So, What Kind of Insurance does Auto Relocation Have?

The short answer is:  it doesn't matter, and they don't care because they're not insuring your vehicle and don't have to pay for damages themselves.  The shady truth to having your car transported is that the auto relocation company usually subcontracts to another independent carrier (some guy with a truck), and his insurance is what you're going to deal with if for any reason they damage your vehicle.  This is what I mean when I say they're under insured - they just cash your check and pimp your transport out to anyone who will take the work regardless of what type of insurance they have.  The BBB warns about this, and it's wise to listen to their warning.


It seems that this blog has received the attention of Mike Filia, President of Auto Relocation Plus.  He's also taken precious time away from his important Presidential Duties at Auto Relocation Plus to respond to my reviews on various review sites with the following half-truth:


"Our insurance is with Travelers Insurance Company. As with any insurance company, they require an Independent Auto Damage Appraiser to assess the condition of the vehicle and advise on repair costs. This was completed. This vehicle owner had a Honda and he wanted it repaired at a shop that works on Mercedes and Porsche. He was offered a fair settlement."



Wrong again, ARP!!  When my car "hit a bridge"/"fell off a truck"/"was damaged by gremlins and unicorns"/"insert complete BS and unsubstantiated excuse here", I was turned over the the dim-wits at Kingsway American Insurance, not Travelers as President Mike claims handles ARP's insurance needs.  Travelers wasn't remotely involved at any point as he fraudulently suggests above.  Let's take a minute to learn about Kingsway American, shall we?


Better Business Bureau Grade of C- (C, as in Crap)


Hoovers: Kingsway America's group companies primarily offer non-standard personal automobile insurance for high-risk drivers.  Awesome!  High risk is exactly the type of people I want moving my valuable vehicle.


Kingsway is incredibily weak financially, which probably explains why they don't like to pay what it takes to repair a vehicle:    A.M. Best Withdraws Ratings of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. and Its Subsidiaries.  These withdrawals follow Kingsway Financial Services Inc.'s request to no longer participate in A.M. Best's interactive rating process. All companies are domiciled in Elk Grove Village, IL, unless otherwise specified. (See below for a detailed listing of the companies and ratings.)

The issuer credit ratings of "c" have been withdrawn for Kingsway Financial Services Inc. and Kingsway America Inc.

The financial strength ratings of C+ (Marginal) and issuer credit ratings of "b-" have been withdrawn for Mendota Group, Mendota Insurance Company, Mendakota Insurance Company andKingsway Reinsurance Corporation.

Consumer Ratings that Explain A Lot - they're horrendous.

So what, maybe these Kingsway American Insurance People Got It Right This Time?  Nope.


A good insurance company (American Family Insurance, my insurance company of choice for a long time) had an estimate for the repair performed by an independent appraiser.  Survey says:  $6,700 in damages thanks to these clowns.  My insurance company paid this no questions asked.

Kingsway says:  $1,653 in damages thanks to these clowns.  There's some Bozo who will do the work for this much somewhere.  I feel bad for him.

Well, you say, maybe there's a reason for why these two estimates are so far apart.  
According to Mike Filia, it's because "This vehicle owner had a Honda and he wanted it repaired at a shop that works on Mercedes and Porsche. He was offered a fair settlement."


Wrong, but thanks again for playing, Auto Relocation Plus.  Do you really think the shop that repairs Mercedes and Porsche was trying to fuse German parts on my Honda to create some sort of FrankenCivic that's part Honda, part Mercedes?  Give me a break, your answers are desperate and pretty pathetic.  If you spent half as much time being customer-focused and doing the right thing, you wouldn't have to sit in your office responding to every negative review of your firm on the Internet (and trust me, that looks like it's a full time job given Auto Relocation Plus' Reputation...).


And for the record, the shop has this to say on their website:


Very recently, Birkholz Dejong Body Werks has added the Honda line of automobiles to those which we specialize in. Our same dedication and knowledge will be applied to these vehicles.....