Does anyone have any experience dealing with insurance

[redstatebluegirl]

claims? Our roof was totalled during a hail storm. It broke skylights, two windows and tore the siding up on the east side of the house. We had a contractor come out who said it would cost over $20000 to fix it. Our insurance company is offering $8000. We have never had a claim like this before, is this normal? Of so, why do we pay through the nose for this crap? We just put a new roof on with new gutters 6 years ago which we paid for. I am so pissed, dealing with this moron adjuster who could not even get his computer to work.

Thanks I needed to vent.

[JT45242]

1. We appealed and got favorable results

We had an estimate from the contractor that we wanted. The insurance company said that pnly 25% of the roof NEEDED to be replaced.

So, we appealed.

A guy from the insurance company (some sort of field adjuster) and our contractor went up on the roof to talk about the differences.

The insurance guy pulled on a tile and it came right off the roof in an area that they said was "fine." He turned to me and said "I just bought your whole roof with that move."

Doesn't always go that smoothly.

A lot of insurance companies will try to low ball you the first time. You just appeal and make certain you have the contractor that you plan to have the work done with (after getting 2-3 bids) there to argue for the work. Usually they will come up and meet you somewhere in between what they should pay (what your contractor bid, who should be one of the two lowest bids) and what they wanted to pay (as close to zero as they can). A good contractor will have done this many times, so it is a good question to ask about when you get bids.

The companies figure that most people will just give up and they save a lot of money that way.

Have the contractor focus on areas that the insurance adjuster said were 'OK' that he determined needed to be replaced.

Hope that helps.

[gibraltar72]

2. 26 years in the industry.

What was your coverage compared to replacement value??

[redstatebluegirl]

13. I am pulling our policy to look at it.

It is a large company we love our agent but a large amount of houses got hit this time I am sure he is really busy. The said that we could file a supplemental claim if more is found. They just sent a young guy out to take pictures no real adjuster. They used something called eagle eye to determine damage.

[Ellipsis]

3. Get a second estimate.

Sounds like they're just pricing out the roof repair.

[MontanaMama]

4. Keep in mind that insurance is a corporation

that holds no responsibility to anyone other than its shareholders. Keep asking questions and maybe request another adjuster? Is there a maximum payout per incident on this policy?

[jmbar2]

5. Ask them to recommend a repair company in that range

All insurance offices have a roster of companies they use for emergency repairs. Their repair estimates are usually based on a book of typical costs for an area. If their book is old, it may not take into account the current skyrocketing price of materials and labor.

If they cannot help you find someone in the offered range, then make a counter offer minus your deductible. See also comment above on replacement cost. This may be the issue.

(Insurance office worker, many years ago.)

[redstatebluegirl]

15. Thanks our policy says replacement cost.

[sarisataka]

6. Several possibilities

One is that the insurance company thinks the roof can be repaired rather than replaced so they are only wanting to pay for the sections they say are damaged.

A second possibility is you have a less than reputable insurance company and they are just trying to get away with lowballing you.

3rd is that the contractor is trying to wring extra money out of the insurance company and claiming more damage than there really is.

And lastly but probably most important is what does your policy say. Is it written to fix the roof at full value or does it say replace at actual cash value, or sometimes replace at current value or other verbage which all of which essentially means depreciated? Many policies do this for roofs to keep the price down but then when you need it you find out you have much less coverage than you thought you did.

[Haggard Celine]

7. I had to get a new roof last year.

Hurricane Zeta did some damage to my roof, about $1000 worth, but the insurance company went ahead and paid for a new roof, minus the deductible. I think the deductible was $2200. Anyway, I got not quite $6000 from them and had to come up with the rest. My mom found some people for me who did it for $7000, so I was fortunate. I don't know where you are, but I'm thinking $8000 might be about right. Of course it matters how big your house is, too, and what style roof you have. Get some estimates for the insurance company. $20,000 is outrageous, though!

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Yes. You should look for a licensed public adjuster in your area...

https://www.valuepenguin.com/public-insurance-adjusters

Your insurance policy has loads of little traps and gotchas, like coinsurance, replacement vs. actual value, and other good stuff few homeowners ever thought about. A good adjuster knows about these things and can fight the company for you. It will also itemize the loss, instead of the gross number the company threw out at you.

Your insurance agency might be able to help to some extent, but they also have obligations to the company, so are not always the best resource. Your agency might be able to recommend a good adjuster.

If that doesn't work, a lawyer will, but will cost you even more.

Remember, an insurance claim offer is just their opening bet.

[mnhtnbb]

16. A licensed public adjuster may help you get more from your insurance company

but will take a percentage of it. We had to hire a public adjuster in 2007 after our house burned down. The insurance company offered us about 2/3 of our mortgage. Eventually we got enough to pay off the mortgage, but the adjuster took 15%. We ended up out of pocket for about $30K for removing huge trees that had been burned and demolishing the house, but that was a LOT less than what we would have had to pony up to pay off a mortgage on a burned down house.

[doc03]

9. I had hail damage about 15 years ago. I had AARP

(Hartford) insurance. An adjustor came here pulled in the driveway never even got out of his car. He said I don't see any hail damage. I showed him photos the contractor took. He couldn't deny the dents on the turtle vents and gutters so he said they would replace 3 turtle vents and 1 square of shingles no gutters. I called the insurance company a couple times with no results. On my final call I told them I was turning them in to the Insurance Board and the BBB. The next morning they said they would send another adjuster he admitted there was damage and I was paid for a new roof and gutters. The day I got my check after cashing it I called and cancelled all my insurance with Hartford. F-- AARP and Hartford. They put me thru hell 3 months while all my neighbors had their roofs fixed.

[doc03]

11. I had another experience with a company Gutter

Helmet. The gutters were not installed properly, birds built nests in them. They guarantee you will never have to clean them and they were completely plugged with straw from the birds. I called for help after a year of fighting with them I posted on a web site Pissed Off Consumer. After a few days they called and said they would fix them a guy came out and in like 15 minutes the problem was solved. The Gutter Helmet was installed a few years after I had the roof and gutters replaced by the insurance.

[marie999]

12. We we hit by hurricane Florence.

The insurance company gave us $24,000. We hired an independent company that works with insurance companies. They get 10% of what they can get you from the insurance company. We ended up with another $32,000. It still would not have been enough to pay for the repairs except our son is a building contractor. He worked for free but we paid his help and wholesale for the material. If the house had been totalled we would have received $140,000 enough for our son to have built us a really nice house. We are also insured for up to $26,000 for us to pay for a place to stay and food if the house is not livable during repairs.

[LakeArenal]

14. You have to make sure "full replacement costs" on your policy.

I lost once because my policy did not say that.

[Deacon Blue]

17. Violations of State Insurance Code and Regulations?

I defended insurance companies (ones who are good neighbors, others with good hands, etc.) against lawsuits filed by policyholders based on violations of the state insurance code, which is tied to the general consumer protection statute. I cannot imagine a state which does not have these laws. Treble damages and attorneys’ fees are usually recoverable. Aggravated, nauseated, stressed over financial ruin, losing sleep, arguing with your spouse, headaches? These are physical manifestations of mental anguish, which you may be able to recover if your insurer acted with the intent to lowball you. You’ll find out that they teach the adjusters a strategy designed to save the company money, to line the already deep pockets of shareholders.

After the scales fell from my eyes and I realized that insurance companies were worth billions of dollars, and earned billions more every year, year in, year out, I started suing them.

Your insurance company will actively dissuade you from getting a lawyer, which is a strong indicator that a lawyer will address the imbalance of knowledge and legal firepower. You need legal help ASAP, and certainly before you sign anything, put anything in writing OR HIRE A PUBLIC ADJUSTER.

Where do you live (what state)? Google your state’s trial lawyers association, many lawyers who sue insurance companies for personal injury damages also sue for aggrieved consumers, i.e., policyholders. Juries are made of policyholders, not insurance adjusters.

[redstatebluegirl]

18. Thanks we live in Oklahoma.

We talked to the goofy adjuster again last night and my husband almost lost it. I think he hung up on him.