Is this an example of the world's insanity or what?
*
Robert Bouttier 8/31/15
CEO AAA Southern California
(Address redacted)
Wendy Weigel
CEO AAA Minnesota
(Address redacted)
Jason Ward
CEO AAA Minnesota/Iowa
(Address redacted)
Edward B. Rust, Jr.
Michael Tipsord
CEO, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
(Address redacted)
Patricia McCormack
Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Director, Driver and Vehicle Services
(Address redacted)
Michael Rothman
Minnesota Department of Commerce
Insurance Division
(Address redacted)
My wife and I are residents of California (I was born there, she moved to CA with her family at the age of 2). Having recently retired and gotten tired of the rat race, we have purchased a second home in Slayton Minnesota. We moved one of our 2 vehicles (a 2012 Ford Escape) to the Minnesota property, where it is being kept. In July the registration became due for renewal on the Escape.
Upon inquiring in person at the local (Slayton) MN DPS Office, I was told that a vehicle kept in MN for 60 days must be titled, registered, and insured in MN. I explained that our primary residence was still California. I was told that did not matter, that MN law required the vehicle to be titled, registered, and insured in the state of MN. So I titled and registered the Escape in MN, at a higher cost than CA registration.
We have been customers of AAA Southern California for 26 years. I contacted AAA in CA to insure the Escape in MN. I was told that they would not insure a vehicle outside of CA. I contacted AAA in MN. I was told that we would have to obtain MN drivers licenses in order to insure the vehicle there. I contacted AAA in CA to see if this was possible. They stated that because we have a car (a 2010 Ford Explorer) titled, registered and insured in CA we were required to have CA drivers licenses. Both states informed me that we could not be licensed in 2 states at the same time. I informed AAA CA that the Escape had been titled and registered in MN due to MN law (as stated by MN DPS employees at the local office). AAA CA then told me they would immediately no longer insure the Escape.
I contacted by phone the State of MN DPS in St. Paul. The employee there confirmed what the 2 employees in Slayton had told me, that if the car was in the state for 60 days it must be titled, registered, and insured in MN. When asked about the drivers license issue, I was given a phone number to contact at the MN Dept. of Commerce. Upon contact, that employee confirmed what the first 3 had told me.
I found myself suddenly uninsured, and unable to obtain insurance on the Escape.
I decided that it was time to get this in writing. I emailed the MN DPS with the details of the issue. The employee who responded told me the 4 employees I had talked to were wrong; that title, registration and insurance were dependent upon our primary residence. They included the actual verbiage of the laws. I was told that in this case I should keep the car titled, registered, and insured in CA, and that MN DPS would note in their database that it was a non-resident vehicle.
I called the Slayton DPS office and asked to rescind the registration change. They stated that they had already forwarded the paperwork to the state office, and that the office there was at least 2 months behind in processing paperwork and I would not be unable to correct the error until they had done said processing. DPS in St. Paul confirmed that statement.
I contacted AAA MN and informed them of this information. I was then told that the requirement to have a MN drivers license was a AAA policy, not state law. When told that I had to maintain a CA drivers license, because of CA being our primary residence and because AAA CA required us to keep a CA drivers license in order to continue to insure the CA vehicle (the Explorer), AAA MN told me there was nothing they could do about those licensing requirements.
I contacted State Farm in Slayton MN. They assured me that they did not require a MN drivers license to insure the Escape. I then insured the Escape with them.
I removed the Escape from the AAA CA policy. I was told that due to the loss of the multivehicle discount, the insurance premium on the Explorer would nearly double.
I contacted State Farm MN. They agreed to insure the Explorer and apply the multicar discount. I repeatedly informed them that the Explorer would remain titled, registered, and garaged in CA. The premium they quoted was substantially below what we were paying AAA CA, so we cancelled the AAA CA coverage and insured the Explorer with the State Farm office in MN.
Shortly thereafter I discovered online that State Farm MN had stated in the policy that the Explorer was titled, registered, and garaged in MN. I made numerous attempts over the next 3 weeks to have this corrected. Seeing that it was not being corrected, I contacted State Farm in CA. They coordinated with State Farm MN to insure the Explorer.
I shortly thereafter found out that the premium for insuring the Explorer in CA was triple what State Farm MN had quoted (as I had suspected would be the case, and which was why I repeatedly pushed to have the information corrected, so that I could decide the best route to take on this issue). The State Farm premium was $300 higher than what we would have paid AAA CA, with $200k less in coverage.
I then tried to reinstate the Explorer with AAA CA, but was told we were 4 days past the cutoff date to reinstate coverage. AAA CA insisted on writing a new policy, with even higher premiums and no discounts (we have the home in CA insured thru AAA CA but we were told they would not apply that discount until a year had passed with the Explorer newly insured). I was also told that if we decided to move the Explorer to MN before the year had elapsed, we would be charged a $215 ‘short rate’ fee. All this while being told that they appreciated our 26 years as customers.
On top of that, AAA CA raised our homeowners premium by $163, due to the loss of the multi-policy discount.
We find ourselves now with a $500+ out of pocket loss on registration and insurance premiums, with $200k less in coverage. This all despite my repeated attempts to clarify and ensure the correct information with all parties involved, and due to 6 different people involved in the transaction not knowing what their laws and policies are.
It is unconscionable that so many employees of both State and corporate offices do not know their jobs, and that such a lack of training and knowledge now costs us substantial additional monies for registration and lower coverage. It is also unconscionable that AAA CA employees would tell a 26 year customer to “find another company” and not extend a grace period on policy reinstatement, while telling us how much they ‘appreciate’ our 26 years as customers.
All parties involved should be subject to re-training. There’s no reason any of this should have turned into the total nightmare it has become.
(Our names and address redacted)
*
And it actually goes on to get worse after this was written...
*
Robert Bouttier 8/31/15
CEO AAA Southern California
(Address redacted)
Wendy Weigel
CEO AAA Minnesota
(Address redacted)
Jason Ward
CEO AAA Minnesota/Iowa
(Address redacted)
Edward B. Rust, Jr.
Michael Tipsord
CEO, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
(Address redacted)
Patricia McCormack
Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Director, Driver and Vehicle Services
(Address redacted)
Michael Rothman
Minnesota Department of Commerce
Insurance Division
(Address redacted)
My wife and I are residents of California (I was born there, she moved to CA with her family at the age of 2). Having recently retired and gotten tired of the rat race, we have purchased a second home in Slayton Minnesota. We moved one of our 2 vehicles (a 2012 Ford Escape) to the Minnesota property, where it is being kept. In July the registration became due for renewal on the Escape.
Upon inquiring in person at the local (Slayton) MN DPS Office, I was told that a vehicle kept in MN for 60 days must be titled, registered, and insured in MN. I explained that our primary residence was still California. I was told that did not matter, that MN law required the vehicle to be titled, registered, and insured in the state of MN. So I titled and registered the Escape in MN, at a higher cost than CA registration.
We have been customers of AAA Southern California for 26 years. I contacted AAA in CA to insure the Escape in MN. I was told that they would not insure a vehicle outside of CA. I contacted AAA in MN. I was told that we would have to obtain MN drivers licenses in order to insure the vehicle there. I contacted AAA in CA to see if this was possible. They stated that because we have a car (a 2010 Ford Explorer) titled, registered and insured in CA we were required to have CA drivers licenses. Both states informed me that we could not be licensed in 2 states at the same time. I informed AAA CA that the Escape had been titled and registered in MN due to MN law (as stated by MN DPS employees at the local office). AAA CA then told me they would immediately no longer insure the Escape.
I contacted by phone the State of MN DPS in St. Paul. The employee there confirmed what the 2 employees in Slayton had told me, that if the car was in the state for 60 days it must be titled, registered, and insured in MN. When asked about the drivers license issue, I was given a phone number to contact at the MN Dept. of Commerce. Upon contact, that employee confirmed what the first 3 had told me.
I found myself suddenly uninsured, and unable to obtain insurance on the Escape.
I decided that it was time to get this in writing. I emailed the MN DPS with the details of the issue. The employee who responded told me the 4 employees I had talked to were wrong; that title, registration and insurance were dependent upon our primary residence. They included the actual verbiage of the laws. I was told that in this case I should keep the car titled, registered, and insured in CA, and that MN DPS would note in their database that it was a non-resident vehicle.
I called the Slayton DPS office and asked to rescind the registration change. They stated that they had already forwarded the paperwork to the state office, and that the office there was at least 2 months behind in processing paperwork and I would not be unable to correct the error until they had done said processing. DPS in St. Paul confirmed that statement.
I contacted AAA MN and informed them of this information. I was then told that the requirement to have a MN drivers license was a AAA policy, not state law. When told that I had to maintain a CA drivers license, because of CA being our primary residence and because AAA CA required us to keep a CA drivers license in order to continue to insure the CA vehicle (the Explorer), AAA MN told me there was nothing they could do about those licensing requirements.
I contacted State Farm in Slayton MN. They assured me that they did not require a MN drivers license to insure the Escape. I then insured the Escape with them.
I removed the Escape from the AAA CA policy. I was told that due to the loss of the multivehicle discount, the insurance premium on the Explorer would nearly double.
I contacted State Farm MN. They agreed to insure the Explorer and apply the multicar discount. I repeatedly informed them that the Explorer would remain titled, registered, and garaged in CA. The premium they quoted was substantially below what we were paying AAA CA, so we cancelled the AAA CA coverage and insured the Explorer with the State Farm office in MN.
Shortly thereafter I discovered online that State Farm MN had stated in the policy that the Explorer was titled, registered, and garaged in MN. I made numerous attempts over the next 3 weeks to have this corrected. Seeing that it was not being corrected, I contacted State Farm in CA. They coordinated with State Farm MN to insure the Explorer.
I shortly thereafter found out that the premium for insuring the Explorer in CA was triple what State Farm MN had quoted (as I had suspected would be the case, and which was why I repeatedly pushed to have the information corrected, so that I could decide the best route to take on this issue). The State Farm premium was $300 higher than what we would have paid AAA CA, with $200k less in coverage.
I then tried to reinstate the Explorer with AAA CA, but was told we were 4 days past the cutoff date to reinstate coverage. AAA CA insisted on writing a new policy, with even higher premiums and no discounts (we have the home in CA insured thru AAA CA but we were told they would not apply that discount until a year had passed with the Explorer newly insured). I was also told that if we decided to move the Explorer to MN before the year had elapsed, we would be charged a $215 ‘short rate’ fee. All this while being told that they appreciated our 26 years as customers.
On top of that, AAA CA raised our homeowners premium by $163, due to the loss of the multi-policy discount.
We find ourselves now with a $500+ out of pocket loss on registration and insurance premiums, with $200k less in coverage. This all despite my repeated attempts to clarify and ensure the correct information with all parties involved, and due to 6 different people involved in the transaction not knowing what their laws and policies are.
It is unconscionable that so many employees of both State and corporate offices do not know their jobs, and that such a lack of training and knowledge now costs us substantial additional monies for registration and lower coverage. It is also unconscionable that AAA CA employees would tell a 26 year customer to “find another company” and not extend a grace period on policy reinstatement, while telling us how much they ‘appreciate’ our 26 years as customers.
All parties involved should be subject to re-training. There’s no reason any of this should have turned into the total nightmare it has become.
(Our names and address redacted)
*
And it actually goes on to get worse after this was written...
