When There Wasn't a Storm and Life Was Pretty Okay...

[WesternGuy]

Great image. How are you and your neighbours faring after the "storm"?

WesternGuy

I'm doing fine. I had a fantastic desk adjuster who took care of every need I had and never argued about my claim - but, I had photos and receipts so there wasn't much left to argue about. My neighbors on either side other than new roofs, haven't had anything else done to their houses at all.

Glad to hear that. I often hear stories of folks who get hassled by the adjusters after a catastrophe. Insurance companies often
don't want to pay any more than they absolutely have to.

WG

 

[bulldurham33 13]

What I found most interesting and this should be a HEED THIS notice to everyone on here, is that those people who had receipts and PHOTOGRAPHS of all their property fared the best with their insurance claims. Just because you have a policy that will cover $275,000 structure, $10,000 other structures, $137,500 contents and and another $137,500 for loss of use doesn't mean that's what they are going to give you - just because. The insurance industry works off "evidence." What can you show as evidence of everything you claim you lost? If you can't produce adequate documentation, you force the insurance company to do an on-site inspection and take what they deem as "lost, damaged or otherwise compromised." It's rarely close to adequate.

So, here's my advice to everyone: Take photos of everything you own or that is on your property. Take pictures of your closets, drawers, curio cabinets, etc...save receipts, especially large expenditure items such as roofs, chimney repairs, porch additions, etc. - I scan mine and put them as well as the photos on the cloud and update as needed. I also keep a copy on a CD in my safety deposit box, again updating as needed. If you do have an event, photo everything damaged, down to a drawer of paperclips, staplers, etc...I did and they replaced everything they could see in the image. I think it was about $65 but multiply that by every drawer in your house. My pots and pans alone came to over $800.

An example of how well this worked for me was getting reimbursed for my Alexa. It went with the wind but I had a photo that was time stamped showing its location by the TV and they covered that as well as my ROKU and Firestick, both of which were seen in the same area. I had a photo showing my work station and ruined computer and two removable hard drives. I had an attestation document from a recovery agency and so the insurance paid for my data restoration and two new drives. I had photo evidence and receipts.

My sister in law, who had none of the above, in the 11 months since the storm has collected zero dollars and had no work done. My two next door neighbors are in the same boat other than having water remediation and new roofs. It's your money but if you want to collect, you have to show PROOF!

Though they are not the same images for before and after comparisons, you can see how well my adjuster could ascertain the validity of my claim.

 

[K9Kirk]

What I found most interesting and this should be a HEED THIS notice to everyone on here, is that those people who had receipts and PHOTOGRAPHS of all their property fared the best with their insurance claims. Just because you have a policy that will cover $275,000 structure, $10,000 other structures, $137,500 contents and and another $137,500 for loss of use doesn't mean that's what they are going to give you - just because. The insurance industry works off "evidence." What can you show as evidence of everything you claim you lost? If you can't produce adequate documentation, you force the insurance company to do an on-site inspection and take what they deem as "lost, damaged or otherwise compromised." It's rarely close to adequate.

So, here's my advice to everyone: Take photos of everything you own or that is on your property. Take pictures of your closets, drawers, curio cabinets, etc...save receipts, especially large expenditure items such as roofs, chimney repairs, porch additions, etc. - I scan mine and put them as well as the photos on the cloud and update as needed. I also keep a copy on a CD in my safety deposit box, again updating as needed. If you do have an event, photo everything damaged, down to a drawer of paperclips, staplers, etc...I did and they replaced everything they could see in the image. I think it was about $65 but multiply that by every drawer in your house. My pots and pans alone came to over $800.

An example of how well this worked for me was getting reimbursed for my Alexa. It went with the wind but I had a photo that was time stamped showing its location by the TV and they covered that as well as my ROKU and Firestick, both of which were seen in the same area. I had a photo showing my work station and ruined computer and two removable hard drives. I had an attestation document from a recovery agency and so the insurance paid for my data restoration and two new drives. I had photo evidence and receipts.

My sister in law, who had none of the above, in the 11 months since the storm has collected zero dollars and had no work done. My two next door neighbors are in the same boat other than having water remediation and new roofs. It's your money but if you want to collect, you have to show PROOF!

Though they are not the same images for before and after comparisons, you can see how well my adjuster could ascertain the validity of my claim.

View attachment 182567

View attachment 182568

View attachment 182569

View attachment 182570

Insurance companies also know that it's all about proof with any judge in any court and they don't like losing.

 

[WesternGuy]

BD, thanks for the advice. We don't get hurricanes where I live, but there is the occasional tornado and we can also get some pretty wicked thunderstorms in the summer. I will start taking pictures of everything. Outside may have to wait as images of snow-covered things aren't as useful as those without the white stuff.

WesternGuy