BajaNomad - Qualitas Homeowners Insurance

Qualitas Homeowners Insurance

longlegsinlapaz - 7-17-2006 at 03:23 PM

QUALITAS INSURANCE CANCELLED 100% OF THEIR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE POLICIES EFFECTIVE JUNE 30, 2006!!!

NO Homeowners insurance policies are valid anywhere in Mexico effective that date. The La Paz office had a letter addressed to me advising me of this fact sitting in a rather large pile. They admitted they had made NO effort to call me, no effort to mail the letter, no effort to notify me in any way. I know several other people locally who have (HAD!) homeowners insurance with them as well. The person in the La Paz office was only concerned about the Company & the fact that Hurricane Wilma damn near bankrupted them. They have cut some reimbursement checks for the remainder of the policy term, but not all. The date on my check was May 26, 2006. The date on the cancellation notification letter is June 1, 2006.

According to Qualitas, their actions in this matter were totally legal & they had/have absolutely NO RESPONSIBILITY nor OBLIGATION to have given anyone advance warning so that we could obtain new homeowners coverage with another company. They did this during hurricane season!!!

When I left the Qualitas office, I went straight to INBURSA (on the Malecon in the same block as Immigration, large sign, second floor) and requested immediate coverage for both my home & my vehicle. Qualitas DOES still insure vehicles, and all existing auto policies remain in force, however I made a personal decision not to do business with them any longer. :fire:

I intended to make a visit to the insurance regulatory agency (sorry....forgot the name right now) here in La Paz to talk with their lawyer to find out if the manner in which Qualitas is handling (or NOT handling!) this is indeed legal. Whether it's legal or not, it certainly isn't ethical!! But time didn't allow that trip today.

I strongly recommend that everyone with Qualitas Homeowner's coverage immediately contact their agent to get formal confirmation of what I've said here & obtain new coverage immediately.

I did walk away from my meetings today with more information, but in the interest of getting the word out promptly, I'm foregoing the really disrespectful attitude & comments made by the guy (another name I failed to retain in my anger!) in the La Paz Qualitas office! If you have specific questions, I might be able to answer them...or not...but the important information is contained herein.

I'm sorry, but I don't have a scanner, or I'd scan the letter to post it here....I will try to contact someone locally who I believe does have a scanner & ask then to post it. The letter is in Espanol; Qualitas volunteered that they screwed up by not typing an English verson for their gringo clients & advised that they will have an English version for me within a week.

BajaNomad - 7-17-2006 at 04:09 PM

At a meeting I attended with BajaGeoff (Geoff Hill) of BajaBound.com last Thursday, I found out they either have, or will soon have homeowners insurance available.

I do NOT have any further details on this, and suggest you call (or email) them with any questions. Hopefully this is helpful for somebody.

619-702-4292
service@bajabound.com

--
Doug

[Edited on 7-17-2006 by BajaNomad]

bancoduo - 7-17-2006 at 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz
QUALITAS INSURANCE CANCELLED 100% OF THEIR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE POLICIES EFFECTIVE JUNE 30, 2006!!!

NO Homeowners insurance policies are valid anywhere in Mexico effective that date. The La Paz office had a letter addressed to me advising me of this fact sitting in a rather large pile. They admitted they had made NO effort to call me, no effort to mail the letter, no effort to notify me in any way. I know several other people locally who have (HAD!) homeowners insurance with them as well. The person in the La Paz office was only concerned about the Company & the fact that Hurricane Wilma damn near bankrupted them. They have cut some reimbursement checks for the remainder of the policy term, but not all. The date on my check was May 26, 2006. The date on the cancellation notification letter is June 1, 2006.

According to Qualitas, their actions in this matter were totally legal & they had/have absolutely NO RESPONSIBILITY nor OBLIGATION to have given anyone advance warning so that we could obtain new homeowners coverage with another company. They did this during hurricane season!!!

When I left the Qualitas office, I went straight to INBURSA (on the Malecon in the same block as Immigration, large sign, second floor) and requested immediate coverage for both my home & my vehicle. Qualitas DOES still insure vehicles, and all existing auto policies remain in force, however I made a personal decision not to do business with them any longer. :fire:

You should come back to the US and get quality coverage like the Katrina people. :no:

Don Alley - 7-17-2006 at 05:42 PM

When I got back to the states recently there was a letter from Lewis and Lewis Insurance informing me of the change. They have found a replacement.

longlegsinlapaz - 7-17-2006 at 05:56 PM

Don, I figured that Lewis & Lewis would be pro-active & make sure that their customers received seamless uninterrupted coverage...IF they were advised in advance. Unfortunately, I opted to deal direct here in La Paz....foolish me! According to the agencies I talked with today, all insurance companies have cranked up their rates because of hurricanes, so I'm prepared for a sizable increase in rates....hopefully I'm prepared enough!

BajaGeoff - 7-18-2006 at 11:10 AM

We are still in the planning stages and should have the program up and running early to mid-August. Our homeowners coverage will be offered through GE Seguros who have always been very reliable and financially sound.

vandenberg - 7-18-2006 at 12:20 PM

Lewis&Lewis advised us of Qualitas termination and told us that we should receive a refund check from them. Thusfar however we haven't heard a beep from them and neither from Lewis&Lewis ,who are supposed to get my home insured by a different underwriter. Have been sending them E- mails almost daily with no results. And we're not the only ones here in Loreto :fire:

Wondering....

djh - 7-18-2006 at 01:34 PM

I'm wondering if they're dropping their homeowners due to increased claims and payouts from increasing crime.... (break-ins, theft, vandalism, etc.).

Some of you know that I got hit prety hard in early July.... Didn't have homeowners yet on our 27' HR travel trailer.

My car hauler and Suburban were vandalized quite seriously too, and I did have Qualitas via Lewis and Lewis, but I have not filed a claim.... I cleaned up the graffiti (5 spray cans of vulgarities = 1.5 gals of Acetone and 2 days of hard work...), sorted through and straightened up the trashing of our space and personal things, and tried to inventory what all was stolen.... The damage and vandalism far outweighed the theft... I was a little beaten down and, licking my wounds, I just did the repairs & clean up myself and chose not to involve either Qualitas or the local PD, (on the advice of local friends, US, CAN, and MEX.)... Decision made that I'll live with.... I know, I know... please don't "shoulda coulda" me..... but at that point I could simply not endure further problems, red tape, and worries... After repairs and camage control, I simply sold our travel trailer and Suburban... and now likely have the Car / Toy Hauler Camper sold.... An empty lot is our plan until we're actually ready to be there more and build....

BTW, I understand there is growing concern about similar acts in rapidly growing Loreto - and other locations....

Insurance companies are a business to make $$.... they forcast constantly and determine where, when, and how they can make those $$, and seek to cut potential losses like any biz. So I wonder about their reasons for dropping homeowners insurance....

I'm sorry they left my fellow Nomads hanging out there. Rather irresponsible for sure !

Carol, maybe you could use those "LongLegsinLaPaz" to kick a few fannies around..... Don't worry, we fellow (Lewis /) Qualitas subscribers will pitch in for your bail :-).

djh

Cincodemayo - 7-18-2006 at 01:46 PM

Isn't there a "Baja" version of Charles Bronson yet?? :fire:

BajaGeoff - 7-18-2006 at 04:47 PM

From what I have heard Qualitas suffered huge losses from Hurricane Wilma that they have not recovered from. I believe this is why they have chosen to exit the homeowners market for the time being.

bancoduo - 7-18-2006 at 05:09 PM

It seems to me; that a lot of you people are very forgiving about getting ripped off. :?:

longlegsinlapaz - 7-21-2006 at 07:08 AM

Qualit-LESS just keeps getting more & more proactive on their approach to customer service....NOT!!! On Monday, they accepted my cancellation on my auto insurance; they completed a cancellation form which I signed & they committed in writing that a refund check would be issued within 1 week. Yesterday in their infinite wisdom, they decided to call & notify me that they "changed their mind" & they weren't going to cancel my auto policy after all! Knowing full well that I obtained a replacement policy that same day, and at a much higher premium rate! I DO know when I'm up against something greater than myself, but I will nonetheless be registering formal complaints against Qualitas' business practices with PROFECO & CONSECO (sp?); the insurance regulatory agency.

Qualitas canceled all homeowners policies nationwide with total & blatant disregard to their own written & published Terms & Conditions, which state: "If terminated by the Company, it shall do so by means of a written notification to the insured, and shall take effect 15 calendar days after such notice is received by the Insured. Within that same lapse, the Company shall return to the Insured the unearned premium at the same time that the notification is made. Without this requirement, the cancellation shall not take effect."!

Other than the shouting, my business dealings with Qualitas are a thing of the past. And YES, while I do realize that they are in business to make money, I strongly feel that there are moral & ethical obligations that they must fulfill to earn that money. IMO opinion, they have failed on all counts!

Don Alley - 7-21-2006 at 08:35 AM

Well, I did get a refund check from Qualitas via Lewis and Lewis. Came yesterday.

willardness - 7-25-2006 at 09:59 AM

Discover Baja has homeowners policies with GE Seguros right now - today. My friend has had a GE home policy with Discover Baja for the past few years. Call them at 800-727-2252 or www.discoverbaja.com

Discover Baja auto insurance is better than Qualitas too - Discover Baja lets you fix your car in the US

Cypress - 7-25-2006 at 10:36 AM

djh, Sad story. You did what you felt was best under the circumstances. Most people, myself included, would probably have taken the same route. As a fellow traveler from the high country I wish you luck.