I had hoped to tell all of you that progress has been made on the Doryman Melonseed. Nature has other plans.
For the last week, the coast of Oregon has been buffeted by winds up to 100 miles per hour.
One night, when the winds approached Beaufort 12, rain fell in sheets and all hatches were battened down tight, a neighbor's tree fell on my car. The tree did not actually fall down, it's top snapped off 20 feet up and spun over the car to damage the opposite side.
When you live in an extreme environment, winter storms become second nature and residents are resilient. Everyone bands together after such an event to help clean up.
Except the insurance company.
The insurance people tell me my property is not covered in the event a tree falls during a storm. How absurd is that? That's why we purchase insurance, isn't it?
The damage to the car is not disabling, but will cost more than I can afford (the boat building business is deep in the red right now.)
Does anyone want a somewhat damaged car that runs well, for a really good deal?...
...didn't think so.........
.
Commiserations. Many over here had the same experience with certain companies when they lost their houses in bushfires a few years ago, and the Queensland floods.
ReplyDeleteIt is particularly unnerving because confidence and peace of mind are really the only products that insurance people can sell. But many of us a are left with the certainty that no claim is certain to be accepted!
In your case if you'd been drunk and rolled the car, you probably would be covered, but not from a storm when you are faultless!
Thank you, Rob - the whole insurance thing has me in fits. In my life, I have been the unhappy victim of circumstance, from major physical injuries, to theft, to catastrophic accidents that would amaze.
ReplyDeleteYet, the insurance profession has done me no good. I could tell some stories that would incense you about how callous an insurance adjustor can be.
I don't know how it is for you in Oz, but here many forms of insurance are mandatory, including home owners, if you are carrying a mortgage. In that case, it is more a form of robbery, when they have clauses that limit coverage.
Insurance has become the business of getting rich with other people's money, by refusing to deliver what you promised. If there weren't so many politicians in the insurance business it would be illegal.
ReplyDeleteFlame off.
Good point, Barry - I'm trying to keep a sense of humor. There seems to be too much to rant about these days.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten a lot of support over this. There must be a way for people to invest together in a way that emergency needs can be met reliably, without resorting to soulless mega corporations.
Thank you all for your concern!
In a previous life we were trying to interest insurance companies in flood risk data. They declined and said that if there was a major catastrophe they would just put their hands up and look to the government to bail them out. So why were people paying for insurance and where was the money going? Well to the shareholders of course. The original idea behind insurance was to spread the load so that no-one suffered too badly, that idea seems to have got lost along the way.
ReplyDeleteHope you get the car sorted out.
I'm fine with getting bailed out by the government. Don't expect that to happen any time soon.......
ReplyDeleteThe damage to the car should be covered under the car's auto insurance comprehensive coverage. If you do not have comp coverage on your car you are SOL!
ReplyDelete