I’ve been thinking about writing this and kind of going back and forth about how to do it or whether to do it. Since I can’t be wishy-washy all day, I have decided to go ahead and write about what’s going on.
Sometimes people get the idea that insurance people don’t have a clue as to what goes on with the insurance consumer. And sometimes we act like it, too. Let’s be honest, we insurance people can get caught up in the moment. The adjuster wants to deny or limit a claim because of a technical detail or a lack of understanding. Sometimes, the agent just wants to sell some policies so that they can make their numbers. Sometimes the insurance geek acts like these are just words on a page, meant to be interpreted, understood, and even argued over.
But the truth is that every insurance policy represents a person, family, or business that places its trust in someone else to make things better when something bad happens.
Today, I get to be the proud point of contact for two separate but connected insurance claims. That’s right. I’m not just a person who writes about insurance and teaches insurance, but I buy insurance and I have had some claims. I have two that I’m dealing with now. Let me explain. It’s not so long that I need to sum up.
About three weeks ago, water from the bathtub didn’t go down the drain. Instead, it came up from under the toilet. You can imagine that it went everywhere. Somehow, it ended up under the bathtub. It also ended up under the vinyl plank floor in the hallway and migrated all the way to the living room. Yep. Water that’s supposed to find its way to the septic tank ended up in the living room.
I made one phone call and used one app on my phone. In hindsight, I wish that I had made a third phone call, but that’s for later. My wife made another two phone calls. First, she called a plumber to come out and find out what was going on. Second, she called a company to get the water cleaned up. I called the insurance company for the group that owns the house.
No, I don’t own the house and yes, I live there. It’s not complicated, but I don’t want to go into it right now.
The contact person was kind and helped me with my first notice of loss. She told me that the adjuster had one business day to contact me about the claim, gave me a claim number, and wished me well. While that was going on, I was opening a new claim in the app for my renters’ policy (and yes, with my insurance company, they call it a renters’ policy). None of my personal property was damaged, except for a run in the hall, but that was about $50 and not worth fussing with. I was opening a loss of use claim. We were going to have to stay somewhere else for a little while.
The house is insured on a commercial property policy, and you already know that I have a renter’s policy for my personal property. Why the difference? That’s not important. What’s important is that we have two claims, two adjusters, two companies. It’s complicated.
How’s going? So far so good. I can be patient because things are being taken care of. The water is cleaned up. The independent adjuster has been out and has taken pictures and everything. The flooring in the hall and living room had to be ripped up. The toilet has been reset and the septic issue has been cleared up.
Part of the reason that things are going so well might have to do with my experience in the industry. See, I know what’s covered and what isn’t and if I have a question, I know how to read the policy. I also know that prompt contact, followed up with check-in calls and emails keep the lines of communication open, and open lines of communication do two things. They keep the claim in front of the adjuster, who sometimes forgets that you’re a person, not a claim file. They also allow for understanding one another as the process unfolds. I also know that these things can take time, especially since our situation required that we get the water cleaned up as quickly as possible. I mentioned that it was wastewater, right? No one wants that ickiness rolling around under floating floors any longer than possible.
To the insurance people reading, remember that your clients don’t always know what’s going on. They just want to know why it’s taking so long and why you can’t just cut them a check. They don’t understand why you need so much information. They don’t understand why you can’t just hire someone and get things fixed today.
To the insurance consumer that might take a few minutes to read this, the best advice I can give you comes from The Hitchhiker’s Guide; DON’T PANIC and grab a towel. This is going to take time. The adjuster you just talked to has about 100 other files open right now, and she would love nothing more than to get you the help you need, but there are processes and procedures. The field adjuster that came to your house doesn’t know how long it’ll take. He’s just there to take pictures and measurements and ask questions.
I’ll let you know how it plays out. Stay tuned.
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