Having a bad day, take five

[matonb]

Having a bad day at the office? Just imagine really getting ay with what these characters get upto.

Not that any of you have bosses quite that daft....


Or do you ?

[techieMoe]

Eh. My day hasn't been wonderful, but it has nothing to do with my boss or work in general. I've spent all day playing phone tag with my insurance company and my apartment complex over the issue of flood insurance.

I like my stuff. I'd like to keep my stuff. I live in a part of my country where the only likely natural disaster is a flood. My renter's insurance covers me in the case of everything under the sun from earthquake up to and including a volcanic eruption (I kid you not, in Texas). However it does not cover me for flood. That's a separate policy.

I talked to my insurance agent to get set up with flood insurance. They called me back and said that my current residence was on a flood plain, and because of that they would a)not be able to give me any discounts on the premium and b)would not tell me how much that premium was until they had an "elevation certificate," which is apparently a magical document that tells them how to read a map.

I was also told that if my apartment complex did not have a certificate handy that I could get my complex appraised for $400. No thanks. I called my apartment complex. The main office knew nothing about it and directed me to corporate. Corporate directed me to their Legal department where I spoke to a voice mail message.

To my utter shock, someone called me back from Legal. They said that my particular property was not on their records for being in a flood plain. I told them that either my insurance company was lying to me or their records were out of date. The lady in legal asked if perhaps I could send them my insurance company's flood plain report. Fine.

I called my insurance company. They were emphatic that I was on a flood plain, and offered to fax me the report, which I could then fax to Legal. The idea here is that the corporate office will pony up the fee for the elevation certificate out of fear of lawsuits from their tenants (me) regarding insufficient coverage options for their property. I have yet to receive the fax. I'll check back tomorrow.

[matonb]

Hey Techie,

Your in America, I'm in Europe.

Over here we take the view that most business, and I must be honest people, have been specifically built or breed to remove the common sense gene.

It would appear that you personally are suffering from that breeding plan at the moment.

Rest assured when you do get your document from Legal, it WILL be the WRONG TYPE of document for your Insurer.

Stands to reason doesn't it


BTW: We've started copying your breeding plan and the effects are being noticed through out the UK. Individuals and businesses alike.

In the mean time my local area has just suffered a fuel price increase of 10% in the last three weeks. Diesel now at (current exchange) $8.80 a gallon, which to me means my monthly comute to work costing in the region of $770 in fuel alone...

[fingal]

We're rather used to convenience aren't we? Expecting things to go well and be 'just so'. I strongly suspect that we've managed to construct a world where all that is becoming less and less possible.

I own a minimum of 'stuff' and have no insurance whatsoever. It would be nice to hang onto it, but if it all gets stolen I don't care too much.

[cousinlucky]

TechieMoe, I have a friend on Cape Cod who had a problem getting water damage insurance for his cottage with his insurance company. So he shopped around for a new insurance company that provided him with what he needed.

If your living somewhere that is flood prone; wouldn't it be prudent to have a boat, or floatation device, nearby to save your life if it ever becomes necessary?

[matonb]

If your living somewhere that is flood prone; wouldn't it be prudent to have a boat, or floatation device, nearby to save your life if it ever becomes necessary?

Get an inflatable mattress, then you won't even have to get out of bed