Personal Finance

Hi there,

Schlamozzel here with another Slumlord Brand (TM) review of yet ANOTHER shining example of what is VERY WRONG with corporate America. Get a load of (and I don’t mean a load of in a GOOD WAY) Metropolitan Life - Life Insurance.

As stated in other reviews I am currently up to my armpits in the seemingly endless paper storm which is SECONDARY to having lost a family member. Nobody ever shows this aspect of a life insurance claim in the T.V. commercials. If they did, I feel extremely confident that most people would never buy a policy.

One day, when we were at Sam’s Club, a lady walking around with a clipboard asked if I wanted to apply for a Sam’s Club credit card. Since Sam’s Club does not accept Visa or Mastercard credit cards, my husband and I decided it wouldn’t hurt to have a credit card available for purchases there. I signed her little application and she told me I would find out in a couple of weeks if I was approved or not.

Bottom line - you don’t get much more than with the Gold. If you have multiple cards, the extra annual fees start to divide out and it’s more reasonable, but for a single card it is way overpriced.

I used to have a black card through via my previous business, so I still have several years left on my Priority Pass, which gets you into many airport lounges - more than just the Platinum. (BTW, if you want a Priority Pass, you can buy them yourself - no need to get a black.)

Simply stated — this company does not provide the best rates or customer service. What they do provide are fees that will unexpectedly drain your wallet.

I held insurance with this company for the better part of five years. (Should have canceled sooner, but multiple policies initially helped keep the premium rates low.)

Examples of problems/complaints that occurred with this company:

In multiple instances, the company did not cash my premium check on time - even though payment was sent well before the due date. I pay every bill as soon as its received. Complaining did no good. This left me stuck paying late fees. I have not had this problem with other companies.

I had an online CD with Washington Mutual Bank that matured, and I called to cash it in. I went through a prolonged automated menu system before reaching a person. Then I was transferred to four different departments, then told I was to be transferred again and the call was cut off. The next time I called I was transferred two more times. Then I was asked 3 “public domain” security questions, only one of which applied to me, then told that I failed the security test. There’s a flaw in the system — I know the answers to my own life better than they do. Next they said that the only way to get my money was to write a letter and have it NOTARIZED. My impression is that they’re trying to make it as difficult as possible to withdraw your money. I’ve had a lot of CDs with many banks, and no other has ever required notarizing.