California Insurance Commission review: Role of Insurance Commission and consumer 1

I understood the Insurance Commission was to assure the consumer that the insurance companies were in compliance with the state insurance regulations and that they would investigate any and all credible and valid complaints made by a consumer. Is this a correct understanding of their role?

I ask this because starting back in March 2006 my home owners and rental insurance carrier made mistakes on my account causing them to all be cancelled - they had all been paid in full for the year on time and to the broker in person. The mistake seemed to multiply and divide and the company apparently could not correct their mistakes. They started to ignore my questions at the local then district level... All correspondence was another contradiction or continually telling me I didn't understand.

I understood quite well.

Last December, 2006, I finally contacted the Insurance commission. They said the insurance company was wrong and they needed to answer all the issues and contradictions that were clearly errors on their part. The insurance company had even violated state regulations by changing information on my policies without any contact with me. The commission said they could not do that and they again wrote me a letter telling me they told the company to answer my questions.

In August of 2007, with no resolution of any of the companies errors, I was told by the commission the case was closed because the state had approved the companies rate increases. This had absolutely nothing to do with the errors on my policies... my only question on rates had been on the 2007 building increases of $18,000 on 2 of the 3 policies. When asked why such a large increase in building costs for one year, I was told by the commission and the company that they could raise them to any amount they felt necessary and did not have to disclose how they reached that amount!

With that the commission said the case was closed. Period.

Is this the way the California Insurance Commission protects the consumers from the jaws of the greed ridden insurance companies. I have a stack of correspondence at least 5" high if you are interested in any of the preposterous details. Or the way this insurance company rides roughshod over any question you ask about your rates.

This is one of the largest insurance carriers in the country, not a fly-by-nighter.

Thank you for any answers you may have or may be able to get.