Allstate did the same thing to me. I had a toolbag stolen from my truck and they didn't want to cover it because it was in my truck so I could have used it for my job. They finally agreed to pay but pro-rated the worth of everything down to nothing even though I paid for a replacement value policy. Needless to say I don't have insurance with them any longer.
As if they care. And that's the point that is most irritating. Some companies get away with this behaviour because they figure if they lose a particular customer, some new ones will be along presently to replace him/her. No wonder rules and regulations come about.
It is good to have a few photos of your shop with the tools clearly shown. For that matter it is good to photograph your entire house contents and let someone else hold the photos. In case of fire it goes a long way to remind you just what has been lost.
I did have a garage robbery some years ago. I reported it -- along with the fact that I had put my initials on all the hand tools. A short time later the police contacted me to come and identify some stolen merchandise. There was an enormous toolbox filled with tools engraved with my initials. Unfortunately, it belonged to someone else. I had the impression the police would love to have me claim the box just to empty out their locker.
Dick
If I'd have caught the thief he'd have had a couple of broken limbs to go with his 3 years...
"No officer, no idea how he broke his legs... maybe he tripped over the step while illegally entering my garage..."
However, not everyone has the ability/inclination to tackle a burgalar.
Andy
What is really sad is that burglars have been injured in the places they were stealing from and sued the owners and won! Ed
If you value your property, do not gratuitously injure an intruder in the US. The law _should_ be that whatever happens to someone who breaks into a house is his fault and his problem and he has no recourse against his intended victims no matter what they did to him in the interval between his entering the premises and the time the police took him into custody. But in our loony-tune times you'll likely hear from the intruder's lawyer before you hear from the prosecutor.
Remember, the law is not what the statutes say or what is right or good, it is what a lawyer can convince a judge and jury that it is.
That can work in the consumer's favor, too.
When we had a massive ice storm in this area a few years ago, the different insurance companies' approaches were interesting. Farmer's and Allstate dragged their feet, argued, and bucked.
State Farm, though, realized that they were in the business of keeping customers. They hit town and started THROWING money at customers. My agent told me, "Just get an estimate. We'll pay it!" I was too busy cleaning up damage (and helping others clean up theirs) to call very busy contractors, so I waited until one of the adjusters stopped by. He found stuff I'd have never thought to get estimates on, which increased my check by several thousand dollars.
I had that check in my hand within four hours of the adjuster's arrival, btw.
Needless to say, State Farm retained lots of satisfied customers. The others' customers immediately started shopping.
Sorry to hear that. I had USAA while I was in the Army 15+ years ago. I still get an occasional piece of mail for them, and I've considered getting a comparison. Thanks for the advice.
Kevin
On the flip side, a burglar in England years ago broke through the roof of a Fish and Chip store shortly after closing (around 11pm). He jumped from the ceiling space to the floor but in the darkness landed in the deep fryer vat instead. They found him in the morning - deep fryed.
(It may well be a urban myth, I'd rather not know though)
Greg
I've seen a substantial decrease in customer focus from USAA over the last 18 years but the rates are still good and the one claim I've had they did pay promptly. I'm always looking though! Allen
I had a similar experience.... but let me finish the story:
Ice storm '98 NE New York.... I was told explicitly that if my claim was < $2000 they would just pay it. Some stuff they would allow, some not. If tree fell and damage the house, they would pay to have the damage fixed and the tree removed. Trees that just littered the lot, You're on your own.
There were allot of costs which were not. I made some generous estimates on a few things and recouped a little bit of the costs of the whole event.
Fast forward a few years.... I did my periodic shopping for a better car/house insurance rates and was told that I was not eligible for some of the best rates because "I had filed a claim"
I got burned on this with car rates as well, having filed a claim for having my car towed once. It was about a mile and cost $60. I was reimbursed $35. No questions were asked but when it came shopping time.... "you made a claim".
If you have to pay for it later on in higher premiums, why bother?
I no longer pay a "towing premium" I keep my deductibles high so that insurance claims are only for "catastrophic losses"
-Steve
Just shoot the S.O.B. "Officer, it looked like he had a gun pointed at me so I fired before he could."
My loaded Mossberg 590 is always within reach at night. The thing is so ugly I have to hide it under my bed.
Hoyt W.
I live in England and haven't heard anything about that...
Sorry to potentially burst your bubble...
Cheers,
Andy
I'm not in the US (as my email address will show).
Completely agree...
However, it should be arguable that the intruder was startled by the homeowners discovery and got violent. In the insuing altercation some injuries occured before the intruder was able to be sufficiently apprehended...
Andy
Yeah, I know. The Tony Martin case in England makes me sick to my stomach...
Andy
Any new insurer is probably going to quote you a higher price for a policy right after you filed a claim with your old insurer.
There is a nationwide database of properties and claims against them that is maintained by the insurance industry.
The best time to shop for insurance is when you haven't had a claim for a long time.
Brian Elfert
It kills me that a**holes will steal your tools, sort of like a horse thief, they should be hogtied and strung up the nearest tree. Sorry for your loss, and I hope the insurance company pays up.
That being said, depending on how you make out with the beancounter insurance adjuster who is going to try and skin you so he's a hero with his boss, to the extent you do not recover the value of the lost property through insurance (and maybe even if you do get reimbursed, I'm not sure about that so check it with an accountant or tax lawyer buddy you might know, or for that matter call the IRS's hot line), you clearly have a "theft loss" deduction on your income tax, so if you itemize be sure to claim it when you file your federal income tax return next year.
Mutt
I recently checked my record, it's very similar to a credit report in appearance. I wasn't having any problems, but I wanted to see it out of curiosity. The report was accurate, showing only a glass claim I made 3-4 years back.
Barry
ianacpa, but this deduction is pretty useless unless you have a low agi, since the loss over (i think) 7%, and anything less is not deductible.
Insurance is not a free money program. *Everything* you get from them you or the other insurers will pay for. The more you get the more you will pay. Treat insurance as a savings account that you draw out from if something happens and then you have to put more in it to re-fill the coffers.
Insurance companies are there to make money for their shareholders, they don't accomplish that by paying out large claims without compensation.
Tim Douglass
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