They took my tv!

April 23, 2008 9:33 PM

Dangit, some one came and took my tv!

So I come home from work, had to stay late, its 7 pm and there is a police cruiser parked in front of my house and my boyfriend is um, animatedly, talking to a neighbor.

Yes, someone has opened MY gate, come up MY stairs, got on MY deck, and kicked in MY window and absconded with MY big ass tv. I thought the big ass tv was silly when we bought it a couple of years ago, but now that vast open space above the fireplace is quite distressing. Actually, i don't care that much about the tv, but i do feel quite violated.

I also don't know how all this insurance stuff works. I am assuming it works much like a car accident, you fill the claim out, they send someone, then you get a check.

However, I don't know how to value the windows (they broke another one lord knows how). Do you value getting the glass replaced or a new window? Do you get an estimate and send it in and then do with it what you please (fix it or not)?

I've never had problems with auto insurance, but I have heard that files on your house can get your policy canceled, we don't need that! Our deductible is a grand and those big tvs don't cost that much. How do you decide whether to file a claim or not?

Any anecdotes or such welcome. I am just feeling overwhelmed right now. That old mantra that "if they want to come in, they will" is leaving me feeling really exposed right now.

posted by stormygrey to home & garden (12 comments total)

Depends on who your insurer is and what their policies are (and what your policy is), at least re: the window. Some insurers only pay out on completed work, some pay based on damages. That's going to be the least controversial part of your claim, and your agent should be able to tell you what the procedure is.
posted by klangklangston at 10:45 PM on April 23, 2008

We are with State Farm if any one has them and experience with them. So Klangklangston, what is the most controversial piece?
posted by stormygrey at 10:53 PM on April 23, 2008

Read your policy. Call your insurer. Keep written, dated notes of the salient points of that conversation (including the name of the person it was with) in case things turn horrible later and you have to start doing everything in writing. They probably won't.

Insurers make more money on policies than they lose on payouts, and they can only keep doing that if they have either a de-facto monopoly (as is, I hear, the case for US health insurers) or a halfway reasonable customer service reputation. I have never heard any suggestion that the US home insurance market is lacking in proper competition.
posted by flabdablet at 10:57 PM on April 23, 2008

I expect the controversial piece will be the valuation of the TV. This will depend on whether you have replacement value or actual value insurance.
posted by Jahaza at 12:14 AM on April 24, 2008

As far as I know any contact with your insurance agent will become part of your file whether you "officially" make a claim or not. State Farm is alleged by badfaithinsurance.org to be the worst company for making payouts that match damages. The Insurance Transparency Project has more to say on the subject of State Farm.

If you want to understand how Insurers went from having halfway reasonable customer service to embracing a completely adversarial approach to claims, I'd recommend reading the bits on ITP about the McKinsey slides. Basically ITP alleges that State Farm redesigned their approach to claims in the last decade to only pay out the full amount after you hire a lawyer.

My recommendation is that you read your policy, and try and get a free estimate on how much the window repair will cost before calling your insurance company.

I do not work in insurance or law, this is not legal or financial advice, etc...
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:24 AM on April 24, 2008

Also, ifyou do contact State Farm they'll probably need a copy of the police report.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:30 AM on April 24, 2008

If you don't already, it'd a good idea to take pictures and note the serial number of your expensive items. I keep mine online in case of fire. Just in case the TV pops-up in a pawn shop or half-way house.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 3:43 AM on April 24, 2008

Friends in real estate have told me they have really high deductibles because it's just not worth making a claim for under $5000.
posted by electroboy at 6:58 AM on April 24, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Do you own or rent? Because if you rent, make sure you have renters insurance.
posted by radioamy at 7:40 AM on April 24, 2008

Despite the deservedly bad press State Farm has gotten over their behavior with Katrina and other disasters my own experiences with them have been good. I've had claims for car and home but the home claim was storm damage not theft. They have paid promptly and been quite helpful. I think it depends a lot on your local agent as well as the state company though.

The being violated feel after having your home broken into is nasty. My mother slept with a rock hammer under her bed for more than a year after their house was robbed. Good luck sorting it all out.
posted by leslies at 7:56 AM on April 24, 2008

Certainly read your policy but this is what your agent is there for. Give him or her a call and ask them what the proper steps are and what kinds of documentation is needed. Thankfully we have only had to contact our agent for a few minor car issues but for every interaction I've had with my agent, she has made it very clear that she is there for us when "an event" occurs and we are to call her no matter what.
posted by mmascolino at 8:18 AM on April 24, 2008

Don't have any anecdotal advice as far as dealing with insurance. But we recently dealt with some burglaries in our immediate neighborhood. We had a meeting with the police on what we could do. We were advised that along with taking pictures of your items, buy a Dremel (approx $20) tool at your local hardware store. Engrave your name and drivers license number on items you've insured and want to inventory. Do not use your social security number. If your license number is your SS#, put "ask for ID" and a cell phone number you plan on keeping, on the items. It doesn't guarantee the absolute return of your items, but it might deter someone from profiting from pawning them.
posted by jerseygirl at 9:34 AM on April 24, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]