Hi all, (Reposting because I didn't know how to format) TL;DR: Insurance denying approximately 40K worth of costs (approved line items, just more expensive in the region than their estimate), went to appraisal with adjusters, umpire selected, month later learn that insurance company is now represented by lawyers. We experienced a water damage claim impacting a 3-story townhouse, all continuous wood flooring, walls, and kitchen cabinets, counter, backsplash, with Traveler's in Dec 2023. We are located in King County, Washington; the house is built into a slope not directly accessible to the street and is stand-alone (no shared walls) on a plot with 3 other homes. My initial quotes from contractors up to 100K. I went with a contractor who quoted around 80K, good guy. Escalated through several Traveler's adjusters in Winter 2024 until an adjuster came in person in late Winter and agreed with our contractor and the work moved forward. The insurance company adjuster recognized that the costs were going to be pretty high and was working well with our contractor, it seemed. I handled cabinets, backsplash, and counters directly with a subcontractor and my contractor handled drywall, paint, flooring, pack-out and move in, and more. I got approval from insurance adjuster along the way and ended up getting approval for all of the kitchen work, fully covered, around 33K. Due to delays from Travelers and subcontractors, with materials being hard to come by, our kitchen floor was unfinished with nails sticking out until May 2024. We wanted to keep things moving and settled on cheaper flooring than an exact match that was available sooner than the Fall, so we moved out in May (I had gotten approval for housing costs in early May from insurance for several weeks). Then, for whatever reason, their adjuster stopped responding to my contractor for a few weeks in, approximately, late-May and June. The flooring and painting work was finally done and the cabinetry, counters, etc. mostly got done in mid-late July. The work was mostly completed by August except for a few small things. The final costs of the new installation of cabinets, counters, backsplash in the kitchen, which I had handled and which had been covered, was approximately 33K which has all been paid out and completed. Mitigation was done for 6.6K with a separate company. The remainder of the tear down, pack out, dry wall, painting, flooring, cleaning, plumbing, electrical, etc., onwards from my contractor ended up being 105K. With the previous adjuster, the claim was sitting around 70k estimate from the insurance side with an expectation that it would go up conveyed verbally with their adjuster several times. In this period, since the insurance adjuster had stopped responding, my contractor had reached out directly to Traveler's. At some point a new adjuster was assigned and then, in June/July, the case was passed through, I believe, 3 more adjusters. The final adjuster basically went through and wrapped up the claim, including recoverable depreciation, but didn't really acknowledge the actual costs of the materials, labor, compared to their estimate and essentially closed the claim at approximately 95K total, which included mitigation, kitchen, and the contractor's work. That left a gap of approximately 40K still due to my contractor. After a month or so of back and forth, we agreed with the final insurance adjuster, to go to appraisal in November. We selected an adjuster. It seems that nothing was happening for several weeks and then eventually Travelers selected their adjuster and he actually came to inspect the house in December. Then per our adjuster, unable to be reached/unresponsive for several weeks. Once they did get into contact and went back and forth in late February, they finally agreed on an umpire. Then, out of nowhere, in mid-March, the third party adjuster representing Travelers informed our adjuster that Traveler's had assigned or hired lawyers to handle this claim and they were no longer continuing the appraisal as previously agreed upon. Here is the policy language regarding appraisal: ...7. Appraisal. If you and we fail to agree on the amount of loss, either party may demand an appraisal of the loss. In this event, each party will choose a competent and impartial appraiser within 20 days after receiving a written request from the other. The two appraisers will choose an umpire. If they cannot agree upon an umpire within 15 days, you or we may request that the choice be made by a judge of a court of record in the state where the “residence premises” is located. The appraisers will separately set the amount of loss. If the appraisers submit a report of an agreement to us, the amount agreed upon will be the amount of loss. If they fail to agree, they will submit their differences to the umpire. A decision agreed to by any two will set the amount of loss. Each party will: a. Pay its own appraiser; and b. Bear the other expenses of the appraisal and umpire equally. My question is - why did Travelers go with attorneys after there was an umpire selected? - Could it be something as simple as the timeline being so protracted? We have emails showing the umpire was agreed upon a month ago. - I am concerned that, as I see in this community, our adjuster was filling the costs to try to get a better negotiating position... Not sure if that would play into this...? - The work was expensive and challenging to complete but there are no line items that were not previously approved - they just cost more than what the insurance company estimated. I have not heard anything directly from Travelers. My contractor has been wrecked in this process, it's been tough for me as well. The idea that we need to face an attorney is rough. Appreciate anyone's insights or guidance! TL;DR: Insurance denying approximately 40K worth of costs (approved line items, just more expensive in the region than their estimate), went to appraisal with adjusters, umpire selected, month later learn that insurance company is now represented by lawyers.

After all these years, it still grinds my gears. A truck carrying drilling waste accidentally went into the wrong farmer's field, and sprayed a tiny bit of it on the alfalfa field, before the driver realized his mistake. I was called in to analyze the soil test data and write a report and recommendations. The tests showed salinity deep in the soil profile, that couldn't have possibly come from the drilling waste, and I said so in my report. I was called to a meeting with the insurance adjuster and had to endure a thorough dressing down for it (by a British accent no less) and made to look the fool in front of my peers. The insurance company was far more inclined to spend dozens of millions to excavate all the soil and have it replaced instead. That was my first inkling that insurance companies don't really want to avoid big payouts; they use them to justify raising their premiums.

I received an email recently that I would not be able to renew my 4-year-old cat's pet insurance through ManyPets due to the company no longer providing policies in the US market. They said I would be hearing from another company, Odie, about a new policy. I looked up Odie and it seems to have very low scores on Trustpilot. Has anyone else lost their ManyPets coverage? If so, who did you go with to replace it?

I am new to Liberty Mutual. Homeowner Insurance in USA It keeps showing Virtual Assistant, which never route me to a live agent, no matter what I said. Or how to send a message to customer service?

I had to file a claim with my automobile insurance company due to 4k worth of damage to my vehicle when I hit a MASSIVE pothole. The pothole looked more like a huge chunk of cement that got wedged out of the lane, possibly by a snowplow. It was the tail end of a decent snowstorm and this hole was unavoidable. Why? I was surrounded by vehicles and to swerve either way or stop short would have resulted in something far worse. I attempted to straddle the hole but it was too wide. After having my interview with my claims examiner she told me she felt strongly that she could get her boss to sign off on my claim as a no fault. she called bck and told me it wa an at fault and wouldn't budge. She read me the typical language that I should be aware of my surroundings and more cognizant as to the road conditions before me. The conversation went nowhere. They paid the claim at least. My question: how could they call it at fault given the circumstances? They made this decision without ever even seeing a picture of the pothole, which proves its width? I am now trying to get the item removed via lexis/nexis. How much might this save me if it were remove?

I have had Trupanion insurance for my 6yo cat Eloise since I got her as a kitten. The premiums have increased each year, which is to be expected, but I just got the new 2025 policy and it increased from $28.95 to $42.31. What?! Eloise is healthy other than gingivitis. She had to have a dental cleaning this year and Trupanion actually covered part of it, even though the way the policy is written made it seem like they wouldn't. I submitted it anyway and most if it was accepted. I only got a little back after deductible but considered that a win. Hopefully she won't need another cleaning for a few years. I'm not paying $42 a month so my question is, is insurance really needed for a health cat? And if so, any recommendations? I didn't have insurance for my two prior cats (it wasn't so much a thing when I got them way back). One of them was mostly healthy for 15 years then the last 6 months of his life it was one expensive crisis after another. After he died and I got Eloise, her vet strongly encouraged insurance. I did the math and what I would have paid in 15 years of premiums was almost exactly what I paid in 6 months of those medical problems. It would have been nice to get a % back after deductible during such a stressful time. So that is what swayed me to get insurance for Eloise. $20 then $25 then $28 seemed reasonable. But $42 does not. [Especially when Trupanion CEO has a compensation package of almost a million dollars.](https://simplywall.st/stocks/us/insurance/nasdaq-trup/trupanion/management#:~:text=Trupanion's%20CEO%20is%20Margi%20Tooth,company's%20shares%2C%20worth%20%245.14M) Her current policy: Max lifetime benefits: no limits Deductible per illness/injury: $500 Co-insurance: 90%/10% Waiting period accident: 5 days Waiting period illness: 30 days Thanks for any insight!

Hi everyone, (long-time lurker here using a quick-made account for this post). I’m in a difficult financial and legal situation and could really use some guidance. On November 15, 2024, I was involved in a DUI accident while working as a delivery driver (not alcohol-related). I fully acknowledge that driving under the influence was a serious mistake. The reason I ended up in that situation was that I took drugs to cope after a traumatic work incident, where someone flashed a knife behind my back the previous week. On the night of the accident, I was working with the same person again, and I made the wrong choice in handling my stress. I deeply regret my actions. Since then, I have complied with all legal and rehabilitation requirements—attending therapy, DUI courses, and adjusting my medications—and I’ve made a complete turnaround in my life. During my delivery shift, I hit another car (a 2024 Toyota Highlander), but thankfully, no one was injured. My insurance initially handled the claim, but now Wilber Group has purchased the debt from the insurance company and is demanding $25,000 from me. My Financial Situation: • I am a student and will not have a steady income for the foreseeable future. • I am on disability due to hearing impairment and mental health conditions. • I currently make $17/hour, working 24 hours per week. My Questions: 1. Can I negotiate this debt down to 10-30% of the amount owed? Since debt collectors often buy debts for less than their full value, is it realistic to settle for significantly less? 2. Can they take any of my assets or garnish my wages? Location: Minnesota, and I’ve heard there are exemption laws, but I’m unsure how they apply to my situation. 3. What is my best strategy for dealing with this debt? Would negotiating a lump sum settlement be my best option, or should I try for a payment plan? 4. Could bankruptcy help me discharge this debt? Would a DUI-related accident debt like this be wiped out under Chapter 7 bankruptcy since I have no significant assets and low income? 5. Could recent tariff increases on cars affect the amount I owe? Since the Toyota Highlander I hit was a 2024 model, and the incident happened before April 2, 2025, could the recent tariff increases on imported vehicles have inflated the amount Wilber Group is demanding? If so, how can I challenge that?

I got new policy update and they was telling me that I can't get any better rate because I had 3 accidents it wasn't my fault. 2 of the accidents just policy report but never file a claim or follow up since it's not bad damage. Any advice how to take on this??

I have a almost 2 year doodle whom I just spent over 7K on for sugery to remove a sock.2 days after surgery the site got infected and the sutures ripped. I’ve been looking at pet insurance reviews but it all seems so overwhelming and it feels like the good and the bad are balanced. Currently i’m looking for a company that will pay up front which based on what i’m seeing that would be Trupanion as i’m constantly living in fear and has gotten extreme anxiety from always thinking he’s gonna swallow something again. I’ve always swiped out my savings to practically save his life. Any advice or help would be appreciated!!

So I recently opened a new policy with GEICO for my car. A few days after opening the policy(march 2025), they added a driver without contacting me or giving me any notification. That alone increased my premium $450. The driver that was added is my GF that doesn’t live in my household or is licensed to drive(never got a DL). They claim I added her in a quote but i didn’t quote with them since ~Nov-Dec 2024(she visited during this time and left in Jan)I know you’re supposed to include any person in the household in a policy due to liability but I’m currently living alone. GEICO also claimed that they use “DMV records” to add drivers to policy on behalf of the customers if we didn’t do it already. That couldn’t be the case since my GF had no affiliation with the DMV in my state. Any advice on this matter would be appreciated