Home and Auto Insurance

[amboy49]

If you qualify - think seriously about USAA. You have to have military connection in some manner - you personally, family member, parent, etc.

I have also had Hanover for home and auto - through a local independent agent.

To expand the thread, how many schedule their firearms on their homeowner’s policy - or better still, use a separate independent speciality carrier ?

 

[Ingomike]

Don't like Erie so much - they're refusing to pay our deductible for an accident caused by one of their clients.

Then the police report is not clear who is at fault. What does your agent say?

 

[K_W]

Wife and I have Safeco. They worked with me when my car was rear ended by a texting teen, gave me credit for new tires, accounted for all options, overall condition, and low mileage... walked away with more than I paid for the car.

 

[spencer rifle]

Then the police report is not clear who is at fault. What does your agent say?

Our agent has sent us several letters stating that Erie is not paying but they are still working on it.

 

[Ingomike]

Our agent has sent us several letters stating that Erie is not paying but they are still working on it.

Good luck!

 

[CHCRandy]

I had Allstate for 35 years or more house and cars, never a claim. Bought the wife a new Malibu and they tried to double my car insurance premium. I shopped around and Geico insured me for a year for what I was paying for 6-8 months at Allstate, and it included the new car. So I switched. Within months of switching we had a car stolen, Geico paid it off no questions asked, then defended me when the stolen car was involved in a crash with serious injuries. Warren Buffet has really made Geico into a cash cow since he purchased it.

I still have Allstate home insurance, but just because I keep waiting for a claim....simply because I hate to give them $20K+ in premiums and never get a claim on them. I will eventually switch from them.

 

[JRR85]

Indiana farm bureau if you have acreage and barns/sheds.

 

[CHCRandy]

Benn with Allstate or years. Filed a claim for storm damage to our house and the barn when shingles were blown off. They sent the adjuster out and looked at the roofs. Told us it was $450 worth of repairs and our deductible was $1000. They weren't paying to replace the roofs even though the singles are s#@t and we will be chasing repairs in spots until the whole roof is replaced. They are about to loose my business on the homeowners, vehicles, and my policy for side work.

Not sure if you are aware or not, but just because the insurance company refuses to pay, don't mean they will not be forced to pay. The story don't end when an adjuster says he isnt paying...that is only the start. I deal with insurance agents denying claims weekly of a summer time, and 85-90% of them denials I get approved for replacement if customer will fight along with me against the insurance.

Storm damage is a tough deal, insurance companies want to deny them and most contractors want to replace them. Insurance company wants to save money and contractor wants to make money. Contractors and insurance companies have made it hard on ourselves, because many contractors will say roof needs replaced whether it does or not, and most "in house" adjusters will say roof don't need replaced whether it does or not. This all started because insurance companies will use catastrophic adjusters as sub contractors when a lot of damage is in the area. These "cat" adjusters, as we call them, are paid a % of claim. So many of them will approve a home even if no damage, since they are being paid % of claim. The only way they get caught is by random audits, which rarely happen before the roof is replaced. Where an in house adjuster actually works for just that company, and his bonus is paid on what he saves the company. Contractors picked up on this many years ago, so if we have a large hail or wind storm, we know we dramatically increase our odds of getting a roof replaced because chances are we will get a "cat" adjuster. So now, many contractors tell people they have damage when they don't, in hopes the adjuster is a cat and approves it....but when you get an in house adjuster and no damage....you are screwed and the customer gets a claim on record for nothing.

I have found just being honest with both the customer and adjuster is best. Shingle blow offs can be complicated, unlike hail damage, because there are disagreements on whether enough damage is done to require full replace. There are many ways around this dispute. First, is the existing shingle discontinued or still made? We can send samples to engineering labs at insurances expense, to determine if discontinued, if discontinued you fight them on that grounds and it is a slam dunk. Secondly, is the damage seen from the road or not? If it is seen from the road, your defense is not color being different but "appearance" depreciating your home from a patch work roof job. Your insurance is not required to match color of shingle, but they are obligated and contracted to restore your home to as good or better value and appearance the home had before damage.

If denied on first inspection by the adjuster, you can call for a re-inspection with your Contractor and their Supervisor and Engineer.

Worse case, there are firms we can hire to fight the denial. These are adjusters who are also lawyers. They charge a % of the claim to fight for you as the homeowner or me as the contractor. They know all the loopholes and technicalities. And they usually jack the cost up so much to the insurance that the contractor/homeowner never even misses the fees. I have seen these guys turn $12,000 denied claims into $30,000 approved claims.

Enough rambling from me. Just wanted people to know this with Spring coming.

 

[jaymark6655]

Having a dog raises your rates?

They sure wanted to.

 

[J Galt]

Probably under the category of TMI, but just in case anyone is reading.......

FWIW the cost isn't as important as the coverage. This is where an intelligent, motivated agent comes into play. They can help navigate the minefield of exclusions (what's not covered) and coverage (what is covered), and under what circumstance.

The policy consists of 2 parts in general.

Part 1 - The base policy
This tells you what is covered, what is not covered, and under what circumstances. Yes, something may or not be covered depending on the circumstances involved. This will vary from company to company.

Part 2 - The amendments, aka endorsements
This provides additional coverage, or removes / decreases coverage. This varies by company as well as what you would like to modify.

What's the practical part of this basic breakdown?

You can have 2 insurance companies that both offer home owner's insurance. Company one's policy covers a back up of sewers and drains (BUSD) as part of the base policy. Company two specifically excludes it as part of their base policy. On the surface they offer the same product - homeowner insurance. You find out the difference after you need to file a claim.....or actually read the policy.

Endorsements come into play when you want to modify that specific company's base policy. If their base policy does not cover damages due to tree roots growing into a sewer line, some companies will offer an endorsement to cover that, usually at an added cost.

On the other hand if you want to try and decrease your cost you can add an endorsement that provides a higher deductible for specific causes of damage (e.g. wind or hail) while dropping your premium cost.

Some of the things I look at specifically when choosing my policy are some common and expensive causes of loss:

• BUSD - beneficial coverage
• service line coverage- beneficial coverage
• mold remediation - beneficial coverage
• roof ACV endorsement - you will be reimbursed less for a covered loss based on the age of your roof
• hidden damage - beneficial coverage

Hope this helps someone.

 

[CHCRandy]

Nothing I hate more than an ACV policy, unless it is maybe the hidden deductibles they put on roof damage and don't tell the customer it has changed. I see ACV on a lot of rental homes. Them people always get hosed it seems.

 

[bigretic]

We carry Erie at the gun club. Maybe i'll contact the rep.

 

[J Galt]

Nothing I hate more than an ACV policy, unless it is maybe the hidden deductibles they put on roof damage and don't tell the customer it has changed. I see ACV on a lot of rental homes. Them people always get hosed it seems.

I'm not a fan of any insurance company, but the policy holder is always told in the form of their policy. It's a contract and the terms are written so there's no surprises.

If someone refuses to read something as important as insurance on their home, and fail to ask questions, then it's 100% their fault.

 

[CHCRandy]

I'm not a fan of any insurance company, but the policy holder is always told in the form of their policy. It's a contract and the terms are written so there's no surprises.

If someone refuses to read something as important as insurance on their home, and fail to ask questions, then it's 100% their fault.

I agree.....but most people that just pay the premium every year, or in a lot of cases, their mortgage company pays the premium....simply don't read policies every time at renewal. When I buy a policy the first time, then I ask questions and read, but after 5-10 years of it being the same, why would the normal person expect it to change? You and I would expect it, but just normal people I don't think they do. They read it when they need to use it.

Just seems a little dishonest to sell a person the same thing for 5-10-15 years, then change their coverage and never mention it, other than in fine print. An honest company would point out the change for you to review.....before accepting the changes.

 

[J Galt]

Maybe

I agree.....but most people that just pay the premium every year, or in a lot of cases, their mortgage company pays the premium....simply don't read policies every time at renewal. When I buy a policy the first time, then I ask questions and read, but after 5-10 years of it being the same, why would the normal person expect it to change? You and I would expect it, but just normal people I don't think they do. They read it when they need to use it.

Just seems a little dishonest to sell a person the same thing for 5-10-15 years, then change their coverage and never mention it, other than in fine print. An honest company would point out the change for you to review.....before accepting the changes.

Maybe I'm a bit over the top in terms of personal responsibility but it still falls to the individual.

I don't trust the insurance company. I don't like the insurance company. I think 99% of people would agree with this. So why would you trust something you don't like or trust to not change things to their benefit?

Would it be legit "customer service" if they pointed out changes? Yes.

Was it pointed out and not understood, or forgotten? Possibly.

Back to the OP. I'd suggest asking your agent for the most common / expensive claims that are filed and ask what the policy language is with respect to those types of losses.