2 /5 AL Youwannano: I rarely give negative reviews of anything, but in this instance I feel compelled to share what happened to me when I recently used Burkart & Company Insurance. My wife and I recently purchased a home from Freddie Mac. The purchase and financing process was lengthy and full of unexpected delays. When it came time to obtain home owners insurance on the new house I contacted Burkart & Co, since I had previously used them on the condo my wife and I purchased several years ago. Initially, they were very helpful and responsive to requests for documentation. However, it did seem that they were not too concerned about saving me any money, since as I would go over the quotes they either missed or never inquired about discounts available. Even this was OK, I take the responsibility for getting a good deal.
The problem was that once I got "a good deal" they refused to honor it. On 1/16/13, Burkart & Co sent me a formal application for the policy they had quoted me with a premium of $1785. Then on 2/12/13, three days before the closing on the house I found within the closing documents that the Home Owners Insurance premium was listed as $2270. A difference of $442, or rather an increase of almost 25% over a period of 26 days!!!
When I inquired about the increase I was told that the carrier had announced an increase on 2/1. I responded that an increase of 25% would have made the national news. They agreed, and said they would look into it and fix the problem. I had no choice but to accept the higher premium, since we the closing for the new house was set for the 15th.
One of the more interesting aspects of this situation is that the $1785 figure does not come from some hastilly put together quote, it comes from the application which they would turn over to the carrier. This is the very definition of bait and switch
Ive now waited 2 weeks since the closing for Burkart & Co to "fix the problem" and they havent even contacted me other than when I sent them an email asking for additional documentation about the increase. They did not provide the additional documentation. Ive let them know I will be contacting the Florida Insurance Comissioners office tomorrow.
Ill gladly retract this review once the issue is resolved.
