerage is also well known, at least here in the GDL area. It is my impression that Mexicans generally tell you what you want to hear whether it is true or not.

This is my sole insurance claim since living here, some 13 years. My opinions are based on that experience. You may well be right in your analysis based upon your experiences or merely upon deductions. I dont know. 

I believe I was betrayed and lied to and used. That was by the brokerage. HDI was not involved in the problem. Perhaps others will share their experiences and some sot of pattern will emerge.


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

Chapala Payaso said:


> The brokerage is well known as is the Insurance Company, HDI Seguros. The brokerage is also well known, at least here in the GDL area. It is my impression that Mexicans generally tell you what you want to hear whether it is true or not.
> 
> This is my sole insurance claim since living here, some 13 years. My opinions are based on that experience. You may well be right in your analysis based upon your experiences or merely upon deductions. I dont know.
> 
> I believe I was betrayed and lied to and used. That was by the brokerage. HDI was not involved in the problem. Perhaps others will share their experiences and some sot of pattern will emerge.


As documented previously on this Board, our car was stolen in Feb/07 in Zihuatanejo and found a couple of days later, damaged beyond repair.
My Mexican car insurer was one of the largest: QUALITAS, with the policy purchased on-line from a Los Angeles broker. The broker made it very clear from the get-go that they had nothing to do with any subsequent claim....all dealings were with Qualitas direct.
The final settlement for the write-off value of the vehicle left me a tad dissatisfied, but that's another story. It took 5 months to get that settlement, the biggest problem being getting responses from Qualitas to my e-mails on anything like a timely basis. Ultimately, I had to ask the Los Angeles broker to intercede on my behalf to push Qualitas for answers.
The biggest problem was cancelling the original vehicle import permit. Qualitas refused to get involved in that process, other than to issue a "To whom it may concern " letter to me, and e-mailing me the customs forms that I had to complete, even though, it seemed to me that, technically and legally, Qualitas had become the owners of the vehicle once we had settled on a write-off price. As expected, the Los Angeles broker also refused to get involved in getting the import permit cancelled.
Long story short, it took me another year to get the original import permit cancelled, and during that intervening year, I was refused permission to bring another vehicle into Mexico, (because "the computer" said I already had one in Mexico). Fortunately, our replacement vehicle was registered in both my and my wife's name....so she was accepted as the new importer.


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## A reef (Oct 2, 2012)

OK OK so what auto insurance company has a good reputation there in Mexico?


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