Some Insurers Putting Up a Fight

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Some Insurers Putting Up a Fight

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December 16, 2008 - 4:24 PM

Jerry Gretzinger

WRGB - Albany,NY,USA

http://www.cbs6albany.com/articles/storm_1259479___article.html/insur

ance_big.html

It's weather events like last week's big ice storm that make

homeowners thankful they have insurance. But what if your home was

damaged and your insurance company refused to help? Some homeowners

tell CBS 6 News they find themselves fighting harder than ever for

the coverage they say they deserve.

Homeowners like Sherry and Max Traver in Lake Luzerne. A pipe had

broken in their finished basement, but since neither Sherry or Max

spend much time down there, they were unaware of it.

" The mold was this high, " Max says, as he points shoulder high to a

wall stud in the basement.

It didn't get that way overnight. When they discovered the leak they

contacted their insurance company, New York Central Mutual, which

sent in an adjuster.

" She looked around, took some pictures, " Max said. " Said we dont

cover this. Went out the door and out the driveway she went. "

Sherry recalls, " We were told we should go downstairs more often. "

The fight was on.

A fight like the one Bob Flansburg was having in Amsterdam.

" I could not believe it, " Bob says.

The upstairs tenant in Bob Flansburg's rental property failed to

report a leaky pipe and by the time Bob realized what was going on,

the mold was hard to miss.

Bob says his insurance company, Erie Niagara, wanted to reject his

claim altogether and has since agreed to rebuild 3 of the 7 affected

rooms, but just clean and paint the rest.

Both he and Travers have wondered if the poor economy may have

insurance companies holding onto their cash tighter than ever.

One insurance professional that spoke with CBS 6 says he won't pin

it directly on the economy but admints in the past 2 years, there

has been more ''hoop jumping'' for homeowners to go through and that

claims are increasingly ''micromanaged''.

With that in mind, Bob Flansburg got himself a hired gun. Mike

Hoffman from Capital Public Adjusters.

Hoffman calls himself the opposite of regular insurance adjusters.

They look out for the company. He looks out for you.

His advice to anyone filing a claim is to " try and take charge. This

is your claim its not the isnurance companies claim. The insurnace

company has every right to look at the damages and evaluate the

damages for their benefit. Do the same. Get your experts involved

day one. "

That's what Bob did. And now Mike handles most of the headaches.

But for the Travers, the headaches and the heartache are still their

own.

Since interviewing the couple, they received their first check from

New York Central Mutual. It's not enough, Max says, but it's a

start.