Claim paid & then denied
Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 9:00 am
I had an ice maker tubing that leaked behind the refrigerator and caused the nearby carpet to get wet, plus the kitchen floor to buckle. The carpet was dry and the floor was fine on Tuesday; when I returned home Thursday night the damage was visible.
My Foremost agent came and inspected, wrote a check and left. He then wrote a letter (upon returning to his office) which we got the next day, denying the claim because it was not "sudden" but "normal wear and tear." He said nothing about the check, which fortunately I had not yet deposited.
Friends tell me just to return the check and pay for the repairs myself, because if I raise a fuss with him or the state insurance commission/consumer help department, Foremost will cancel (or not renew) and we will be in dire straights trying to find a new insurer.
It is an $800 claim, approximately, which on a fixed income is a big amount.
Any advice?
My Foremost agent came and inspected, wrote a check and left. He then wrote a letter (upon returning to his office) which we got the next day, denying the claim because it was not "sudden" but "normal wear and tear." He said nothing about the check, which fortunately I had not yet deposited.
Friends tell me just to return the check and pay for the repairs myself, because if I raise a fuss with him or the state insurance commission/consumer help department, Foremost will cancel (or not renew) and we will be in dire straights trying to find a new insurer.
It is an $800 claim, approximately, which on a fixed income is a big amount.
Any advice?