ComplaintsforSteelkey Insurance LLC

• Initial Complaint

  05/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Nikki M****, the insurance agent at SteelKey Insurance cheated me of home insurance by doing a BAIT & SWITCH: I was quoted me one rate but when it came to signing up, gave me a completely different extremely high rate. She quoted me Home insurance through ‘Velocity’ insurance company. And a companion auto insurance through Progressive insurance. There were several mistakes made by the insurance agent: 1. DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT PRICE THAN QUOTED: Having got me to renew on auto insurance, now when we came to Home insurance, she tried to get me to pay higher price. She quoted me a price of $1227 for home owner’s insurance with Velocity. But when it came to signup, the price was jacked up by more than 50% by $610 to $1837 (her original quote was for $1519 & after we made some adjustments on the policy, she gave me a price of $1227). 3. SHE MADE ME LOSE MY HOME & AUTO DISCOUNT: She knew very well that Home & Auto bundled together is a major discount. Now I am left stranded to shop for Home insurance alone because there is not enough time to shop auto elsewhere. Auto was to be renewed next day by April 1st . 4. EXCUSE 1: Nikki said “At the time of the quote, a replacement cost estimator was not ran…”. There was no reason why she did not run the ‘replacement cost estimator‘. And that is not my problem. I have no control over what she does internally. 5. EXCUSE 2: Next, she claimed that because I had a claim in 2019, that is why it went up. Claim was known to her because her agency wrote the Home policy for me last year. Moreover, at time of quote, all the companies get detailed personal information like DOB, SSN etc to check claim history. 6. The whole point of getting a quote is to have an idea of the cost. 7. EVEN HIGHER HOME INSURANCE: Because of her, I lost my auto & home policy discount. Home Insurance by itself is being quoted higher at $2300 to $2900. I cannot afford. Essentially, she has put home insurance beyond my means, by her mistakes.

  Business response

  05/15/2023

  A preliminary quote was given. Those are always given to base the customers needs and wants. Claims and Insurance History and the last things to be pulled. Having a claim can drastically increase the rates. We didnt originally write the policy. We actually purchased the business after it was written. So, we wouldn't have known that there was a claim until reports were pulled. The current auto policy wasn't written with the same carrier so there was no discount lost. We normally only get bundle discounts if we write it with the same carrier. We do sometimes get discounts on the homes for having the auto policy inside the agency. 

  Customer response

  05/17/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
              Their answer is self-contradicting on several levels:
  First, it is odd that they say they bought the business. Their agent Nikki M**** on 2/6/23 emailed saying that the previous agency ‘Policy Pro is still in business, they are an affiliate partner of our agency, SteelKey Insurance.’
              Secondly, when you buy a business, you get the files & you are buying the liability. They had my records when they called on me with a quote. So they cannot hide behind the excuse that they did not know.
              Third, in their reply they say ‘We do sometimes get discounts on the homes for having the auto policy inside the agency’. So there is acknowledgment that I lost home & auto discount. 
              Last year also the home was written with one company and auto with another, but since it was written through the same agency ‘PolicyPro’, I got Home & Auto discount (Home was written through Homeowners of America & Auto through Progressive).
              Simple matter is that this year there was ‘bait & switch’.
              While Nikki M**** and I, talked about home insurance extensively making changes in coverage to reduce it to $1227, after that, instead of taking payment for home insurance, she switched and said ‘let us get the payment first of auto insurance’. I innocently agreed to pay for auto insurance first, not knowing that she was going to do a ‘bait & switch’ of price on home insurance afterwards.
              Had she told me of the home insurance price to be higher than $1227 & instead $1837 first, then I would have never bought auto insurance from her.
              So she tricked me. Got me to pay for auto insurance first. Once auto insurance was paid, then she popped the VERY HIGH price of $1837 for home insurance.
  Thereby putting me in a trauma
  Because it was out of my reach
  Shocking me that I did not have home insurance
  Exploiting me because I lost a substantial home & auto discount, if I went elsewhere
  I am devastated that I AM COMPLETLEY EXPOSED to risk without home owner’s policy: All because of her mistakes!
  She has apologized for her mistakes. If there was no mistake then what was she apologizing. When someone makes a mistake, just an apology is not enough, they also have to make up for it.
  It would be only fair, that since she did the mistakes that Steelkey pay for the Homeowner’s policy with Velocity or any other equally ‘A’ rated company, and provide the policy within 7 days so as to not let me be exposed without home insurance?
  
  Regards,
  
  *** ****

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