PAY UP! One man’s message to insurance company
Lyndon Bailey has been in the news before because he was chosen from a group of persons nominated to the FirstCaribbean Bank’s Unsung Heroes Program. Bailey is also the founder of the Tubal Trade School in Ladyville Village, which provides a second chance to many youths who have dropped out of school. Bailey, a mild mannered man, is highly upset today because he believes he has not been given a fair chance from his insurance company. Bailey has been driving around town in a truck that carries his fifty three thousand dollar wrecked vehicle with a sign insisting that the insurance company must pay up. Bailey told News Five this morning that on November tenth, another motorist hit his vehicle and even though he has comprehensive insurance and his chassis was bent, the insurance company estimates his damage at forty-three thousand dollars less than what was estimated by the dealer from whom he bought the vehicle.
Lyndon Bailey, Upset with Insurance Company
Lyndon Bailey
“We arranged that we were going to meet up there with the equipment that Atlantic Insurance says that this young man has to determine how he came up with his theory that he can repair the truck and repair the chassis. Now I have never heard of a repair chassis because I know to straighten a piece of iron, common sense, you have to put heat to it. And if you put heat to a metal the metal get week. And even if you stretch the metal, it’s going to get thin wherever it’s stretch and when you hit, it will just bend back. But anyway, I did all that I could have done. We had another meeting and at Atlantic Insurance and they did an estimate, bravo did an estimate on my part and Bravo said that the vehicle will cost fifty-one thousand dollars to repair, because to order a new chassis would cost about thirty thousand dollars. Now I paid fifty-three thousand dollars for that vehicle, brand new. I paid my premium and when I went back to Atlantic Insurance after about a week or two or three week, the lady, Miss Gonzalez says that listen, Mister Bailey we will stick with our guy’s estimate which was eight thousand four hundred and thirty odd dollars. She says like to me take it or leave it.”
Jose Sanchez
“You planning to take it to court?”
Lyndon Bailey
“I went and paid a hundred dollars for a lawyer to write them a letter and they respond back after a week and say they will stick with what they have, with their estimate.”
Jose Sanchez
“So at this point what are you hoping will be done through this interview?”
Lyndon Bailey
“I hope di that the public could understand that when you think that you have full coverage insurance, you don’t have anything. I’m hoping that Atlantic Insurance would either replace the chassis or replace the vehicle or pay the bank off for the vehicle.”
Atlantic Insurance could not be reached for comment today.
From this side of the story, it sounds like Atlantic Insurance is guilty of acting in bad faith toward a paying customer. That’s a very serious breach of its duty! I hope there is law to punish the company if that proves to be the case.
INSURANCE NEVER WANTS TO PAY………………..BUT THEY WANT TO COLLECT ON TIME!!!
The insurance industry should be regulated. There should be a state or governmental agency where complaints like this one can be mediated without the cost of litigation to the consumer.
Any insurance policy is a contract between the insured and the insurer,and both parties have certain duties under the policy contract that must be complied with at the time of a loss.So this case should be reviewed by someone (who has no conflict of interest) to verify both parties involved acted in good faith.
I have my home insured with them. Maybe I should move my business elsewhere. The law should assist here.
Based on what Mr Bailey is saying, that vehicle should be classified as being ‘totaled’ or unrepairable. And the insurance company knows this but they just don’t want to get up off that cash. So….. off to the court room you go Lyndon.
Bailey go to RF&G insurance next time I have no problem for them to pay off some vehicle that has been total. They are the best as they work with you and even let you choose the place that you want your vehicle to go for repairs. All those other insurance just want to collect and do not want to honor claims, govt need to check them out and if possible close them down. I am personally telling all of us in this country to try RF&G insurance and see how they work well established and respectable.
RF&G does have a better track record!
Advise… get a GOOD lawyer… that’s the only way insurance companies will pay attention to you (the $100 lawyer you got is a JOKE for them)…
I had a similar problem with HOME PROTECTOR INSURANCE.. not really identical… my claim was just for $2,500 (to make it easier on them and speed up the process I bought 2nd hand parts for my Toyota – yet they still refused to pay because I went ahead to repair the vehicl AFTER their inspector had verbally given me the OK to repair it but because “I had not received written authorization from the company to repair the vehicle” …even after 3 months had passed!!! ) so they refused to pay…. from advise I got, I hired a lawyer for $800 and shortly after HOME PROTECTOR agreed to settle out of court… and paid in full including my legal fees….
I made it my business to let HOME PROTECTOR know I preferred to give my money to a lawyer than make them stay with it as they are accustomed to do with us the small fish…. I had known of 3 other persons scammed by home protector that same month… thought HOME PROTECTOR were the only scams but perhaps I was wrong…..!!!
again….Lyndon… get a good lawyer… Not even I would hire a lawyer for $100!!! Cmon you paid $53,000 for a vehicle and you go to hire a lawyer for $100???
You are doing the right things MR.Bailey.The insurance company is like the MOB.they will collect and don’t want to pay.But you are the one man army that will change things or they will feel .People will change to a next company.Power to You.
which business have the most fancy office buildings in town. INSURANCE COMPANY. by LAW we must insure our vehicle every year. no other business have a law that forces customers to do business with them. they act like a cartel. and then the police and traffic officers all work for them at these check points. it is crazy, I am proud of Mr Bailey
Let’s be real, There are legitmate claims and there are fraudulent claims, Insurance companies this days have technical people which are specialized and sub contracted for claim assesments. I applaude your comments, since its by voice that insurance companies should stand ridged to honor its claims, but lets not be blind- eyed by what are legitimate claims and what are not. Before linning up a conclusion, be sharp enough to be opened.
trust me they are the worst, they will try their level best to deceive you !!! and for good reason , more money for the share holders !!! i am proud of you mr. bailey you need to keep up the campaign a lawyer will charge you an arm and leg then you take home nothing !!! ATLANTIC INSURANCE IS AN OUT RIGHT DECEITFUL ENTITY !!!.
AND……………….TRY MISSING A PAYMENT……………….
MR. Bailey should talk to Mr. Amos Wright, he’s having the same problem with Atlantic Insurance get together guys and sue their pants off…
My advise is for Mr. Bailey to take a written complaint to the supervisor of insurance in Belmopan!
The supervisor is VERY good at solving these issues!
I think it is high time for GOB to pay closer attention to the “claims” section in these very dishonest Insurance companies.
Too many poor victims just give up too early when the insurance companies “challenge” their claims.
Take the case to Ms. Alma Gomez, Supervisor of Insurance, Ministry of Finance. That’s what I did and it worked.
Atlantic has a bad reputation for this..makes no sense to insure with them
Insurance companies usually get together with the repair shop and work things like this out and find a way to repair the vehicle.
Mr Bailey they are able to straignten frames and chassis without heat but I doubt any of the shops in Belize have a frame machine to do this.
Remember insurance companies do not sell service! What they sell us is peace of mind only until we have a problem.
i totally agree with cayo. that unit was in the news a year or so ago.
Well what I see with the insurance company is that they are racketeers, gangsters, crooks and all and the worst part is that they are protected by the policemen, the traffic department and other officials. For instance, if you are caught without an insurance on your vehicle, what happens to you? Pulled over, you are now a criminal and get harassed and given a ticket and thereafter hauled into the courtroom to be charged. Even suspension of driver’s lisence. Now if you have a house and it got burnt there is no problem if it was not insured. The minute the policemen find out that the house was insured you become a suspected target. They now see you as a criminal and ramsangle you to the max to find fault on you so their INSURANCE COMPANY DONT HAVE TO PAY OUT MONIES. You stressed out by the lost of your house and lil posessions and come down wid more stress from d police and fire deartment just because your house was insured.
DOES THIS ALL REALLY REALLY MAKE SENCE? IS THAT WHY ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES PUTTING UP LOVELY, HUGE BUILDINGS NOW?
WHY ARE TEHY BEING OVERLY PROTECTED BY THE LAW AND WHY IS NOT THE PROTECTERS DOING ANYTHING IN OUR FAVOR WHEN THE INSURANCE COMPANIES DONT WANT TO PAY WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO PAY? I AM OVERLY CURIOUS!!
you have no idea how ridiculous this company can be, the managers and the claims managers are just a joke and they are only looking at their bottom line $$$$, and when you borrow money from the atlantic bank they insist that they insure you with this same company, and yes guess what they will still not pay when there is a claim. AND YES I KNOW FULLY WELL HOW THEY OPERATE !!! channel5 needs to do more investigating reporting on this company and let more people come out of their shell and speak up!!!!
WHATS NEW HERE? NOTHING. INSURANCE COMPANIES LIKE BANKS HAVE BEEN LITERALLY !@#$%^& BELIZEANS FOR DECADES, YET, THIS IS THE FIRST INSTANCE OF A BELIZEAN REALLY STANDING UP AND FIGHTING, BANKS ARE KICKING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES ON A WEEKLY BASIS YET WE DON’T SEE ANY SERIOUS PUBLIC DEBATE ABOUT HOW BANKS ARE SCREWING BELIZEANS; ALL THE NEWSPAPERS LIKE BELIZE TIMES, AMANDALA ETC THAT HAVE ARTICLES AFTER ARTICLES ABOUT HOW GOB IS SCREWING THE PEOPLE OVER, YET THEY ALL MAKE THEIR BIG MONEY FROM ADVERTISING POOR, HARDWORKING BELIZEANS HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN THEIR NEWSPAPERS. NEWSPAPERS SHOULD START BOYCOTTING RUNNING THESE ADS, THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL I THINK THE MEDIA HAS BELIZEANS AT HEART. UNTIL THEN THEY JUST MAKING MONEY AND PAINTING A PRETTY PICTURE LETTING US THINK THEY ARE ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS…..THEY ARE NOT.
you have no idea how ridiculous this company can be, they are only looking at their bottom line $$$$, and when you borrow money from the atlantic bank they insist that they insure you with this same company, and yes guess what they will still not pay when there is a claim. AND YES I KNOW FULLY WELL HOW THEY OPERATE !!! channel5 needs to do more investigating reporting on this company and let more people come out of their shell and speak up!!!!
Insurance companies all over the world are generally fraud and they will pay hard ball to pay you less or deny payment all together. In countries like the US at least you have the law on your side. There are ways to fight these kinds of situations. In Belize, it seems that the common man is being repeatedly disrespected.
Make sure you get a good lawyer. Dickie seems to win them all so he should be your man for this one.
RF&G insurance is no different you never know until it happens to you, I have a friend that was hit by a BERT ambulance while he was parked at the race track and RF&G insurance refused to pay up after the lazy adjuster had him drove all the way from the village to city to look at the damages and they bluntly refused to pay they are all the same and yeah they are in the most prestigious building on Coney drive.
Insurance companies are rippoffs & thieves!!! But the gov back them up because the gov getting a huge share of our money. WAKUP BZ. WAKE UP!!!
MODERATOR!!! YOU ALSO PAYING THEM, WANT YOU OR NOT!!!
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