Home owner's policy is a joke

[Tsing Tao]

Lightning hits tree, splits tree. Tree is hanging on by a thread, perilously over the house. Tree has a 4 foot diameter at base, so it's no small tree. If it breaks, it falls over the master bed suite, and the roof is gone.

So I get a tree company to deal with it immediately.

Adjuster handling the claim: We do not pay for Tree removal.

Me: But if I didn't have it removed, it would have cost a lot more with the damage.

Adjuster: We would have paid that.

Me: So you would have paid if I let the tree wreck the house?

Adjuster: Not if you knew it would wreck the house and did nothing to prevent it.

Me: What?

Adjuster: If you knew that by doing nothing, the tree would wreck the house, we would not pay the claim.

Me: So if I knew the tree would damage the house, and did nothing, I'd have a wrecked house and no ability to get reimbursed. But since I did act to protect from loss, you won't cover the tree removal?

Adjuster: Correct. But we will pay up to $500 for a replacement.

Me: A replacement for what? The tree?

Adjuster: Correct.

Me: How can I put a new tree in if the old tree is there, dead? Perhaps you've heard of the concept in physics where no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time?

Adjuster: That is what your policy states, I'm sorry.

#%#$^%!#!@

What a joke. Having never gone through the claim process before on a home owner's policy, is there an appeals process?

 

[Overnight]

What a joke. Having never gone through the claim process before on a home owner's policy, is there an appeals process?

Yer gonna' hate me for saying this, but if there's an appeal process it's probably listed in the policy text. And yeah, lots of text to read.

Great story though, it reads like a Dilbert comic, where you are Dilbert and the insurance company is the pointy-haired boss.

 

[gaussian]

To be honest this isn't unusual.

The homeowners policy will state what they will and won't cover. Generally they cover accidents but not maintenance. At least my homeowners policy is the same way.

 

[Amun Ra]

Almost all insurance is a scam. They never want to pay. We bought travel insurance in December for a flight. Canceled it due to coronavirus and they wouldn't pay. They even kept the premium.

 

[Tsing Tao]

Yer gonna' hate me for saying this, but if there's an appeal process it's probably listed in the policy text. And yeah, lots of text to read.

Great story though, it reads like a Dilbert comic, where you are Dilbert and the insurance company is the pointy-haired boss.

It feels like a Dilbert story. I know about the appeals process, and I plan to pursue it. But what a stupid walk down Idiot Lane.

 

[Tsing Tao]

To be honest this isn't unusual.

The homeowners policy will state what they will and won't cover. Generally they cover accidents but not maintenance. At least my homeowners policy is the same way.

Lightning hitting, and splitting the tree so that it is about to fall on the house any moment isn't an accident?

 

[tango29]

I managed to total a car and a motorcycle and the insurance was great. Two different companies and in both cases they paid more than I expected for the value by a fair amount. On the other hand we had the wind pull siding off one side of our house and the insurance company appraiser gave a b.s. estimate compared to the quotes I received from local contractors. The difference was 2-3 thousand for the repairs. I made the mistake of using their company and the repair job lasted 2 years at best before it was coming off again. I raised hell about it and got no where. I dumped them for my house coverage and everytime they call to give a quote I tell the agent about my experience, and get the "oh, I'm sorry, that was a fluke" line. They get the phone hanging up sound.
When I picked up the current home policy I asked about claims, and the guy said they pay in full for the repairs based on estimates I find. He also said that if I had to file a large claim they would most likely drop me after as too big a risk.
I hate insurance.

 

[ironchef]

It feels like a Dilbert story. I know about the appeals process, and I plan to pursue it. But what a stupid walk down Idiot Lane.

You are better off just eat the cost of tree removal because it probably doesn't cost that much.

If you appeal and are successful, they will just raise your policy price next year to cover their costs and you will end up paying more. If you try to shop around for another policy, with a claim record no company will insure you for less.

You buy a put to cover March 2020, not for the small perturbations in July.

 

[gwb-trading]

Lightning hits tree, splits tree. Tree is hanging on by a thread, perilously over the house. Tree has a 4 foot diameter at base, so it's no small tree. If it breaks, it falls over the master bed suite, and the roof is gone.

So I get a tree company to deal with it immediately.

Adjuster handling the claim: We do not pay for Tree removal.

Me: But if I didn't have it removed, it would have cost a lot more with the damage.

Adjuster: We would have paid that.

Me: So you would have paid if I let the tree wreck the house?

Adjuster: Not if you knew it would wreck the house and did nothing to prevent it.

Me: What?

Adjuster: If you knew that by doing nothing, the tree would wreck the house, we would not pay the claim.

Me: So if I knew the tree would damage the house, and did nothing, I'd have a wrecked house and no ability to get reimbursed. But since I did act to protect from loss, you won't cover the tree removal?

Adjuster: Correct. But we will pay up to $500 for a replacement.

Me: A replacement for what? The tree?

Adjuster: Correct.

Me: How can I put a new tree in if the old tree is there, dead? Perhaps you've heard of the concept in physics where no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time?

Adjuster: That is what your policy states, I'm sorry.

#%#$^%!#!@

What a joke. Having never gone through the claim process before on a home owner's policy, is there an appeals process?

We had a similar situation with a tree that was threatening our house after a storm half knocked it down. The insurance company would not pay squat to remove it -- same type of explanation above. We just hire a local tree company to remove it - if we fought to make a claim then our rates would surely go up.

 

[mlawson71]

Bureaucrats. That is all.