DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!! I'd give them negative stars if it was possible. I don't normally write reviews of any kind, but this was one of the most disgraceful experiences I have ever had in my life. Lets just say I'm not a newbie to the business rodeo either. There are many details I am leaving out of this review, in the interest of read time. Let me just say the list of issues is long.
This is specifically related to CNA customer service, CNA communications and UNDERWRITING. My Colorado based business used CNA for bonds for several (9-10) years. Never filed a claim, always paid premiums on time or early, steady as she goes business for over 20 years. We are not a big company, but do ok. Women owned and run from day 1. We love what we do and are proud of our longevity and solid financials and reputation.
The nutshell version is this:
We needed to make some minor adjustments to our long standing bonds and that is when the poop started. It was an absolute battle to get anything done. No one had accurate records of communication. I was told to go through my agent, so I did. When things were not accomplished, I went directly to CNA. CNA told me to go back to my agent. They would NOT deal with me directly as the business owner. I called and e-mailed to get SOME type of communication, and when I did, it was the same thing, talk to your agent. Finally got to the agent, (another story on that) the agent did get in touch with CNA regarding the bonds, and we (suddenly and magically) needed to supply an abhorrent amount of information on the company financials and personal financials. There were many hurdles and hoops to jump through. I get it, due diligence is a process and a valid one. HOWEVER, the UNDERWRITER CONSULTANT we dealt with, TERRY OLSEN, was and is beyond unprofessional. It was as if he WANTED to block our ability to revise and renew our bonds. We faced some hurdles, but we were able to produce EVERYTHING that was asked for and in a very timely manner.
When things were needed on our end, we were NOT able to take action on our own, to resolve our own issues, etc. Additionally, the tone in the correspondence we received from TERRY OLSEN via e-mail and in writing was dripping with total distain. It almost felt like Terry was suffering from a form of a G-D complex. Yes, it was THAT bad. It was so bad; we pulled all our business from CNA and will NEVER do business with them again.
The last round of communication I received regarding the cancellation of our bonds was (to say it politely) just gross. The wording and tone makes you do a re-read and want to take a shower. They have the right to hold our ILOC for a minimum of 2 years and up to 6 years beyond the date of cancellation. That is at their discretion. Check your paperwork folks! If TERRY OLSEN has any influence with it, I'm betting it will be held for the full 6 years. TERRY seems like that kind of spiteful person.
We found a better bond company, SURETY 1, to issue our bonds. They treated us with respect and their customer service is AMAZING!! I urge anyone who needs a surety bond to call them without delay! In terms of cost, it was a minimal amount of an increase. It was WELL worth it! I can contact them at anytime, no run around, and the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. They got our bonds done in 1 WEEK. Yes, 1 WEEK! The best part was the ILOC that CNA REQUIRED to issue bonds, was NOT needed with Surety 1, and the coverage was IDENTICAL. I urge anyone looking to ditch CNA Surety Bonds to go to SURETY 1. Talk to Jasmine, she was great! read more
