The word has yet to trickle down

I think you might have done a big disservice to readers of your piece on Mercury Insurance Chairman George Joseph. (“This executive takes service personally,” Consumer Confidential, May 21.)

Readers might get the mistaken impression that they will be treated fairly and respectfully when they contact Mercury customer service reps, as opposed to the chairman’s actions in responding personally to Ms. Brown.

We were insured for more than a decade with Mercury, but canceled our auto policies last year because we were unhappy with their claims policy and with the disrespectful behavior by some of their employees.

Rather than praise Mercury for what their chairman did in this isolated case, you should have investigated more thoroughly the actions of their other 5,000 employees, who apparently never got the message that Mercury values its customers.

Thomas P. and Leslie C. Oatway

Valencia

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The column is one of the most ridiculous I have ever read. Mercury has 1 million policyholders, and the chairman responds to eight or nine complaints a month? Impressive?

With over 5,000 agents, Mercury took 13 days for its adjuster to take my statement on a minor fender-bender, and my insurance company’s adjuster took 30 minutes after the Mercury call to settle the claim.

Maybe I should have contacted Mr. Joseph instead.

Lynda Griffith

Los Angeles