On 06 Aug 2003 21:27:11 GMT, (Wwj2110) wrote:


On the bright side, if you had been able to collect the $1K, and had
died in less than 5 years, you'd have come out ahead.

on the other bright side, I havent been killed by a meteorite in the
last 5 years either.
Best advice on insurance - until a MAJOR loss occurs, pretend you do
not have it. Save insurance for when you need it, or you will NOT have
it when you do.
The reason insurance rates are so high is the mentality that says
"I've paid in, so I'm entitled". Every little "insurable loss" is
collected. Guess what? Now the chickens are coming home to roost. If
an insurance company can find ANY reason to put you in the high risk
category, they will, to avoid paying out more in settlements than they
can hope to collect in premiums. NEVER let your insurance lapse
figuring you will insure elsewhere. Probability is you will be
uninsureable - period.
This goes for homeowners, contents, automotive, liability, - even life
, health, or disability insurance.

Roy Hauer wrote:

This is very good advice. My son has a habit of hanging with
individuals that have no regards for anyones property. he was always
making claims for insurance on his vehicle, now his policy is unreal
in $$.

On the other hand I just was notified by my auto and homeowners
insurance company that my homeowners insurance has dropped better than
$700 for the year................same coverage but a lower premium.

i think part of the problems wrt rates vs claims is that fewer folks
really get to know their agent andor the agent no longer has as much
say. years ago i asked my Allstate agent about a lightning strike that
damaged an already sick tree that threatend the home, and he said
'covered under shrub damage' and paid for it to be removed.

later i talked to him, thanking him brought this response, ....you have
never had a claim, one of your neighbors up there has two or three a
year.... he named the guy and told me that "off the record, he is a
petty thief". dunno what his rates did, mine did not change. this
was in rural NM in the late 60's-70's. regards, --Loren


Insurance in the country has been a hassle, but finally its along the
same rates as those in the town with full time fire protection.
Farmers Insurance is GREAT! Neighbors have ALFA and are paying
through the nose, for less coverage than I have, and even at my old
rate.

On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 21:38:23 GMT, clare @ snyder.on .ca wrote:

x-On 06 Aug 2003 21:27:11 GMT, (Wwj2110) wrote:
x-
x-
x-On the bright side, if you had been able to collect the $1K, and had
x-died in less than 5 years, you'd have come out ahead.
x-
x- on the other bright side, I havent been killed by a meteorite in the
x-last 5 years either.
x-Best advice on insurance - until a MAJOR loss occurs, pretend you do
x-not have it. Save insurance for when you need it, or you will NOT have
x-it when you do.
x-The reason insurance rates are so high is the mentality that says
x-"I've paid in, so I'm entitled". Every little "insurable loss" is
x-collected. Guess what? Now the chickens are coming home to roost. If
x-an insurance company can find ANY reason to put you in the high risk
x-category, they will, to avoid paying out more in settlements than they
x-can hope to collect in premiums. NEVER let your insurance lapse
x-figuring you will insure elsewhere. Probability is you will be
x-uninsureable - period.
x-This goes for homeowners, contents, automotive, liability, - even life
x-, health, or disability insurance.

--
Visit my website:
http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Contents: foundry and general metal working and lots of related projects.
Regards
Roy aka Chipmaker // Foxeye
Opinions are strictly those of my wife....I have had no input whatsoever.
Remove capital A from chipmAkr for correct email address

On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 23:27:44 GMT, lcoe
wrote:

Roy Hauer wrote:

This is very good advice. My son has a habit of hanging with
individuals that have no regards for anyones property. he was always
making claims for insurance on his vehicle, now his policy is unreal
in $$.

On the other hand I just was notified by my auto and homeowners
insurance company that my homeowners insurance has dropped better than
$700 for the year................same coverage but a lower premium.

i think part of the problems wrt rates vs claims is that fewer folks
really get to know their agent andor the agent no longer has as much
say. years ago i asked my Allstate agent about a lightning strike that
damaged an already sick tree that threatend the home, and he said
'covered under shrub damage' and paid for it to be removed.

later i talked to him, thanking him brought this response, ....you have
never had a claim, one of your neighbors up there has two or three a
year.... he named the guy and told me that "off the record, he is a
petty thief". dunno what his rates did, mine did not change. this
was in rural NM in the late 60's-70's. regards, --Loren

Yes, the '60s and '70s were a much simpler time. The agent had a LOT
of discretion back then, and VERY little today. Insurance companies
could afford to pay out on some rather questionable claims
occaisionally, as on the whole, customers were pretty honest.
Today that is NOT the case. A VERY sizeable percentage of all general
insurance claims are to one degree or another fraudulent. Most cases
of arson are never investigated or charged. Not too many cars will
burn by themselves, yet a large number of expensive, trouble prone
cars burn every year. Not too many cheap dependable cars do. Not hard
to get a car stolen today either - a lot easier to collect the
insurance than to get out of an expensive lease gone bad. Lots of
money losing restaurants burn to the ground every year - and a
significantly lower number of successful ones. I've seen a fair number
of "surplus" barns burn too. Farmer sells his dairy quota, or plans
to, or sells his herd and decides to go into poultry or hogs, where
the existing barn is not suitable. All of a sudden the barn goes up in
smoke, and the only equipment stored in the barn is the equipment he
will no longer require. What he will continue to need is conveniently
in the field, or in a separate driving shed where it can be readilly
moved to safety. Usually little or no livestock is lost.
Unless an accelerant was used, or in some other obvious way it can be
proven to be arson, the insurance company takes their lumps and pays
up.
Today the poor sucker may not be able to get insurance anymore, even
if the fire WAS accidental.

clare wrote: (clip). The agent had a LOT
of discretion back then, and VERY little today.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think that claims adjusters are so impressed when they realize they are
dealing with somebody honest, that they do use discression to be MORE than
fair. I recently had to get my broken sewer line replaced. I planned to
pay for it out of pocket, but someone suggested it might be covered under my
homeowner's policy. I couldn't see why it would be, but I called and asked.
I ended up filing my claim over the phone, and, in an effort to be fair, I
gave the adjuster several opportunities to slip out of it. For example, I
mentioned that the whole line had been replaced, even though it could have
been done more cheaply by just fixing the broken part. They paid the whole
thing (less my deductible). I am convinced that the guy was looking at my
account on his computer screen as we talked. He could see that I had been
insured with them for years, and rarely filed a claim, so he treated me
right.

Another time I had stolen tools replaced with new, and no reduction for
depreciation. They could see that I was passing up opportunities to inflate
the loss.

Honest is a good gimmick. :-)

To reduce the bite on an insurance policy I have, I OVERPAY. That keeps me well
clear of the fee for "extended payments", and every once in a while, they
detect a surplus balance, and shoot me a check, which gives me what most people
would call beer money.



Yours,

Doug Goncz, Replikon Research, Seven Corners, VA
Unequal distribution of apoptotic factors regulates
embryonic neuronal stem cell proliferation

Don Wilkins wrote:
On 07 Aug 2003 14:54:10 GMT, wsolurb ( Doug Goncz )
wrote:

,;To reduce the bite on an insurance policy I have, I OVERPAY. That keeps me well
,;clear of the fee for "extended payments", and every once in a while, they
,;detect a surplus balance, and shoot me a check, which gives me what most people
,;would call beer money.
,;

A lot of people do that with the IRS too. What it boils down to is you
are parking money with some entity. They collect the interest and
eventually return your deposited money without the interest. It is a
great deal for them and the suckers who can't manage money are none
the wiser.

I would be delighted to arrange for you to send me money. I will
deposit it in an insured account, collect the interest and return the
principle when you need the funds or realize how stupid it is to
manage your money this way.

yes, but will you cut me slack when i _do_ have an IRS issue? i often
overpay when estimating, and that often saves money in fines or interest.

get a clue.... --Loren

Don Wilkins wrote: I would be delighted to arrange for you to send me
money. I will deposit it in an insured account, collect the interest and
return the principle when you need the funds or realize how stupid it is to
manage your money this way.
^^^^^^^^^^^
I tried to work a comparable deal on the California Lottery, but none of my
friends would go for it, for some reason. My offer: Give me as much of your
money as you like, and I will give you back half of it. That's better than
the lottery--yet I had no takers.

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 05:02:37 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:


clare wrote: (clip). The agent had a LOT
of discretion back then, and VERY little today.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think that claims adjusters are so impressed when they realize they are
dealing with somebody honest, that they do use discression to be MORE than
fair. I recently had to get my broken sewer line replaced. I planned to
pay for it out of pocket, but someone suggested it might be covered under my
homeowner's policy. I couldn't see why it would be, but I called and asked.
I ended up filing my claim over the phone, and, in an effort to be fair, I
gave the adjuster several opportunities to slip out of it. For example, I
mentioned that the whole line had been replaced, even though it could have
been done more cheaply by just fixing the broken part. They paid the whole
thing (less my deductible). I am convinced that the guy was looking at my
account on his computer screen as we talked. He could see that I had been
insured with them for years, and rarely filed a claim, so he treated me
right.

Another time I had stolen tools replaced with new, and no reduction for
depreciation. They could see that I was passing up opportunities to inflate
the loss.

Honest is a good gimmick. :-)


Yup, I've had quite a few roommates from various third world countries
and I tell them the one thing that makes a third world country a third
world country is *corruption* on an accross the board level. The US
has corruption but it is at a level low enough to not be a significant
trouble to the economy. But still just think about it, what would the
US be like if there were *no* corruption at all??? Talk about an
absolute power house.

I hates corruption.

John

Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

In article , John Flanagan wrote:
On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 05:02:37 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:


clare wrote: (clip). The agent had a LOT
of discretion back then, and VERY little today.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think that claims adjusters are so impressed when they realize they are
dealing with somebody honest, that they do use discression to be MORE than
fair. I recently had to get my broken sewer line replaced. I planned to
[....]insured with them for years, and rarely filed a claim, so he treated me
right.

Another time I had stolen tools replaced with new, and no reduction for
depreciation. They could see that I was passing up opportunities to inflate
the loss. Honest is a good gimmick. :-)


Yup, I've had quite a few roommates from various third world countries
and I tell them the one thing that makes a third world country a third
world country is *corruption* on an accross the board level. The US
has corruption but it is at a level low enough to not be a significant
trouble to the economy. But still just think about it, what would the
US be like if there were *no* corruption at all??? Talk about an
absolute power house. I hates corruption. John

another way of stating it, 'in America, there's enough graft to
go around...' this was my own personal "grown up" enlightenment
obtained about 1969-75. the reason you lose a hand in Turkey
for stealing is that the thugs need to keep the peons in line
or there will _not_ be enough graft for them. --LOren


Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.