As consumers prepare to contact their insurance companies in the wake of the storm, the CFA offers the following tips:
AFTER THE STORM
1.
Report
your claim as promptly as possible as insurance companies generally handle them
first come, first serve.
2.
Once
your claim is reported, be sure to get your claim number and write it down.
Insurance company claims departments can locate your file easiest by your claim
number.
3.
When
the insurance company sends out an adjuster to survey your damage, ask if
he/she is an employee of the insurance company or an independent adjuster
(I.A.) hired by them. If an independent adjuster, try to secure the name of the
actual company adjuster that the I.A. is sending your information to or are
they authorized to make claim decisions and payments on behalf of your
insurance company.
KEEP GOOD RECORDS—Documentation, Documentation
1. Start
a notebook documenting contacts with your insurance company. List the date,
time and a brief description of the exchange.
2. Inventory
your damaged possessions.
3. Obtain
a repair estimate from a trusted local contractor. Keep receipts from emergency
repairs and any costs you incur in temporary housing. This may be reimbursable
under the "Additional Living Expense" portion of your homeowners'
policy.
IF THE CLAIM IS DENIED OR THE OFFER IS
TOO LOW
Demand that the company identify the
language in your homeowners' policy that served as the basis for denying your
claim or offering so little.
HOW/WHERE DO I COMPLAIN
1. Complain
to more senior staff in the insurance company
2. Complain
to your state insurance department.
3. See
a lawyer.
WHAT ISN'T COVERED IN THE HOMEOWNERS'
POLICY?
Homeowners' policies do not cover flood,
earthquake, tree removal (except when the tree damages the house) or food
spoilage from power failures. Some insurers use an
"anti-concurrent-causation" clause in their policies that, insurers
allege, removes coverage for wind damage if a flood happens at about the same
time.
For more information contact the Consumer Federation
of America.
