For years I used a nice feature where you could make one time payments for your auto insurance online from your bank account for FREE! Well, guess what. It ain't free anymore unless you sign up for automatic payments. Like I am going to give anyone free reign in my checking account. Heck no. I complained and here is the reply I got:
"21st Century Auto Insurance has partnered with Western Union to assist our customers with fast and convenient payment method, Speedpay. Speedpay is a web based application used to process payments. Western Union charges a $3.25 convenience fee for their service. You can avoid convenience fees by using your bak's bill pay service, amiling your chek, or by starting an automated payment plan with us." One blogger thought that avoiding a convenience fee by requiring auto pay was a violation of some law. I can't find such a law. The upshot of this is that they took a way a convenient service so that they could make a couple of bucks with a sister company. There is no benefit whatsoever to any of their customers for this new arrangement. We did not need Western Union before and we don't now. This is a backward step in customer service and a big slap in the face to customers. Either management just doesn't get it or they just don't care. Remember that this company was taken over by AIG and was just sold to Farmers. Who knows where this company is going. Looks like down the the toilet.
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