Why “name brand insurance” doesn’t work, Williamsville!
I was at a clients restaurant recently and got into a conversation with an employee of his. It was about a tenant issue and the recently evicted tenant, who damaged the single family home. He showed me the 12 broken windows, the holes in the wall, the carpeting ripped up, the cabinets missing doors and said “All***** insurance said this vandalism isn’t covered”. I went on the explain to him that even the most basic of landlord policies has vandalism covered (one of the “perils” of a basic form policy).
It doesn’t matter if it is vandalism by an outside person or vandalism by a tenant, it is covered! Why the customer service person would tell him NO, instead of putting in a claim and letting a claims adjuster determine the extent of the loss. I explained my opinion of the situation and call them back the next day and insist on a claims adjuster to come out. Sometimes we as insurance agents should not be making a claims determination via a phone call.
Why “name brand insurance” doesn’t work, Williamsville!
We once had a homeowner in Williamsville, who during a violent wind/rain storm, a tree was knocked over & hit their electric line, pulling it off the house. The claims adjuster said the water back-up damage in the finished basement wasn’t covered, as their was no physical loss to the property. We interjected and explained that there sure was physical damage to the property, with the electric meter and line ripped away from the house. Almost $6,000 in claims damage later, we were able to make the client whole again.
The reason people buy insurance to begin with, is to have it in place when a claim happens. That is the insurance companies time to shine and make the client whole again, not shrink from their responsibilities. I believe so strongly in this, that we fired 2 insurance companies, who fought many, many claims (not just 1 or 2). We cannot ethically represent them, when they shrink at the time they should shine. It is why you sell policies, Mr. Insurance Company, get to work on your claims team!
Why “name brand insurance” doesn’t work, Williamsville!
Tom Larsen,
Williamsville Independent insurance broker.
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