Prudential Life Insurance

I turned 65 a year ago, and after some 25 years of prompt Prudential Life Insurance premium payments paid automatically from my payroll check and subsequently automatically generated by my bank on a quarterly basis, apparently their bill of December 2011 subtly included a premium increase (from $677 to over $1100 quarterly. I received no other notification of this important change.

In January 2012, Prudential again received my automatically generated payment in the amount of $677 on time. They cashed my check promptly, yet on March 3, 2012, Prudential sent a "notice of cancellation" for non-payment of premium. Again, there's no forewarning. I responded in writing by showing my January prompt payment and subsequently also continued with my automatic payment generated by my bank on April 10. I received no response to my letter; however, on April 22, I received a $677 "refund" check from Prudential with no explanation.

So I called Prudential. In our conversation, for the very first time ever, it was revealed to me that the premium amount was increased and that Prudential considers the subtle content of a bill as sufficient and appropriate notification and that they are not interested in continuing the relationship (age discrimination) any longer.

When I was a younger man, they were quite willing to take over $140,000 in premium payments from me, but now that I am over 65 years old, they purposefully hid their critically important policy change (premium increase), which purposefully lack due process for notification, and purposefully create opportunities to cancel the policies of older Americans.

I was trying to withdraw from my 401k for a month. It is a teamster 401k. Both my former employer and local teamsters rep has contacted Prudential and sent in all paperwork and I have called many times and they refuse to release funds due to me leaving the company. Every time I call, it is a different story; the last was a third party had to update status. Then I contacted the third party Gemgroup and my former employer did also. They said they updated the status to Prudential over a week ago and yet every time I have called this week, they act like nothing has happened on the account.

Scranton, PA is the office of my former HR director, has talked to his rep and the Gemgroup. They both said it should take 2 days after the Gemgroup updates the status. My former employer said that I should be cut a check on Tuesday the 13th. This never happened and Prudential continues to say no withdrawal. What can I do? I have mounting bills, no unemployment at this time and I'm getting behind on credit card payments. Late fees are huge. I want them to give me my money or pay for all the late fees I have incurred on many different bills.

My mom passed away 5 weeks ago and Prudential mailed me forms to fill out because I am the beneficiary of her life insurance policy. I requested to be paid in a lump sum. Instead, Prudential took it upon themselves to place the money into their own accounts calling it my "alliance account" and stated that they would send me checks to use to draw from the account. I received a letter the other day from them stating this, but have not received these checks yet. When I called to complain that I did not authorize them to hold my money, they told me that they could send me a check for the amount due me but this would incur additional processing charges to mail it to me. I believe this is fraud. They have some nerve and have no right to hold people's money at their will to do so. I am furious.

In November 2011, I contacted Prudential Life to ask about the process for a "smoker rating" reduction. I received a letter stating I need to contact them after 1 full year. In early January 2012, I contacted Prudential Life to ask again. They referred me to rep Doug **. He sent a form for my signature. I signed and returned it immediately.

On February 28(?), I called the CSO and had a very difficult time getting information from "Lanie." Being frustrated, I then talked to Roberta ** (a supervisor), who after a lengthy conversation, said she couldn't any my question. I couldn't speak with anyone handling the case; I needed to contact my rep. They refused to provide good customer service.

Then, the rep called me to say Prudential Life had denied my request because of the positive answer about smoking during my January 23, 2012 interview? What? I smoked my last cigarette on 12/31/2010. I have been a non-smoker since that time.

I would like to know exactly what the heck is going on. I am a non-smoker. I am a policy owner. I am a retired assistant manager from Prudential LIfe in NH for 30 years of dedicated service. I deserve the decency of an answer and action on my request. If I do not receive a satisfactory response to my request and my complaint by COB on March 7, I will be contacting the Department of Insurance Commissioner in New Hampshire. Thank you.

My father had a policy with me as beneficiary. After he passed several years ago, I tried to get the remaining policy build up as a cash out. Prudential ignored/denied communication, had no records of numerous calls on my part after months/years when the policy had declined to a few hundred dollars. They informed me I needed to provide death certificates and needed to wait till they could prove beneficiary or next authorized person on policy, etc. until they could let any money run out. I gave up and told them to take their money and shove it and please never contact me again. I just got a letter for premium due. Obviously, not only dishonest and underhanded, they are also incompetent. If they have done this to me, I am sure there must be thousands more. I am amazed that a known company like this has such unethical working practices. Shame on them.

I thought I was doing a good thing by using some of the worth of my policy to pay a loan I had taken out on it many years ago when I was in college. As it turns out, Prudential sent me a 1099-R saying I owe taxes on the amount of the loan I repaid. The IRS people told me they never heard of such a thing. I did not surrender the policy completely. Prudential could tell me nothing. Three of the referral phone numbers they gave me did not answer or even have a message system.

I received a letter from Prudential asking me to call them regarding a life insurance policy a deceased relative had with them. I did and found I was a beneficiary for a few hundred dollars but then they told me I could not claim the money unless I could furnish the birth dates and current addresses of the other beneficiaries.

These are estranged relatives due to past abuse. It is cruel and unreasonable for Prudential to request I attempt to contact them now to try to get this information. I offered to send a notarized proof of my identity, but that was not good enough. I suspect they capriciously set this customized requirement for me so they would not have to pay the claim. (The requirement is not stated as part of the claim process on their web site. ) I am sure my relative never guessed this would happen when he took out the policy.

In the process of requesting a loan on my life insurance policy I was informed I needed to fill out a change of ownership on the policy which they said would take 5 to 7 days. I did this and they lost the paperwork, so I went to an actual agent in an office. He submitted it for me and assured me that he would then request the loan as soon as the change was complete in 5 to 7 days. I contacted him approximately 14 days later and he was rude and hostile on the phone stating we were still waiting for the ownership change.

That was almost 3 months ago. Every time I speak with someone in the offices or at their customer service number I am told a different story. The last straw was yesterday when I finally was told the check was processed and mailed out. I had requested it to be shipped overnight and they told me to call to see what the charge was as it ranged from $14-$30, and when it would arrive at my post office.

The lady I spoke with last night got an attitude with me stating that it was a flat fee of $19.95 and I was wrong. I informed her that so far everything I have been told has been contradicted when I call back. She told me she didn't know where I got my information from but it was wrong. I told her I got it from their office. Well, the check that I was told would be here Tuesday, showed up today (Saturday) and was COD for $23.15. Well guess who gave out incorrect info - again. This company cannot get it right to save their lives. How have they even stayed in business?

I requested a financial hardship and sent in all the paperwork they told me to. A week later I received a phone call stating I needed to send in a notarized letter with my wife's information so I sent that information in as well. Today I received a phone call saying the paperwork was all expired and I needed to re-submit everything. I am in danger of being evicted and should have been told the first time that the paperwork would expire within a few days. I spoke with a manager as well and she was very uncooperative. I have changed my contribution rate to zero and will never invest with this company ever again.

We did not receive our quarterly premium notice from Prudential. Without notice, our policy was canceled. After paying thousands of dollars in premiums, the last 17 years our death benefit of $45,000.00 was all lost. I feel that we were dropped due to our age. Why did we not receive the November 2011 premium notice? Our last premium period was paid from July 1, 2011-October 1, 2011. That was our last premium notice from the Prudential company.

My daughter passed away and had a $10k life insurance, through her employer. The employer contacted me regarding her insurance (I didn't know she had life insurance and she had named no beneficiary). I filed a claim with her death certificate, listing my daughter's biological father (mistake).

The insurance company cuts the payment in half stating that the other half will go to biological father (who was not part of her life, no contact over 40 years, no child support, etc). Yet, he is entitled to the half of her life insurance? I wish I would have left her father's name off, on her death certificate, since I was the one who supplied the information to the funeral home, and paid the full expenses. He doesn't deserve this and how does he proves that he's the father (only if the insurance company contacts him as he would have no idea that she passed away).

My husband passed away in June. I gave the funeral home the information for his life insurance he had through his employer, GE. After 4 weeks, I received a call from the funeral home saying they needed $500 from me since the insurance had not paid yet. I contacted the insurance company, Prudential, whom said they would send me out the documents that they require and complete forms and return with a death certificate.

I did not receive the packet so I called and they told me he was not covered because when he turned 65 we were to continue the payments, however, we never received a bill, a notice that we were now responsible for the premiums so he has no coverage. The policy was for $15,000. What did my husband pay for all those years on a policy that they fail to send you notice that you are now responsible for premiums. This is so wrong that they fail to send you a certified letter advising you of this. I feel they were negligent and this seems to be a scam that Prudential does. I need help to fight the insurance company or guidance on which direction I should go.

In 2009, we received a letter from Prudential claiming we need to pay premium for my husband's life insurance which we use dividend to pay premium for over 10 years. When we called, one of the agents at the Customer Service said if we have paid premium on account, then ignore the letter. At the end of 2009, we received 1099, saying we need to report all premium paid by using loans from money we put on the account for the first 10 years because it's over the base. So far, we understand it but we were told to ignore the payment letter, not we did on our own decision.

We called Customer Service, asking how can we get the 1099 reversed. From March until we fill out re-instate paper, we talked to several different agents and we were told we need to fill out the re-instated form first and pay the premium of the month that was lapsed, then the 1099 will be revised and reissued, and we won't need to report over $15000.00 as income. After we filled out all the papers and paid the missed premium, we didn't get a new 1099, when we followed up on the status, now every broker said it can not be revised even if we paid up the premium.

I don't think their agents are telling the customers the truth. We have no reason to re-instate this old policy if they can not revise the 1099 of 2009. I have to report all premium on loan as income of 2009, and pay tax over thousands of dollars.

I had insurance policies, and never knew that they were gone after 20 years of paying them. They say that they notified me that they needed to be paid by me, but I never received anything, saying that my policies were in trouble. These were policies that were paying themselves through dividends. I would have never known that my two policies were gone, if it wasn't that I was going to take a loan on my husband's retirement policy last year, which matured last year, when he turned 63. I just can't understand how a company can just let your life insurance go down the drain, without letting you know.

They are saying that they sent me letters about payment from me on them, but I never got one letter from them, and they never sent a registered letter to me either. Why, after 20 years of paying, would I let all my insurance just go down the drain? I just wonder how many other people have policies that are supposed to be paying themselves through dividends, and just don't know about this, might be happening to them too. It's a real shame.

I actually overpaid my quarterly premiums via my wireless bank payment system and they cancelled my policy stating lack of payment. I have faxed numerous copies of my bank letter, statement and EFT bill payment reports and they refuse to reinstate. They say they do not have sufficient information to process. They keep saying they are investigating. In the meantime, I have no life insurance. I have had this policy over 7 years. As soon as I turned 42, this happened.

I ended up paying the IRS approximately $3,500 for this, $ 3,051 plus interest, and the California Franchise Tax Board about $1,500. I also had liens placed on my house, and my bank account.

Prudential states that I STILL OWE THEM THE MONEY (plus 5 years of interest added to it, about $2,000 per year).

In a letter from Prudential (Dec. 2009), they state that they are required to report any taxable gain. Yet as of December 31, 2004 there was NO gain (the end of tax year 2004). In their letter dated 2009 they verify that the policy was reinstated and the loan pay off was reversed on March 4, 2004, 9 months before the end of that tax year (just barely over one month after payments were missed), and Prudentials account statement dated March 2005 (for the previous year) also verifies that the loan pay off was reversed. March 4, 2004 is 9 months before the end of that tax year, yet Prudential filed a 1099 anyway. Why did Prudential file a 1099 when they ADMIT there were NO gains for 2004?

I had liens placed on my house, my bank account, and the IRS threatened to attach my Social
Security checks, all because of a fraudulent 1099 from Prudential.

I would like to see a copy of the letter informing the IRS and me that the pay off was reversed. Let me guess, they are not required by law to inform anyone that they screwed up. The IRS says that my only recourse with them is to obtain a tax attorney, at my expense of course.

Prudential was obviously not acting in good faith, on in my interest.

Prudential intends to collect a $149 back-end load fee on a NO LOAD MUTUAL FUND at Vanguard. Vanguard has no back end load on this particular mutual fund. Vanguard verifies this no load policy in the prospectus and in phone conversation.

Holding up trades and rollover of my 401k to an IRA.