ComplaintsforEthos Technologies, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Set up a life insurance policy for my husband and I through ethos. I received an email last week that my account was lapsed due to nonpayment. They have my checking account on file and it has plenty of money in it. Upon contacting ethos they let me know that they had a glitch in the system, but they would get the payment taken care of and fix my account. I tried to speak with them about my husbands account and they would not. When my husband finally was able to contact them two days later, they let him know that his account had lapsed and was no longer active and they could not do anything about it. I checked online and all of his payments have come out of our account, even one two weeks ago. I have tried contacting them multiple times to discuss this and no one will contact me back or discuss it with me over the phone at the time. They tell me that the people in the back office need to handle it. I would like the account reinstated and an apology, as well as a confirmation that this will not happen again or I would like a refund for all money that has gone into both of our ************** accounts and I will look for another provider.

  

  Business response

  02/01/2024

  Hi ********,

  Thank you for bringing your issue to our attention and I am sorry for the unfavorable experience and the confusion.  I want to make sure you get what you need and clarification on this situation. 

  To protect your privacy, we'll make sure to handle this directly with you rather than posting information and discussion non a third part platform.  I'll prioritize having a manager from the team give you a call on 2/5/24 to sort through any questions and requests you have.
  

  Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.

  *******************

   

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Im not liable for this company with ************** card. I donot have contract with the collection agency trying to collect and reporting this to my credit report they never sent me the original paperwork as requested I demand this account be removed from my credit report.

  

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  Hi ******, 

  I'm sorry to hear about your situation!  I assure you that here at Ethos, we don't refer any customers to collection agencies.  ************** policies, if premiums aren't paid, the policy is cancelled and no further collections or attempt to collect ever occur.

  With that being said, if you still have concerns, please reach out to us at ************************************* so we can look into your specific situation.  For the sake of customer privacy and safety, we're not able to discuss specific customer situations on third party platforms.  However, we are more than happy to help you through our established support channels.

  Thanks,

  *******************

  Director Customer Experience

• Initial Complaint

  10/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  An individual identifying himself as **** continues to contact me in an attempt to sell lif insurance after being advised to discontinue calling. These calls have occurred after 9 p.m. weekdays and after 5 on weekends. The party continues to use technology to show different numbers when calling.

  

  Business response

  10/30/2023

  Hi ****,

  We are sorry for the inconvenience and annoyance of someone calling you multiple times to sell life insurance.  We checked our systems and don't have any outbound calls to you and don't have anyone named "****" that works for the Ethos sales team.  We would be happy to look into this further if you could provide some of the phone numbers used or copies of any voicemails left.

  Thanks,

  Ethos CX

• Initial Complaint

  10/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My Ethos policy was open and approved in Sept 2021. After nearly 2 years of on time payments Ethos-Ameritas ************** contact me by email in Aug 2023 and advise the policy was being rescind/cancelled. In addition, I was advised all monthly payments were going to be refunded to me. I was unable to speak with anyone for an explanation I therefore signed the Doc for the refund. Ethos confirmed and email 23 receipts of payments back to the original payment method and accounts. Because the first 4 original payments were issued from a card-account which was subsequently CLOSED, Ethos only processed 19 payments successfully and 4 payments were rejected by my bank. I advised Ethos's customer service support team 4 payments were missing and I submitted my bank/documents verifying payment was not transmitted because the original account was Closed ********************** refuse to refund me the additional 4 payments. It has been 3 months and Ethos customer service reps continues to instruct me to contact my bank even after, I have provided them with the attached document from my bank verifying the payments were DENIED because the designated account number was closed. The last rep I spoke with today, advised me to check the electronic bank transfer system/or contact "Mastercard" if I want to find out what happen to my money. He said he checked and his office said the payment was issued to my bank and there is nothing else they can do.Is this a scam Ethos is perpetrating on customers. If the funds were REJECTED by my bank-DENIED due to the fact the account was closed. Therefore the money never left Ethos system and YET, Ethos refuse to give me my money back. As a consumer, I have gotten the run-around from Ethos for over the past 3 months. Ethos is attempting to defraud me out of my money at this point. I have provided all the information I've been able to obtain to verify that the funds were not submitted as they claim and yet they refuse to refund my money..

  

  Business response

  10/30/2023

  Hi ******,
  
  I would like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have encountered regarding your recent experience in getting your refunds.
  
  We have investigated this matter thoroughly and found that all refunds were processed through our payment provider and have not been returned to our account.  Screenshots of the portal showing your refunds and their status are attached for verification.  Because of how tightly the insurance industry is regulated, we don't have the option to refund payments to any other account aside from the account used to pay the premium.  We have processed all refunds associated with your policy and all show that the refunds were successfully accepted by the banking institution managing the account used to pay the premiums.
  
  We know it can be hard to track down a refund when they are processed for a closed account.  In an effort to assist you further, we are providing you an *** (Acquirer Reference Number) that you can use to track the refund with your bank or credit card provider.  Banking institutions come across this fairly often and have processes to help consumers sort through the details and the *** numbers will help you achieve this.
  
  Here are the *** numbers: 
  
  Sept 2021: 82711163227000006920186
  Oct 2021: 82711163227000006920855
  Nov 2021: 82711163227000006921861
  Dec 2021: 82711163227000006921309
  
  We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work towards a solution to this matter. If you have any further questions please reply back and we'll continue to check on our end to see if any refunds are reversed (although it is not typical this far after a refund has been processed).
  
  Sincerely,

  ****

  Director of CX

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In December 2021, I began exploring life insurance options and took out a policy with Ethos. However, I quickly realized the policy didnt suit my needs. On the same day, I promptly emailed them to request a cancellation, as instructed. I assumed the policy was terminated when I received no confirmation from them.To my surprise, I discovered continuous monthly charges of $56.25 on my account from December 2021 to July 2023. Upon reaching out, Ethos claimed they had emailed me some documents to sign, which I never received. After some back and forth, they agreed to a refund contingent upon my signing the papers. I complied, but then received another email, indicating that they would only refund the pro-rated amount for the remaining days of the month after cancellation, not the full amount from December 2021.My credit card company initially reversed all the charges. However, they are now reapplying them, effectively charging me again.

  

  Business response

  09/12/2023

  Dear ****,

  We are sorry for the confusion in canceling your policy with Ethos.  That is never our intention.  To ensure we protect all our customers and as required by insurance regulations, we require all customers who wish to cancel to sign a cancellation form electronically via DocuSign.  While I understand your frustration in the charges continuing monthly, we tried repeatedly by phone and email to remind you of the requirements to sign the DocuSign form, and had no response.  Our processes dictate that cancellation forms automatically close after 30 days and we emailed once more to notify you this was the case.  Screenshots of the correspondence mentioned are attached.  Again, we apologize for any inconvenience.

  Thank you,

  *******************

  Director Customer Experience

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I filled out an application for life insurance and then emailed them a notice I wanted to cancel, well within their 30 day period they state during their application process. They then sent me a Docusign document to sign that I was unable to access from my phone. I reached out to their customer service several times about the issue, but they are stating they wont refund my premium paid because the document wasnt signed within the ********************************************************* speak to a supervisor, also. This is fraudulent and poor business practice. The email to cancel came from my verified personal email account and should have been sufficient. They are making this difficult on purpose to avoid refunding me.

  

  Business response

  08/07/2023

  Per internal policies with our partner carriers, cancellations must be accompanied by a signed cancellation form.  Due to the nature of the customer's issues accessing the cancellation form, we requested a refund exception from the carrier and one was granted.  As of 7/25/23, Ethos processed a refund for all premiums paid for the customer.

  Customer response

  08/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I filled an online form with Ethos Life and was denied coverage immediately with absolutely no explanation. I didnt even ************* questions before being denied. Im 79 years old. Is this company discriminating based on age? I would like to know.

  

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  Hi ****, 

  I'm very sorry for the belated response to your question.  Our company went through an internal reorganization and responding to customers on the BBB website fell through the cracks.  Nevertheless, I wanted to address your question and ensure we do get a response to you.

  Because life insurance policies are priced due to mortality rates, or how likely someone is to live past a certain amount of time, age is for sure taken into account when a company is determining whether a customer is eligible to purchase a policy.  With that being said, Ethos has life insurance products that are eligible for individuals up to the age of 85.  So you, for sure, fall into the eligibility requirements for some of our products.

  Why were you declined?  I pulled the underwriting team and some product engineers to look at your case and there's nothing that sticks out as a reason why you should have been declined.  My assumption is that you got caught in the middle of a technology issue we had a few months ago where our system wasn't able to verify applicant's identify correctly and automatically declined them.  This has since been fixed, so my recommendation is, if you're still interested in a policy, to go through the application process again **using a new email address**.  If you have an issue again, you can reach out to ************************************** and we will be able to assist you with the application.

  Again, I apologize for the late response and for the unsatisfactory experience you had with your initial experience.  Please let us know at ************************************* if you have any additional questions.

  Thanks,

  *******************

  Director of CX

  Customer response

  09/13/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  05/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have a life insurance policy ********** and my wife's policy ********** that has lapsed with Ethos and as of March 14, 2023 and March 29, 2023 I submitted a reinstatement application to the underwriting department through the email that was sent. I have confirmation that it was completed. My agent has been getting the runaround every time she asks for status updates where the application is. No one has any answers. I was told I can't contact underwriting and that I have to just wait. The longer they take the more I will have to pay at one time to reinstate the application. I feel like they are taking advantage of me to get a bigger payment. As of today I just received another email to fill out the reinstatement application again! This is ridiculous. The customer and agent support is awful. No one knows anything and online chat support is horrible!

  

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  Hi *****,

  I want to first apologize for the poor customer service you received in your dealings with Ethos as well as the delayed response here on the BBB platform.  Similar to other companies in the tech, financial services, and insurance industries, Ethos unfortunately had some reorganizations within the company that ultimately left some gaps in our processes.  I fully acknowledge that you were caught up in some of these processes and am sorry for the poor experience you've had.  We have been working hard to improve the processes so customers are getting more timely information and responses going forward.

  With regards to policy number 4001552456, we notified the policy holder, of the approval related to her reinstatement application on July 11th and subsequently responded to a follow up request from her to waive insurance premiums while the reinstatement was being reviewed by our underwriting team.  ************** insurance regulations prohibit any insurance company from waiving any premiums on a policy.  It's against the law and were unable to help in that regard.  Because the premiums were not paid, the reinstatement approval expired and there's no longer an opportunity to re-activate this policy.

  With regards to policy number 4001517010, the reinstatement application was declined by the underwriting team.  A follow up email was sent on August 23rd notifying of the reinstatement decision and alerting that a letter was sent in the mail.  That letter was dated August 11th and is attached, along with other email correspondence mentioned above.  While the time it took to process the reinstatement application was much longer than expected, the end result wouldn't have changed had it been process quicker.

  With regards to your comment about having to make a bigger payment upon reinstatement, I understand this is frustrating, but ultimately there's no benefit to Ethos or the insurance carrier in someone making a bigger payment.  The same amount would have ultimately been paid for the policy in the end.  I acknowledge the experience for you personally is poor when the reinstatement applications take months to process, and again, I am sorry about that.

  Please let us know if you have additional questions by emailing ************************************* and feel free to refer to me personally.

  Regards,

  *******************

  Director Customer Experience

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for a life insurance policy through ETHOS life in November 2022. The online form automatically generated a beneficiary, not of my choice. I have been unable to correct the information online.Since November of 2022 I have left several voicemails and countless email communication through the email provided on their website and no one has returned either my voicemails or emails. I have been trying for four months to correct the beneficiary on my life insurance policy and have been unable to.In addition to the incorrect beneficiary generated, ethos life deducted two payments in one month of which I too have been unable to speak to anyone in order to have my account corrected and/or reimbursed.

  

  Business response

  04/13/2023

  Hi ******,

  I have reviewed the cases we have for you in our system and it seems there was a miscommunication back in December in that we had sent a form for you to fill out and hadn't received that back.  However, it appears we were able to connect with you in March and make a change.  I am really sorry for the inconvenience and frustration you've experienced.  Please let me know if there is anything outstanding at this time and I'll have the team prioritize the processing for you.

   

  Thanks,

   

  ****

  Director of Customer Experience

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I filled out for a quote for insurance and after reviewing the quote had no intentions on getting the insurance because it was too high for little insurance. The company went into my bank account and took $54.61 out my bank account on January 1, 2023. I requested them to cancel it on January 3, 2022 and was told to watch out for a form to sign to be sent to my email I still have not received the email of the form or the refund nothing basically saying it was cancelled. I never hit the start coverage button that is located on their website to begin the process of accepting the offer. Requesting immediate full refund and copy of cancellation notice.

  

  Business response

  01/06/2023

  As of today (01/06/22) we have successfully received the customer's Free Look Cancellation form via DocuSign. Now that this has been signed by the customer this is within 30 days of activation the refund of the premium paid will be returned to their account. We typically allow 5-10 business days for a refund to be reflected in to the client's account. If they do not see the funds there for some reason we let them know they can contact us. 

  Customer response

  01/06/2023

  Complaint: 18687611
  
  I am rejecting this response because: when I talked to the customer service agent he said that it would be refunded 2-3 days ago and am asking for confirmation of the cancellation and that a refund has been issued. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ********

  

  Business response

  01/18/2023

  We received the client's signed cancellation document on 01/06/23. These are necessary documents we require to cancel any activated policy. Since these documents were signed within 30 days of activating the policy. We have refunded the premium payment that was made back to the client's original bank account payment method on 01/09/23. Typically we allow 5-10 business days for the funds to be successfully added back into client's bank accounts depending on how quickly the bank accepts the funds. If this client for some reason does not see these fund on their account after 5-10 business days please call our support team in order to look into this further. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩