Can only guess what the insurance adjuster will say once they dig it out:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...25_964x637.jpg

 

sad..



probably totalled

 

the adjuster will say "you don't have flood coverage, so sorry"

scott

 

rough all around I have been doing 13 hour shifts keeping everything stocked for the people. What a nightmare, we had microbursts last night thru boston unreal.

 

Sorry for your loss. I hope it's covered.

 

As a claims adjuster, I can tell you that we are trained to provide coverage for a loss whenever possible. We don't look for reasons to disclaim coverage, we look for reasons to provide coverage to our insureds.

In every state I handle claims, our comp coverage includes loss caused by flood.

Of course, I can't speak for the adjuster or the company that will handle that MINI owner's claim. They may not have a good neighbor.

 

Given the bashed in nature of the vehicle, I can't see where flood is the issue, either way.

 

Look at the collections of sand and what appears to be seaweed on it.

 

This storm was VERY bad to New York and New Jersey.

 

Thats what they all say until you actually have a claim. My father and his friends recently dropped all there coverages to the bare minimum. Why? Because no matter what coverage you have they insurance companies always want to give you the bare minimum possible. All the agents were all PO'd. They looked all there claims and it was an easy choice. Why carry top line insurance when they only want to pay you the absolute minimum when you have a claim unless you want to take them to court. Insurance companies are always good at collecting the money and very slow to pay it. After you saw what they all pulled during Katrina how could you think other wise. The track record is not a good one. I think my dad is right.

 

The very few times I've had to deal with my insurance company they were great. It was like having a blank check. Everything was covered, they offered/suggested things we didn't think of. Of course we were never greedy and were honest about damages.

 

Of course, your tiny amount of experience makes you the judge of all insurance companies.

I can tell you this: surveys of my customers say 96 percent are happy with my handling of their claim. The ones who are unhappy are typically the ones I've had to tell they are at-fault or I deny paying for $20,000 in Med bills when their rear bumper was tapped.

 

saw on Instagram a guy brought a Brand new JCW

Only had it 6 months

it got written off as it got floored in 4 foot of water

 

That is not my experience personally or at work where I handle all property/liabilty insurance issues.

At home several years ago, we had tornado and hail damage to our roof. The adjuster went out of his way to find damage over all sections of the roof so that we would get a completely new roof rather than patched sections.

This year we had hail damage on our membrane style roof at work. We knew the membrane was damaged on the main part of the building, but there is an addition to the building that is a year old and we thought there was no hail damage. The adjuster said that while the membrane wasn't damaged on the addition, the storm compressed the insualtion underneath. He approve a complete roof replacement for the entire building including the new addition all of which totalled $460,000.

Maybe you have the wrong insurance company. We have State Farm at home and Travellers at work. Regardless of who you have or where you live, though, get ready for property insurance premium increases as the carriers build the claim reserves back up.

 

I absolutely agree with CR&PW&JB, when using the good neighbor rule I have been more than satisfied...as another post I put up stated -- they actually called me back after I agreed to the settlement and said -- wow that car really was in good shape (flood damage) and gave me an extra $500. Who does that? People who are actually there to help you -- not hurt you.

Some insurance companies will offer very low rates with very low levels of customer service and limited payouts -- do you know how they get those low rates? By limiting the amount they payout...and limiting the number of customer service agents etc..

Stick with strong reputable companies and you will get solid service and support.

As per the previous comment - comprehensive should cover that car...where people get confused is that home insurance does not automatically have flood insurance, it is a whole separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program.

 

I've had both good and bad experiences with insurance companies. It all comes down to the folks running the local insurance company (the local reps).

I was hit by a hit & run, drunk driver (years ago) on my motorcycle. They never caught the guy, but he was obviously drunk, as he hit another car fleeing the scene and heading out of town. The doctors almost amputated my left leg due to vascular tissue damage and concern about blood flow (even if they managed to put the jigsaw puzzle my leg was, back together). Fortunately, most of the bone fragments were contained in my leg, despite the number of fractures and puncture wounds where bones were sticking out, and it was saved. Spent first 3 months in a wheel chair, and another 6 learning how to walk again. I describe this this not for sympathy, but to explain the severity of the accident.

Now, and back on point, I go to see the insurance agent (State Farm) about my coverage/claim. He graciously (after a week to "review the case") says that the bike is totaled and that they will pay the value of the bike ($2600.00). After going back home, I start to think about this. It just didn't seem right, as I was in no way at fault. A friend (who is a lawyer) called to see how I was doing, and in passing conversation I mention the experience with the insurance adjuster, to which he informs me immediately not to cash the check. Turns out, hit & run is covered by the underinsured/uninsured motorist's act that is covered (at the time) up to $25K (and the agent was well aware of that). I go back to the insurance adjuster/agent and ask about this (and mention "my lawyer"); you could see that busted look on his face. "We'll have to review it and get back with you. Did you cash the other check yet?" Nope. Three weeks later I get a call to come in, and in the meeting he informs (with a rather embarrassed/ashamed look on his face) that I was covered under the U/UMA and here is my check for $23,700 ($25K less medical expenses that the military claimed). I was pissed. Cancelled policy two days later.

Fast forward to 2007 (more than 15 yrs later). San Diego wild fires, largest evacuation of people in US history. Homes gutted, destroyed, or in shambles. Police finally allow us into our neighborhood. And it looks like a war zone (parts of Iraq looked better). Most of the houses heading into our sub division are gone...literally. Ashes and some burned out household appliances are all that are left. Our house was (miraculously) mostly intact. One corner took damage however, as the gas line/meter had ignited and exploded, taking much of the corner of the yard, fence and house with it. I deal with the city to get a newer meter and line installed, get gas and power back to the house, wife calls the insurance company (USAA). Insurance agent shows up three days later (others were without homes, so they took priority which was perfectly understandable). She comes in and we chat, and take a walk around the house (inside and out). She's courteous, professional and empathetic to the recent stress/distress. Turns out she also worked Katrina (USAA have response teams that they deploy in major catastrophes to ensure people have a company rep to deal with as soon as possible). We talk as she goes over our policy. She then tells us what is covered, and what is not. She then tells us how we can claim certain items and options to increase the claim to ensure we are not out one dime for the whole incident. Needless to say, we were impressed and now have everything (car, house, life etc.) through USAA.

I tell these disparate stories to highlight that the difference was the agent, not the company. My parents have had State Farm for the last 40yrs (and still do) and never had a problem and were always treated well. I had them for two years before my motorcycle accident, and my agent wasn't worried about me, just his bottom line. I fired him. Period.

USAA has always treated me well over the past 20yrs, and so I've kept them. Some others say USAA has treated them badly; who's to say? I can only chalk it up to the agents and how they represent their companies.

JMTCW...

 

Insurance woes are here to stay, always have been, always will be. In my experiences with needing to make claims, my own insurance was a wonderful group to work with in all but one case, the insurance when i was at the receiving end were horrid.

Car got "keyed" with a screwdriver by a kid with no hope of ever even owning a bicycle, my insurance was great, the judge in court sucked and my insurance took the whole of it.

got slammed into while parked, the other peoples insurance decided that used parts on a new vehicle were good enough and I had to go to court to deal with it, they still picked at everything saying my vehicle had over spray blah blah blah. F farmers insurance reps, no offense, but that dude needed to go play in traffic. My insurance had to be used because a busted front frame and radiator were not in their coverage... couldnt have happened they say, but a 3500 slamming into a parked s10 and moving it backwatd were in the pics

So, long post coming to a short, play around with insurance, read reviews and be the zen master until the incredible hulk needs to come out and it goes better, plus an attorney on speed dial is a pleasant way to help too

 

I've only had to deal with insurance companies twice. I wrote off my first motorcycle when I was 22 by smashing it into the back of a car. ICBC, British Columbias public and mandatory vehicle insurance company, cut me a quick check for the cost of the bike. It was brand new, I had made only a handful of payments on it. My rates skyrocketed... an at fault accident meant moving three steps up the discount/premium ladder. I was at 0% - the base line - and 3 steps up meant a 75% surcharge on my insurance for three years. Pretty steep, but then again, I was 100% at fault.

More recently someone hit my parked MINI. I now have my collision/comprehensive through Intact. They were great to deal with, very quick to reply and so forth. They gave me a list of recommended shops who basically have a blank cheque to work with. They trust them to not inflate the service so Intact doesn't send out an adjuster for work under a certain amount (I think $5,000 but I'm not sure.) It took a few weeks to get into the shop, but I had a brand new Mercedes C250 as a loaner car while they completed the work. There were a few snags with the completion of the work, but the service manager there paid for some Paintless Dent Removal on my bonnet (unrelated to the insurance claim) as a "sorry for the hassle."

Everything worked out pretty good, I was pleased with Intact, I'll be keeping them.

 

When my wife and I went through Katrina, AAA gave us a $2,500 advance on our claims (we fled to Katy, TX) for living expenses. When we made it back a couple of weeks later, there was no property damage (a tree narrowly missed my Volvo wagon, which we had left behind). When we asked if we needed to return the $2,500, AAA said "Merry Christmas".

 

What a nice story! Glad you came out of Katrina intact!

 

Tornadoes took a bunch of pine trees clean off about 25 feet above the ground just a couple of streets away from mine, it was eerie. On the next street, a guy got one tree through his house, another tree through his truck and a third tree through his boat.

My in-laws got 3ft of water in their house They were in New Orleans East, we lived in Mandeville/Covington.

My father in-law is a respiratory therapist, and was required to stay at the hospital through the storm. He "escaped" before the levees broke though, with some other doctors. He called my wife to check in while she was on the phone with Red Cross trying to find information about his hospital, but they had none - they didn't even know anyone was there. So she switched between the calls, relaying info from her dad to the Red Cross and hours later, rescuers were dispatched to the hospital to evacuate everyone that was there.

Meanwhile I had crab in the freezer and we were two weeks without power (I put the freezer setting to MAX and waited for the power to come on...it wasn't so bad)