It was my intention this week to write about health insurance. Today, however, the frustration level over a life insurance policy I own has reached such heights that the only healthy way for me to work though my annoyance is to write about it. As I learned from a previous posting when we explored the always fun topic of toilet paper, apparently corporate America is sensitive to what’s written about them. All it takes are the talents of a sophomoric blogger to get their attention. I therefore find myself backed into the position of publicly exposing how a major life insurance company handles its current customers, and my own sorry efforts to find a resolution.
In 2012 I switched from my former employer’s group life insurance coverage to a private plan. A financial consultant who looked at my retirement portfolio convinced me to make the move because of what he explained are inherent cost disadvantages of group coverage: since there are always going to be individuals in a covered group who will not live as long as others, insurers need to charge higher rates for everyone who is a part of the pool as each participant begin to age. The longer I stayed in the group plan, the higher my individual rate for it would become in the years ahead. I was highly encouraged to instead find an individual term policy for myself on the open market with a fixed monthly or yearly cost. I followed that advice.
After passing a physical exam, I was offered a policy from a company called Aviva Life based in Des Moines, Iowa. The only requirement Aviva mandated was that I had to pay for the policy automatically each month directly from a debit to my checking or savings account. Although I’m not in love with such auto-pay provisions, I already had some with a handful of other companies. So I gave Aviva my banking information and also specified the day of the month I wished for them to take each draft. Like clockwork they began taking the payment on the correct day with absolutely no problems.
I wasn’t quite ready for the policy to actually payout to anyone yet, but I was at least happy with how I was paying for my coverage.
Then in July of this year Aviva sold my policy to Accordia Life of Nashville, Tennessee. I’ll never understand these short-term relationships we all seem to have now with insurance companies, mortgage holders, etc. One day we’re all happy and blissfully singing Kumbaya together, and the next we’re unceremoniously disposed of to a completely new entity.
You don’t want me anymore, Aviva? Fine. All you Iowans like to talk about is corn, ethanol, and your confusing presidential caucuses anyway. Accordia Life, I’m now yours, Baby! Let’s have some barbecue and then head over to the Ryman for an evening with Vince and Amy.
But not so fast. It seems I’m not just getting into bed with Accordia alone. No, this has become a ménage à trois with a second company called Alliance One. Accordia, you hussy! Well, when in Nashville, I guess. It’s a big world, and I guess I have to go with the times. If I’m forced to now love two companies at once, I shall. While Accordia will officially be my new life insurance provider, Alliance One will handle all administrative details over my policy.
Well…
I soon learned that this is decidedly not love. It’s more like triangulation. Although Aviva and Accordia made it clear that both my policy and the payment arrangements would remain the same, it turns out that Alliance One has other ideas. Since August, the payments for my policy have been withdrawn according to a schedule that makes sense only if you happen to like haphazard and random phenomena. They’ve never even come close to the day still officially associated with my payment. Payment is not only taken three to four weeks late, but so far it hasn’t even occurred in the same month.
I’ve called the uniquely named “customer service” center for Alliance One so many times now that I’m already on friendly terms with several of their representatives. Just like the Stockholm Syndrome, I have come to sympathize with each and every one of them as they nicely try to explain to me how hard and difficult the transition has been. But over weeks and weeks of calling, I have a limited reservoir of sympathy left in me. My attempts to speak to management have unfortunately also gotten me no where. Promises are made to fix and solve the payment problem, but it still hasn’t happened.
Additionally, Accordia is acting like a spurned paramour. It refuses to even return any of my calls or e-mails, forcing me to go back to Alliance One for answers. Honestly, I don’t for the life of me understand how others cope with these confusing, French-like relationships. I’m much better when I operate in a more traditional and monogamous liaison.
The irony in all of this lies with the fact that Alliance One deals with collections. A look at their web page shows that they also work as a debt collection agency. This is a company that calls you when you fall behind with your credit card. You’d think they’d know a thing or two about collecting payments!
Unlike my Beijing masters who control the federal government annuity I receive through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), I actually do have options here. I could shop around for a new life insurance company. But I’m also three years older than I was when I began this policy, and it’s more than likely that the cost would be more than I’m paying now. This is why I desperately want Alliance One to get their act together. Perhaps my public shaming here will spur someone in either that company or Accordia to pick up the phone and resolve this problem.
Guys, we’re talking actual love here: surely you don’t want to screw up what has the makings of a beautiful friendship, do you? Call me, let’s talk.
Until next time…
UPDATE (March 1, 2016): Since this was written and published, it is now my most-read post. I have received a handful of validating e-mails from insurance professionals commenting on the state of affairs with the Aviva/Accordia policy transfer, and Alliance One’s role as Accordia’s representative.
Alliance One has drastically improved its role in drafting the payment each month through an automatic withdrawal from my checking account. They are now taking it within approximately five days of my specified date. This is admittedly progress. But unfortunately I still have no absolute and certain knowledge of when payment will be made, and it does force me to over-monitor my funds each month in order to make sure I never suffer from any overdrafts at my bank. Other companies with whom I have similar arrangements somehow manage to draw from my checking account on the exact, agreed-upon date. I wish Alliance One could do so also.
On the now rare occasions that I’ve called to ask about this, I continue to get a vague and non-specific response from Alliance One’s representatives. They quote from a new policy (for me anyway) that estimates payment will be drawn within “three to five days” of my specified date. Hope springs eternal!
UPDATE (May 27, 2016): I now feel I spoke too soon in the last update. Alliance One continues to struggle beyond their 3-5 day processing period. Today marks six days late from the date that they are supposed to draft payment out of my checking account. Although once again my account is current in their system, I am still having to over-monitor my funds to make sure I keep what I owe them in my bank account. This is needlessly frustrating. I am hoping that someone in the land of Oz that is Accordia might be taking notice of this posting.
UPDATE (August 20, 2016): Somehow I missed this this New York Times article from 2015. It certainly explains Accordia’s business practices in exhausting detail. For those like myself who started out with Athene and Aviva, I at least now understand how and why I ended up with Accordia. It’s certainly a tangled web of regulatory hijinks. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/business/dealbook/insurers-bypass-rules-to-add-hidden-risk.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
UPDATE (September, 23, 2016): Today marks three days past the official, appointed day that my payment should be drawn from my checking account. Of course, as I get to the end of the month, I have to watch my money and spending even closer to make sure I have enough on hand for when Alliance One eventually takes that payment. Will it now be Monday of next week? Tuesday? Wednesday maybe? I have no idea — it’s a mystery.
I recently changed car insurance companies and now have Geico. I am entering my third month with them. They too have an automatic payment drafted from my checking account, and earlier today I received an email from them reminding me of my upcoming payment in October. Note how they worded the email (below):
“Your Payment Reminder:
The next payment on your auto policy is scheduled for 10/03/2016. On that date, we will debit $80.87 from your account ending in xxxx.
Need to review your payment? GEICO Mobile makes it easy. With the swipe of a finger you can view your billing statements, update your account information, and much more.”
Now isn’t that the way it SHOULD be???? Alliance One and Accordia, THAT is how you handle customer relations. It’s pro-active and helpful. They even have a mobile app that allows me to track it all from my phone! Imagine!
UPDATE (October 12, 2016): I received from Accordia today a letter informing me that they have processed my cancellation request. I submitted it last month and my policy is now terminated. I had a term life policy with no surrender value. Unlike so many of you who have policies with a cash value, I was able to engage a relatively easy divorce from Accordia.
I was required to fill out a Surrender Form #15032. The full name of the form is “Surrender Request For Life Policies.” I had to make two phone calls to Alliance One representatives in order to get the form sent to me, but I did eventually receive it via e-mail. It was explained to me that there is an internal review process between Alliance One and Accordia which takes place prior to a customer receiving this form. It took just under two weeks for them to process everything after I snail-mailed it back to them.
About two months ago, I signed up with another insurance company for the exact same amount of coverage that I’ve had under this policy. It will run for ten years (when I’ll be 66), which is shorter by five years with the policy I had under Aviva/Athene/Accordia. But there is also an “affordable” conversation offered to a whole life plan, and I might look into that later. For now, though, I’m pleased with the term policy that I’ve arranged.
Getting a new policy did require my having to go through another physical examination with a nurse (blood tests, etc.), but I’m happy to report that my earlier fears about a new policy costing more money — since I’m now four years older — never materialized. In fact my new policy is a solid three dollars less than what I’ve been paying to Accordia. I stayed ahead of the inflation train!
I am assured that my billing with the new company will be drafted from my checking account on the exact date I have specified. If I want to change it, I just need to log into their customer website and request that change (“hoooaah!”).
After some thought, I’ve decided not to reveal the name of the new insurance company on this post. However, feel free to send me an e-mail if you are interested and I’ll be happy to let you know privately. My contact information is listed above in the “About” section.
I will share with you that I paid a one-time fee of $32 with my bank to prevent Alliance One from making any unauthorized drafts in the future. It’s money well spent in order for me to sleep at night!
This marks the end of my own odyssey with Accordia and Alliance One. For the many of you who continue to struggle with your policies, I wish you well in reaching some kind of favorable resolution. I am very grateful for all the messages of solidarity over the last year. I will no longer write any updates, but I will keep the comment section open for others.
Snakes in the Grass 
I hate mergers and acquisitions for a variety of reasons. Somehow the seamless transition never is. Good luck with this one!
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Thank you! I can only hope for the best.
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I have not had a draft from my account since March ’16. When I called them, they said they were transitioning. They assured me that we were covered thru this transition period. But I’m fearful and I fear for higher rates when they do transition.
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I have not had a draft or statement sent since they changed!! Still have not recieved any communication other than my on own initiative. They assure me the same and that policy is still fine. How long does such a transition take. If something were to happen to me, how long will my family have to wait for them to get this resolved?! I feel your pain!
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Hi, Elaine. Wowzers, I feel your pain too. I really wish you well in your attempts to get them to fix your billing situation. Keep on them like as best you can to get some action! Keep us posted here, please.
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I started with Central Life Assurance in 1963. I have been through the Aviva and now Athene iteration, and now the Alliance One servicing agreement. As a result of all the changes, Athene must pay dividends because Central Life was a mutual company, thus policyholders were also shareholders. Now I can’t get anyone who can get the proper form 1099’s to me. I called Athene they say call Alliance One, I call Alliance One, they say they are converting their system and can’t help me . . . next stop is an IRS complaint. I share your misery.
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I cashed in my policy that I had for over 49 years in 2016. I had Athene withhold Federal Income taxes from the amount owed to me.. I have requested, but not received a 1099 for 2016. This Is a problem, but I will claim that amount as paid in Federal Income Taxes. I now wish I had not requested the withholding.
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Following up on my request for a 1099 for the proceeds of my life insurance that I cashed in and had income tax withheld by Athene: I did receive the 1099 within 2 weeks of my request.
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Accordia athene alliance the menage a trois just cancelled our term life after ignoring our questions and lack of a premium bill for 3 thats three years.. letter states we owe them 13,000 dollars…. where is mr Attorney General when u need him ??????? Our children’s future as well as ours is KAPUT!! policy terminated after 40!plus calls assuring us that it was in force and they were transitioning !!! ! Siickening !situation and should never have happened in USA
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Louise, this makes me sick and nervous to read your situation. I have been treated similarly but have not had my policy terminated as of yet. They keep assuring me my policy is in force but I have not had a statement sent or paid since the “transition”. They need to provide their customers more communication and an explanation. It is very frustrating that they can do business this way. I wonder if internally they even had a target date for completion of their transition.
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Athene has been steadily withdrawing $181.58 from my bank account for years. I have been calling for months trying to get any information regarding my annuity. This is an annuity that was originally with Aviva. Athene says they cannot provide the information since they have given the account to one of their “other branches”, Alliance One. I Google’d Alliance One and it says it is a collection agency. I asked Athene if Alliance One was in fact a collection agency and I was told no. I was given a number to reach them and when I called the m they told me that the accounts were in transition and they would have to get the information from Athene. I spent $30 and stopped payment on the Athene ACH withdrawals. Someone is in possession of several thousand dollars belonging to me and neither Athene or Alliance One will provide me with any information!!!!!
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Oh, dear. I’m so sorry for your troubles. I’m glad you paid that fee with your bank to stop the auto-payments. It’s always good to protect yourself. There is helpful information within some of the comments here, so I hope you can sleuth enough and find a way to sort out your troubles. Hopefully some governmental entity or court action will also be of assistance to you someday. Keep the faith, don’t let your guard down, and continue to be a pit bull about this! – Marty
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I suggest calling Paula Murton at 803-333-6521. Not sure which company she works for (possibly even a 3rd) but she can help you. Please do NOT say I gave you the number. She has the power to make things happen.
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Having no kids or dependents to worry about, we – thank goodness – haven’t had to deal with life insurance, but there have been other “customer service” experiences that have left me frustrated and angry. I sure hope they never decide to ding you with a late charge after neglecting to debit your scheduled premium payment from your account. I can only imagine how THAT phone call would go! Good luck!
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Yes, so far they seem to be keeping my status as being paid. But if that ever changes, my tone with them on the phone will become a little more sinister! Thanks for reading!
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As a life insurance agent, I have placed business with AVIVA USA and its previous companies back to Central Life of Iowa. The description of your service problems with Accordia is very accurate, unfortunately. I think some regulators will become involved soon in this situation.
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Many thanks for your comments, Phil. Since I wrote this post, Alliance One has made some improvements in withdrawing my payment closer to the official date of record. But their complete lack of follow through in getting back to an unhappy customer is troublesome. I remain in a holding pattern about what to do with the policy.
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Same problems with Alliance-One. No drafting of premium and no information from customer service. They say I have a policy but cannot tell me my cash value. State of Iowa here I come.
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I’m so sorry that you’re experiencing similar things. What I’ve learned is that many Alliance-One customer service staff are “virtual” in the sense that they work from home. So their knowledge is based only on the computer information they are able to access, and certainly nothing intrinsic to Accordia’s products. Mostly though, the frustrating aspect of all of this for me is the lack of follow through to customer queries and complaints. I have never once received any call from management in response to my many attempts. I wish you well and hope that you are able find a resolution.
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I am thinking of cashing in my life insurance because if it lapses then it is worth nothing. In the January transition from Aviva to Athene/Accordia/Alliance One, I sent a year’s premium check without getting the bill from Athene. I sent it registered mail. I also sent 6 months payment when I did get the late billing from Athene. That 6 month’s payment never got credited to my account. Wow, I am really glad that I sent the year’s premium by registered mail. Alliance One cannot tell me my cash value, but I did get the surrender documents by emailing askcustomerservice@gafg.com. GAFG stands for Global Atlantic Financial Group. This is way more than ménage a trois! They have promised to follow up on the cancelled check I sent a copy of through a mailed reply and follow up on my cash value through a mailed reply
. I will let you know if these promises come true! This is a very old insurance policy that started with Central Life Insurance Co. in Des Moines. I like your blog! Carol S.
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Carol, firstly thank you so much for both reading my post and taking the time to respond.
I would like to say that we are kindred spirits, but your own story is *so* much more dramatic than mine! I had no idea that one could even pay in advance as you had done — something I assume is a leftover procedure from the original policy with Central Life? You were indeed VERY smart to send registered mail and keep copies of everything. They are like deer in the headlights, no??!
I can validate your experiences with not getting an answer about your policy’s cash value. I too have tried to get pertinent documents about my policy (they were supposed to send a copy of it after the merge was completed and that has yet to happen). Thank you so much for the important e-mail address which got you the surrender documents. GAFG is yet another new entity for me to learn. And, yes, far too many participants now for French-type romances. 😉
Please do keep us all updated on your efforts. We’re all in this together apparently! – Marty
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I did cash in my policy and received a check via Fed Ex in less than a month after I sent in the forms. Kind of sad but better than a policy lapse and a worthless investment.. I don’t think I got the advance premiums back yet but I am working on that. why does a policy conversion take more than seven months with advance premiums not applied because conversion not completed.. That is the nonsense I got from my Alliance correspondence. It is a relief to be almost done wi this problem. Thanks for your writing on this insurance irregularity!
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I have tried to get my RMD required by law and am now withdrawing all my funds from Athene/alliance one. I hope my money is somewhere
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My premiums have not been drafted in over six months. I have called the most recent company on numerous occasions and each time am told that they have been sending letters and that I will be be receiving another letter. I have NEVER received a SINGLE letter. Furthermore, they will not tell me what my cash value is, and I suspect that this bizarre situation is affecting my cash value (I purchased this policy when it was originally Commercial Union in the 1990’s). I have been an insurance agent for over thirty years and have never encountered such an incompetent company or ridiculous circumstance. How can a company just stop drafting premiums?! They assured me that if I should die that my claim would be paid. I somehow doubt it…
Has anyone consulted an attorney yet? I am seriously considering it.
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Hi Kimberly. Many thanks for both reading and commenting on this post.
Okay, not that this is a competition at all, but OMG you totally win. You have not had a draft for SIX MONTHS? Seriously? That’s insane! The only thing more insane than that is that they cannot tell you what your cash value is. I’m so sorry for your predicament. I do understand your fear about your cash value being negatively affected by their inaction– I hope that’s not been the case. I also hope you will somehow find a resolution to this.
Accordia for whatever reason continues to hide behind Alliance One’s public face. This is the part that makes me most frustrated — an inability to pierce through the palace guard and own-up for their third-party’s behavior.
Good luck, and do keep us posted on any progress or information you have to share. – Marty
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I too have not had a draft for my premium in 7 months. Called today and have confirmed the policy is in effect but could not give me any balances. How is the company investing the premiums if they are not pulling them!
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Wendy, thanks for your comment and reading this post. Good lord, seven months??? Your question is a good one– it does make you wonder how this company is able to function. Wow. I hope you are able to get them to start drafting payments. Please keep us posted!
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I have not had a draft since March. Six months!! When I called they said we would be covered during their transition. I fear for much higher premiums when they finally transition or fear of no insurance at all.
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Get ready to really be blown away. After 3 months of no drafts being taken, Accordia took drafted 8 months in one day. They were fully aware of what they did and informed me that it would take 7 -14 days before would review it and additional 7-14
days for my refund. Now if I wanted my refund within the first 7-14 days I would
have to send copy
of my bank drafts
to prove that I’m
entitled for the
refund,which I did
via e-Mail. No
letter of
explanation, no
apology for the
error. Personally I
don’t believe it
was an error. I say
they knew exactly
what they were
doing. 7-14 days? I’m in day 9.
error.
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Yikes! That’s horrible!!!
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This is an interesting post. You might be interested to know that these companies are treating their annuity customers is a similar way. No statements since Dec, 2015, and EFTs aren’t occurring on loan balance.
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Roger, many thanks for both reading and also your information. My own is a term policy only, but I think the same pattern of silence and inaction from both Alliance One and Accordia is regrettable. I do hope that you’re able to get them to provide you with some information soon. Please keep us informed! – Marty
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I too have an annuity which began with AVIVA, then ATHENE and now Alliance One. I have had this tax sheltered annuity since 2005 and my last statement was received December 31, 2015. I have contacted Alliance One numerous times over the last several months just asking to have a statement mailed, faxed, or emailed and they refuse to give me a statement. My Thrivent Financial advisor has also tried to help me get a statement and so far I have received nothing. They will not give me any information or the current annuity value. I am very worried about this. My Thrivent Financial Advisor has also requested a roll over so that I can at least get it in the hands of a company I trust.
I am now beginning to file complaints with the state attorney office and with FINRA. Does anyone have any other advice for what I can do?
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I had the Same thing happen with accorida. they stopped drafting the monthly payment months ago. They sent a letter saying that the would draft it all in August. ( a large amount). I called and talke to a customer service rep and told the I am canceling. They said I could add twenty dollars to the premium per month and the would be ok. I was checking my bank account tonight ad found the the drafted 12 separate drafts from my account all in one day. I just paid my mortgage. This wiped out my account. I will have a busy day tomorow with the banks and lawyer.
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Joe, I cannot believe your story. You now win the very dubious honor of having the worst Accordia story about drafting payments I personally have heard. That kind of behavior on the part of Alliance One is reprehensible.
I do wish you good luck in getting this resolved. Please keep us informed!
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It’s true! My bank could not do anything because the money had already been transferred. I contacted Accordia and they found the notes from our last conversation. They agreed to return my money and pay any overdraft fee. This will take seven days.
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I’m actually shocked that they agreed to return it. And as dubious as I am that they will, I pray for your sake that they do. What a nightmare!
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Now I’m scared to death!! We have had Conseco Life Insurance for 30 plus years with the premium paid through our AF retirement check before we ever see it. This past weekend (8/07/16) we receive a “bill” from Conseco for 3 quarters premium due 02/01/16 in the amount of $1094.00. Conseco turned the administration over to none other than Alliance-One a year ago. Unknown to us, the last 7 months insurance premiums have not been paid. We called Alliance-One and was told we have til the end of Aug 2016 to pay the past premiums or will lose the insurance we’ve paid on for so long. We have lost all faith in our life insurance co and in Alliance-One. So we wonder….will we pay the bill then be told that insurance has lapsed? We are sick to our stomache over all this.
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I’m so sorry to hear this, Patty. This is the first I’ve heard of Alliance One’s alliance with another insurance company. I can really appreciate your fears. What I find galling is how there is absolutely NO communication about how these changes affect the policies. And because they weren’t doing what they should have been doing (drawing payments), customers are put on the defensive as if it was their fault their bills are in arrears.
I do hope that you are able to resolve this, and my heart goes out to you. Please do keep us posted on any progress you hopefully have.
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We were informed by Defense Acctg that Conseco had our allotment stopped in Feb 2016 and that February’s premium was rejected by Alliance one. When we called alliance we were also told that our premiums had increased though our policy clearly shows it to remain the same til June 2023. We are getting no clear answers at all. We have absolute zero faith in these two companies to do as they are supposed to do in the end.
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OMG it’s worse than dealing with a governmental office. Keep at it, Patty. It may have end up with your having to get legal counsel, but you’ve paid in for too long on this policy not to fight. Solidarity, Sister!
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We are having the same issue with Accord. After having six premium charges levied on the same day, they are now not sending the surrender paperwork we need to cancel this. Does anybody have advice on how to get them to send and honor the surrender of the policy?
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Six charges in one day!!!? I’m so sorry to hear about your troubles, Bret. They really are not aware of how much pain they’re causing for people. And, yes, I too have asked Alliance One for official papers from my Accordia policy only to have never received it.
I do hope your situation improves. Please keep us posted!
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After reading these postings, I’m getting very concerned that this may now seem like a scam company. Is Alliance One a legitimate company? How can we be sure? Do you know if the company is recognized by the State? I haven’t had any letters for premium requests from them for some time and I had cash value in the policy when it was serviced by Athene.
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I can appreciate your suspicions, Richard. I’ve certainly had my own moments of fear and loathing over whether my policy is suddenly in the hands of two companies (or is it actually one in reality?) who are perpetrating some kind of fraud on consumers.
I hope and pray that is not the case. The e-mails and messages I occasionally receive from licensed insurance brokers give me some level of comfort that perhaps governmental agencies are monitoring their practices. Admittedly this is a cold comfort, though.
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It was interesting that when I started corresponding witth Alliance by email,things started happening. such as, my payments were acknowledge, I received surrender documentts, I received cash value statement, I received acknowledgement that mt surrender documents had been received, I received the cash value by Fed Ex, I also received refund for the Advance payment I had sent by registered email at my request. I received that refund by Fed Ex too. All the documents that I received were from Athene. Are they incompetent or is there a method to the madness??!! keep a paper trail of documentts to protect yourself. do not depend on phone calls for iimbformation, is my suggestionn
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do you have an email address for Alliance-One that you have received replies from? Have only received a form with a “no-reply” comment on it. Would be great to have that trail of conversations. Seems they also “service” (saying that lightly), rephrase… they have been “hired” by Lincoln Benefit Life also. same terrible “service”..been dealing with a client situation for over 2 weeks now…
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Hi, Linda. Unfortunately I’ve had no e-mail paper trail with Alliance One — phone calls only. I reach them at 877-462-8992. The agents are “virtual” in that they work from home, but can patch you into supervisors from wherever there HQ is. Good luck!
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Hi Linda,
I had success using the email address Askcustomerservice@gafg.com.You will get a reply from someone at Askcustomerservice@csc.com. When you seen a reply you need to send it to Askcustomerservice@gafg.com again. I hope this works for you. Carol Schallau
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Sorry about a few misspelled words.This tablet is a little difficult to use. I also told Alliance by email that I am not a patient person waiting for my cash value check and that I am corresponding online with customers of Athene who are concerned about the current situation. it may have helped me!! Thanks again for this great and interesting website!!
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Any lack of “patience” on your part is due to their own incompetence.
I myself am not sure Alliance One’s actions are diabolical or come with any “strategy” in mind. I think it’s just utter confusion, disorganization, and incompetence. I’m so glad you were vigilant and got what you eventually needed, Carol. Good for you!
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Each state has a Department of Insurance that is the regulatory authority for the insurance industry. File a complaint with them about the problems that you are having. As an example, the Ohio Department of Insurance website is https://www.insurance.ohio.gov/
I work with life insurance policies every day in my job and I found this blog while researching Lincoln Benefit – who is now serviced by Alliance-One – horrible customer service experiences. Now I find out they also service Conseco, which explains the horrible customer service I have gotten from them over the last year while working on another clients insurance.
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Carla, many thanks for your helpful comments.
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I have had the exact same horrible service experience. My premium draft came 5 days early this month after being late the prior months, if it happened at all. Good thing it didn’t cause an overdraft. Given the billing issues its reasonable to wonder if the company will even pay off on these policies when claims are presented. After formally complaining to the Iowa Dept of Insurance I was surprised to get a response within a day though while they forwarded it to Athene (nee Aviva) for reply, I was basically told I had to complain in the state (GA) where I originally started the policy. I have done this. Just now I received a call from an Athene employee who works in their complaint dept (Kara – 515-393-3730). She unfortunately had the same useless story line that they were getting a new computer system and that no one, no one in the company could tell me when they would both get the policies properly loaded into their systems or when billing would start to happen properly. I’ve worked in the computer field for over 30 years and this situation is simply nonsense. I will continue to pursue this through the state agencies, media and legal if necessary.
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Good for you for having such perseverance and not taking this lying down! You deserve better; we all deserve better. Please keep us posted on any progress you make. Best of luck to you!
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Well I am alive ….but Accordia thinks I am dead! My brother keeps receiving beneficiary forms to fill out and I have contacted my agent many times to let him know what is going on and still they are screwed up ! Accordia and their affiliates should be shut down at this point. I am ready to proceed with legal action at this point and am very frustrated. My adad was the very first agent to work for the Walker family in Phoenix who started Central Life and now it is just a huge corporate Peter Princapaled Mess… I am done. What does it take??!!!!
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Good grief, what predicament you’re in, Jim. So sorry to hear this. I suspect your agent isn’t able to do anything on your behalf because he too has to is stymied by Alliance One’s brick wall to Accordia. I’ve had other agents write me with the same complaint — whether you are a customer or an agent, all passage to Accordia is through Alliance One.
Good luck with any action you do take, and please keep us posted!
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If one needs a current statement to tale out a loan from their 403 b what would be the best course of action?
Thanks in advance
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My account has not been drafted for 11 months so far. I also cannot get any information about account balances etc. I Just called the agent who sold me the policy ages ago, to get the status. He really did not have any better access to information than I could get. I just can’t believe a company can provide this horrible level of service and get away with it. I don’t care how large of a conversion of policies it was, customers should not be in the dark for 11 months.
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I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles, Rod. I can at least vouch for the agent who sold you the policy, though. I’ve had countless agents contact me with the same level of frustration that you have. Please keep us posted on any progress you make. Good luck!
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Rod/ Try to find out if agent is still collecting his commission on the policy.
If he is there may be no incentive for him to try. You might check to see if
there is a loan against the policy, In any case contact your State Insurance Division, certified mail return receipt requested and designate your district State
Representative, your U S Congress Rep and a U S Senator as CC on the letter and forward them copies of your correspondence as well all certified mail.
It is a pain but if you want action you have to make it make it known you are serious as a heart attack (theirs) Dennis of Moore
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I bought an Aviva policy back in 2009 and am concerned about the lack of ability to get update account info: is the policy paid and current and surrender values etc. I was referred to the 877 number and spoke with someone to get quarterly bills that started earlier this year. Now I’m worried about my policy status. I’ve gone through two billing cycles/six months and those checks were cashed, but how can be I be assured that everything is current and that Alliance One hasn’t tried to screw me either? Were does one complain to? FTC? State AG? CFPB?
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Hopefully someone more knowledgable than me will respond to your query, Dan. But I assume that until you can prove any mishandling of your policy, you’ll need to simply document all contact with Alliance One and save it in case you need it later. My hunch is that your state’s insurance authority has jurisdiction over this.
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I have found you can get action or at least know you are being heard if you are persistent and complain to the correct oversight authorities (and insist they do their jobs). I filed a complaint with the Georgia Dept of Insurance (you need to file in the state your policy was written in) and ultimately within 45 days was able to get a letter from Athene’s Chief Compliance Officer, rather than a low level minion, apologizing for the problem and assuring me my policy was in effect. May not sound like much but an assurance on company letter head from an Officer of the company is a significant document to have if litigation is later necessary. Info for that Office is below. I suggest you contact her directly with your complaint in addition to complaining to the proper state Insurance board (this usually can be done online). I am continuing to demand a published deadline to fix the drafting problem and the delay in production of annual reports.
Maureen Henderson
Global Atlantic Financial Company
Senior Vice President, Compliance
Chief Compliance Officer, Accordia Life and Annuity Company
215 10th Street, Suite #1100
Des Moines, IA 50309
maureen.henderson@gafg.com
Ph (515) 393-3572 | C (860) 205-2388
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I have the same life insurance company with the same issues! We have 2 policies. One for myself and one for my husband. In the beginning when it was the original company it was taken out on the 12th of each month in one amount for both policies. Then the switch happened. Nothing came out for a month then they took 4 payments in total in a 2 week time frame! I called them and was assured they were just playing catch up and it would resume back to my normal date and amount the following month. That was a lie. It has been all over the board. Sometimes it’s at the beginning of the month, sometimes the end. Occasionally I’m charged 2 weeks apart. This month I was double charged. Again. This is how I found this post. I googled how to stop automatic payments. I do like my policies and don’t wish to cancel them I just want to know when and how much I am going to pay.
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A useful blog re the pending federal court case against Aviva et al can be seen at http://www.josephmbelth.com/2015/06/no-107-aviva-athene-and-apollo-are.html.
The blogger isJoseph M. Belth, Ph.D., professor emeritus of insurance in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, author of Life Insurance: A Consumer’s Handbook, author of several other books and numerous journal articles, and a blogger.
He is offering a complimentary 149-page PDF consisting of the 131-page complaint and 18 pages of exhibits. E-mail jmbelth@gmail.com and ask for the Silva/Aviva RICO complaint.
As a fellow “victim” myself I think we all should be knowledgeable of the allegations of criminal behavior by these companies.
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It is very frustrating—Athene senior mgmt. did not thoroughly do their homework when transferring service to Alliance One. On my annuity, I was able to get a statement of value after 2 inquiries. On my life ins—told 2 times I can not get a cash value amount until converted to their system. My calls were 7/6/16 & 1/5/17. Policies were effective in the 1980’s with Commercial Union. My next step is contacting my state insurance dept in Colorado.
Dennis S
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Currently going through this at the moment. It has been an awful 3 months of just getting Accordia to accept the surrender forms. First time informed to fill out the forms, but was not told the forms needed to be notarized so Accordia could not accept them. They informed me via phone the forms were denied. They emailed me the forms, but turned out they were the outdated forms and they could not accept. Annoyed because the forms were notarized the second time. They never received the forms the second time so had to re-fax after a month. Now being told they do not normally require consumers to get forms notarized, but in rare cases they do ask. Told them they need to have that in writing. The forms do not indicate this is a potential requirement. Now they also say the forms need to be redone with the correct up to date forms and needs to be notarized and then they would consider if reimbursement for the last for payments made and owed will be reimbursed/voided. This has been the worst experience with any company I have ever had. Would definitely never ever recommend anyone obtaining a policy from them. The agent that originally managed the policy failed to process the surrender of the policy when requested by the policy holder. This company displays a pattern of dishonesty.
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My original policy began with American Mutual Life in 1960 and has transitioned through a
myriad of companies to the current Athene/Accordia debacle. Since I make payments
on a yearly basis I have not had to undergo the agonies of untimely withdrawals that some of
of you have had to endure. I do however, make my payment without regard to billing, to
ensure the payment is made. Their cashing of the check is proof positive that payment
has been received. All paper correspondence I have received thus far has been from Athene so that would indicate Athene is still the primary responsible agency.
Interestingly I received a letter from Athene dated 03 Jan 2017 with a statement of values for my policy with what appears to be current to the date values. Then on 17 Feb 2017
I received an Athene Annual Report dated 02 Jan 2016 with no date as to when the report
was mailed. The conundrum is both letters reference the servicing agent as current with
carbon copies going to same. I do know for certain that the named agent has indeed been
dead since 2006! I am considering contacting the Iowa State Insurance Division and asking
them to inquire of Athene, a record of all disbursements made to deceased agent and also
require an accounting of all disbursements received and cashed by this same dead agent.
Once the involvement of Athene into the paranormal has been revealed I will, in all probability
surrender the policy and divest myself from Athene.
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Moore on Athene: Another issue of concern is the paucity of communication from Accordia.
I have yet to receive even one letter from Accordia on an Accordia letterhead on any subject.
I have been informed from several sources the policies have been transferred to Accordia but
I have yet to hear it from Accordia.
Here are excerpts from 2 of those letter you may find interesting and I would like to hear from anyone who has encountered this situation.
Letter on Athene letterhead dated 23 Jan 2017 signed Client Services.
“Effective January 10, 2016 Athene transferred the administration of its life insurance policies to Accordia Life and Annuity Company (Accordia Life). Accordia Life in turn has provided for Alliance One Services, Inc a third party administrator, to assist in administrative functions, including premium collections and service requests.”
Letter on Athene letterhead dated 07 Feb 2017, signed by Leah Hoppe,Vice President, Operations, Global Atlantic Financial Group.
“As you may be aware, Accordia Life and Annuity Company acquired life insurance policies from Athene Annuity and Life Company in 2013. We are currently transitioning these policies onto our new state-of-the-art administrative platform. As part of this transition, we are taking time to ensure that policies are working as they are supposed to on the new administrative platform.”
Clearly the dates of transfer and acquisition do not square! Also in my opinion,(for what its worth) neither letter qualifies as a Letter of Assumption, which should have been forthcoming from Accordia, as according to Client Services and Vice President, Hoppe , Accordia is now
the Trustee of Record for the policies acquired from Athene
Impressed as I am of Hoppe’s use of ‘new administrative platform’ in two consecutive sentences I am even more impressed in their lack of continuity of information, which begs the question,
Which lie is the truth? I have more on my response to the dead agent issue above but
my patience forebids too much of this in a setting.
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“State of the art.” Well, good luck with that! Keep up the good fight, Dennis.
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As a retired FBI agent who specialized in financial fraud this looks like a shell game to me. I have some skin in the game on this one, i.e. a $100,000 life insurance policy initially written by Wright & Company many years ago and now shuffled around to these several companies whose ability to pay it appears problematic.
As I posted previously, there is a civil RICO case pending against Aviva, Athene, and Apollo Global alleging fraud. I have downloaded the 131 page complaint and am now researching this case further.
If anyone wants a copy of the complaint send me an email and I’ll return it with complaint attached.
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I am the insured on 3 Athene policies. One was originally purchased from Central Life of Iowa about 60 years ago. Two much larger ones were purchased from Commercial Union Life 18 years ago. All were subsequently sold to to a series of insurers, recently in rapid succession, the latest being Athene for all. There were no apparent problems with any of the transitions until the sale to Athene. Since then I have experience most of the problems alluded to in this blog.
I would very much appreciate it if you could send me a copy of the complaint.
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I’m not seeing a way to attach a document here but if you will email me direct at arms@pipeline.com I will be glad to reply with a copy of the complaint.
I should say that I emailed a strongly worded commentary to Athene (maureen.henderson@gafg.com) on March 20, 2017 and on the same date filed a Request for Assistance with my insurance commissioner (NC). They in turn wrote to Athene on March 21, 2017 which elicited a fairly good response from Athene on March 28, 2017. I am a bit more optimistic.
Regards,l
Everett
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On Dead Agents: So with the knowledge the agent referenced in the correspondence from Athene has been dead for 10 years I called the Customer Contact number given at the top of Athene’s letter. (877-462-8992 for those who still believe in miracles)
Remember all correspondence has come only from Athene…..
After close to a half hour somebody comes on the phone, identifies herself with one name and no company affiliation. It takes a few tries but we eventually get it worked out to where we both know who we are talking to. I ask her who the agent is for my policy and she looks it up and
responds, “ABC” which matches the name of the dead agent referenced in Athene’s correspondence. So I ask if ‘ABC” is still receiving his commission checks and enjoying them?
Now I would assume this is not information a service rep would or should have at hand.
She took the bait like a hatchery raised trout and assured me that such was the case !
I informed her he had been dead for ten years. Apparently the Service Reps are on canned responses or it went over her head as she wanted to know if she could help me with something else…..I kid you not. I then ask for the name of another agent and she replies,
“I can’t do that! That is Mr ‘ABC’s” business!
The call then migrated into another area that involved a supervisor and me eventually being put on hold for 30-45? minutes before I eventually truncated the call. Following this I went to the online Customer Service email and stated my policy number and that I needed to contact
Agent “ABC” .
They fired back an email
“Thank you for contacting Insurance Services. We have received your email and our Customer Service team will respond to you soon.”
Again, Thank you for contacting us. We look forward to serving you soon , Best Regards
That was 6 days ago!
This information is on the way to the State Insurance Division, certified mail as we speak.
Once I have a response in hand the plan is to forward the information (certified mail of course)
to my State Representative and State Senator for my district. my US House Rep in DC and
possibly the States AG. My guess is one or more of them will have some knowledge of the
situation at Athene. I hope to arrange it so Athene will have no problem in accepting a surrender of policy without trouble to either of us.
It will be interesting to see how this develops once Athene is seen as a economic and political
liability. I will keep you posted as this develops
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Please do!
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Bad news Met Life policy holders! They are moving to Alliance One November 2017. We just got the notice. Googling them got us here . You have to wonder why Met Life won’t service its own customers and we bet the answer is not good.
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FYI, years ago Met Life outsourced it IT division to a foreign supplier. Where in the world are your records now?
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I bought a policy from Conseco Life 23 years ago, it’s a whole life policy with a rider that covered my house and would decrease every year as my mortage went down. A few years ago, the policy’s administrative details would be handled by Alliance-One, aka Conseco doesn’t want to hear from me anymore. As it turns out, my policy needed some adjustment, it needed to be lower so my current premium can cover it. Every couple of months, my policy enters the grace period, and I shell out $500 on top of my premium to keep it alive.
The first time this happened, I called the number on the Grace Period Notice and was told they could not change my policy over the phone. So, I send in my payment and write a nice letter telling them to cancel my house rider and lower my death benefit so my premium would be the sufficient. Two months pass and I get my second Grace Period Notice telling me to call in so that they could adjust my policy. I once again call and am told once again that they cannot do anything over the phone. This time I send my $500 check with a not so nice letter telling them to once again cancel my rider and lower my death benefit.
Last month, behold, another Grace Period Notice, sigh. I send my $500 and they cash it and a month later they send me another notice for $600. I’m sure they want me to call in so that the customer service rep can tell me they can not do anything over the phone. I tried to find their website, but nothing there, I asked the rep for a email I could have to contact someone at the company but nada. It’s probably time to cancel this “whole life” policy of 20 some odd years. That’s my rant, I feel a bit better.
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It’s good that you feel better, but don’t give up and cave in. That’s what they hope for. Although my state insurance commission received a response from them, assuring them/me of their financial strength and Best ratings, and reducing my un-billed premiums, they have not followed up with the promised April 15 draft.
In my experience, “I was just a poor business person” has long been a defense against fraud charges. It doesn’t work.
I suggest continuing your attempts to get answers via your state insurance commissioner with copies to maureen.henderson@gafg.com at “Athene.”
I have been associated with several major system transitions, none of which took years to implement.
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Credit where credit is due. Athene did, after more than a year, draft my bank account for the April premium amount. A few days late, but still . . . . . . . .
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For any one unfortunate enough to be involved with Aviva, Accordia, Athene or others of that
ilk you need to know the big puppeteer is Global Atlantic. They are holding the strings.
I have yet to receive any correspondence from Accordia even though they acquired life
insurance policies in 2013. (Yes, Yes I know about the frozen account, and the three years
for a smooth transition and their ‘new administrative platform’.
All correspondence thus far has come with no signature on an Athene letterhead.
Those of you who follow this unfortunate saga will remember my issue involving Athene
corresponding with my former agent who had been dead for ten years. After certified
mail to the State Insurance Commission that was finally straightened out. So what does
Athene do ? (excuse me I meant Global Atlantic} They decide my new agent is going to
be located out on Long Island, New York! The unsigned letter from Athene (Global) gave
me no company name , no agent name, no telephone number or no email address AND
as usual the letter was unsigned. AND They thanked me for CHOOSING Athene!
There is also the matter of a loan they insisted I had against the policy. I knew I did not
have a loan but it was not until I sent an email to Global asking for copies of source documents and copies of correspondence from several years ago clearing all loans and certified letters
to the State Insurance Commission that they decided I indeed , had no loan.
You can rest assured Maureen Henderson reads this blog, albeit at night under a blanket
while holding a flashlight on her face. I have little doubt she is rightfully concerned
about the arrival of ‘Jerrod’s Chariot’. (Those who have ears to hear and eyes to see take
heart.)
Now it is good that Athene (Global) agrees I have no loan, however: it does not explain
how, when, where and why the loan got attached to the policy in the first place.
So far I have not even received an OOPS letter, not even an unsigned OOPS lettet!.
Makes me wonder how many other policies and unauthorized loans attached?
I would encourage anyone with a life insurance policy that can be borrowed against to
inquire immediately for documented proof there is no loan against your policy.
So I can end this on a high note, we only have one cow left to calve and it ‘may’
stop raining tomorrow…………for a little while
Dennis of Moore
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I have had a policy with this “Group” since 1984. Paid on time all these years. The name of the first company was “Commercial Union Life Insurance Company of America” Then it went to “Aviva”, then to “Accordia”, then to “Athene”, now to a “Management” Company named “Alliance One”. Over the years they have lowered the “Benefit” and raised the premiums. After one and 1/2 years they still do not have ANYTHING straight. I received a payment notice Sat. 04/29/2017 and the due date was 04/21/2017. They also informed me that my policy was in PENDING lapse. I have contacted the Missouri Insurance Commissioners office but have not heard back except a robo e-mail stating that they had received my complaint. Does anyone know how to reach management with these companies? I have been hung up on (3) times today by different people. All I was asking in courteous language was how do we reconcile these problems so that I can pay my premiums on time.
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I don’t know how to contact management, but have had some success in contacting representatives who respond to requests using 877-661-8121. When I requested a surrender form a few weeks ago, they did send it to me.
I contacted them again this morning because I received a letter on Athene letterhead claiming that they had previously sent me a letter informing me that my policy had been released from restricted status. I had never received such a letter. Although this letter was received on 4/28/17, it went on to state that a premium payment is due as of 3/31/17 for the premium. It then gives me the option to establish a payment plan because they “realize that it is larger payment than I am used to”. It isn’t larger. It asks for the normal premium that was originally due in August of 2016.
The rep promised to send me the restriction release letter, and the usual statement that is sent before the premium due date. We’ll see what happens.
On a somewhat reassuring note. I did receive the normal dividend check from Athene about a month late last summer.
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Thank You for the Information. I will call that number. I have placed (2) complaints with the state commissioners office. I do not expect them to offer any assistance. Thanks Again
M. Vernon
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For Marvallous Vernon (or any one in the same situation)
Communicate with your insurance company ONLY with Certified Mail-
Return Receipt Requested. Make copies and by all means keep the
postal receipts. I go so far as to write the Certified Mail numbers on
the face of the letter before I seal the envelope
You do not have to wait for a bill if you know how much it will be.
Go ahead and send the check (make a copy) and Certified Mail of course.
Your cashed check is proof positive of your payment. I would avoid
doing any business by phone with them as it is too easy to get the
proverbial run around. I would apply the Certified Mail method to
dealing with your State Insurance Commissioner as well.
State Insurance Commissions receive their money from State
Legislated Appropriations. They cannot afford to have very many
certified letters lying around that have not received a response.
Don’t give up
Dennis of Moore
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Dennis, Thanks for the information. I will follow your advice and use the Certified route. I just hope that these assorted shell companies do not fold. That is what is worrying my wife and I. Thanks Again
M. (Vern) Vernon
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I have received a letter from Athene That my policy is being transferred to Accordia. I originally signed up with Aviva. I can reject the transfer. It states if I reject it the obligations and liabilities under my policy will remain with Athene however Athene will use the services of Accordia to administer my policy. Now I really don’t know what to do. I haven’t had any major problems with Athene. Sometimes they miss a month on the debit but they catch up the next month.
Any suggestions?
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Based on what I read here, and Met Life’s transfer of my wife’s 50 year old Life policy to Alliance One , we decided to cash it in. It took quite a while on the phone with a Met Life Rep to start the process. At the end the call the Rep said, “Oh. you’re in New York. That needs special processing so I will send to another department.” Really? A month later we had not received the check so I called “Met Life” AGAIN. The new Rep looked up our records and said “Your request did not go through.” Rejected? And we were never emailed, snail mailed, or phoned???? This time I stepped through the process again avoiding attempts to divert the process into tax witholding or other issues. Three weeks later we got the check.
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Had a different experience on cashing in policies. Our sons each owned a 2nd-to-die policy on our lives that they now longer need after the increased estate tax exemption. They emailed the redemption form and received the policies’ cash values in less than 2 weeks. Phone calls don’t seem to work well. but emails do.
On the other hand, I have retained a much older and smaller whole life policy. A few weeks ago I received notification that it has been released from restricted status, but I have not yet received a bill for the premium that is now 10 months overdue.
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Joseph Desmond – Have you decided what you’re going to do. I have the same problem like you. I received a letter in the mail asking if I want to accept transfer of Athene to Accordia or stay with Athene. If I stay with Athene, they will use the services of Accordia. Maybe just best to stay with Accordia. Any advise on what others have done. I cannot cash this policy out as I don’t have any other back up and don’t want to start all over again.
Thanks
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I will let it transfer over to Accordia. I am like you I have no other policy. I hope if anything happens to me my wife won’t have a problem collecting.
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I purchased life insurance for my mother several years ago through the same route as you. When the conversion was made the premiums stopped coming out of my account. July 2015 was the last time any premium was taken. Several emails, calls & snail mails later here we are in September of 2017 & still no progress. My mom is 87 years old. Like some others, I fear what will happen when she passes & I try to get this collected. It is the only way her final expenses can be paid for. This company has also managed to mangle who the actual owner of the policy is. I am the owner but they have somehow managed to get my sister in that spot. I put her on the policy in case something happend to me then she could handle things. No progess there getting that changed either. Everytime I try to get it corrected all correspondence still goes to her, so that tells me no one is paying any freaking attention to what I am trying to tell them. Faxed them an EFT change in November 2016 since I want this to come out of a different account at a another bank. No progress there either. In fact my last contact with them resulted in them sending me another EFT form when I actually stated in my letter that they already had this information. They do not inspire confiendence of anykind.
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I’m so sorry for your experience. There’s no excuse for this other than cruel disinterest and shoddy business practices to the extreme. Keep plugging away, and good luck to you!
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