Check this out. This is straight out of a movie.
Remember the "Cash4Gold" article I wrote following Brent K's experience sending them gold?

Cash4Gold Will Offer One-Third of the Actual Value for your Gold

You should read it...later. In a nutshell, Brent sent in scrap gold valued elsewhere at $180 and was offered one third of that amount by Cash4Gold. Brent balked at their $60 check and called their customer service line, where he immediately got a new offer: $178!

In December 2008 we received a call from the insurance (this is homeowner and vehicles combined) agent requesting an appointment to "review" our joint policy and check for any updates. We went as scheduled. No major changes. We were assured that we are "joint owners" of the policy, etc.

Then in January 2009 we received a statement for our premium payments. No biggy, EXCEPT it showed that Bob was the "policy holder", and that I was the "agent". WRONG! I stopped in the office and made the payment, but while I was there, I questioned this. The agent explained that this is simply because Bob is the first named on the policy. Okay. But why can't it reflect both of our names? And why can't we both be the "agents"? The agent responded that it is based on an insurance score. I went "?". I still wanted both of our names to show as "policy holders" and as "agents"....I also asked what she meant by an "insurance score".

Long story short, turned out that the "insurance score" is nothing more than a "credit report", and, according to her, they do them about once every three years. She proudly informed me that they use "Choice Points", which I have never heard of. She explained that "Choice Points" is along the lines of Equifax, Transunion, and Experian, and that they were using Bob's as they just had never changed it from the previous company when we switched over about three years or so ago (in other words, they've never checked mine, BUT they've never re-checked his either). I would have thought they would automatically check any new accounts, but what do I know?

She also informed me that since Bob is the "first named insured" he has the right to make changes to the policy and even to cancel the policy at any time, and that I have no rights. I cannot do any changes or cancellations without his consent. THIS SEEMS SO WRONG!!! Or at least it should be. I am fifty percent owner on the property....the home, the vehicles, etc. I am also suppose to be fifty percent owner on this insurance policy! Bob and I are not married, but we jointly own all of this and more. We spent hours with this agent to set this all up to begin with so that we would be equal partners on it when we first switched company's. She assured me I am named on the policy, but apparently not as an equal owner/partner. I assured her, that they would certainly come after me for payment, and, she affirmed that! I don't really care who's name is first, but I certainly want equal rights!!! (Just for the record, Bob agrees with me on this)

My mother has a similar case with her sister, where they jointly own some property they inherited. My Aunt is first named and my mother has no rights (except that the statement is sent to her). My mother is very upset about this, but like me, doesn't know how to "fight" it. And, we wonder, why should we even have to?

At this point, Bob and I don't know what to do (nor does my mother) as we want/need the coverage. Has anyone else ever had an issue like this? Is this standard procedure? Do ALL companies "discriminate" like this? Is this just in the state of Nebraska? Can anyone help? Can anyone offer any advice? Where do we go from here?

(Edited to include my comment #4 below: My apologies...I should have included that she told me that if Bob would okay it, they could put my name first....but then HE wouldn't have any rights. This is where the issue is. The first named person has all the rights, regardless of relationship. This is what I'm arguing. I think it should be "equal" rights regardless of where the names "fall" on the policy. I will edit my article to include this comment. )

You've just spent two hours on hold. You're holding a bill will an unfair $35 penalty fee. You're cell phone bill jumped from $65 to $400. Your cable bill is suddenly triple-digits.You're fed up. You can't take it any more....and I want your help.

Like anyone, you want to kick, scream, and wring someone's neck. But you want something even more valuable. You want justice. You want your money back. So you scour the Internet to find an e-mail address to contact a company executive. You fire off letters to state regulators, the attorney general, your local newspaper. You start a blog and torture the company. And eventually, you get satisfaction.
You are special. You know how to do something much more effective than complaint. You know how to find solutions.

And now, I ask you to take your expertise and help others.

This is a new experiment called the Red Tape Raiders. We all know companies have thousands of ways to cheat you, and thousands of ways to frustrate you. For three years, I've written stories attempting to untangle much of this Red Tape for you, one frustration at a time. I have constantly been impressed by the quality of the contributions that arrive through the comment submissions to my blog. In many cases, people write in just to get a sense of emotional support, a sense that they're not alone. But often, people with special knowledge write in, offering specific solutions: precise internal company phone numbers for tracking down wayward rebates; company insiders with precise phrases that work with difficult customer service phone calls; fax numbers that get results.

I want to put you to work.

The Red Tape Raiders is a new place for you to share your success stories and your acquired knowledge to the rest of the world. This space is your space to be a hero to someone else. It's also a way to get the most of your hours-long crusade. After you've gotten justice, your work can live on and help others.

It's undeniable that the past decade has been brutal for consumers. There's only one way to fight back -- to organize. Consumers who have the special knack of getting their way through persistence and pushiness need to share their methods with others. My hope is that you'll be eager to join the Red Tape Raiders and make a difference. Together, we can help restore fairness to the American marketplace, one click at a time.

INSTRUCTIONS ON POSTING AN ARTICLE

Here are a few other ground rules:
*This is not a place to whine. It's a place to share success stories and help each other. "Me too" thoughts should be include as comments on others' articles
*Information that is publicly available is fine to post -- such as customer service numbers -- but no violations of privacy will be tolerated
*Articles posted to the group should generally consist of first person accounts, not stories about others' experiences
*While nearly everyone who posts here will be frustrated, keep the language professional. Remember, this group is not about being angry, it's about being effective.