To the editor:

Shopped mandated auto insurance lately?

With each request for a quote came a parade of personal inquiry. I fully expected the next question to be the color of my underwear.

No stone is left unturned when it comes to insurance underwriting. We are all being nickeled and dimed at every opportunity. Our education level, credit history, sex and neighborhood police reports are being used to determine insurance premiums.

Boy, sure would hate to be poor, uneducated and living in a neighborhood with rowdy teens while buying mandatory insurance in Indiana.

Where are the consumer protections?

So, I called my legislator, Rep. Chris May. I haven’t heard back.

At this very moment, I have $14.17 of my money, in my bank, unavailable to me because a corporation that I owe no money to has placed a “prior authorization” hold on those funds.

Let me explain. I had dinner at a restaurant in Indianapolis two nights ago. To order food and drink at the bar they ask for a credit card. We ate, paid the bill in cash. The restaurant ran a $14.17 “prior authorization” charge on that card. Therefore, my money is tied up until they release it.

How is this legal? Where are the consumer protections?

So, I called my Rep. Chris May. I haven’t heard back.

Perhaps, I should try my senator.

Sincerely,

Sherrie Mitchell, West Robertson Road

Send letters to [email protected] by noon Thursday before the date of intended publication (noon Wednesday on holiday weeks).

Letters are the opinions of the writer.

Letters must be signed by the author and include the writer’s town of residence and a contact number in case of questions. Only one letter every two weeks, per writer, to allow for diversity of voices in the opinions section.

Please be considerate of sharing space with other letter-writers and keep your comments concise and to the point.

Avoid name-calling, accusations of criminal activity and second- and third-hand statements of “fact.”