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crunch
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 271 Niagara County, NY
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2010-09-25          174170

This week a gust of wind knocked over a giant poplar (see my pics) which crushed my golf cart, porch swing, composter and knocked the window out of my boat. No big deal except you need a PhD in insurance policies to collect.

1-$1500 limit on boat. Destroyed cover alone is $1,086
2-Tree removal estimate must be in 2 parts, a) lifting the trees off the damaged property, b)removal of trees from property. Total cannot exceed $1,000. Removal of trees from property cannot exceed $500.
3-Finding a replacement window for boat. Dealers don't want to be bothered, I have a call into Regal factory to see if they have a 1999 window hanging around. Otherwise I must get a quote to rebuild window and then get a dealer to give labor estimate.
4-$1000 deductible. It turns out I have 2 insurance policies - Amica homeowners and Boat US for boat. They both cover the boat. But because I called Amica first, Boat US will not cover anything unless I don't get fully reimbursed from Amica. And they both have $1,000 deductible so I can't get Boat US to pay the Amica deductible.

Soooo, who knows. I will probably end up with a loss on this even though I pay a lot of $ for all the best insurance options. And Amica is one of the highest rated companies in consumer reports. Buut, after I get this cleaned up I may be in the market for another golf cart, Kawasaki mule, or JD gator. We will see. The wife really misses her golf cart :)


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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2010-09-25          174174

Homeowner insurers generally don't cover trees themselves but do cover damage caused by the breakage of a tree on your property. And there are invariably deductables and payment limits. So I don't think you need help in dealing with Amica, which is excellent.

Where you might enlist the help of an insurer advocate or consultant is in getting the most out of the redundant coverage. ....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2010-09-25          174176

Sorry to see that crunch but it could have been worse. Glad it didn't fall on the house or car or a family member!

Amica has been very good to us on Car insurance. We have them on our house, too, but haven't needed them for that (fortunately).
....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-09-25          174185

Crunch;
Sorry to hear of your storm experience, but first the good parts, nobody hurt, and just the excuse you needed to get a Gator.
Our insurance policy is a "One size fits all" so to speak. It covers both houses, the cars, pickup, farm buildings, every thing inside of the houses, buildings, farm liability, etc. all for two tidy premium payments per year.
I will be the last to say I understand insurance terms and definitions so I guees you just have to trust you agent. I have a friend who was amazed to learn that I've never read out poicy word for word, cover to cover, just the high points. Again that's where you have to trust the agent. We're perety rural here so I've known the agent since high school, fifty years this year.
We've had almost every car or truck type claim from totals to deer hits to hit and runs, so far just pay the deductible and no hassle. Last summer,(09), we had quite a bit of storm damage at the farm, roofs, commercial size overhead doors, 35 ft. flagpole, storm doors, etc., etc. I called the agent on a Friday an hour after the storm, the adjuster came on Saturday, said get it fixed and send us the bill, all but the 1000.00 deductible on the whole works, there were no limits per item. So as I said I know very little about insurance of any kind so there are probably as many different home owner policys as there days in a year.
Frank. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2010-09-25          174191

Will join the others glad no more serious that it was. It would seem the boat policy would be primary as it is only on the boat. Don't just trust they are correct there. Even the best make mistakes. Then have known of adjustors who just were not honest. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2010-09-27          174213

Having thought on this more, talk with your agent. If separate agents talk with both. If not pleased then call your State Department of Insurance.

Now why the $1500 limit on your boat? Was that an agreed to value or limit in your policy? Or did their policy not give a limit but that is the book value of the boat? Crunch not a boat insurance pro but the cover probably is not the same coverage as the boat itself, it probably is under accessories or such. As such could it be considered personal property under your HO policy?

....

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crunch
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 271 Niagara County, NY
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2010-09-27          174222

Thanks for the comments! Really, I am not fretting over this. I am happy to have an excuse to buy another toy! I am just amazed at how complicated the rules can get. I wonder why they don't put this in the language of a homeowner rather than an insurance agent.

We ARE lucky. No one was hurt. I normally park my cars where the trees fell. I moved them because of the berries that a tree was dropping all over my car. I now have a tree estimate. I just gotta find a way to quantify the boat windshield now. I will buy my wife (and me) something nice to replace the golf cart even if I don't break even with the repairs.

....

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crunch
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 271 Niagara County, NY
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2010-10-06          174402

So I bought a mule 610 cx. The wife is having a ball. Great little machine! Regarding highly rated Amica insurance, they sent an adjuster out who was very decent to me and sent me papers to sign with decent figures for my claim. I was just getting ready to sign the papers.

Then Amica calls and says "Congratulations, we are going to offer you X amount with no depreciation". But the amount is $1,000 less than the papers sent to me by their adjuster. Unbelievable!! So I tell them that the adjuster offered me more and they decided to call the adjuster they sent to me so they can get their act together on the numbers.

I am waiting to hear back from them. I would think they have to give me what was offered by the adjuster at this point. But who knows - what a goat rodeo!! ....

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2010-10-07          174418

Usually the adjuster, whether in-house or external, only recommends the claim disposition to the insurer and is not authorized to obligate the company. The claims agent (exact title differs among companies) considers this plus other factors, and makes an offer to the policy-holder (that can be increased). This office-holder also decides on policy renewal terms (continue as is, decrease coverage or raise deductable, increase premium, or decline).

Forgot to mention earlier that while insurers won't replace a fallen tree, they will usually cover its removal and cleanup. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2010-10-07          174430

Don't forget the information you are getting on your insurance does vary some from State to State but there is a basic standard Homeowners policy which is the base used in most states. In SC the tree probably would have no coverage on it had it not done damage. As to adjuster obligating the company. if they are that company's own it sure would be hard for them to admit their adjuster was not qualified and if one they contract with think it would be about as hard to.

If you go to their web site where JD Powers rated them there are a lot of comments. As you would expect know those unhappy will make the effort to post when those pleased have little reason to. ....

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crunch
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 271 Niagara County, NY
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2010-10-07          174435

Thanks KT and Auer, interesting that although the insurance company can send an adjuster out they don't even wait for his assessment. Interesting that they are not obligated to the adjuster. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2010-10-08          174444

Crunch, in today's world my guess is the adjuster info was to the company within a few minutes of their leaving you.

It does amaze me how much claims service can vary between companies. About 20 years ago we had a wind or very mild tornado that damaged our house as one of the first two hit. A friend of mine was one of the last about 5 miles or so away. The adjuster told my wife we did not have enough damage to meet our $500 or $1,000 deductible and about a month later had to write us a check for over $10,000. The biggest damage to my friends was it blew in three garage doors and blew out the back wall. The adjuster wanted them to reused the materials from the old back wall. Contractor told him sure we can save some on materials but do you have any idea how much that salvage labor will be?

About 3 years later my friends house (which we had insured then) suffered damaged to the roof by a hurricane. Now realize such major events brings in "get the claims handled" attitude but when my friend called the company and spoke to the adjuster he was asked and how much will it cost to repair it? Shocked him, they took one contractor price and mailed the check and never saw the damage that he was aware of. He was the best ad you could ever have. But the second company told it's agents which shocked me, an insured contacts you with a claim on their house for such damage as yours, write them a check if they dollar amount they ask for seems reasonable. Two reasons, the claim can only get larger the more it is argued (what happened with our house) and quick payment builds customers.

Then the same company who handled my friends claim so quickly gave a person I knew who had bought with a different agency pure havoc. He was a young adjuster and let it be known he was going to save the company money on that claim. Sad part was his agent did not care. I furnished him with the company's own documents that proved the adjuster was totally wrong. Of all your insurance polcies the one you do want stored away from your home is the coverage on it, at least a full copy of it. ....

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