MEMPHIS, Tenn.– On a normal day like any other, Joppa Martin left her apartment. She found shattered glass in the place where she left her car parked the night before.
“It was gone. It was gone,” Martin said. “I was kinda shocked.”
Martin is not alone. Memphis car thefts have increased by nearly 60 percent this year. When they found her car days later, this is what it looked like:
“They took my whole exhaust system, battery,” Martin said.
She contacted her insurance provider, Acceptance Insurance. She said her adjuster promised the claim would take 30 days, but then she struggled with any more communication.
“I didn’t hear back from my adjuster. Like he vanished.” Martin said. “I know I’m not the only one experiencing this. I know I’m not because the adjuster, when I had my nice conversation with him via phone call, he was like ma’am, you’re not the first person to complain about how I communicate.”
In fact, the company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau but the complaints tell a similar story to Martin’s experience.
People said they had trouble “getting in touch” with an adjuster. Another said they “made several attempts to contact Acceptance” and waited weeks to hear back.
While Martin waited, she also started reading more of her policy and realized certain aspects, like her rental car coverage, weren’t what she expected.
“It’s a rental reimbursement program and they only cover up to $430. That’s the cap. Now, with today’s prices, that’s only three days,” she said.
Daniel Irwin with the BBB said Martin is learning her lesson the hard way.
“You should always probably not wait til you have an accident to know what your policy does and doesn’t cover. So this might be a good time to review your policy,” Irwin said. “You want to read reviews.”
Meanwhile, as she learned more and more, bills stacked up.
“If I couldn’t catch a ride then I couldn’t work and it affected my money,” she said. “I have a son. I have to pay for daycare. I have to pay for food.”
So Martin called the WREG Problem Solvers.
We contacted her adjuster who told us he was waiting on word from the body shop. He admitted he can be difficult to reach.
More than two months after the theft, Martin said she can finally see the light. We asked if anything changed with the way the company was handing her claim.
“Late last week they approved an estimate and sent off a check to fix my car,” she said. “I thought they were more prompt with your involvement.”
A spokesperson for Acceptance sent a statement to the Problem Solvers saying they “regret any experience that does not meet high standards” and are “committed to listening to customers and resolving concerns promptly.”
But that doesn’t change her message to others.
“Read your contracts,” she said.
Martin said she’s already changed insurance providers and is willing to pay a little more to get better coverage.
The BBB also reminds people if you use an insurance agent they work for you so have them give you advice on the best deal and ask about the fine print.
► If you have a problem you need solved with the help of WREG’s Problem Solvers, email Stacy at stacy.jacobson@digital-stage.wreg.com.
