Meeting with and insurance adjuster can be a very scary thing for a couple of reasons. The insurance companies are in the business of making a profit, not paying claims. They get to keep what money is left after claims to pay their bills and executives.
Another issue, particularly after a catastrophic event like hurricanes, earthquakes and fires is because there are not enough local adjusters to handle all of the clams in the affected area. To deal with that lack of local staffing, adjusters are brought in from across the nation. Often they are uncomfortable because there are not enough hotel rooms, they are overworked, poorly fed and yes, do not have local ties to your community. They will never need to face an insured person they decline or treat unfairly EVER again. And, oh yeh, ….the supervisor that looks at the payouts from the company will be doing their next annual review.
I have known many adjusters and companies that will give their insured every last penny that they are owed, and sometimes a little extra just because they are good companies and great professionals who will always do what is right. However, as of this writing, there are reportedly some unpaid legitimate claims from Hurricane Sandy, a hurricane that happened on the east coast years ago.
Bottom line, some companies are very fair, some not so much. In any instance, the adjuster has your life in their hands.
If you can get a copy of your policy, READ IT BEFORE MEETING WITH THE ADJUSTER
Take the information that you find in the policy and categorize your loss by the type of event that caused the damage. If that sounds complicated, let me explain.
For almost every insurance policy, you need “Flood Coverage” to cover flood damage. If you do not have that rider, all may not be lost if you understand the areas where you do have coverage.
Wind damage is often covered. As an example, if the roof blows off, that part of the loss may be covered even though you did have some flooding.
Water damage from leaks other than flooding is covered. Let’s say you have some flooding in a basement or lower level. You also had shingles blow off of your roof and water damage in the upper level. That damage may be covered.
In summary, read your policy and know how each portion of your damage occurred.
Imagine, your childhood pictures, the rocking chair you remember your grandmother rocking in or every important document you have like the deed to a home……..gone! …. or so very wet and damaged that it can’t be saved.
That is the reality for many people as the aftermath of Hurricane Mathew is sliding off of the map. This hurricane and others, along with fires and auto accidents happen regularly to people just like you and me. Tragic events happened last week, and will happen this week. As you read this, you may even be one of the people whose life direction, including your home and possessions were blown way off course by the wind and water swirling across the Atlantic from the African Continent and leaving a destructive path along the coast of the United States.
If you are a victim of the Hurricane Mathew, or any other tragedy, here is what we want you to know: We hold you in our thoughts and care that you are facing a loss and the challenge of recovery.
The 18 deaths already attributed to the storm have ripped open and left a gaping hole in the hearts of loved ones that were a part of the lives of those that died. We know and feel the losses you have had. Many of us have had to face tragedy, and we are thankful that people do care and stand for the kind of help that is a part of the American soul. We care too.
Over the next several days, we are going to do what we can to help. We will use this social media platform to talk with you about the next steps. I recall the book title “Bad Things Happen to Good People.” It is true. We have seen that too many times.
We want you to know what you can do to save precious belongings, how to make sure that your insurance does for you what it should, and what you can do to help keep your family healthy. Disaster recovery is difficult and important work.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to give you whatever help we can. That means a lot to all of us. We know that the next tragedy could be ours and we believe that you would do what you could to help us. It is what makes this a good and decent nation at its very core.