PLEASE stop telling people to read the 'fine print' on their policies.
Hanover/Commerce's out of state adjuster kept using the stock phrase 'according to the terms of your policy....'
Hanover/Commerce has been my carrier since 1996 and has NEVER sent an insurance policy! Can an insurance company hold a policy holder to terms that have NEVER been disclosed?
This stock phrase is being employed as wiggle room for every issue to deny coverage.
In addition, it is my understanding that the 'claims adjuster' from Texas that Hanover/Commerce initially sent had NEVER seen SNOW and arrived in February to climb over snow banks in penny loafers and a wind breaker. Huh?
By the time Texas arrived to appraise my damage, he had a Tennessee 'trainee' who had also never seen snow and stopped writing when he filled up a single page. They simply plugged dimensions into a bogus computer program that arrived at some pretty silly numbers.
When it was requested that Mr. Texas correct errors in his assessment, including ones that failed to comply with Massachusetts Building Code, he responded with repeated harassing telephone messages, rather than correct his glaring errors.
The failures of insurance companies to provide adequately trained professionals is not the responsibility of policy holders to endure.
In fairness, there are policy holders who had insurance companies that sent LOCAL people to appraise the damage and were straight forward about 'it will cost this...we've put X in reserve in case of concealed damage.' In other words, they behaved like human beings and professionals, resolved the problems/damage and these people can get on with their lives.
It would seem that the number of complaints reported are grossly underestimated and one must wonder why.
In addition, it would seem that the I Team should inform consumers about the M.G.L. 93 A process,m readily available on line that might resolve some of the backlog of complaints.
93 A is a 'Do It Yourself' process that is fully explained on the Attorney General's web site.
It should be further noted that rumors are being shared that policy holders have been told that their homeowners insurance would 'non-renew' if they filed a claim.
Isn't it time to get in front of that, file a claim, file a complaint and get prepared to DUMP them?
VIDEO ON LINK
I-Team: Mass. Homeowners Still Fighting To Fix Winter Damage
Mansfield (CBS) – The leaves may be just starting to change but hundreds, possibly thousands of Massachusetts homeowners are still living last winter’s nightmare.
In Mansfield, the ice dams on Siobhan Geoghegan’s house should be a distant memory, relegated to the dozens of pictures of the mountains of snow she has stored on her phone.
“We had water that came in, in every room, coming through the windows, the ceilings, running down the walls. Just came in everywhere,” Geoghegan told the I-Team.
Instead, she finds herself living on a mobile home in her driveway watching her house rot.
“It’s just been stalled,” she said.
Geoghegan’s home in Mansfield during winter 2015 (WBZ-TV)
Eight months after the Geoghegan family filed their claim with Arbella Insurance, she is still fighting them over water damage to floors and mold in the attic she says developed because the remediation company left it soaking wet.
“I think I’m on adjuster number 7 right now,” she said.
WBZ was there in September as workers finally began tearing down her walls.
In Sharon, Michael Fish is hoping to get out of his temporary mobile home and back in his house this month.
The initial estimate on Fish’s home was for $100,000. His insurance company, United Property and Casualty, offered him $60,000.
Mobile home outside Sharon residence damaged by snow/ice (WBZ-TV)
“I’ve been paying for it out of my own pocket because I’d like to get it done,” Fish told the I-Team. He’s hoping the insurance company will agree to reimburse him.
There’s no hard numbers on how many unresolved claims there are statewide. Public adjuster Jim Popkin estimates a lot. He has 60 – 80 unresolved claims.
“Are we talking dozens, hundreds?” asked the I-Team about unresolved claims statewide. “Thousands,” Popkin estimated.
“Are there still going to be people who can’t live in their homes as we start winter again?” the I-Team asked. “Yes, unfortunately,” answered Popkin.
A mountain of claims poured in as people chipped the ice off their roofs and discovered the mess left behind.
Workers clear snow from a roof (WBZ-TV)
According to Popkin, the first wave of adjusters arrived from all over the country, many from much warmer climates, and some failed to document the full damage.
“People can’t get the work done for what they estimated,” he explained.
The state’s biggest home insurance carriers say they have done their best by their clients under unprecedented and challenging circumstances.
Arbella tells WBZ they have closed 87 percent of the thousands of winter claims they received. Mapfre Insurance says they’ve settled 97 percent. Liberty Mutual Group says they’re at more than 99 percent.
They also say many delays can be attributed to the fact that there just aren’t enough contractors to do all the work.
Tom Skelly, a Wellesley insurance agent, agrees most customers were compensated fairly. He says the best way to avoid the hassle is to read your coverage’s fine print and prepare your home now.
“Reinsulate, re-evaluate the water shield protection on your house, and re-ventilate,” Skelly advises.
But for Geoghegan and others in the same situation, that’s small comfort. She’s just hoping to have this all resolved before winter weather dumps on her again.
“This is just a catastrophic thing that happened to this house. We’re not asking for anything special. Just put my house back the way it was. That’s it.”
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance says they’ve had 21 complaints related to winter weather. The Attorney General has had dozens of homeowners’ insurance complaints this year.
United Property and Casualty, Fish’s insurance company, did not return the I-Team’s call. Each of the other companies we called said this winter was unpredictable but they are working to resolve every customer’s claim as quickly and fairly as possible.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/10/07/i-team-mass-homeowners-still-fighting-to-fix-winter-damage/
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