Someone I know lost her mom during Covid. She now has a problem caused by a business who, after 2 attempts to get the problem resolved, still can't get things right. In fact, the firm's representative suggested that my friend break the law to get it resolved. AARGH!!!!
But first....
The problem started when my friend's mom overpaid the premiums on an insurance policy. This would not normally be a problem, as eventually the over payment would be refunded to the customer. However, the customer died during the pandemic. Sometime late last year, the insurance company sent a notice to the wrong address for this woman, and the woman's granddaughter passed the notice on to my friend along with a refund check addressed to my friend's mother. My friend now had a dilemma. The estate was closed out several years ago. There was no bank account in which the check could be deposited and funds passed through to the woman's heirs. How should she proceed to get this money?
My friend's first task was to find out exactly who to contact in the insurance company. This was the first layer of the problem. Many companies issue checks from an entity holding a different corporate name than the entity with which one did business. (Think of private label credit cards - a credit card issued with the Exxon, Sunoco, Shell or other fuel companies might send its refund checks with a Citibank payer name on the check.) In my friend's case, this was harder than it should have been for her.
The next layer of the problem was that the customer service number wasn't geared for payee problems. It was geared for collection problems - their focus was on collecting money from people who were late on their payments, not on those that the company paid money to. Yet, through perseverance, my friend was able to reach someone in customer service. She explained the situation to someone in a foreign call center, and was told to submit proof of her mother's death and proof that she was the executor of the estate - which she did.
Several weeks later, my friend received a check. When my friend looked at the check, it was made out to be paid to her mother. She called the company back and got someone who could barely speak English and was likely to be making things up on the fly to keep my friend happy. My friend explained the problem, and the woman at the other side of the line told my friend - pretend you are your mom and cash the check. The customer center suggested that my friend commit a crime to get the money that should be paid to her. This was a ludicrous suggestion, and my friend insisted that the problem be fixed properly by issuing a check with my friend's name on it. The call center lady "agreed" and said that a new check would be sent out shortly.
Another few weeks went by, and my friend received a second check. And again, the check was issued to her mom. So again, my friend made a call to the company and reached another person. Again, the foreign call center suggested that she cash the check, and she refused. This time, she led the call center fellow through the situation and got him to state who the check would be made out to (my friend's name). This time, my friend thought the problem would be resolved and forgot about it for a while.
Still, another few weeks went by. When my friend returned home after a long weekend, she found another check in her mailbox. Opening up the envelope, she again found a check - again with her mom's name. Now, my friend became royally pissed off. What should she do now?
I suggested that she talk to a lawyer (she has one in her family) as well as contact Elliot Advocacy. Another friend suggested that she go to her bank and ask what to do. Hopefully, she will get an answer she needs and finally get this problem resolved once and for all....
