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Post by Chad Manning on Mar 5, 2007 14:40:39 GMT -5
Just had a boat claim come across my desk. I thought this only happened in the movies...
From Claimant #1
From Claimant #2
From Lake Patrol report:
I can just imagine this in a film where the two guys are sitting in a boat and the larger boat crashes into them with both people jumping/falling out of the boat.
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Post by Chad Manning on Mar 15, 2007 16:48:35 GMT -5
Don't you just love some of our customers... <This is on a stolen vehicle claim>
Among the many questions I have on this claim, one big one is why didn't she lock her door after the guy left the first time?
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Post by suzanne on Mar 17, 2007 20:24:32 GMT -5
Okay, so after the cat/rock one I thought it couldn't POSSIBLY get any better... I WAS WRONG!
I laughed out loud for about 5 min... NO KIDDING! And each time I read it I continue laughing....
I love this board!
AND: Being in law enforcement/dispatch I get PLENTY of wierd calls.... I will post a few @ some point.
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Post by Chad Manning on Mar 19, 2007 15:51:53 GMT -5
I didn't get the claim number on this one, but SIU (Special Investigations Unit - aka fraud investigators) were discussing it.
A lady was waiting for a cab and 2 guys pulled up. Instead of waiting on teh cab, she paid them $10 to drive her home. When she got home, she invited them up cause the younger guy wanted a drink. She gave him a "shot" then they "left". The next morning her car was gone and she thinks it was them.
Hmmm...
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Post by Chad Manning on Jun 20, 2007 12:53:52 GMT -5
Well, here's the newest interesting tale...
We have a customer with a stolen truck. After some investigation, we find out that he actually picked the supposed theif up the night before. The way he tells it, he was on the porch of his apartment and saw this guy at the car wash across the street. He went to the car wash and invited the guy over for drinks. After several drinks, he started feeling bad an went to bed. He says he doesn't remember anything else, but he woke up the next morning and he was "sore" and his truck was missing. He can't remember the guy's name, but thinks it was Hank or something like that...
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Post by Vable on Jun 20, 2007 14:16:53 GMT -5
wow. lol
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Post by Chad Manning on Jun 25, 2007 16:44:44 GMT -5
It's not really a claim, but still work related. I have a resume where the candidate lists a prior employment as the Harris County Sheriff's Office. His title was "Baton Proficiency Control Officer". He did that for 16 years before becoming a professional Helicopter Pilot. 12 years later he opened a tractor repair shop. 12 more years pass and now he wants to work in insurance...
one of the more crazy resumes I have seen lately, but the "Baton Proficiency Control Officer", made me wonder what exactly that entailed. Not sure it is worth sitting through an interview to find out...
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Post by suzanne on Jul 13, 2007 19:32:18 GMT -5
Wow... never heard of that one. You might actually call and check those out.... But, batons are fun! They hurt people... and break windows.
If he WAS in law enforcement then he has probably dealt with insurance before... he may be a really GOOD candidate or a really BAD one...
Tell me what that baton prof. officer. is if you ever find out
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Post by suzanne on Jul 13, 2007 19:35:27 GMT -5
So. I work as a dispatcher in a little-bitty town in Oklahoma. We are situated in what I call the "buckle" of the Bible belt. There are mostly "white" people in this town. You could probably count on one hand how many "blacks" live here.
I get a call: "yes, I wanted to let y'all know that there's a man walking down Hwy 81."
Me: "okay?" "what's he wearing?"
Caller: "white shirt, blue jeans"
Me: "what's he doing? does he look like he may be intoxicated?"
Caller: "no, he's just walking down the road in the turning lane (turns out to be against the curb - not illegal)"
Me: (I bite...) "okay... is this a white male (my standard response b/c of our population)"
Caller: "no, it's a black guy..."
End of call...
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Post by Chad Manning on Jul 30, 2007 16:57:56 GMT -5
What a busy day. I have 3 new ones for you guys...
The Poker Game The customer said his son went to go play poker with his friends. However, his friends invited some big black guys to play as well. They must have all blacked out and when they woke up, all of the money and 2 of the cars were gone.
Burning ATV The customer says that some hoolums broke into his house and stole some jewelery and other stuff and tried to light a fire in the house. Fortunately, the fire was started in the kitchen and didn't do a lot of damage. The hoodlums also stole his ATV, which was almost out of gas. They drove it down the street and filled it up at the pump. Unfortunately, they overfilled it and when they started it, it caught on fire. The hoodlums fled the scene in another car and have not been caught, but the ATV was completely burned.
Grey Market Vehicle We had a customer disputing the value of his vehicle, so we asked the valuation company to find a comparable. The valuation company poled the local market and found one very similar to the insd vehicle. They ran the comparison and sent the report back to us. The comparable vehicle ended up being the same VIN and name of our insured with a different number. In other words, someone had stolen the VIN and was selling another vehicle under the insd's name. Our SIU department is looking into the claim now, though it does not look like our insd was involved. Just another type of identity theft...
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Post by Chad Manning on Aug 14, 2007 12:32:02 GMT -5
I've been dealing with another claim lately that is a real mess. Sales wrote a policy and told the customer it would cover the vehicle for $26,000. It is a 1976 Jeep with over $21,000 of customization for off-roading. Unfortunately, what the actually wrote would only cover the base value of @$5500 plus $500 of the customization. So, by the policy he has, we only owe $6000, but guess what he wants.
It is in legal now, but it sounds like we will pay him the $26,000. Guess how much premium he has paid so far on this vehicle?
... $39.66
I hate when someone else screws everthing up and I have to fix it! Only a $20,000 mistake!
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Post by Vable on Aug 14, 2007 13:35:32 GMT -5
ouch. Still, they did tell him.... but ouch.
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Post by Chad Manning on Aug 14, 2007 15:40:30 GMT -5
Ignorance typically does not hold up in court. While we will probably pay him, it is his responsibility to ensure they provided the coverage he wanted. As with any contractual agreement, it is important to read the contract to make sure it is correct before signing it. The policy VERY CLEARLY says what he would be paid in teh event of a loss. If it went to court we we would be in the right, but then our sales might get counter sued for misrepresentation. Ultimately, it is not worth the court fees and cheaper to pay it outright.
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Post by Vable on Aug 14, 2007 15:49:46 GMT -5
right. I could easily see how it was his responsibility to read the contract. But, likewise how sales slipped by offering something diff than what he was paying for. Like you said... expensive accident. ouch.
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Post by Chad Manning on Aug 14, 2007 16:13:12 GMT -5
Just because they made a mistake, they would not be legaly responsible for the error. If the individual does not address the terms of teh contratc and allow the company to make correction prior to the terms of the contract comming into the effect, then they must abide by the contract, even if they don't like it.
While contact law is complex, a more simplistic example would be...
Say you go to taco bell and order a chicken soft taco. You get your order and go to your table. You open the chicken soft taco wrap and see that it is a bean burrito. If you take it up to the counter, they will likely fix the error and no harm is done. However, if you were to eat the whole burrito and then go to the counter, and complain, you would probably not get an additional food item.
In insurance, you can change your coverage as much as you want, but once you make a claim, you have to use the coverage listed on the policy at the time of loss. Making a claim is like eating the burrito. If you have been paying premiums for some time that are significantly disproportionate to the value of the vehicle and never raised a concern, then you are stuck with that same coverage you have been paying less money for. It is too late to complain about the error after the fact.
Unfortunately, our society believes that everyone owes them something, and if someone made a mistake, then "Boy, are they going to pay for it". Thus the life blood of most attorneys. People/companies are allowed to make mistakes, it is how they handle the resolution of that mistake that makes it right or wrong, legal or illegal. Most of the time it is cheaper to pay the individual off up front than to pay for all of the court fees and such.
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