My first claim as a 15 year member / Policy holder
Well everyone, its a shame when dealing with something as traumatic as an insurance claim that it isn't enough that we need to take to these forums to receive some sort of justice. I say traumatic because dealing with an insurance agency is actually more traumatic than what actually occurred to our coach ( 38 ft. Fleetwood Expedition )
The beginning...
A few days before Christmas 2016 I stopped by storage to grab somethings I needed for the holidays. When I approached my coach I found the front door propped open. I quickly noticed that the coach had been ransacked and it was obvious some homeless folks had been living inside of it for an unknown amount of time. I say homeless because they slept in the bed, used the bathroom ( never flushed! ) and stole everything including used sponges and used toothbrushes. Luckily they didn't have a use for the 2 55" plasma's.
The claim:
Good Sam / National General doubted my claim because of the way the gained entry. They kicked in the skylight and entered that way. I was told by the RV shop ( Sonrise RV ) in Escondido California how they entered because they have seen in before. Sonrise has been in business for 30+ years and I absolutely love and trust them.
Fast forward 3 months in the shop with no movement on my claim:
Email sent by me to National General: 3.09.17
Nick, can you tell me where we are with this claim? The amount of time this is taking is raising some questions. We have been a 15 year customer without a claim, taking 3- months to approve a claim of theft and vandalism is unacceptable. We hold polices with Fidelity, AXA, Zurich, Sentry, 21st , AAA marine and Gieco motorcycle. I cant imagine any other company taking this amount of time for a non-injury type of claim. At this point we feel it’s time to mount a defense by contacting the Good Sam coordinators to follow proper procedure but more importantly filing a complaint with the California Depart of Insurance. Could you tell me who at NGIC besides Sophia, Brian and of course yourself is working on our claim? Working and speaking with all three of you has been great and unless I’m mistaken, none of you are solely responsible for holding up our claim process. If someone else or another department is responsible I can use that information for our complaint documentation.
Regards,
Jamie DeBello
Response received : 3.09.17
Good Morning,
I understand you are frustrated, the claim has been open for too long. I would be upset too. We are moving forward as normal. The investigation is completed. Please be aware that I am not prolonging anything on purpose. I am looking to close this today and send you the payment. Please give me call today if you have additional questions. I am here until 5 PM EST. Thank you.
Nick Schrenk
Specialty Investigative Specialist II
Cleveland Claims Office
PO Box 1623
Winston Salem, NC 27102
Direct: (216) 912-4421
Toll Free: (888) 233-4575 Ext. 24421
Fax: (800) 924-0273
nicholas.schrenk@ngic.com
End of email
So why am I writing this today?
When I originally took the coach in and filed a claim I asked that the entire coach be gone thru and tested. The burglars used the coach killed the batteries, used the heater, tried the generator and so on. Our coach was bulletproof before the break-in and I wanted it back the same way. I finally got the coach back on July 1, yes 6 months after it went to the shop. I leave on one set vacation every year with the coach on 4th of July . After I got the coach back I noticed the refrigerator didn't work, headlights, horn, fog lights and GPS. The shop was in the dashboard to replace some damaged pieces that occurred during the break-in. I immediately notified everyone of the additional problems and returned the coach to the shop 2-weeks later for the inspection. Now Im being told the coach is about ready ( yes almost 350 days after the claim was filed. The insurance adjuster wants to meet at the shop to " go over " the additional items. I've been in business for 20+ years and fortunately I've been pretty successful. Just maybe I've have learned a few things writing government contracts. You all know why they want to meet right? If National General tries to balk at any of the things I originally asked to be checked Im going to happily pay Sonrise RV for the repairs. Then Im going to send my attorney to make sure Dave Jones of the California Department of Insurance knows who we are. Its ts not about the money, its principal. Either way I will update my post with the resolution. thanks for reading and remember to choose your insurance wisely. I went with Good Sam because I figured they are best. I'll let you know if they are.
The beginning...
A few days before Christmas 2016 I stopped by storage to grab somethings I needed for the holidays. When I approached my coach I found the front door propped open. I quickly noticed that the coach had been ransacked and it was obvious some homeless folks had been living inside of it for an unknown amount of time. I say homeless because they slept in the bed, used the bathroom ( never flushed! ) and stole everything including used sponges and used toothbrushes. Luckily they didn't have a use for the 2 55" plasma's.
The claim:
Good Sam / National General doubted my claim because of the way the gained entry. They kicked in the skylight and entered that way. I was told by the RV shop ( Sonrise RV ) in Escondido California how they entered because they have seen in before. Sonrise has been in business for 30+ years and I absolutely love and trust them.
Fast forward 3 months in the shop with no movement on my claim:
Email sent by me to National General: 3.09.17
Nick, can you tell me where we are with this claim? The amount of time this is taking is raising some questions. We have been a 15 year customer without a claim, taking 3- months to approve a claim of theft and vandalism is unacceptable. We hold polices with Fidelity, AXA, Zurich, Sentry, 21st , AAA marine and Gieco motorcycle. I cant imagine any other company taking this amount of time for a non-injury type of claim. At this point we feel it’s time to mount a defense by contacting the Good Sam coordinators to follow proper procedure but more importantly filing a complaint with the California Depart of Insurance. Could you tell me who at NGIC besides Sophia, Brian and of course yourself is working on our claim? Working and speaking with all three of you has been great and unless I’m mistaken, none of you are solely responsible for holding up our claim process. If someone else or another department is responsible I can use that information for our complaint documentation.
Regards,
Jamie DeBello
Response received : 3.09.17
Good Morning,
I understand you are frustrated, the claim has been open for too long. I would be upset too. We are moving forward as normal. The investigation is completed. Please be aware that I am not prolonging anything on purpose. I am looking to close this today and send you the payment. Please give me call today if you have additional questions. I am here until 5 PM EST. Thank you.
Nick Schrenk
Specialty Investigative Specialist II
Cleveland Claims Office
PO Box 1623
Winston Salem, NC 27102
Direct: (216) 912-4421
Toll Free: (888) 233-4575 Ext. 24421
Fax: (800) 924-0273
nicholas.schrenk@ngic.com
End of email
So why am I writing this today?
When I originally took the coach in and filed a claim I asked that the entire coach be gone thru and tested. The burglars used the coach killed the batteries, used the heater, tried the generator and so on. Our coach was bulletproof before the break-in and I wanted it back the same way. I finally got the coach back on July 1, yes 6 months after it went to the shop. I leave on one set vacation every year with the coach on 4th of July . After I got the coach back I noticed the refrigerator didn't work, headlights, horn, fog lights and GPS. The shop was in the dashboard to replace some damaged pieces that occurred during the break-in. I immediately notified everyone of the additional problems and returned the coach to the shop 2-weeks later for the inspection. Now Im being told the coach is about ready ( yes almost 350 days after the claim was filed. The insurance adjuster wants to meet at the shop to " go over " the additional items. I've been in business for 20+ years and fortunately I've been pretty successful. Just maybe I've have learned a few things writing government contracts. You all know why they want to meet right? If National General tries to balk at any of the things I originally asked to be checked Im going to happily pay Sonrise RV for the repairs. Then Im going to send my attorney to make sure Dave Jones of the California Department of Insurance knows who we are. Its ts not about the money, its principal. Either way I will update my post with the resolution. thanks for reading and remember to choose your insurance wisely. I went with Good Sam because I figured they are best. I'll let you know if they are.
