Insurance Company giving me a hard time

[kd460]

2001 Trail-lite 5280-s 5th wheel camper. I have owned it since 2002 (purchased from dealer new as last years inventory).

Camper is stored out doors since day one in Michigan. Well, we had record snow falls this last winter and my camper suffered from it.

Ceiling (roof) is now sagging from the weight of the snow this past winter. I can physically move the ceiling up and down about 3 inches with my hands. When I say ceiling I mean roof and all.

Contacted insurance company, eventually got someone to come look at it. Was told by this person after he looked at it, that it will be fixed, was about $5500 dollars and was asked where would I like to take the camper for repairs? Was also told by the inspector that he would put the information together and insurance company would contact me.

Never heard from them for weeks, so I called. Now they are saying that they feel it is water that caused the sag and is not covered.

I insisted there is no leak. Never has been a leak, not before sag, and not even now after. I was in the camper during a heavy rainfall 2 weeks ago, and still no leaks. White ceilings and walls. Not a spot or stain, or drip or anything since I have owned camper.

So now they say they want to do a "Seal Tech Pressure Test". To determine if there are leaks. What the heck is that?

Bottom line, it looks like the insurance company is trying to find an excuse to not pay for the repair. Estimate was $5500 by the inspector looked at it. Now, different tune.

Sorry, feeling a little frustrated, I guess it is time to call a lawyer, but, anybody got any advice?

This is an ultra lite camper with no ceiling beams. Just the laminated foam type ceiling. My guess is the weight caused the foam to break or the laminations (glue) to fail...thus causing my problem.

Anybody got any advice or ideas? Am I getting hosed by the insurance company? Never had a claim before till now! UGG!

[keymastr]

If I lived where lots of snow was a regular occurrence I would either build a carport or pay for winter storage, but glad the insurance stepped up for you. I am sure you will do things differently now. Even a smaller amount of snow can do amazing damage if it gets rained on. Very heavy.

[Raymon]

RV daytrader wrote:

newman fulltimer wrote:
my question is why didnt you clean the snow off before it got that heavy

Got to agree with you there...I would never leave any large amount of snow on rv roof...just need a heavy rain to fall and the snow will be as heavy as concrete!

So now you blame the owner; it was all his fault. Just maybe he was gone for an extended time? Maybe there were other reasons he was not able to have the snow removed?

I agree with removing the snow. If I was not physically able to do it myself, I would hire someone to do it if I could find someone willing to do it.

Ray

[kd460]

Just a quick update:

After consulting with an attorney and then hiring him for a very reasonable flat rate, the insurance company did a 180. It took this long, and lots of back and forth, but they have finally agreed to payment.

The attorney has experience dealing with insurance companies, and I really feel he did a good job demonstrating to the insurance company that payment of the claim would be in their best interests.

I did not have to have the Sealtech pressure test, which to me was kind of stupid anyways. What came first the chicken or the egg?

They will be paying the claim minus some money for "betterment". Which from what I understand is fairly common in the insurance industry. However, I will be dropping this insurance company once the issue is resolved (if they don't cancel me first :)). KD

[mobeewan]

NJRVer wrote:

Water-Bug wrote:
I had snow damage to the roof of a stick built house, here in Michigan, last winter. Insurance company pointed me to a fine print clause in the policy that said weather damage must be the result of a named storm. Ever hear of a named snow storm or tornado? Total BS.

You obviously don't watch The Weather Channel.
They name all the storms now.
Do a "history" search for the storm on Weather.com and give the insurance company whatever they named it.

This is something the Weather Channel started doing and is not an "Official" Govt naming like tropical cyclones. It probably doesn't count for insurance.

IF anyone is interest I called the thunder storm here the other day Bertha.

[Harvey51]

Sometimes I wonder if insurance is worth it. Sure, we must have liability coverage on vehicles and fire on homes but is all the rest of it worth bothering with? It costs a lot over the years and then if you make a claim the premium gores up until you pretty much pay of the claim. I want insurance against disaster, not things like flooding in the basement, a dent in the car, cracked windshield, etc.

[JJBIRISH]

Well not to be smart or anything but when most posters ask about snow load on the forum here, most of the answers go something like you have never seen a dealer remove the snow have you… don’t worry about it…

Of course they aren’t here to assist in the repair when it happens… :B

I think your problem is this was not a snow event but a accumulation of snow and rain and ice over a period of time, and not one snow event… your lack of knowledge of when the damage occurred supports their denial in that respect…

[2oldman]

RV daytrader wrote:
.I would never leave any large amount of snow on rv roof...

or store it 150 miles away. Good luck with your claim.

[bodyshop_bob]

State insurance laws vary a lot from state to state but the principle underlying insurance is typically the same. That being said a recognized "principle" for a covered loss is "sudden and accidental". Did one snow event cause the loss or a build up of snow over the winter? If you can't pin down a general day or couple of days, was this "sudden"? Doesn't sound like it.
2. Independent Appraisers are Independent. They do not get to say what is covered and what isn't. They are appraisers hired by the insurance company and they do not get to speak for the insurance company.
3. I noticed a lot of anger/bitterness/resentment toward insurance companines in the comments. If you dislike your insurace company then change insurance companies. Insurance claim reps are held to a percentage of claims closed within 7 or 10 days. Their raises and bonuses are dependent on hitting this goal. For a claim to go this long really means something is preventing the claim from processing normally. A claim rep wants to pay your claim. Quickly. But if something isn't right they can't.
4. Everyone wants to hire a lawyer. In trying to close a Property Damage situation its usually not the smartest move. For Bodily Injury claims or Tort claims lawyers are fine. Look up Public Adjusters. Talk to one. Explain exactly what happened and ask for advice. Call the Insurance company. Ask to speak to the local Claims manager. Be nice and explain that you would like them to review the file and make a decision. Ask what else can I show or provide that would assist you in making a decision? Ask, politely, what has held up the determination of coverage?
Good luck with your claim.
BC

[sacmarata]

NJRVer wrote:
First contacted in May and here we are in August with no resolution.

Inexcusable foot dragging.
Can't wait to find out what company this is.

Amen to that! What if it was his residence?

Sure seems like something I would call my state attorney generals office of consumer advocacy about. It's worked for me in the past with a previous insurer.

[NJRVer]

First contacted in May and here we are in August with no resolution.

Inexcusable foot dragging.
Can't wait to find out what company this is.

[kd460]

Trying to respond to all the posts, sorry, I work full time and just got home from work and discovered two more pages of posts. Thanks for the information/conversation.

Also had a interesting twist today. I also have an appointment with a lawyer on Tuesday for this issue.

The original complaint to my insurance company was placed by me in May. The insurance company contacted the independent inspector June 24th. The inspector checked out the Camper July 9th and mailed his information to the insurance company on 7/23.

I contacted insurance company the first few days of august, and was told they needed to "go over the information" and would call me back. I went on vacation, never received any type of contact via phone or mail, so called them this past Thursday. A couple of days of phone tag and we are now here.

I had a lengthy talk with the independent inspector today, and he was surprised. He then emailed me a copy of the document he sent to the insurance company, gave me the dates he was contacted and inspected it. I specifically asked him if there was any signs of water damage. His reply was "no water damage, I am surprised that there is no water damage, and I have denied a lot of them this year for water damage, but yours does not have water damage".

He even reaffirmed that there is an obvious depression in the roof visible from the outside, as well as the sagging of the entire roof section on the inside (contradicts what the insurance company told me). The interior panels are still attached to the underlying structure. It is the structure that is moving.

Yes, I can move the whole thing up and down roof and all with my hands.

Getting back to the appraiser, he was very specific about the water, and was very specific that this was from the weight of the snow.

BTW, my brothers camper, my brother in laws camper, my fathers camper, and my uncles camper all sat in the same area (50 feet away)with no damage, and my dads camper was made in 1967! Not sure what that means, but is an observation I will point out.

So do things break or fail and people file a claim with their insurance company and the insurance company fixes it? I think that's what insurance is for?

Does an insurance company send out an independent agent/appraiser to inspect the camper, then he authorizes the repair, but the insurance company over rides that and "invents" some BS about water damage, is that ethical? I think thats a blatant attempt to avoid payment despite the inspectors findings? What did they hire him for in the first place?

The attorney I spoke with today told me to not talk with the insurance company and to get a copy of my policy, and we will meet on Tuesday. Not gonna mention the insurance companies name till I speak with the attorney. Put yourself in my shoes. I have never needed a lawyer except for routine real estate, etc. so this is all new ground for me. KD

[kcmoedoe]

Another red flag is that the insurance company probably doesn't get many Snow related claims in August. That would float a claim to the top of the "this needs further investigation" pile.

[RV_daytrader]

newman fulltimer wrote:
my question is why didnt you clean the snow off before it got that heavy

Got to agree with you there...I would never leave any large amount of snow on rv roof...just need a heavy rain to fall and the snow will be as heavy as concrete!

[Beaker]

Now they are saying that they feel it is water that caused the sag and is not covered.

In 2001, my insurance totaled my 1999 Trail Lite due to water damage.
Got $2500 less than I paid for it 2 years earlier.

Hope you get it.