To fill everybody in on what is going on. The 14th of December a Pacific Storm hit and we had some gusts up to 108 mph at the Coast Guard Station. Power went out and made a mess of everything. Then when the water went down I was able to get to the Island (as I call my shop when it rains) and found that the wind had tore the doors off the Dodge House and that the entire roof of both the Shop and the Garage were leaking. Now to make it even worse there is a leak in the roof over the kitchen in the house. The adjuster climbed on all three roofs and told me that the Dodge isn't covered for incidental damages. The body started to rust where it was bare metal and the fenders were torn from the rafters by the doors. One of my tool boxes is full of water and I spent the afternoon cleaning drying and oiling them all. He said he doesn't make any decissions all he can do is send it in to the insurance company (They pay the bills) and let them decide. I guess this is going to be another one of them "Oh Shit" Days.
Don't give up too easy with the insurance company. Their figure is not gospel. If it's true that some of your possesions aren't covered, you can still work on maximizing the money on the damages that are covered. Then you can do some of the work yourself,or find your own people to do the work at a lower rate, you can keep the difference-there's nothing wrong with that. They make you jump through hoops, but you can almost always get more than their original offer. If there was a HAMBer near you that was a qualified contractor, I'm sure he could be of help. It would cost you a little, but the payoff could be substantial. Sorry I don't live near you, or I'd help you out.
Generally speaking, house insurance does not cover anything automotive related. I learned that the hard way. If you have replacement coverage on your posesions, be sure you do not miss anything that was damaged. I got $50 each for some nasty old caninets and the adjusted told me to be sure I listed all my fishing stuff that was kept in the now gone rafters of the garage roof. (I don't fish, but remembered a few items...) Tools that can be used on general house hold type stuff is covered by insurance, but specific tools for auto repair are not, be sure to list the ones that are general repair tools. Good luck, Gene
Gumpa, I feel for you. I'm a property insurance adjuster myself. I've been extremely busy the past month or so. If you need to bounce anything off me, shoot me a PM. I could even take a look at your policy if you'd like and give you some tips about how to itemize your loss to maximize your $$. It is true that most homeowner's policies do not cover automobiles or any other item that you could purchase an additional policy for (boats, RV's, ATV's, motorcycles, etc.) There are a few exceptions however. An honest adjuster will do everything in his power to get you every $ you deserve. Some adjusters don't give a shit, and just don't care. Hopefully you'll wind up with one of the former.
This is true. I have run into some adjusters that have been very helpful to the homeowner, and a pleasure to work with, but I have delt with plenty who can be overzealous in their desire to help the company cut their losses. And both types can be from the same insurance company!
Don't settle too soon. I had storm damage (basement flood) about 12 years ago. The first adjuster to show wrote a check on the spot for $500. I handed it back and the guy and he was kind of a jerk. Called the insurance company and they sent a second adjuster. He came and wrote a check for $5000, the maximum of my policy. Ended up the the first guy was a contract adjuster, the second was an adjuster for the agency.
Cars or parts attached to cars aren't covered by Homeowner's insurance. Parts not attached generally are, or at least were by Grange Ins. when I had a garage fire and lost everything in 1995. They also covered automotive tools like my tire machine. I salvaged a bunch of hand tools but claimed them anyway since they were rusted. The best advice that I can give you is to list EVERYTHING you can think of, including those wet tools as a loss and try to max out your policy. That'll help pay for your Dodge's parts and then some. I did that and it paid for the race car that burned up. Speaking of fishing stuff, I had a bunch of old trolling plugs of my dad's, found their value as antiques and received quite a lot of money from them. Jan
He said he doesn't make any decissions all he can do is send it in to the insurance company (They pay the bills) and let them decide. I guess this is going to be another one of them "Oh Shit" Days. Been dealing with insurance adjusters for decades and what was said by others is true there are some good , concientious people and then there are the ones that everyone would like to ( pick you own method of demise). Sometimes its the company big shots that are the bad guys as they are the ones setting the direction and making the rep the fall guy. If this person is a liscensed public adjuster he is probably bound by state statute ( varies from state to state)to write a fair and unbiased assessment of the damage. If he favors one party or the other he can become liable for that shortage which would be paid by filing for the shortage under the adjusters " errors and omission insurance". If he says the insurance company hired me to assess this loss and I have to write the payment schedule they tell me . He may have violated the his state obligations. If he's a company representative this may not apply. Dont be afraid to inquire about hiring a public adjuster to represent you . They usually charge a percentage of the total claim , but the good ones are worth the money because they know the laws and insurance contracts and their knowledge and contacts can expedite things. Last year a neighboring business owner had a fire loss. I did a google search under "What to do after a fire loss " and I came upon a public adjusters website that listed about 35 important things to do after a loss. It was some of the best information I have seen in years. Whether its fire or wind its still an insurance loss. I need to do some research to locate the link to this site. Dont forget to keep a log of every activity and conversation you have regarding your claim. This is very important if anything goes astray. Dont be afraid to put things in writing and send them to your insurance carrier. The letter is more powerfull than the phone call. Insurance companies in some states are bound to respond in writing to your written concerns within specific timelines and thier written responses can be different than thier representatives spoken word. Usually all written responses are checked carefully to make sure they are not violating the contract and are checked by supervisory staff before being sent . Also if they screw up in writeing you've got the documentation. Resolving an insurance claim can be like doing homework with a pair of 8 year old twins that dont want to do thier homework. Seriously! The insurance company can act just like the kids. They know that the longer they delay the better the chance is that they get out of the task or the might only have to do the math istead of all 5 assignments. But just like doing homework you must prepare . You need to know the days assignments ( what is the ins. co. obligation) , a spare set of books in the closet just in case they forget ( what are the claims statutes and company policies), ect. Its all based on the time. The person who controls the time controls the negotiation. Not trying to complicate things or scare, but over the years I have seen many people cave in instead of standing up for what they are rightfully owed and thier loss is the companies gain. The claim representatives respond to you based on a computorized program that tells them what to say , to lessen their exposure, in response to your claim. The claim representatives at some companies may not get thier next pay raise if they dont meet specific loss criteria per claim, and remember the profit sharing or stock program they participate in . But of course they will give you a fair settlement? Hope things work out for you .
You also might want to talk to a tax guy about writing off your loss that wasn't paid for by the insurance company (i.e. car stuff). This can net you a huge deduction.
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