Allstate Auto Insurance Reviews

I have been a customer with Allstate here in Alberta, Canada for over 20 years...no at-fault accidents and insuring multiple rental properties, my primary residence and all of our family vehicles with Allstate. In September 2019, another driver hit me from behind, I sustained injuries and immediately reported the accident. It took forever for anyone to get back to me...to the point where I had to file a complaint. Allstate wasn't even responding to the company who was their "preferred" auto repairer. Finally, after getting really angry and complaining and the car repair place doing the same, I got authorization to have my car fixed. I was assigned an injury adjuster who never returned my calls and finally after about 3 weeks called late at night leaving a message full of personal excuses why she hadn't returned my calls. Then I never heard from her again. I was getting physiotherapy and seeing my doctor and still couldn't contact anyone from Allstate. Finally, after complaining of several occasions to the Allstate person who sold me my insurance, I got assigned to an injury adjuster. Again, I could never get ahold of him, he never called, he never followed up and again after emailing him and saying I was going to file a formal complaint and wanted to speak to his manager, I got a call and an email. I remained at work (heavy-duty mechanic apprentice) and was struggling. The work is very heavy and my injuries were not getting better... I was beginning to have numbness in my neck and arms and reported this to my insurance adjuster, my physio, my doctor and I was told I shouldn't be doing regular job duties because it was delaying my recovery. My Allstate adjuster was completely aware. I was told by my physio to ask my employer for alternate duties during my recovery. I contacted my employer and let them know that my injuries were from an MVA (and not work-related) and explained the problems I was having in performing my pre-accident work duties. They said they would get back to me within hours, I received an emailed letter from my employer, terminating me because "I was not able to do my regular job duties". I contacted Allstate immediately because I didn't qualify for any kind of disability benefits through work and couldn't do my regular job duties. I let them know that I had been terminated when I asked for alternate duties because the injuries weren't allowing me to do my regular, pre-accident work duties. I asked the Allstate adjuster, what I was supposed to do and at the same time, I asked about help shovelling snow, etc. He did not address the weekly disability benefit (my policy premiums covered but I wasn't aware of) but he did say he would pay for help shovelling snow. I kept bringing up the fact that had I not had the accident, I would still be working and it was the injuries from the MVA and not being able to do my job were what caused the job loss. He didn't really address this at all. Meanwhile, I contacted a lawyer to help me get an ongoing payment from the employer because I was a contract worker with a set term contract and I thought that I would be able to get ongoing payment because it was no fault of mine that I was not able to work. My legal pockets (visa) are not deep as I am a single mom so the claim didn't go long. The employer was willing to go on to trial and I didn't have any more money so all I got was wages they had owed me in my last week and had to sign a non-disclosure statement promising not to disclose the details of my termination and the name of the employer. I kept the Allstate adjuster "in the loop" the entire time. Allstate even approved years worth of psychology appointments to help me deal with the fact that "As a result of the MVA injuries, I was terminated from my job". Finally, I am paying my auto premiums for 2020/2021 and I notice I'm paying a premium for Weekly Indemnity benefits and when I questioned this (wanting this removed) I was told it was mandatory (basically, there is a government portion of every policy that is required and mandated under a standard government policy). I was angry because I had been suffering financially for a year, by this point and the Allstate agent was barely involved in my claim let alone guide me through getting the benefits I was entitled to. I contacted him immediately and he sends me the "forms". Since my doctor and psychologist have been following me since day 1, the forms were filled out quickly. My doctor was completely aware and in agreement that I was not able to perform my heavy job duties as a heavy-duty mechanic apprentice and filled out the forms accordingly as did my psychologist. I submitted all of the information including a letter from my employer saying that I was terminated because I couldn't do my job; a record of employment showing the termination date; dr's letters; (physio reports which Allstate has on file talking about the termination and what the job duties were doing to my injuries); a timeline letter outlining the sequence of events from the date of injury to present. Within a day, I receive an email (not a letter) denial of my claim simply saying that because of the circumstances I was not considered disabled as per the definition of the policy. The adjuster did not even make one phone call to me or to my medical providers to discuss the claim (which is what claims adjudication does). The email indicated that I was terminated because the employer didn't have modified duties. This response was odd. I have been a disability claims adjudicator for over 20 years and knew how to read insurance policies and legislation so I pulled the Alberta Standard Auto policy and their definition of disability under an Auto Insurance claim indicates that weekly indemnity Section B benefits cannot be claimed unless one is "wholly and continuously" disabled by the injuries from the automobile accident". In accordance with the Alberta Standard Automobile Policy, this definition of disability means that the disability must prevent one from doing "any and all of your job duties". Well, the Allstate adjuster is saying that because I could have done modified duties, I do not qualify (I think this is what he is saying but his email is not clear). Needless to say, not once did my employer contact me to say they couldn't provide modified duties (Allstate is making an assumption based on nothing) and nowhere in the employer's termination letter did it say I was being terminated because they didn't have modified duties (again, Allstate adjuster made an assumption based on his own opinion and nothing else). The fact is that the definition of disability says that "you must not be able to do any and all of the duties of your job". It does not say "you must be unable to perform any work". I have contacted the Allstate Ombudsman and have never received anything more than the generic email in response to my submission for contact. I am disgusted with this provider. Customer service has gone into the toilet and they have people working for them who have NO idea how to do the job let alone make claims decisions based on facts.