Technical Home owner’s insurance and old cars

My insurance guy conned me into adding my car policy to the house policy (they were from separate companies) because it would "save me money."
Then they sent out a fix it list for things on the house (paint the trim around the windows?) The fix it list cost nearly $600 to complete. They came out to inspect it to be sure I'd completed everything on the list. After the fix it list, the actual bill was considerably higher then their pre-fix it list estimate. The big bargain they told me I was getting saved me about $30 a year over what I had before, instead of the nearly $200 the pre estimate was.

They didn't raise the rate at this year's renewal (covid time), but when they do, they will loose it all. I remind my agent how they screwed me over that fix it list every time I speak with him. I'll be looking for insurance this fall. Gene

 

I just had a question , my Daughter bought a house and the policy says contents covered for x number of $$$. I call and ask define contents . The agent says “ well it’s what you own .” I say ok “ she has a 47 Kunclehead Harley in the basement , no licensed in pieces . Is it covered ? “ Agent says “ no way ! “ I requested a complete declaration of the policy . Sure enough “ not current licensed vehicles are covered , once the deductible is met . “ I ask the agent what she thinks now . Her answer was “ well we just never had that type of claim “ It’s the same as unlicensed garden or farm equipment . Just because the agent says something does not correctly state what the policy covers . Request a complete policy declaration to define what is and is not covered .

 

I told the insurance company I was going to get a state bond and insure myself, they shut up and went home

 

UMMM yeah, house insurance.....crooks. My house has huge windows along the front, deep into a very cold snap, one of them cracked, $600 to replace. $500 deductible, 40 years with Wawanesa, somewhere around 50 grand paid to them in premiums, no claims, ask them about claiming the window, $500 deductible....they inform me, sure, but insurance will go up 30% over a three year period. WHAT???
I explain to the very nice woman that they've made a killing from us, they'd have to shell out $100, and penalise me huge for it? I politely told her that the next morning they would no longer insure me, and they never will again. My glass friend sold me a policy with a $200 deductible, fixed the window under that policy, and to top it off, I got a better house policy, cheaper.

 

Something to consider is that it can sometimes make more sense to not buy house insurance. The real estate market is pretty hot on a lot of the west coast, such that a city lot without a house (i.e. if your house burns down) is worth just as much as, or more than with the house.

And after one looks at all the limitations and exclusions in a policy, you have to wonder what you are paying all those premiums for.

 

My motto has always been if you want me to get pissed off quick just have me call an insurance company or a bank! Both have stupid rules and a bunch of stupid people that don't even know what they are looking at and yet they decide the rule applies. My house has a pellet stove, brand new at the time and certified. The woman that looked at it was from Hawaii and had never seen one before so she reported I had a unsafe fireplace insert to the company. After much arguing they sent someone out that approved it, but I had to fight to get him out. Stupid!

 

That only works if you dont have a mortgage.

 

Insurance company like to take your money not give back to you.Had the same problem years ago with 1 piece of trim on my house built in 1823.Try to tell them hard to find but the little so called expert that came out was a real jerk.Dropped them and go a new company

 

My dad was a vice president of a national insurance company an one day came home and had turned in his 'retirement' papers because of the unethical behavior he had put up with for years. He couldn't take it and would at that time be out of a job than put up with the goal of screw the insured customers

 

Old cars sitting around is considered a risk, heck I had a insurance company cancel my insurance because I bought my kids a trampoline. HRP

 

Kids on a trampoline is a far bigger risk than cars in the backyard. Even in snake country.

 

So, it seems they will insure for risks that are not really that much of a risk, but things that are a 'real' risk are excluded. We should all shop around and avoid the shonky, money hungry companies. They rely on their customer's complacency. They hope you won't put in some of your own time and effort to find the best coverage deal.

 

My company comes by every year to check on our property (5 acres) that it remains clean and tidy, for the sake of fire prevention. Don't lie, worst case would be that by not disclosing something to your insurer, your entire policy could be dropped or voided when they find out about it.

 

This is not about home owners insurance but about car insurance. Bear with me as this will effect everyone as we are all getting older. When my darling wife of 38 years passed away a couple years ago I called my car insurance company to have her name removed from the policy. The agent was kind and offered sincere condolences. But that is where the nice ended. I became listed as a single male and my car insurance rates went up $30 per month. Here I am in my early 70's and as a single male I am a risk. Had I known I would have just left her name on the policy and went on with my life. Some things are just better off left alone.

 

The easiest way to picture what are contents versus structure, is if you could take your house and turn it upside down,
everything that falls to the ground would be covered under contents; everything that stays in your hand would be
covered under structure.

 

What you said is a sad fact! And it's true, single males have higher rates than married males. We always tried to delay
updating the policy as long as we could hold off, but times changed and they started firing agents if they knew
of the change of risk and intentionally delayed updating the policy Even though it presents less risk due to
fewer operators, the insurance company looks at it as you are harming the company by not charging the
higher premium. Very sad and unfortunate.

 

Hello,

Having owned two 1940 Ford sedan deliveries at two different stages in growing up, we had different insurance each time. In the teenage years, the Flathead Ford Sedan Delivery was part of the 3 car family cars. So, my brother and dad had spotless driving records and I was just added to the family policy as a family car with access to everyone.

In reality, that is how it was registered, but, I was the only one driving the sedan delivery. we did not claim anything other than it being stock and what it was worth. It was insured for replacement value. At the time, most sedan deliveries were pretty low in cost, compared to other family vehicles.

As we were a four person family, everyone had access to all cars. 3 cars for 4 people was fine with the insurance company for a family policy. When my mom got her own car years later, now each teenage car had to have their own insurance as they knew who drove what. 4 cars for 4 people. My dad’s car was a daily driver and he was the only person to drive, etc. the insurance cost went up as there were two sections for being insured. 2 family cars and two teenager’s cars.

None of our cars were stolen or damaged in any accidents, so the insurance was pretty standard for the times. The least expensive cars were my brother’s VW van and my 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. If my brother had purchased a truck instead of a van, then it would have been less expensive for being a teenager. A single two wheel drive truck has always been the lowest cost for insurance for a teen. But, no custom stuff was listed as that instantly gets tagged with “theft related” possibilities and the insurance goes up.

Jnaki

Many years later after we got married, my wife and I had two cars for two people and the cost was rather low. But, when we added another 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery with a 327 SBC motor, the insurance company was a different one and they wanted to know more about the 3rd car for the family. Despite being a hot rod with a different motor, we did not fall into the category of listing every specialty item on the sedan delivery. as far as the insurance company was concerned, it was a standard Ford Sedan Delivery with a SBC motor. In reality, it was.

The cost of the 327 sedan delivery was new and we had a 3rd car for two people. The extra insurance was nothing compared to the miles of cool driving experience we got from it. My wife was even a single person driver on many days of errands and sometimes to family visits.

Again, luckily, nothing ever happened for us to make a claim on the sedan delivery. So, the cost of extra insurance was worth the enjoyment we both got while driving a cool hot rod, all over So Cal. Because it was in a two car garage, it was still a part of the homeowner’s insurance coverage, too.