Well, the day arrived. I placed a claim with my home-owner’s insurance. The company I deal with is..well, it rhymes with StationWide. The name should be “Bend Over. This is Gonna Hurt!” They sent an adjuster out this morning. His name was Richard but he looked like a Dick before the morning was through.
I got up early, put on coffee in case he wanted some, tidied the house, especially the areas I knew he would by looking at. I showered and fluffed. I smiled. I was pleasant. I figured that being nice to the man who will cut me a check for the damages is just smart business sense.
I now know why they call them “adjusters”. He surely adjusted the numbers! My contractor placed an estimate of the repairs at $6, 140. That was to repair the damage and install cables on the roof to prevent further damage. According to the adjuster man, cables will not be covered. I showed him the stained, damp mattress and box spring which will most likely have to be replaced. That’s not covered.
After I showed him all the water damage, he took pictures and measured the rooms with his manly tape measure (men do seem to love them some tape measures. I don’t know why!) then said he was going out to his truck to do the figures.
Man-Oh-Man! They must have equipped that truck really well! He came in after a half an hour with about 6 pages of personalized printed pages explaining the company’s policies regarding payment and how they arrive at the numbers. He also had printed out a check…for $1,995.00. He couldn’t even f*cking round it up to $2000. ! I have a $1000. deductible so basically they shorted me around $5000. if you count the things that weren’t included in the contractor’s estimate, like carpet cleaning, new mattress/box spring, etc!
When he gave me the check I’m sure I looked weird as I stood there with my mouth open , staring at the piece of paper. WTF?!?!
In my life I’ve only ever made one other insurance claim on my home-owner’s policy and that was 24 years ago for the time lightning hit my home and blew out a few appliances!
I wish now I’d had the balls to look him in the eye and say “F*ck you and your company, too! Do you sleep well at night ? Does this really seem fair to you, you miserable c*cksucker?” I realize I could call and maybe have this thing drag out, trying to make a larger claim but I just don’t have the energy. They win.
I hate to always be complaining but this has been a pretty sucky period for me financially. I just heard from the logger who was so eager to cut trees down on the property. He said there isn’t enough good timber to make it worth his time. So there goes another money-making opportunity down the drain. I was so looking forward to a nice fat check from him! Evidently there hasn’t been enough growth since the place was logged out 27 years ago!
I am looking forward to eating lots more beans than meat in the near future if things continue the way they’ve been going. That’s all right. I hear a vegetarian diet is healthier anyway.
trishatruly.wordpress.com 
So Dick was a dick, eh? That really sucks. I can understand why you didn’t fight it. It just takes too much energy though I am sure that’s what they are hoping for. They force you to have insurance and then the insurance is useless and you wonder why this country is going to hell in a hand basket.
Well, cheer up beans help lower cholesterol. You always have to look at the good side of things. 🙂
Joan- I do try, I really do. And I actually LIKE beans!
(PS. Is there such a thing as a foot basket? I wonder….) 😆
Well, that just sucks a whole big fat load of hairy donkey’s balls.
These insurance sods just love to shaft the peoples.
Anja- Hehheheheee!!! I always say something “sucks donkey balls” but I like your saying BETTER!!! Gives a much more colorful mental image, now doesn’t it??? LOL
Talk to the contractor. I’ll bet he knows some ways to prod the insurance company.
*huge, tight, life-reassuring hug*
Gadfly= Hey, thanks! I will do that. I hope he uses an electrical cattle prod!!!!
Trisha, Trisha! Why oh why did you accept that check??? I would have told him to march his arse back to his truck and come up with better numbers or they would be hearing from my attorney. Have you cashed it? If you haven’t cashed it, get on that phone and start making some noise, girl.
allison- Wellll, maybe I will call my agent tomorrow and have a “discussion” regarding that little check. I think I will make some noise! Thanks for that pep talk ! You are one tough woman! I need to be a little tougher, me thinks! 😀
Don’t let them win! I know you could fight that if you wanted to. That just sucks. I hate insurance people. 😡
Birdpress- I fight better for other people than for myself, it seems! I am gonna do some aggressive talking tomorrow! This just pisses me off. I didn’t feel so great today physically and that threw me off my game, I think.
Thanks for being mad for me. You always have my back, BabyGirl! (((hugs)))
p.s. This post was pretty well-illustrated though. 😆
Birdpress- Thanks!! I am SO glad you appreciated that! 😆
oh that just sucks – like Anja said lol
Mistress B. – That Anja does have a way with words, does she not? 😀
i don’t have to even read the rest of the post after the pic…that is so true! But I did love the video as well!
Cowgalutah- Well, shucks, ma’am! That makes it all worth it! I love it when folks say things like that!
And yep, beans have a way of making things rather “interesting”! heeeheeehee!!!
Timely post. I’ve never been able to afford insurance, so never had any, but lately I’ve been thinking about contents insurance with that company that looks after older people who are no longer working full time. I’m going to have to have an in depth discussion with someone from their office before I sign over any hard earned $$$.
river- Good thinking! I have always felt a bit dubious about the benefits of insurance. I figure it’s like gambling. They’re betting you won’t cash in more than you pay in and you’re betting on the likelihood of catastophe! Ah, the human condition! LOL
Thanks for the cool comment, my friend!
Wow… yes, I hate insurances. I have been denied by a new health insurance we applied for. The reason? A condition, that has been RESOLVED!! I am perfectly healthy. But I’m a risk… too weird.
SLF- Don’t we all?!!?? That is one of the things I hear over and over, that once you’ve filed a claim or two they find some trumped-up reason to disqualify you from carrying insurance with them. I think it’s an industry scare tactic. And it works! AGGGHHH!!
I love your visuals, from beginning to end!
Both insurance and banking are worth beans in my book:)
Pam- ((Big Grin)) Thank YOU!!! I’m so glad my work is appreciated!!!
Insurance, banking, and lawyers! Let’s not forget the lawyers!
😆
You know, when our pipes burst in our old house, we BARELY broke even and that was with me doing some REAL shopping around for deals. And then you hear about someone who had a minor leak and the inspector cuts them a check for $40K to replace all their hardwood floors!
I don’t get it. And they KNOW you’re so anxious to just MOVE ON that they low-ball you with a check.
They all suck!
Dobeman- Yeah, right? I was talking to D’Bear’s neighbors and they said shortly after they bought their house the fence between their house and their neighbors fell down in one section. They placed a claim and got a check for $4000 to replace it! It was OLD!! And already half down!! We’re talking a simple wooden fence here!
Yeah… they all suck.
I haven’t dealt with an insurance adjuster in years but my experience was the same as your; a royal screwing. Sorry to hear this happened to you.
FP- Yep. it seems to be a universal experience, doesn’t it? Has anyone you know ever had a great experience with an insurance company on claims like this? I don’t know anyone who has, so at least I don’t feel all alone.
Thanks, the empathy helps. 🙂
My insurance says full replacement value. If yours does too, then I would accept nothing less.
That is shocking.
Widdleshamrock- That’s what it says until you read the fine print. I got out my insurance contract and sure enough, it says, “N*****wide can screw the insured at any time, if we feel like it, and the insured can go f*ck herself.”
Go read yours. I bet it sames basically the same thing!
Things like depreciation and details like whether the damage came from inside the home or outside the home, or whether you BJ-ed the salesman, etc. ALL determine whether, or rather how hard they can f**k you. 😆
Shocking? Yes!
If there’s one thing in this world I’ve learned it’s that everything is negotiable. Give ’em the check back and tell ’em to come up with something better or let an attorney do it for you. My first experience with an insurance company like that got me all but $150 of my repair bill and then next renewal, they cancelled my policy. At least I got what I wanted. BTW, I cut some corners and nulled out the $150.
Jim- If I ever need a money manager, I’m calling you!! I really don’t want them to cancel my policy since they also have my car insurance and by having both I got a great rate! Oh, man. They better not! Ya think they will? 😦
I know my comments are coming late to the party, but man, do I feel your pain!
And just when you think it can’t get worse, the bastards will find a way to CANCEL your policy after the claim is “processed.” That has happened to many people I know. They pay their premiums on time but God help them if they have more than one claim filed with their carrier!
I agree with Jim.
Lupusranting- Is there any industry that gets worse feedback than insurance companies? Man! Everyone has horror stories to tell! Can you imagine if your local grocery was as hated as most insurance companies are! They wouldn’t last a year!
Thanks for your advice, sweety! I need all the help I can get at this point!
Poor Trisha!!!!! If it is any comfort we are eating lots of beans here to. Let me tell you keep the air freshner handy. I am being screwed over by health insurance, the heater company and lawyers both in Utah and New Mexico. I feel your pain. But you are an amazing woman and you will get through it.