Life insurance, car or property insurance is actively gaining momentum. Today everyone knows what that means. Not surprisingly, a huge number of companies offering such services appear on the insurance market daily. One of them was Companion Insurance Company . Her story is a sad example for many motorists. Until today, judicial squabbles related to defrauded car owners continue.
History of creation
The first branch of the company appeared in 1998. Then in Moscow, the Companion insurance company opened its head office. However, initially the company was called the “Middle Volga Transport Insurance Company”. But over the 6 years of the organization’s existence, it has gained not the best reputation. Constant structural changes and improperly composed papers led to the fact that during this time the company got a bunch of dissatisfied customers. The most rational solution in this situation was to change the name again. So the SOK enterprise appeared, and the next step was the renaming into “Companion”.
Name change
After rebranding, the company’s business went uphill. Another central office of the Companion insurance company was opened in Yekaterinburg , Samara and dozens of branches in other cities. Also in 2007, the company began to actively advertise under a new name, while huge amounts of money were allocated for promotions. These events worked, and after some time, crowds of customers burst at the door of the UK. As a result, for 2013, CASCO of Companion insurance company was in great demand among car owners. At the same time, this office was included in the rating of the most popular insurance service providers. Of course, the growth of positions was primarily associated with the registration of policies "motor citizens" for motorists.
A little later , the Companion insurance company began to provide services to legal entities, which in turn also increased their position. As a result, over 400 offices were opened throughout Russia.
Initially, the company’s customers were very pleased with the insurance business. Payments are regular, conditions are quite acceptable. During this period, reviews about the Companion insurance company were extremely positive. At the same time, IC entered the RSA and was a member of the most famous insurance associations. Of course, the company's tacit confidence index was pretty high. However, everything changed in 2015, when a seemingly successful company unexpectedly loses its license.
Initially, customers did not even know about upcoming problems. The first days, the phone of the Companion insurance company did not answer, but no one attached any importance to this. Nevertheless, a little later it turned out that the problems were far from being connected with the work of the hotline, but with the fact that insurance policy holders would not be able to get their money back.
Revoked License
At the end of 2015, the company ceased operations. The license was revoked, and hundreds of CASCO owners were left without financial protection in the event of an accident. However, all this was preceded by other events.
As mentioned above, the SOK company was renamed, but no one knows why. In fact, everything is simple. At that time, the company declared bankruptcy, and all its assets were sold “under the hammer”. Of course, after this, no one would agree to insure in such an unreliable organization. But the Companion insurance company , which appeared on the market and began aggressive advertising, immediately aroused the trust of customers. However, this did not last long.
At first, the company was unable to fulfill its obligations to the Central Bank, then statements from dissatisfied citizens poured into the arbitration courts of various cities. According to these documents, the Companion insurance company not only did not pay money for hull insurance and compulsory motor liability insurance, but did not at all take into account the contractual relationship between the insurance company and its customers.
At first, the former SOK was declared bankrupt, but after several trials, it was decided to appoint the most severe preventive measure in such situations - revocation of the license. This is due to the fact that during the trials, thorough checks were carried out, which showed that the UK also carried out criminal activities. Of course, after such a bankruptcy was out of the question.
Worse - if the license is revoked from SK or it declares itself bankrupt
To understand the complexity of the situation, it is worth considering this issue in more detail. Many believe that a revoked license is much better than bankruptcy. However, it all depends on the parties to this issue. It is unprofitable for the IC itself to declare bankruptcy, since in this case all the assets of the company will be sold to the benefit of customers who have not received the due insurance premiums.
If the company declares bankruptcy, then this automatically makes it insolvent. In this case, it will be more difficult for customers to get their legitimate money. Let's consider this question in more detail.
Is there a chance to return the money
According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the client can unilaterally terminate the contract with the UK at any time. Usually, after that, the entire balance of unused funds will be returned to him. However, according to practice, everything is not so simple.
In order to recover your money from a bankrupt company, you will have to wait for a court decision and an auction start date. In this case, you need to submit a special application. If this is not done or the paperwork is too late, it may turn out that all assets will already be sold out. In this case, the client will have to wait until the court has scheduled another hearing.
If we talk about the Companion insurance company , then today its license has been revoked. Therefore, the only chance to receive at least some financial compensation is to apply to the RSA.
Reviews of victims
The situation with this UK is still partially obscured. Affected customers are still wondering how such a successful company could turn out to be an elementary soap bubble that burst in a split second.
Today on the Internet you can find a huge number of negative reviews about the Companion insurance company. Basically, they say that you can’t get through to the company’s employees, the phones are simply silent. If you visit the company’s representative office, the situation will not change. A few months after the license was withdrawn, a secretary sat in the lobby of one of the head offices, who accepted applications from clients. However, now the doors of all representative offices are tightly closed.
At this time, citizens continue to get into accidents, while many of them do not even realize that they are holders of already invalid insurance policies. Only in the event of an accident, clients of the infamous company discover that the company ceased operations several years ago.
Finally
In order not to get into trouble, it is worth choosing the insurance company with utmost vigilance. Bright advertising and favorable conditions are not a guarantee that the IC will fulfill its obligations.