Sketch My Roof

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Last Post 11/10/2009 4:54 PM by  Ray Hall
Cumberland Insurance Group
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Homeowner101
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11/08/2009 10:29 PM

    Hello Everyone. I'm a homeowner in New Jersey and am considering changing my homeowners policy to a company called Cumberland Insurance Group. Does anyone know anything about them? Are they a good company? Do they work with homeowners if they need to file a claim or do they fight you every step of the way? I currently have a company called Palisades Insurance. Since I live near the coast they raised my "hurricane deductible" to $8,000.00. I could not believe it. My normal deductible is $500.00. Without my knowledge they changed my policy from a HO3 to an HO5. I spoke to my agent who first advised me that I always had an HO5 but after minutes of arguing she checked my history and stated I did have a history of an HO3 and she didn't know why they changed it to an HO5. Anyway, Palisades is going to be history with me. What a ripoff! Can anyone give me some insight on The Cumberland Insurance Group? By the way, The Cumberland Insurance Group would not require any "hurricane deductible" at all since I'm over five miles from the water and the premium is almost cut in half. Under Palisades the premium was over $1,200.00. With Cumberland it would be just over $800.00. The premium with Cumberland would have been under $700.00 but since I filed a claim back in May of last year with Palisades they would not give me a "premium" policy until after three years of no claims.

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    Ray Hall
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    11/09/2009 12:40 AM

    The only comment I will make is I have been around windstorm. hurricane & hail deductibles for about 50 years and I have never seen a policy without a windstorm(hurricane) ded. Get 2 or 3 bids you must have at least 50 companies in NJ.Five miles from the Atlantic is not that distant in a hurricane, unless it is wave wash and that has to insured by a NFIP flood type policy that can be written by many Homeowners company also.(WYO) Write your own.

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    Homeowner101
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    11/09/2009 7:58 AM

    Thanks for responding. I find it interesting that you indicate that you have not seen a policy without a hurricane deductible because I didn't have a hurricane deductible on any of my policies in the previous years up until approximately three years ago. When it did start, it was a $1,500.00 deductible not over $8,000.00.  Even my standard deductible was $100.00 but was changed approximately seven years ago to $500.00 by the insurance company. Up until last year I never filed a claim in my life but a good portion of my roof was torn off during a storm. Its amazing that the insurance adjuster stated they would only pay for the upper roof in the front of my home but would not pay for a lower roof located just below the bedrooms. When I asked why not? They won't look the same, the adjuster said because that portion was not damaged and you don't get a new roof just because its older. I told the adjuster the two roofs would not look the same which lowers the value of my home and that I'm entitled to pre-loss condition and that would not be pre-loss. In literally less than a minute the adjuster said "we could do that roof too". Absolutely amazing. I would have been robbed by my own insurance comapny if I didn't speak up. Amazing.

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    Ray Hall
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    11/09/2009 9:22 AM
    Dear Sir. Insurance Adjusters job is to assist policyholders with the agreeable sttlement of an insurance claim. They are bound by the contract law. They are required by state laws to treat all policyholders in a fair manner in the adjustment of a PRESENTED CLAIM. It is the duty of all policyholders is to allow inspection and to present the claim. Keep this in mind and 99% of the claims are settled in this manner.
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    Homeowner101
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    11/09/2009 5:51 PM
    If they are required by state laws to treat all policyholders in a fair manner, then the adjuster shouldn't have attempted to deprive me of something I am legally entitled to. You have to agree that I must have been "legally entitled" to have the lower roof replaced or the insurance adjuster would not have given in so quick or should I say they would not have given in at all. What really happened was the adjuster tried to get over but when they saw that I had "some knowledge" they backed away. I wasn't asking for anything more than what was the right and the "legal" thing to do but they tried first to get away without treating me in a "fair manner" as you say. I'm not trying to be sarcastic. I'm simply pointing out what really happened here no matter what spin anyone tries to put on it.
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    claims_ray
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    11/09/2009 6:17 PM
    Without seeing the amount of roofing that is in discussion here I can only tell you that sometimes it is a matter of opinion as to how much needs to be replaced. It is possible that the adjuster did not want to get into a dispute with you and folded to your request. I do not know about the laws in New Jersey however if it was Texas and some other states Matching is not owed for and some states it is line of sight from the street.
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    Homeowner101
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    11/09/2009 9:30 PM
    I'm not exactly sure what you mean by line of sight but if it means being able to see both roofs together from any angle then it would apply. My home is a two story colonial. The damaged area was all the way at the top near the peak and afew rows down from the peak. The damage stretched from left to right quite a few feet. As you work downward from the peak to the gutter, the bedroom windows are below. Then just under the bedroom windows there is another roof that covers the front porch and the attached garage which is almost the full width of the home. If you stand directly in front of the home both roofs are in full view. If you stand to the left side or right side of the home on an angle where you could still see the front portion of the roof then again you would be able to see both of the roofs. It would clearly be visible that there is a big difference to the two roofs if the lower roof was not replaced. I hope this helped in understanding why it was important to the value of my home to have both roofs replaced.
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    Jgoodman
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    11/09/2009 10:28 PM

    The value of your home is not insured. 

    The policy covers direct physical damage.  For the most part, matching is not covered, and it would not matter that your roofs do not match.  As long as the repair was of like kind and quality, which means the roof sheds water as well as before the loss, the carrier has lived up to the terms of your contract.

    Read your policy and post the part that insures the value of your home.  If the policy insures it, it will be spelled out in the policy.

    Here in Virginia Beach, Va, five miles from the ocean front the Hurricane deductible is 2%of coverage.

    Jeff

    PS.  Here is a question for you folks with a real estate background.  How much does a non-matching roof diminish the value of a home?  I'm sure someone has sold or bought a house with a mismatched roof.  Is it 50% of the value of a re-roof, 10% of the value of a re-roof, or is it of no importance whatsoever. 

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    Homeowner101
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    11/10/2009 8:07 AM

    What do you mean for the most part? Either it is or it isn't. If the insurance company chose to only replace the top roof the home would be worth less to a prospective buyer should I choose to sell. If the older roof were intact the home would be worth more with the older roof than a home that has one new roof and one older roof especially where the differences could be clearly seen. I hardly doubt that the adjuster merely gave into me if it were something I had no right to receive. They would not have merely attempted to appease me by giving in. They were obligated to do the right thing. They're goal is to save the insurance company as much money as possible. They're loyalty is to the one that signs they're check every week. Which is not the policyholder. I've heard the horror stories of adjusters telling homeowners they would pro-rate replacing carpet as an example when there is damage that is covered under their policy. Carpet is not to be pro-rated. If its damaged and cost $2,000.00 to replace they shouldn't be trying to payout $1,000.00 because the carpet was 10 years old. The carpet may have lasted another ten years. Replace the carpet. That simple. So if you want me to believe that adjusters don't try to take advantage of policyholders then you're talking to the wrong person. I know this to be true because it happened to a friend of mine. Thats what made me interested in educating myself on the ripoffs of the insurance companies. You know what, I was so appauled at the way my friend was treated, I advised him of "only me opinion" and guess what? They replaced the carpet and they didn't pro-rate it either. Using your logic, if the vinyl siding in the front of a home was damaged and the siding is blue for argument sake but blue is not available any longer. Am I to believe that they would side the home in the front with a different color? That three sides of the home are different than the front? That the value of the home is not lowered? What happened to pre-loss condition? Also reaching out to others to see if homes were ever sold with different roofs. I'll answer that. Yes. But why? Because they were probably lied to by their insurance company or because they're so intimidated by their insurance company possibly dropping them or raising their premium, they never filed a claim.

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    Jgoodman
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    11/10/2009 8:41 AM

    I have been in this business since 1988.  There is only one storm I have ever worked where the carriers replaced all sides of the siding when there was hail damage on only one side, and that storm was in Washington, DC.  Think anybody there has any political pull?  This is what I mean by "For the most part".

    That is the only time I have seen it done stormwide.  Have I seen a supervisor give in to an upset insured and replace undamaged items for a color matching issue?  All the time.  But the policy does not cover it.  This is what your adjuster did, without talking to the supervisor.

    If your carpet is supposed to last twenty years and it is ten years old when it is damaged, then the carrier only owes half the value of that carpeting until it is replaced.  And that is only if you have a replacement cost policy.  This is a well known insurance process known as depreciation.  The carrier only owes the acutal cash value of an item until it is replaced.  This is not the adjuster or carrier trying to stiff the insured, it is one party of a contract living up to the contract to which it is party.

    Obviously, you can reply with much verbage and attitude, but can you reply with the text of your policy?  I will ask again.  Please read your policy and post the part that insures the resale value of your house, or insures the appearance of your house so as to not negatively affect resale value. 

    Your policy is your contract with the insurer.  You should be familiar with the terms. 

    Have you ever read your policy? 

    Until you post the part of the policy you claim covers color matching, I will follow this thread, but post no more.  Voluminously repeating an already stated position is a huge waste of time and effort. 

    Note how I use my real name.

    Jeff

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    Ol' Ghost
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    11/10/2009 9:01 AM

    Gentlemen, this conversation is turning into a tar-baby. Do you detect the stench of an investigative reporter or some other sort of muck raker? I suggest any further posting with him be curtailed and you remove your posts.

    Ol' Ghost

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    Tom Toll
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    11/10/2009 11:08 AM

    i agree with Ghost. Seems Mr. Homeowner has all the answers anyway, so I am not sure why he is on here. This conversation is endless, so lets end it now gentlemen.

    Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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    Homeowner101
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    11/10/2009 3:03 PM
    Funny how all of you have something to say now when I try to defend my position, but not one of you "so knowledgable" could find it in yourself to answer my original question regarding Cumberland Insurance Group. You are all obviously "insurance adjusters" with your employers interest in mind and no one elses. I also will not post again. That being said, thanks for nothing. You are all useless.
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    FloridaBoy
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    11/10/2009 4:51 PM
    Posted By Homeowner101 on 08 Nov 2009 10:29 PM

    Hello Everyone. I'm a homeowner in New Jersey and am considering changing my homeowners policy to a company called Cumberland Insurance Group. Does anyone know anything about them? Are they a good company? Do they work with homeowners if they need to file a claim or do they fight you every step of the way? I currently have a company called Palisades Insurance. Since I live near the coast they raised my "hurricane deductible" to $8,000.00. I could not believe it. My normal deductible is $500.00. Without my knowledge they changed my policy from a HO3 to an HO5. I spoke to my agent who first advised me that I always had an HO5 but after minutes of arguing she checked my history and stated I did have a history of an HO3 and she didn't know why they changed it to an HO5. Anyway, Palisades is going to be history with me. What a ripoff! Can anyone give me some insight on The Cumberland Insurance Group? By the way, The Cumberland Insurance Group would not require any "hurricane deductible" at all since I'm over five miles from the water and the premium is almost cut in half. Under Palisades the premium was over $1,200.00. With Cumberland it would be just over $800.00. The premium with Cumberland would have been under $700.00 but since I filed a claim back in May of last year with Palisades they would not give me a "premium" policy until after three years of no claims.

    These are questions for an agent or underwriter. We do not sell insurance, nor are we licensed to advise you regarding the purchase of insurance.

     

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    Ray Hall
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    11/10/2009 4:54 PM

    Please delete all post.... thanks in advance.

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