Benjamin Nicholas -

[luvtwink]

Hi - has anyone seen or heard from Benjamin lately?

 

LT

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

*Raises hand*

 

I'm still here...

 

I've just been dealing with the insurance company due to a flood that happened last week in my condo. It's funny how we pay them these huge premiums and then when the time comes to protect us, they try their hardest to loophole their way out a helping hand.

 

Luckily, i've got a couple of blood-thirsty lawyers who speak fluently in insurance terminology and are getting me back on track. It's just insane that i had to go this far to get things repaired and going in the right direction.

 

Also, my email servers are back up and working! *WhooHoo!* I'm getting a flood of emails on backlog, so anyone waiting for a response, please accept my apologies and know that i should be all caught up in the next day or so. Mucho thanks.

 

Warmest Always,

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

[OneFinger]

>...I've just been dealing with the insurance company due to a flood that happened last week in my condo. It's funny how we pay them these huge premiums and then when the time comes to protect us, they try their hardest to loophole their way out a helping hand.

 

Sorry to hear about the extra water in your condo and your problems with the insurance company. Six years ago a tornado hit my house and I argued with the adjusters for almost 4 months before they would agree to the repair estimates I got from their recommended contractors.

 

You may pay the premiums but the insurance company will try every trick in the book to avoid payment or intimidate you into accepting less than replacement costs. Glad you got legal help because that's the only language they understand.

[Guest rohale]

It's good to know that Benjamin hired a bunch of lawyers who will hopefully give a good figurative smack to the insurance company and kick them right where it hurts. I hope the lawyers themselves do their job properly and in a timely fashion. One of the disadvantages of dealing with insurance companies is that they will send out their own private contractors. Just make sure that their contractor licenses have been updated and that they have submitted a W9 form for tax purposes. This usually helps the state know who is sanctioned to do a job legally. You'd be very suprised by how many working contractors don't have these basic requirements and yet are still being paid for work that they shouldn't be doing. Always find out the reputation of a particular contractor by calling a home building company or even the Better Business Bureau. Off course be very wary of a contractor when he or she starts pointing out faults in the house. Don't feel intimidated and remind the person that they are being paid for a specific job. These tiny things can make a hell of a difference to avoid paying any unnecessary extra costs for nothing. I mentioned the Better Business Bureau, every state has an office that deals with complaints, if you feel that you're being ripped off by the insurance company then report them to the state. In turn the state will build build a case file before filing legal papers for a potential lawsuit. These are just some of the tiny things that people in general should be aware of.

 

Rohale

[Skyyguy]

Could you share with us their reasons for trying to get out of paying? I'm curious.

[OneFinger]

>Could you share with us their reasons for trying to get out of paying? I'm curious.

 

I can't speak for Benj, but in my particular case here's a summary of the disputes with the insurance company.

 

[li] Replacement vs Repair: I had a replacement rider on my policy which means they will replace item-for-item rather than pay a grossly depreciated value. My home had lathe & plaster walls and the insurance company wanted to use a patch-work of wallboard rather than re-plaster all the walls. In addition, I had a 12-foot chimney made of rock which was lost. They wanted to replace it with a smaller brick chimney.

 

[li]Dispute of Actual Damages: My insurance company told me that their adjuster "felt" my awnings were probably damaged prior to the tornado. Thank goodness I took pictures before starting the clean up and was able to prove the damage occurred during the tornado. (Kind of hard to claim the awnings weren't damaged when I had pictures of tree branches penetrating the metal.)

 

They also questioned what contents were actually in the rooms. Again, I had a video tape showing the house right after I moved in and before the tornado. That, along with the moving receipts which included serial numbers, proved what electronic components I actually had. The insurance company also disputed how many pairs of underwear, shoes, pants, shirts, etc that I owned and were damaged/destroyed in the tornado. They expected me to have receipts for EVERYTHING.

 

[li]Contributory Negligence: The insurance company claimed that the uprooted tree had not been properly maintained or trimmed. They wanted me to prove that the tree was not diseased and that branches had been routinely trimmed. They expected me to disprove their claim that the tree was previously diseased. (Thank goodness I kept the wood for the fireplace and could show them there were no insects or prior damage. Again, pictures before and after the tornado were invaluable.)

 

At least once a year I video tape the contents of my house and keep it locked away in a safe deposit box. I also tape receipts to the bottom of all furniture, electronics, microwave, toaster, computer, etc. (Copies of receipts are in a safe deposit box but the actual receipt stays with the item. This has helped a lot when needing warranty repairs or for merchandise returns.)

 

Right after the tornado I called my insurance agent who told me, "I don't do claims - I only sell insurance." He expected me to deal with nameless faces at a toll-free number. Within 24 hours of the tornado I had contacted the home office for the insurance company and had policy moved to a new agent. That man showed up with a $5,000 check to help cover my immediate needs (housing, clothing, etc.) which was later reconciled with actual receipts. But, my original agent offered no help other than, "Call the toll-free number, keep receipts for out-of-pocket expenses, and good luck." x(

 

Don't just hope that you'll never have a disaster in your life. Expect that you will and plan accordingly to be able to take care of yourself. (And, don't even get me started on health insurance companies.)

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Damn you're good OneFinger... Right on target

 

Also add in the cause of this flood (a dullard who lives next-door) and his unwillingness to do anything to repair what he ruined. After this whole mess is cleaned up, methinks my insurance company will rip him into little pieces and chew with delight.

 

For the time being, i'm just delighted that the contractors are working hard to get my place back to normal. Goodtimes.

 

Lesson learned? You can never have too much insurance.

 

 

Warmest Always,

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

[+ deej]

>Lesson learned? You can never have too much insurance.

 

Or too few neighbors.

 

The thing that terrifies me about buying a condo is I'm also buying the neighbors and all their bad habits.

 

Renting is bad enough, but a *truly* bad neighbor will eventually be thrown out (after doing damage that all renters will have to pay for).

 

As I shop my way through LA-area real estate (are these people freaking NUTS?!?!?!), the only reason I haven't bought something is assuming the neightbor-risk.

 

Bleh.

[tedbear]

>Renting is bad enough, but a *truly* bad neighbor will

>eventually be thrown out (after doing damage that all renters

>will have to pay for).

 

The same should be true in a condominium. In fact a condominium board can have more power to do so than a landlord--at least in my state. Of course, eviction can backfire in either case. Just yesterday, a condo owner in the Chicago suburbs returned from work to find that the sherrif's eviction notice meant what it said--his stuff was in the street. He sat in his car crying until the Board secretary came home. He felt she was to blame for his problems. So he shot her and the friend that was with her. She died.

 

I live in a large double-tower high rise that has a strong declaration, strong management and a strong board. Several owners (and their renters) have been evicted for not following rules and ignoring the warnings relating to that.

[+ bigjoey]

as onefinger points out, an agent can make all the difference. when shopping for insurance, price is not all that matters (sort of like shopping for escorts). i have a great agent and insurance company (CHUBB). whenever there has been a problem, they were great. the agent not only sells insurance but takes care of any problems and leads me through what to do to be sure i am satisfied with the result.

[OneFinger]

>Damn you're good OneFinger...

 

Thanks for remembering our last encounter. But, I felt you were the one who was good. :9

 

>...methinks my insurance company will rip him into little pieces and chew with delight.

 

This is referred to as subrogation. The word "subrogate" means to stand in for another. So, your insurance company covers the loss (on their own dime) and the sues the hell out of the guilty party. Prior to subrogation, your insurance company wouldn't cover a loss caused by others and you were expected to recover from the other insurance company or the insured. Subrogation is a very good thing and, although dealing with anyone on claims is painful, it's much easier when it's your insurance company going against them.

 

>Lesson learned? You can never have too much insurance.

 

AND a good lawyer on the side to keep the insurance company honest.

[OneFinger]

>as OneFinger points out, an agent can make all the difference.

 

Now, for the rest of the story... I've owned two other homes since the tornado incident. All are insured with the same company that I dealt with on the tornado claim. I've also got all my vehicles policies with the same company. But, I just don't settle for any agent. I actually interview the agents before getting a new policy and I make sure they understand my expectations.

 

I honestly don't believe there is a big difference in insurance companies. But, there is a major difference in their agents and the customer service they provide.