Insurance denying claim for ripped floor
All, I posted an earlier thread about how my vinyl floor ripped this winter, and heard from many of you on your similar experiences. I didn't want to file a claim with my insurance, so I started r...
Forum Discussion
jj95 wrote:
All -
I just spoke with the director of the claims department at USAA. We discussed my claim, and their refusal to cover it, due to the aforementioned exclusion clause (which is really just 1 word, "freezing").
I was not trying to be a smart-alleck when I brought this up to him (although I am *quite* good at it) - but when it comes to a vinyl floor, what constitutes "freezing"? Is this damage caused by freezing? Or extreme cold? For that matter, what defines extreme cold? People in Florida probably have a different defintion than those in Yellow Knife, Canada.
He didnt appreciate my line of questioning. He told me the determination was made by their legal department, and that I was not allowed to talk to them. They are not a customer-facing organization. Wow.
Not to be a smarty pants but what DID you expect?
The policy makes it clear about freezing and they are going to stick to what YOU and THEY agreed to when you signed the policy. The policy is a legal and binding contract..
Like I stated before, for the flooring have a home flooring store replace the vinyl. You can buy BETTER vinyl than what was put in by the RV manufacturer and it will be cheaper than what a RV dealer would cost.
Replacing the vinyl IS NOT A HARD JOB.
You do not need to remove cabinets and such, you simply cut around cabinets (that IS what the dealer will do anyway).
Then you will need a six inch putty knife and start it under the vinyl. To make it easier you can lightly spray the paper attached to the vinyl with water which softens the adhesive..
Removing it yourself can be a DIY job and can save you some money on the install (just don't "gouge" the wood as that will show up under the new flooring).. Might take a weekend to remove, not hard just a bit time consuming depending on how much adhesive was used..
Sometimes the vinyl is not fully glued down and you get lucky..
Once the new vinyl is glued down you can simply finish with some "quarter round" trim (paint or stain to your liking).
