Insurance firm pays man with buckets full of small change
An American insurance broker has reportedly paid part of a settlement to a California senior citizen with $21,000 in loose change.
According to NBC, 73-year-old Andres Carrasco filed a lawsuit in 2012 against Adriana's Insurance Service, claiming he'd been physically assaulted by one of the company's employees. But, after reaching a settlement, the company delivered the funds in the form of a cheque - and several five-gallon buckets full of loose change.
To make matters worse, Carrasco had just had a hernia operation, and couldn't even lift the buckets. "I am disappointed by the way Adriana's treats their customers and the elderly," he said in a statement. "We might be poor, but we are people too."
The move hasn't done Adriana's any good. The company's been deluged with criticism on the Yelp reviews site, bringing its overall rating down to one star.
"Are you looking to be abused, humiliated, and demeaned by an insurance company, even when you are in the right? Then look no further than Adriana's Insurance!" reads one review.
Another adds: "If you have a relative you HATE, send them here. If you have a senior citizen you want to get revenge on, send them here."
Implausible as the story sounds, Adriana hasn't denied it, nor responded to any of these hundreds of reviews. It was, however, quick to tell a complainant about another problem "we want you to feel special and properly attended because to us your business is incredibly special".
Carrasco can, if he wishes, take things further. In the US, payment in this way isn't legal if more than four pennies are included in the pile of change.
In the UK, things are slightly different, and it's perfectly legal to pay a bill with small denomination coins. However, shops and individuals don't have to accept payment in coppers for anything over the value of 20p, or in silver coins for anything over £10 - so long as they refuse to do so before the debt is incurred.
Three years ago, Tiverton man Brett Chamberlain was threatened with arrest by the police after attempting to pay for £95 of petrol at Tesco with one-pound coins. But because the petrol had already been supplied, a debt had been incurred and Tesco was in the wrong.
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