Company information:
Esurance
United States
esurance.com
In an effort to simplify our lives and save a few bucks, my wife switched our vehicle insurance to eSurance in May 2008. I was skeptical-I like to be able to visit an agent in-person if need be-but everything seemed okay at first. Several months later, I was involved in a motorcycle accident. It was the first accident I had ever had, and I'm 45 yrs old. I suffered no injuries, and the damage to the bike was minimal. In fact, under MN state law, this was not even a reportable accident. As it was an old bike I had elected to hold only liability coverage, so no claim was made.
However, the police did come to the scene, ask for proof of insurance, etc - and I gave them my eSurance policy number. This is standard practice, and it appears they wrote a report and submitted it to the state despite the fact that its circumstances did not meet the statutory threshold for reporting. Several months later, I received a letter from the state advising that they had contacted eSurance to verify that I had coverage, and that eSurance had DEINED that I had coverage at the time of the accident. Subsequently, my license to drive was being suspended and the license plates on my bike were revoked and had to be surrendered.
I contacted the state immediately, and told them my story, and faxed them documents that I had, including the binder & credit card records of payments that proved I had paid the amount specified for that coverage. They were satisfied, and said they were familiar with problems of this sort with eSurance. They saw I had a perfect driving record, would have no trouble getting insured, and who in the world drives a motorcycle without insurance to save $60 a year? They said if I secured coverage elsewhere and gave them proof of having done so, they would correct my record.
Now here’s the rub: eSurance DOES NOT insure motorcycles! Yes, that’s right. They ACT like they do, and will SELL motorcycle insurance to you, but the company that underwrites the policy is NOT eSurance. So does eSurance tell you that at the time you give them money for your motorcycle insurance policy? No, they don't. Incidentally, they made a notation on my auto insurance with a code number which seemed to correspond to my purchase of motorcycle coverage, but looking at my insurance documents and cab card, motorcycle coverage is not specified. However, the difference between what I paid for my car and the total bill equals what I paid for motorcycle coverage.
So, when they were asked to verify motorcycle insurance was in effect, did they tell them that they had sold me a policy from another company - or refer them to that company to verify it was in force? No, they simply denied me.
Incidentally, I cancelled my coverage with eSurance immediately after securing coverage with GEICO - and I actually saved a lot of money switching to them. Two weeks later, I received a letter from eSurance advising me that THEY were canceling my coverage because I HAD A REPORTABLE ACCIDENT & HAD NOT REPORTED IT TO THEM, AND HAD FALSELY claimed to have my motorcycle insured by them. Someone want to tell me why I would have to report an accident to them if I DIDN'T have a policy with them in the first place?
Esurance is an absurd company, seems to cater to those with difficulty getting insurance coverage, and either intentionally obtuse or is just clueless. In any case, I do NOT recommend you ever purchase coverage thru eSurance - and caution anyone who must deal with them or their insured persons related to a claim.
