my house burnt to the ground a week and a half ago, I was out of town and we lost everything we owned except some clothing. The fire marshal came out that night and told me that it was suspicious but the cause would probably never be determined. When I went in to see the insurance company they treated me like some kind of criminal, here I am having lost everything that I own. By the time I left I was just beside myself, they wanted to dig into every aspect of my life, they wanted me to go to the gambling boat and get a print out of how much money I have spent there. And they just kept saying, do you see why this doesn't look good for you!!! Can they make me do things like that? They twisted around everything I said, THEN to top it off, he said that it would take a while to settle my claim becuase it was suspicious, when asked how long, he said, " well it just depends on how much you turn in" Like if I don't turn in all my personal property they will pay the claim!!
2006-10-10 06:06:02 · 14 answers · asked by stephaniencurtis 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
The fire marshall has ruled me out completely and the insurance company knows this, and the reason I am talking about a lawyer is to protect myself, not because they where "mean" to me. I just feel like they are on some kind of witch hunt so they don't have to play the claim. They act like it is awful if I ask for anything, and I am just not sure of my rights, what I have to disclose to them (like the gambiling), I only spent $120 there, but it is just the whole point that thye can demand things and I have to jump through hoops, as does my family as they have all been interigated too.
2006-10-10 17:01:55 · update #1
Rather than hiring a lawyer, who will likely take 40%, look at hiring a public adjuster, who will probably take 10-15%.
But yes, if the house burned to the ground, and the fire report says suspected arson, the insurance company WILL take a little time to investigate. Especially if they think they can pin something on you.
Now, gambling receipts, how is THAT related to the fire loss?? What they are ACTUALLY trying to do, is get evidence to convict you. I don't see how it's relevant. Have them put their request in writing! You need to start dealing with them IN WRITING, and keep a paper trail.
As far as the "how much you turn in" portion of it, what bunk! You have a total loss! The policy should be paying out, well, the limit for the building, and you need to list as much as you can as far as the contents go. Get friends and relatives who might have taken pictures, or video recordings, of the inside of the house, to substantiate what was there.
Meanwhile, if you have a standard homeowners policy, you DO have "additional living expenses", and I would DEMAND an advance on that to pay for the hotel, etc, OR, let the insurance company park a trailer on the lot for you to live in while they straighten this out.
Regardless, even if it IS arson, and even if YOU lit the fire (I'm not accusing you!!) the insurance company STILL has to pay the mortgagee, if you have a mortgagee. So remind them of that, and get them to pay off the loan IMMEDIATELY. THat will keep you from having to make mortgage payments.
And again, a public adjuster will be cheaper than an attorney, but your agent should be going to bat for you on this, also!! And he's ALREADY been paid to help you!
2006-10-10 10:14:58 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can see why the Insurance company is dragging it's feet.
If the fire marshall has said and submitted a report stating that the fire was "suspicious" they are trying to make sure that you didn't start the fire on purpose to collect on your insurance. A common happening in today's society (not that I'm saying you did, mind you - just that many do).
It probably wouldn't hurt to get yourself a lawyer to help you look out for your rights. I'd also keep in close contact with the insurance company and give them everything they ask for without complaint or agression. You don't want to even give the impression that you're hiding something or guilty.
2006-10-10 13:17:14 · answer #2 · answered by parsonsel 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1.) TALK WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY!!!! I have worked with many insurance companys and they are not out to screw you they are just looking out for the company and their policy holders best interest. If your claim is marked as suspicious then you should expect a long wait time because something is not right. The sooner you give them the required information the sooner they can process the claim. In the insurance industry we get false claims daily so if something does not look right we examine it (remember if you did not burn your house down you have nothing to hide.) Most insurance companies require alot of info before cutting a check.
2.) DO NOT GET A LAWYER!!!! This will hinder the process and waste your money. All insurance companies have lawyers on staff so going to court with you will not cost them a dime extra. Going to court however will waste more time and like I said before the sooner they get the info the sooner they pay out. If you get a lawyer they will think you have something to hide.
Disclaimer - Then only time I would get a lawyer is if they deny your claim and you are in fact telling the truth. But do not get a lawyer until they tell you they are denying your claim because you will only be wasting more money.
2006-10-10 14:01:26 · answer #3 · answered by coopstar55 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion, you were not treated very nicely, but I'm not sure that you should go running to a lawyer. There isn't really a law from someone being mean to you unless it was malicious, which certainly doesn't appear to be. It is the insurance companies' job to make sure there is no fraud involved and most people go through some sort of interrogation when filing a large claim. Although you were not treated nicely, the lawyers that these big insurance companies hire will almost certainly win out over anyone. It probably wouldn't be worth your money to hire a personal lawyer to deal with a corporate lawyer who are out to kill. Unless they deny your claim, I wouldn't seek any legal help, but perhaps it would be time to look for another company who will be more helpful with their claim service.
2006-10-10 23:08:30 · answer #4 · answered by Rexy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Coopstar5 is correct. Insurance companies will pay what they owe. They aren't going to deny paying a fire claim to just to see if they can get away with it. Honestly, lawyers slow down the process. The insurance company is probably waiting for a C&O report and for SIU to complete investigation. This takes time unfortunetly. The more upfront you are with the info they need, the sooner this will be taken care of. When I worked auto theft claims 9 times out of 10 the delay was not the insurance companies fault but the insured failing to provide needed documents
2006-10-10 15:08:29 · answer #5 · answered by mamatohaley+1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Generally, an insurance claim must be responded to in 30 days. If not, the insurance company can be reported to the Dept of Insurance. Howeve, they will attempt to find every reason to deny your insurance claim. You may want to contact a lawyer for this reason. The insurance company cannot deny your claim on the basis that it appears that the fire was caused suspiciously. Charges must be filed by the police for the to pursue denying your claim on that basis. Just be very careful on what info you disclose. Limited information is always best.
2006-10-10 14:26:35 · answer #6 · answered by Mrs VIP 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Getting an attorney is your choice. Advising you whether you can or can't is legal advice and I doubt anyone who answered you is an attorney. Fire investigations are very serious and are commonly investigated from that kind of perspective when a Fire Marshall's report comes out as yours did. In most arson cases, you know who the guilty party usually turns out to be, right? Not to be accusatory, but whenever something like this happens it could be a number of possibilities, such as you doing it yourself for the insurance or someone else doing it for you while you're out of town with an alibi. Not that this applies to you, but it's not uncommon.
So, you have to determine if you have nothing to hide if the information you can get will help you or hurt you and go from there. People here have suggested an attorney so you don't have to go through this and talk to them. That's not a bad argument, but who knows whether that will help. There's just no telling. Totally your choice!
2006-10-10 21:49:29 · answer #7 · answered by Chris 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, its alot easier for insurance companies to solve claims when they know the cause of the fire. They could be thinking that you burnt the house down yourself or whatever, who knows. You definitely should of a had a list of everything you owned and the costs and everything. That makes it easier to determine how much to give you. But at this point the way it sounds, definitely hire a lawyer to handle this. or at least tlak to a lawyer to see what you should do.
2006-10-10 13:15:51 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You absolutely need a lawyer and the sooner the better. Don't talk to the insurance company again without an attorney and DO NOT sign or agree to anything. The insurance company is only out for themselves and you need someone to fight for you.
2006-10-10 13:15:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Oh you need a lawyer, alright. Did you get a copy of the Fire Marshall's report? What did he submit in his findings? If it's a fire of undetermined origin, so what?
2006-10-10 13:10:16 · answer #10 · answered by canela 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋