posted
Joey's post about the insurance adjuster brought several instances to mind of the utter venality and rampant greed of the insurance industry.
Last summer a fire at an old factory in town damaged several homes across the street. All the affected homeowners had fire insurance, and had been paying premiums for years. The property that burned was also insured. Nearly a year later both insurance companies are refusing to pay, each arguing that the other company is responsible. No claims have been settled on these homes and no work has been done, as these reprehensible thieving c***suckers fight over who's supposed to pay for the damages.
Early this year the company that carried my shop liability/fire/casualty insurance raised their rates over 30% - there was never a claim, they said it was an "anti-terrorism surcharge" (Dang! Al-qaeda must be targeting signshops for attacks and nobody told me.) So I found a less-expensive carrier and cancelled the old policy. Since then the old company - which no longer insures me, has never paid any sort of claim, and has no further responsiblity towards any potential claim in the future - has been billing me for $200, claiming they "underbilled" me for last year's coverage. Duh-uh.... what exactly am I supposed to get for that $200?
This is an industry that uses the government and/or the banking industry to force people to buy their product, thus guaranteeing their profits, but finds any and every excuse, however obscure or ridiculous, to deny payments on claims. And I haven't even MENTIONED the health insurance companies.
One thing I do know - I never seem to hear of anyone making a claim on an insurance policy that doesn't turn into some kind of aggravating horror show, or demonstrate how far down in the gutter insurance companies will crawl for money.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
You know, I am as much a free market person as any, but these scum don't fall into that category or deserve any of the protections they have bought and paid for.
I just went round and round with AAA over my homeowners jumping $230 a year and to hear two lies. 1. the lame excuse why they did 2. No, they really didn't raise it that high, it only appears on the bill that way.
Yeah, I got the lame 9-11 BS excuse years ago also. Who else gets to raise rates after the fact. Pull the money out of your damn ill gotten gains already in the kitty.
This is a socialist setup posing as a free market enterprise serving the public. No wonder all the biggest buildings are insurance ones.
I used to be so disgusted with my fellow citizens always padding insurance claims and falsifying them, but I don't know which is worse. The petty larceny of them, or the giant anal probing confiscation of our money by these reprehensible white collar Capones.
[ May 30, 2004, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: David Wright ]
-------------------- Wright Signs Wyandotte, Michigan Posts: 2785 | From: Wyandotte, MI USA | Registered: Jan 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
last year I looked at the company policy and all I found was page after page of exclusions. By the time I got done it seemed that nothing was covered at all.
We invited the insurance agent over to explain the coverage page by page. Well, he kept saying "you got me there" and fumbling around til he worked himself into a lather started yelling and ran out to his new corvette. Either he was clueless about the policy or was embarrased at being caught trying to cheat us. In anycase we never heard from him again.
ernie
-------------------- Balch Signs 1045 Raymond Rd Malta, NY 12020 518 885-9899 signs@balchsigns.com http://www.balchsigns.com Posts: 1701 | From: MaltaNY | Registered: Jan 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Just remember that in both home and shop insurance when something goes wrong, you have the right to use an independent insurance claims person. This means that you aren't at the mercy of your insurance companies claims adjuster who by the way, works from the company and not for you. By law you have the right to hire an independent who will not only work for you but get you the best returns and deal with the company on your behalf as quickly as possible so you don't have to.
All insurance companies can in reality, bite me
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
posted
Diane, I know what you mean about the exclusions. When cleaning out the desk, I found the homeowner's policy from the old company. After I got done going through the exclusions I couldn't think of 1 instance where we might need to file a claim that wasn't covered by exclusions.
Premiums go up, exclusions increase and claims are almost impossible to get through without an overwhelming urge to fire a grenade launcher directly at everyone involved with the insurance company. Meanwhile we see billboards about insurance fraud being a crime against all of us.
I propose a theory. Start testing everyone who works for insurance companies, from agents, adjusters, underwriters even the operator who answers the phone and somehow still manages to send you to the wrong person 9 out of 10 times. If their IQ is less than 10 points above the level it takes to breath on your own, get rid of them! Considering it takes at least 3 of these braindead idiots to have the brainpower of a coma patient, think of the savings! Initially, you'd think calls and claims would take longer to process due to fewer people, but when you consider most of the people there now are worthless and you'd only be dealing with people who can tie their own shoes, I'd think the time would be the same. Frustration level from talking to someone that you just know you could see the back of their head if you looked in their eyes would seriously decrease. And ya know what else...maybe, just maybe they could take some of that $ they're not paying people to take up space and pay a few claims.
posted
I called my agent because we found our dishwasher had been leaking very slowly for quite some time. We hadn't been in the storeroom, which is situated below the kitchen, in quite a while. A visit there showed that there was water damage in the drywall ceiling and the insulation was wet. I tore out all the wet stuff and called the agent to report the problem. I made the mistake of saying the "M" word which immediately caused the agent to say, "Sorry, Dennis, but "mold" isn't covered by any of the insurance companies."
Had I just told him we had water damage due to a leak we might have gotten some action. I guess the "black mold" problem caused them to decide mold of any kind was not to be covered. Heck, if we are lucky enough to find something they will cover, the deductible will usually cover whatever the problem is and they still don't pay out anything. The laws of our great land force us to carry insurance and it creates a virtual gravy train for those insurance companies. Nuff said.
-------------------- Dennis Davis Retired (Public Utility) Boise, Idaho denniso3@cableone.net Posts: 20 | From: Boise, Idaho | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
heres another cutie....hennie has the house in her name only because it was a family transaction between the sister after their mother passed away. the house was left to the 4 sisters and hennie bought them out as she had 1/4 equity. and so iam not on the deed or home owners policy. after her hystorectomy and fibrod removal, she got upside down with a few credit cards and filed bankrupcy. well bet you didnt know that if you file bankrupcy...you are unable to buy homeowners insurance? yep, they say when you file brankrupcy then you also will use your homeowners insurance for repairs to your house!!!!!!! anit that cute? also if you own a doberman, rotwieler or pit bull that you cant get homeowners. we had a house in sarasota, owned it 5-7 yrs i think, the insurance company sends us a letter that the are no longer insuring wooden homes!!!!!!! we never had a claim in that period of time. here you need flood insurance to claim water damage..even if its caused by a water pipe braking. hurrican insurance....cant buy it during june-nov...HURRICANE SEASON!!!!!
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Last year I was in an auto accident and my truck was totalled. Insurance provided a rental car and gave me real high dollar value for the truck.
When I had my hip replaced, they paid all they said they would above the deductible. Since the deductible was met for that year, I went in and had the second one replaced at no additional expense.
When lightning hit a power pole on the corner of our property, the homeowners policy covered a new well pump, septic pump, a bunch of stereo equipment, telephones and a freezer.
Seems that insurance prices are tremendous, but I keep being dealt with fairly.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6724 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
yes david....i do and so does hennie, but homeowners insurance problems? no that was not one of them untill almost 3 years after the bankrupcy!!!!! and we never filed a claim!!! we have it with some company.."that specilizes" in bankrupcy people, probably owned by the same company that canceled the other insurance. as for credit problems with the bankrupcy, no big deal. credit card companies....dont seem to care, she got 2 credit cards, within 12 months of the completion of the paperwork. yes, higher interest rate, yes, lower limit, and yes they make you less likly to get in over your head. which is a good thing. she went to her bank in oct got $6000 car loan at 5% for 5 years. we refinanced the house, and its at 5.50%. so apperently the finance company dont see it as a problem ansd neither does her bank.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
I think that if you look at the facts that the insurance companies rely on to determiners their company policies, you will find that, statistically, that bankrupt homeowners are more likely to file false and/or inflated claims than non-bankrupt clients will.
It isn't a slam against Hennie that she got dropped. They can not go on a case-by-case analysis of every policy holder. It would not be financially viable.
Look, you yourself like a lot of us, have labeled a lot of different professions with a broad brush. Not all lawyers are money grubbers. Not all doctors are money grubbers. Not all CEO's are money grubbers. Unfortunately, there are too many that are and it makes it rough for all of those who aren't.
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hello all I have a question or maybe a few of them. I am thinking about getting back into the sign industry again however I have to get the clients again (another story) My question is I have met with an insurance company that seems pretty reasonable, with health, vision, optical, dental. Has anyone ever used NASE before. For those of you who do not know what it is. It is the national association for the self employed. They offer payroll services, small business consultants, legal services, credit card processing just to name a few services that they offer. I liked the price that i was proposed and it is less that what my company pays for me where i am at now. This is a ppom policy and that is what they seem to offer to keep the services down to a minimum. If you use NASE please let me know if there are any problems with them? If so you can leave the message here or e-mail me
posted
One thing I do know - I never seem to hear of anyone making a claim on an insurance policy that doesn't turn into some kind of aggravating horror show, or demonstrate how far down in the gutter insurance companies will crawl for money.
this was the original posts subject. i was just giving the incidents of the problem we(hennie and i) have experianced with insurance companies. i know everybody has a preconceived idea of the type of people who file bankrupcy, which is the same one i had of them.....untill it happened here personally. it was a hard decision to make and neither of us wanted it,but no otherway to go. a lot of people get in that situation who dont fit that "profile." most of the people in america are one paycheck away from bankrupcy or losing everything they own. not every bankrupcy is the same circumstances. so lets stay with the original subject and not be so judgmental on the bearer of the message. alL i was doin is a F.Y.I.
[ May 31, 2004, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
The water damage/flood insurance thing kills me. Ten years ago I moved in with a fraternity brother who'd just bought his first home. He tried to get homeowners insurance but was told he could not because we were in a flood plain. It seemed that 80 years ago there was a flood that covered that part of the county...60 years before houses and drainage were put in. The "FLOOD", according to the Army Corp of Engineers was caused because a company cutting timber 80 years ago, blasted two hills to dam up a creek. The insurance companies don't care that in the 20 years since the house was built that the water has not risen to within 25 feet of the level the house sits on and that the creek is no longer even there. He pays double for his insurance on his hill than what I pay for mine on the river.
-------------------- Pat Whatley Montgomery, AL (334) 262-7446 office (334) 324-8465 cell Posts: 1306 | From: Wetumpka, AL USA | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic