Michael Sean Quinn, Ph.D, J.D., C.P.C.U., Etc.
2630 Exposition Blvd  #115
Austin, Texas 78703
(o) 512-296-2594
(c) 512-656-9759
(Resumes found at
www.michaelseanquinn.com)




One hears about insurance companies paying claims in buckets of coins, from time to time.  Biz Ins. reported another of these events in its August 18, 2014 issue, p 26.  Adriana’s Insurance Services, Inc. paid part of a claim that it had settled in “thousands of quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies–in [something on the order of 17] buckets. Else where it was reported that the amount was $21k+/-.The insured was over 70 years old and was recovering from hernia surgery and the time.  There is a photograph next to the article of a pile of money the size of a miniature mountain, but it is not identified as the money involved. Adriana may have weighed its settlement decision carefully. 

It is reported in Southern California, the blog of an NBC TV station in California that the person whose claim was paid suit Adriana’s Insurance Services “after he was physically assaulted by one of the company’s  employees.”

Now, why would an outfit that claims is a leading California insurance broker for many years do such a thing?  Talk about a violation of established business ethics! The company’s website is introduced by a large photograph of a woman who appears to be relatively good looking, dynamic, and there is a touch of the sexy. (The latter characteristic can be found more clearly in other photographs of her.) 

To her credit, she does not appear to be a woman would would seek to pay a claim with wooden nickels. And besides the plaintiff’s lawyer would have advised him not to take them.  It is a powerful rule of lawyer performance to be sure and bring that up to you client: “Don’t take any….”

Here is my guess, and that’s all it is.  According to the Net the “Adriana Biz” is not all that respectable an establishment. Its principle product (or service) is the sale of what it called “Super Cheap Insurance” or just “Cheap Insurance.” The several evaluations presented on the Internet are uniformly negative, and one of them is critical of it for mistreating customers by making them wait a long time for services in an unattractive lobby, in other words, a “cattle call” process. 

This is a company that works mainly on publicity–any publicity, the more the better. Well, that’s what it got here.  It specializes in selling cheap, probably low quality insurance to the less well off. This got its name before the public once again. It either did directly or did impliedly tell a fraction of the masses that it could get insurance there within their difficult budget.  

Many people need to get whatever they can.  They are not always concerned with obtaining a satisfactory amount of coverage or being treated appropriately.  The know they must have it; they want the super-cheap; and they will put up with whatever s–t they have to to get it.

For a company like this one, not even a BBB member though it has several offices around the state, every publicity incident is better than silence. This is especially true if the company was advised that there was probably not a new suit the settling plaintiff could bring.  And, besides, Adriana may have believed that the $21k was worth paying for the publicity the company got. Besides, one can imagine that the payee impliedly agreed not bring a suit like what would be required here. 

In any case, people find the buckets of coins story striking, somewhat to be remembered (even if not memorable), amusing, and indicative of what they may need. Some of the male purchasers may also be intrigued by catching a look at Adriana herself, if they believed that the website figure is she.  Perhaps the unconscious of at least some young men conform to the questionable ad principle in the fashion adv industry, “Fall for the model, fall for the dress.” In this case, it would be “Want the chick, want her coverage.”

Is it possible, I find myself asking, what sort of insurance company would permit itself to be involved in such an outrage.  I can’t think of any.  There probably aren’t any, thank God! There is something I am even more sure of, and that’s this: Adriana is not cooking up a second version of this incident.  The first one that occurred to me was one involving bitcoins, but that won’t work.  On the other hand, I would not be surprised to find out that the PR company for Adriana was not meditating upon another high publicity escapade.  Of course, my not being surprised does not suggest for a moment that the idea has any truth. 

Certainly no more than the idea of my suggesting to Biz. Ins. that when it said that “people prefer cash to coin,” it might have wanted to check and see whether or not coins are not a kind of case.  Also, that paper does not appear to understand that Adriana can truthfully and literally say in publicity contexts,without any fear as to whether there is a misrepresentation involved:  “We pay claimants buckets of money.”

The extent to which this blog has been proof read correctly, may reflect the degree of respect I have for Adriana’s business ethics.