shop insurance

[yf]

Alot of insurace co. had their headquarters in the World Trade Center.

Maybe those murderers who destroyed it, got a letter like that too and decided to do something about it.

My stuff is not insured at all.

[lastditch]

My insurance agent more or less gave me a wink and a nod saying that as long as it was for hobby and my own use I was covered by my home owners policy for my hand tools.

As for the mill and lathe etc. I would need a rider.

His main concern was the heating, I have gas heat . If it would have had wood heat he would not even write a policy.

[Thrud]

ochster:
Tell them it is strictly personal tools and for your hobby.

Steve
I have a $2,000 deductable on contents. Never had to make any claim, nor had a claim made against me. My insurance company treats me well. They are owned by some Indian tribes in Hobbema, just south of where I was born.

[Ragarsed Raglan]

An interesting thread, here's a British perspective on it.

I live next door to an Ex-Insurance Trader, he told me that what insurers don't like is anything which is out of the ordinary. In other words if you cannot be 'pidgeon holed' as a citizen with 1.6 cars, 2.3 kids, 4.2 store cards you are a RISK! The data base does not cater for 54 yr old Mr Joe Bloggs (John Doe in American speak!) with a Super Widget Dingbat 12 x 33 lathe in his possesion ~ "what does he need that for?" ~ "he's a crank" ~ "better load him good and proper - could wipe out the neighbourhood"

That, unfortunately, is the mentality you are dealing with when you are talking to insurance companies. I have my shotguns insured with a national clay pidgeon association (آ£50 per annum for آ£10,000 cover)~ I tentatively inquired about putting them on the household contents as a specific 'sporting equipment valuable', the quote came back for 5.5% premium (thats آ£550 per annum for آ£10,000 cover!). Meanwhile I have a friend with some classy golf clubs ~ his premium rate is 0.75% (thats آ£22.50 per annum for آ£3,000 cover). Both are 'sporting equipment', but my guns are locked in a jemmy proof safe, his clubs are left in his garage!!!

To my mind there is a market need for in home machinery insurance policies; maybe it could be a good move for someone like Village Press to put together a policy and get it underwritten???? That's how the CPSA (Clay Pidgeon Shooters Association) came to put together a policy over here in the UK, and marketed it through their in house magazine.

RR

[Alistair Hosie]

I would advise all of you after my experience to be very careful however friendly your insurance agent is and however much he nods or winks. It's one thing to be given a piece of paper to say that under certain circumstances you are insured.
It's quite another to go back and explain in detail what exactly you have been up to in reality.
They will pay/employ a loss adjuster as in my case who's main livelyhood is brought about directly as a result of reducing the burden of loss to the insurance company. That loss adjuster will bend over backwards to find a loophole or fault in your aplication so as to make her/himself valuable asset to the company who pay his /her wages.
Please be very careful don't be lulled into a false sense of security as I have learned the hard way not to trust them.
The agent is not held responsible for a nod or a wink sure he gets paid by this deception but so long as nothing goes wrong all will be fine but you are not/or underinsured if you fail to supply them with accurate detailed information so be warned the companies main concern is their own welfare not yours .Alistair

[docsteve66]

You not only gotta read the policy but read EVERY thing you sign when you make a claim.

In 1956, I had a Chrysler New Yorker, 4,500 miles on it, no debt. Was hit by a drunk in memphis tenn. Insured by "state Farm" (SF).

SF says get three estimates. I did, then I signed a paper authorizing them to repair it for the least estimate. A standard form. The least estimate I had was very near a "total" of the car. WHen I picked the car up, the front did not match the rear in color, right side bumber was was near the ground, could not make a right hand turn excepting on a multilane road. SF (when I charged back to them) had paid about 600 dollars for their low estimate. Claims adjuster showed me where I had authorized them to get and use the lowest bid. I was sick!!!!

Drove the car to Gulfport Mississippi, Dad owned a fish market on a very busy street. Left car with parents and went back to work a(a traveling job). Came home got the car, driving to freinds house. Ten miles out in the country, had to "back and fill" to get around a right hand corner. pisssed!!!!. Wedged a coke bottle between the brake and throttle and stepped out. Damn car went into a ditch, not a scratch on it. Next morning we pulled it out. Freinds shouting (as they tugged and I steered) you gonna tip that thing over if you keep on the side of the ditch like that. Me? I just hoped they were right.

Drove it further into the country, tied steering wheel so it had to go down the road, did coke bottle thing again. Just dropped a wheel in a sandy ditch and it stopped. not a scratch!. Now really unhappy, so I got it up to maybe 10 15 mph and drove into a tree!. By golly, damage, radiator back to engine. called Mr Chrysler Dealer for a tow. They said "total it" frame bent, and poorly repaired, needs new front cap, but fenders and rear end don't match, needs a paint job.

SF sez "OK". Joy filled my breast!!!!. Then they had the gall to say the car was worth almost nothing- previous work not done properly. SF says we will pay $600 and take the car. Dealer says we will pay more. SF says OK, sign a release and you can do it.
Says I - you mean I gotta have YOUR permision to sell MY car?. SF says yep things chnage when you file a claim. Says I, I am gonna drag that wreck to home to avoid storage cost. SF photoed the car, warned me to not remove or sell anything.

So To HOME!. Put a 4x8 plywood sign in front of the market, Sign says "This 'Total wreck" insured by State Farm. They won't repair it, replace it, or buy it at a average retail price". Before 9 AM, Dads agent (and mine) called (he had no involvement, the previous stuff was claims djusters in Memphis and Gulfport) (but he was damn sure aware of my troubles). The agent had recently decided to see what he could do for us, had been talking to the head office in Birmingham, Alabama (if memory serves). The fine people there had agreed to pay average retail- which is just not done!- because they felt the memphis peole had done me wrong. My check is waiting!!!. Says I: fine ,apprecitate the help. will se you this PM to pick it up. Agent says no swaet I am in need of some shrimp (or fish) will bring it by very soon. need your signature though. Says I ok, I will wait, and while I am at it, I will remove the sign i have posted. agent says thanks and they will have a tow truck there in a few moments. I says OK tell to not touch the car until I sign it over to you. lol .
So I tell you from experience, SF does move just as fast as their ads claim, at least in my experience. That was last non-mandated auto insurance I ever bought. Then in 1963 bought my last new car- but thats another tale.
Lordy Life has been fun. win some, lose some, some get rained out.
Steve
PS: I learned two things of import: 1. Be wary, sign nothing. 2. Hitting a tree at 10/15 MPH is a real shock even for a man in excellent physical condition. Dont try it.

Disregard my advice on the being wary if you wish, but don't drive into trees on purpose.

[Robert Jones]

Steve, what seafood shop in Gulfport, (my home) ? Bobby

[Oso]

Anybody from north central Ohio may remember all the signs that said "Nationwide won't pay" back in the late 1980's.

Many had on them date of fire or accident or whatever, typically a couple or three years back.

Allegedly, that company simply ruled that the fire was intentionally set, regardless of fire marshal's finding, and invoked the policy clause saying they needn't pay.

I never talked to any of them, just saw the signs, so I have no idea. But there were an awful lot of them, just didn't seem right that all these folks were crooks.

I have heard about similar things in Missouri, not that particular company, though.

[docsteve66]

Robert: They had Stevens seafood, 1306 Pass road, gulfport. Dad died in about 1981.

They (mom and dad) were in Charleston South Carolina when Camile headed for Gulfport. Tehy hit the road for Gulfport. Passed through Hattiesburg about drak. DAD say "easiest trip home i ever made. Every body was leaving the coast. Just opened the car up and got in about time the winds were building.". They Had to park to the lee side ofthe building, to get car door open. Mother went upstairs to secure the living arera, Dad nailed his plywood over the windows. Phone rang- moms sister was calling to tell them they best get out!!. Some w ords like fools were uttered .

They rode Camille out. Lost as part of the roof, and all power. But they had a big stock of frozen seafoods, were accross the street from the colonial bakery, so they got power back quickly. Potable (safe to drink)Water was off. people were told to drink only boiled water, but the gas was off also and no power most places.

Mom and dad had a high electric bill, because they boiled water for every one who had a pan and loaned pans to those who didn't. Soft drinks were in short supply of course, but dads sold same price as always. Price on seafood came down to most folks- old codger had a soft heart. Snakes were driven to high ground, they had lots of visitors of the slinky type as well as people. Old folks got into a little trouble cause they made gumbo and "served" the public with no license. City did nothing casue the folks sold nothing. I guess the old man was pushing 70 then. Roof damaged, two story building. Old fellow climbed and unclimbed his ladder til the roof was re-shingled. Labor was in short supply.
Dad died and Mom sold the business to some VietNamese. I helped a little with the sale. Young Viet girl was telling me how they, since they would work hader than ameriacans would rebulid the business (dad had his little market and five shrimp boats at one time). LOL the Viets worked their tails off, and still did not sell the quantiies the old folks did all by themselves at their ages. VN Gal told me later, that they had to sell out. too much work, not enough pay !!!! Needed a bigger family. The records (sources, sales customers) were given to the new owners so they knew how things wnet from year to year. It was tooo formidable a task for them.

Gulfport Mississippi is quite a section of a fine state, regardless of the TV. BUt as Trent Lott has discovered, you best not speak well of those days and the possible future they had. Instead, hang your head in shame poor boys, cause they gonna have your name and reputatation hanging from a black oak tree no matter what you actually did/

[ochster]

Obviously not an industry with many admirable (if any) traits. I'm surprised this has not hit the politicians scorboard for fixing, but then again, there closely related to attorneys, another topic I know.

I have resigned myself to do a little searching, and see if I can displace my current mandated brand of thief, with another. I have also torn up my nice little FYI letter, and will find out how bad my agent want's me as a client.

Thanks to all.

[Robert Jones]

Steve, I know the shop, bought shrimp there many times. I live about 3 minutes from it.I don't recall seeing any Vietnamese there, I do remember an older gent, must have been your dad. I'm a native, lived here all my life, was in Germany when Camille struck.
It's a great town, even though it's changed drastically with the casinos and "progress".
Yea, looks like Trent has some talking to do,of course all of us are guilty by association. There are a lot of misconceptions about us Mississippians, I usually don't even bother trying to change peoples minds. It's not worth the trouble.
I find it interesting that one can find people with things in common when they have lived literally worlds apart. This internet is marvelous. It really is a "small world".
If you ever get down this way, look me up, Bobby.

[docsteve66]

Bob: must have been my dad. Short fellow, big belly, arms like trees. At age 80 he could pick up a block of ice, hold it out and lower it into a tub of water. Funny thing about his business, they would lock the doors at a moments notice, take a month or so off- tour the country. Come back and a few days later business was back to normal. You probaly remember "shrimp, three pounds for a dollar". How things change!
I wnet to Woolmarket for shool one semester in about 1943, Gulfport High for two (probaly less) smemsters between 1945 and 1949). I have been to probaly more than 50 schools in my 12 years. The content of Mississippi schools exceeded that of calif, New mex, Ariz was good also. South Dakota was probably best ofthe lot. Your state has no reason to be emnbarrassed, lots of good writers, politicans came from there. Some of the worst Civil war destruction aoccured there- The Robert E Lee batles are well known, but much action took place "in the west" (west of Virginia). And I remember from visits as a kid (in the 1930's) the remenants of recovery that still had not come to pass as a result of the "War of Northern Agression" - to use my mothers family term for the conflict.

BTW- the old man used to Own that entire block, before the bank was built. I missed many a meal, picked many a pound of cotton, slide of peaches, apricots and field of wheat to keep paying for it. From that experience, I vowed to never enslave my self to a creditor. There is a missing page in the tax collectors record book, removed by a Gulfport Attorney, who then paid taxes and tried to get the land via tax sale . So I learned to tend to my affairs and watch those who were supposed to attend to things for me. Yep, I remember Gulfport! Still have cousins in the coutry there. A small world after all. Just never sayedthere long enough to have freinds there. I hope a few remember the old folks, but none will remember me there (I hope not anyway- I was not a peaceful young man back then)
Steve

[Robert Jones]

I remember how the shop would close periodically. Things have changed quite a bit over the last 20 or 30 years, you may not recognise some of it, but that block is still close to what it was. Woolmarket is almost a thriving metropolis now, lot of new homes and small business.
I have been to a few foreign countries...Germany, Luxembourg, Panama, and even Ohio and New Jersey, still like it here the best! Bobby

[docsteve66]

I never made it to the east of the usa. Spent lots time in Asia- and i do enjoy asia. mostly as a civilian engineer for private industry.

Gotta vist Gulfport soon. The gulf coast makes better Po'Boys than new Orleans. but then so does most of Louisana. I owned a 30' shrimper (the IMP out of Applatchacola fla), master papers and all that stuff. Too much work for a lazy man though. Vut you have never tasted shrimp til you end a drag, put a few in a pot setting on red hot manifolds. peel 'em, shuck 'em throw the hulls over the side while watching your trawls lines.
Nuff nostalga