Insurance Companies: You Pay Through The Nose---We Deny You Coverage
This issue hits close to home this week. On Tuesday, my sister had an insurance adjuster come to her home to assess the damage done to her roof after heavy storms blew through her area of Kentucky. The adjuster spent relatively little time examining the damage and then pronounced it as "failure to provide routine maintenance" on her roof, and that the damage wasn't weather related. In other words, my sister's house had a pre-existing condition. Her claim was denied.
Although she can fight this, it means that her roof is still leaking and black mold is still growing in the walls where the water has seeped in. Her health and well-being is in danger---all because some sonuvabitch who works for some sonuvabitch insurance company doesn't want to shell out a couple of thousand dollars to save her home.
Forgive me if I find myself unable to say anything else that is intelligible. All I want to do right now is beat the crap out of insurance CEOs.
Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) was going to do something about those property insurance companies......cause he knows it isn't right, he's just been busy protecting health insurance companies.
August 12, 2009 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Buying insurance can feel kind of like playing 3-card Monty, except there are no police to come forth and shut the game down if things get ugly. My condolences to your sister Jan.
August 12, 2009 7:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
This has got to stop.
It's gone way too far for way too long.
=(
It's criminal.
August 12, 2009 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's patently absurd. What's to stop them from routinely denying 98 out of 100 claims? That's not a business. It's a racket.
August 12, 2009 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
How old were the shingles?
August 12, 2009 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have no patience for people like you today. Go fuck yourself, okay? Seriously. Go fuck yourself.
August 12, 2009 10:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well I was going to try and help you establish a case, but I guess I'll be too busy doing something else.
August 13, 2009 7:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
I love your sense of humor. I imagine if you are in the roofing business or insurance business, you probably could give her some tips. Under the circumstances and the fact that she is a bit disturbed at the moment, perhaps you could find it in your heart to give her another chance and find the time from your busy schedule ( you know what I mean :~)) to see is she is more open to what you have to say now.
August 13, 2009 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'd ask for a more precise explanation than lack of routine maintenance. Most shingles have at least 20 year warranties, and 25 has become more common. If the shingles were still under the warranty, they'd have to be severely cupped and curled to support the denial. If the gutters were heavily clogged, with leaves on the roof, that could be lack of routine maintenance.
August 13, 2009 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yez, she should get greater detail from the guy as to how he came to his conclusion and then, with witnesses, take pictures for an appeal. It's not uncommon to deny something out of hand just to filter through the weak-willed who would not even try. The first crack at them is pretty much a freebie, but it makes them begin to consider her claim more seriously. The first one can be done without a lawyer too.
August 13, 2009 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Like I freaking grilled my sister on how old her shingles are. Please. Get freaking real. If I was Bob freaking Vila, I wouldn't be blogging about this---I'd be fixing her freaking roof.
August 13, 2009 9:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, we are. But I guess you just came to vent. The only way to win against an insurer is to keep pushing back. Right now, you're basically giving up. I want the minutes of my life I spent writing my suggestions back.
August 14, 2009 3:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
If you are in the right state, and if you can lawyer up on a contingency...the insurance company might not only pay damages plus interest plus attorney fees. Sometimes punitive damages....
But justice really cannot be had through the courts...individual victories occur. But we need better state or federal control over when and how claims are paid.
Go to the State Insurance Agency, go to your state and fed reps, go to your country commissioners...
RAISE HOLY HELL
August 14, 2009 3:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps I should have explained that neither my sister, myself, nor anyone in my family has the money for an attorney. All of us are wondering if we will be able to eat month by month. So, thanks for taking the focus off the insurance companies greed and putting it on the victims. Way to go, folks.
August 15, 2009 2:46 AM | Reply | Permalink