in good hands,really???

theres a ditty that goes,if it werent for bad luck,I wouldnt have any luck at all.

why do I say this?? three days ago my wife said she heard what she thought was water running near the refrigerator.
I am tone deaf as all get out but went and listened to it also and determined that it was the fan making noise,so yesterday afternoon I pulled the fridge out to clean the fan and coils only to discover a water leak,CRAP!!!

it had been leaking for only a day or two from what I could tell,the flooring was peeling up after I moved the fridge meaning the glue had let go,the subfloor was soaking wet as is the insulation in the under belly of this manufactured home,I cant honestly see how much water has gotten into it.

so I called the good hands folks,( I believe they are holding their hand out to take your money and screw you )
anyway,I told them what happened and how I found it,and I told them that I had fixed the leak as well as started the drying process with fans and needed a claim filed.

I went through the filing crap only to be told this kind of damage isnt covered because its due to normal wear and tear,and it falls under normal maintenance,WTH?? HUH???
how do you maintain a water line clamp?? does it need tuned up every six months?? does it have oil that needs changed??
oh I get it,I am supposed to check the clamps twice a year to make sure they stay tight and record it?? these are pex clamps after all.

I may be fighting black mold issues down the road in places I cant get to,I dont need that as I suffer with severe allergies already and dont need another trigger,who is responsible for this??
I am no contractor but I am guessing to replace the insulation,flooring,and potential repairs to the stud wall this could cost over twenty grand in the end,and no help in sight.

so do I ask the bank to help me fight the insurance company?? or do I hire a lawyer??
I am sure there is no way I can hire another insurance company with damage pre-existing and I dont want to give these bottom feeders any more of my money.
I am looking for a new insurance company for my boat as well now as these leeches have that policy as well.

what do I do now???? ideas greatly appreciated!!

If you bought your insurance through an agent, contact them for help. That’s the first place I’d go and this is exactly the reason all our insurance is through an independent agent. I don’t call “the company” when I have an issue, I call our broker and things just happen.

If not, look up information and challenge the claim decision. There is always a procedure.

Lawyering up is only going to get you so far because there’s most likely an arbitration clause in your policy forcing you to arbitrate your claim rather than suing. It’s possible your state is one of the few that forbid this, but just saying after challenging the claim, the hurdles get high.

When you get this settled, find an independent agent and get their advice on seeking a new company. Do NOT cancel your coverage before you have an alternative lined up. I’ve heard some really wacky stories lately of people getting dumped or turned down for coverage for reasons I’ve never heard of or for no reason at all.

Grouse

Grouse,I do have and did go through the agent first,he told me to call the company to start the claim process.
what gripes me is the agent is playing the same tune as the company!!
what in the world do I do now??

I would understand if I was one of those types that file a claim every two months as a cash cow,but I dont,I have had only one other claim since I have been with them and that was from storm damage five years ago now.
I even went to bat and found several good deals on materials that saved both of us money!!

Working on the repair side of insurance, ever since the recession I’ve seen these companies really tightening the screws on any and all kinds of work. To be honest, there was a time there years back when I thought it should be tightened because people were getting new houses because of one leaky dishwasher. But the pendulum seems to have swung completely the other way on this now.

Always recommend to everyone that when damage occurs have a general contractor who specializes in the field come out and most of the time they will actually be present when the adjustor is there. Having someone go to bat for you so you can sit back and relax is how the system should work. They get the work contract, and you get piece of mind knowing its done and paid for by the correct parties.

Let’s be honest, many many people nowadays have no idea whats going on with a house and its components. As busy as life is who can blame them, but insurance companies are taking advantage of this scenario time and time again.

nhamm,I agree with you on everything you say and I understand it.
this house is sixteen years old and I realize a manufactured home does not gain value,it in fact loses it.

I am not the type that would protest until I got a new one either,I just want it fixed,thats all,but it seems it is too much to ask from them.

I need someone in the know to help me resolve this as I am at a loss on how to go about it.
if it were not for the home loan against it,I would be self insured by now.
what I have paid them would add up to a pretty good nest egg for just this type of situation.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

this kind of damage isnt covered because its due to normal wear and tear,and it falls under normal maintenance,

I wouldn’t have expected it to be covered… not sure why, but I wouldn’t have thought to call my insurance company for such a thing. Like a toilet leaking all over and causing damage – it sucks, and is on me to fix.

That said… a supply line cracks on a stove, leaks gas into the house, and then a fire burns it down… sort of the same situation, so the suggestion it falls under normal wear and tear is a thin reasoning for not covering it.

I will say, some small things are not worth filing a claim, as they haunt ya in the future when seeking insurance. That and deductibles are great reasons to fix it yourself.

Good luck figuring it out.

thanks for your thoughts Chuck,but a clamp failed for whatever reason,and the damage is fairly severe from what I can see.

what gets me,I bought insurance to protect the home and its contents from damage of any sort,not just the roof,siding,and windows.
my deductible is one thousand bucks and I am sure the damages are far greater than that.

I need to figure out a way to take your money,make you feel good about it and then not give you any back when you need it,and to top it off,get government help in doing it,and I can change the rules any time I want to suit me.

when it comes to wood work,I am a great chainsaw operator,not a carpenter.

If you have a dehumidifier, run that too. I would get under the trailer and cut back that black cloth crap and pull out the wet insulation. Get a fan going under there and you’ll be surprised how fast all that will dry out. Replace the insulation, and go from there. I assume you have linoleum flooring if it “peeled” back when you pulled out the refrigerator. Let a fan blow under that and get water dried out. You probably can just reglue down the floor to the dry sub floor. It’s a headache, but it can be taken care.

If you wanted to go the long route. You could tear out the linoleum, cut out the junk part of the sub flooring. Glue and screw the sub flooring back down and put down linoleum again, which is a pain in the ass. Or buy some of that Snap together floating floor. That stuff takes minimal tools and goes pretty quick

thank you David,yeah,I have all of that going now as far as drying it out.
the kicker is I am leaving for my Bemidji trip tomorrow morning,I have family members that will be keeping an eye on it for me.

when I get back I will start taking care of it as best I can.
now to find an insurance company that will make me aware of all that they wont take care of up front instead of hiding behind the fine print excuse.

the good hands folk can kiss my

Most water damage doesn’t need subfloor replacement, especially if it’s been recent damage that’s been stopped right away, and dried out. Don’t be surprised if they do a fastener test if you contest it needs to be replaced.

Besides the whole money ordeal, I’ve seen companies string customers out for months and months now on approvals for work. IMO they are wanting this process to be a huge PIA to everyone so the general idea gets out there that it’s not worth filing a claim for the hassle.

Any questions you may have in regards to the flooring don’t hesitate to get a hold of me. Been doing insurance work off and on for many years.

Like Grouse said, talk to your agent. We’ve had the same agent for 28 years and have a great relationship with him. Many times it’s their call.

belletaine,I have had the same agent for about ten years now or close to it,what slays me is they want me to take pics which I did,whatever happened to the agent coming out to see for their selves??

they also want me to document the dates and time the damage “could of occured”
I was told that if the leak existed for ANY amount of time,they wouldnt fix it,it needed to be a break that happened all at once and caused “immediate damage” not long term.
dont know about you,but in my mind three days is not long term.

I am starting to believe they dont want my business anymore or anyones that owns a manufactured home and this is their way of running people off who do,by denying them claims.

I wrote a personal letter to my agent demanding to know why they are not even coming out to check it for themselves,we will see what goes on from there.

if it were not for a chemical injury that left me home bound for three years,
I would not have bought this place but I needed a place to stay where I could control the internal environment and this was the fastest way to do that.
I guarantee you that if it was a stick built,they would be tripping over themselves to take care of it.

Bleach, fans, and cancel your Bemidji trip to take care of priorities.
Just my 2 cents

Ask for a certified copy of your policy. Look at what’s covered and what the exclusions are. Pay attention to the definitions of different terms as set forth in the policy. If you think it’s covered, ask for a written explanation of why it’s being denied. If the adjuster won’t give you the reason in writing, ask to talk to the adjuster’s supervisor. You should be able to get the reasons in writing. If you still think they are wrong, get an estimate to repair the problem. If the policy has a clause that requires arbitration, you’ll probably have to fight them in arbitration. That is better anyway because it is usually faster and cheaper than district court. If there is no arbitration clause, you’ll probably have to sue them in district court. If they won’t provide the reason for their denial, contact the state insurance commissioner and lodge a complaint.

On a case like this, you are spinning your wheels to think you are making sense out of legal action in court. The retainer alone will change your mind. Follow advice here above, and don’t over think it.

Sheldon I just read your thread. My advice is ask a few questions over the phone to a decent lawyer because it won’t cost you anything to ask for a route to go down. Second get another insurance company, I use American Family and have had three simple claims and they paid them all, no questions asked.

I talked to another insurance agent a few years ago and in the conversation I told him I had American Family and he said they are a good insurer and they had one of the best ratings for paying for claims, give them a call because what have you got to loose.