To: Thomas J. McInerney, CEO of Genworth
From: Allison…read moreHaughton-Green M.D. FAAP
Re: Policy 586 6846
Date: August 24, 2024
Dear Mr. McInerney,
This is Dr. Allison Haughton-Green, owner of Genworth policy. I am a busy physician practicing medicine on Orlando, Florida, taking the time today to send you a letter of commendation for your employee, Valaria Cane.
It gives me great joy to pen this email to you of how this kind, empathetic, just, fair and hardworking team member demonstrated great compassion when I spoke with her on Monday August 19, 2024. She helped me get my 23 year old term life insurance policy for $750,000 reinstated.
I am the mother of twin sons, one who has Down Syndrome, who I will have to take care of for the rest of his life. The stress of the lapsed policy after paying $14830.40 over 23 years was so intense that I had 4 sleepless nights. Thankfully, Valaria called me back on Friday August 23, 2024 and left me a kind voicemail on a recorded line.
Mr. McInerney, I have paid my premiums on time for 23 years until June 2024 when Genworth took my policy off of autopay to "correct" the anniversary date. I paid my premium every March, June, Sept and Dec for over a decade. I always get 2 notices in the mail every 3 months re the payment.
Sadly, I fell a few weeks ago, sustaining significant and painful strains of both ankles, left worse than right. The email I sent to Genworth had the pictures of my injuries. I included them in this correspondence. I am a practice of one. It takes all that I have just to see my patients and not much time to do my administrative work.
I did not receive the letter sent to me via regular mail in June 2024 regarding having to discontinue my autopay. I received the letters re "final notice" but did not open them immediately as for 23 years, they are simply letters telling me the autopay is coming out of my account. The outside of the letters were not marked "URGENT", "IMMEDIATE ATTENTION REQUIRED" . There was no indication that a lapse of my policy was imminent if I did not act immediately.
I opened the mail last week, called Wed August 14, 2024 twice, was told my payment could not be taken as it was too close to 6 pm. PJ, the rep answering from the Philippines, took my cellular number, which was not on my profile, and promised he would call me back on August 15, 2024. He never did. Thursday August 16, and Friday, August 17th I work 16 hour days.
Monday, August 19, 2024 I call back and insist on speaking to someone on the US side. Valaria was my angel. She took me the devastating news that my policy lapsed August 15, 2024, one day after I called twice to rectify the issue. I read her my notes, who I spoke to, what the representatives from the Philippines promised to do and failed to do. She had me on hold for several minutes. I knew she was really trying to help me. She could see on her end that I called twice on August 14, 2024. She said her supervisor, Michelle Wilks, would pull the calls, listen to them, and call me back in 24-48 hours. Tuesday August 20, 2024, no one calls. Wednesday August 21, 2024, still no call from Genworth.
After 48 hours of hearing back from Genworth, I penned the email to Genworth and my attorney asking for help and letting my attorney know I need her help for justice. I have scanned it along with this cover letter.
Thursday, August 22, 2024, I call and email Drew Samuelson, the financial advisor who sold me my policy Nov 15, 2001. He is out of office. I ask his assistant, Donna Brokop, for help. Could she call? I give her my routing and account number. I do not hear back from Donna or Genworth. Sadly, a suffer through another sleepless night.
Friday morning around 11 am, there a breakthrough. I got a voicemail from Valaria calling on a recorded line. She said to ask for her and "we will get you taken care off". I could not call back until 4 pm. Again, I get the reps overseas. She was able to confirm that my policy has been reinstated! Praise the Lord!
Sadly, I had to wait over 30 minutes to be connected to a US rep. It was worth the wait. I got to speak to Cindy, who also deserves the highest praise. She explained why my policy had to be taken off of autopay. The number computer system required that my payments correspond with Nov 15, since my policy was taken out on Nov 15, 2001. I explained to Cindy that I did not get the letter. Then the subsequent letters did not have anything on the outside that would make me open them immediately. For 23 years, I got a letter every 3 months reminding me of the impending autodraft. Cindy, who I trusted, unlike the reps in the Philippines that could not explain the changes to my policy, took my payment, She also set me up with autopay so I pay once a year for the next 7 years until my policy expires.