My insurance will pay for what !!!!

[gracie1]

We tend to have our insurance have a high deductible and self insure for minor losses.

I would feel uncomfortable taking $500 when I knew my loss was less than that amount.

To each his own.

Yeah, but if it's a flat rate what can you do? If you have over $300 worth of food spoil, and don't have the money to replace it all out of pocket, you have to take what they offer you.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I hope you are right about them not giving you any problems. I admit I am a little surprised to hear that, I just googled USAA insurance and saw some pretty bad reviews

of course it could be that only frustrated people write reviews

 

[tvguy]

I have no idea what my Homeowners Insurance would pay, I just can't imagine having $500 of food in the house, let along in the refrigerator/freezer.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

I hope you are right about them not giving you any problems. I admit I am a little surprised to hear that, I just googled USAA insurance and saw some pretty bad reviews

of course it could be that only frustrated people write reviews

Pretty confident since we have been dealing with them for 12 years and by dealing with them I mean banking, savings, auto loans, mortgages, investments, college funds, and insurance(life, auto, homeowners, renters) and have never had a single issue. I am almost sorry I started this thread some people ( not you) are so judgmental and negative. The insurance company not issuing me the money would not have been an issue since we save for things like this but since this is something that they offer and I have heard of plenty of people who have taken advantage of the program who have not been punished for doing so I figured what the heck.

 

[mombrontrent]

I have no idea what my Homeowners Insurance would pay, I just can't imagine having $500 of food in the house, let along in the refrigerator/freezer.

We definately have at least $500 worth of food in our freezer. In the whole house it is probably a good $2000 worth of food. We don't hoard or stockpile either.

 

[Micca]

Interesting info, I'd never have thought to ask about the insurance. Last time we had an extended power outtage it was winter. We put our food in coolers and move them to the garage. It was plenty cold enough to remain "refrigerated."

 

[wiigirl]

We have USAA and they have paid for food spoilage a couple of times with no problems.

I have USAA too! They are the best!

 

[mstee777]

I have been with USAA for 15 years. We have filed quite a few claims for collisions, hail damage, and more. One year, my husband kept locking his keys in his truck ( the truck is old and the doors would automatically lock as soon as he started the car and got out). We called the insurance every time for lockout service. Never an issue, rates didn't go up, and they've never dropped us. I've even called them to change a flat tire when my husband was deployed.

 

[NikitaZee]

Another USAA member here OP - same deal with food spoilage. We live in MA and claimed twice in 2 years for storm-related power outages. First time was around $400, this last time was $500. This year, our rates went up. When I called to question the increase the representative told me that a claim of $500 and up will generate an increase, and even if it was $499 our rates would have remained the same. For us, the increase (over 3 years I think) amounts to about $550 - so more than our claim was worth - but it really came in handy when we had to replace 2 refrigerators worth of food! No qualms about taking the whole amount, either.

 

[tvguy]

We definately have at least $500 worth of food in our freezer. In the whole house it is probably a good $2000 worth of food. We don't hoard or stockpile either.

My wife's stepmother was big on having stuff in her freezer until Rita hit. They had no power for 2 1/2 months. Throw in the power surges during the storm, and when they were restoring power, forget the food, the refrigerator and freezer were goners too. Didn't bother replacing the freezer. Now she never keeps more than 2 weeks worth of perishibles in the house........which times nicely with the visit every 2 weeks by the Schwans man.

 

[MrsPete]

Will someone else's policy pay for spoiled food?
Depends upon whether that's mentioned in their policy.

Personally, we do not have that particular coverage, and our insurance is slightly less expensive because of it. Losing power for more than a couple hours is a fairly rare thing (and food in an unopened freezer will probably last a good two days), so we choose not to spend money to protect ourselves against that possibility.

Similarly, we don't have a rider for jewelry on our home owners insurance because I just don't have all that much jewelry. Also, we don't carry tow truck insurance for our cars. It's not something we're likely to need, and it's a low-cost item, so we don't pay for it.

I'm kind of surprised at how many people here seem rather unfamiliar with their own insurance policies.

 

[daughtersrus]

Just wanted to share because I has no idea but my insurance company just gave me 500 dollars to pay for food spoilage due to a power outage. I had no idea until a friend told me about I called this morning and after a 5 minute conversation they money was into account.

We had a claim several years ago for the loss of everything in our basement freezer. I had just stocked it so it was full!

We had send pictures of the dripping meat and ice cream to State Farm along with an estimate of what was in there. We ended up getting quite a bit back even after taking out our $500 deductible.


Our rates didn't go up and we're still with them over 10 years later.

 

[gracie1]

We definately have at least $500 worth of food in our freezer. In the whole house it is probably a good $2000 worth of food. We don't hoard or stockpile either.

So do we! We have a large stand up freezer as well as the regular refrigerator/freezer

 

[ccgirl]

I definitely have $500 of food in my fridge/freezer. I have one upstairs and one in the basement. Luckily, whenever we have lost it has been in the winter so we just put our food in coolers outside on the deck.

OP - if it's in your policy, I don't see why people are criticizing you for taking it. As I said, my only concern was them raising your premium or non-renewal of policy. Some have said they were fine and one poster mentioned their premium was raised.

I was told the whole insurance "world" was changed post Katrina. So anyone who had claims before then, it could be very different now.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

I definitely have $500 of food in my fridge/freezer. I have one upstairs and one in the basement. Luckily, whenever we have lost it has been in the winter so we just put our food in coolers outside on the deck.

OP - if it's in your policy, I don't see why people are criticizing you for taking it. As I said, my only concern was them raising your premium or non-renewal of policy. Some have said they were fine and one poster mentioned their premium was raised.

I was told the whole insurance "world" was changed post Katrina. So anyone who had claims before then, it could be very different now.

I wish I would have thought to put it in coolers but when we woke up it was 55 degrees in my house and the estimated time to have it restored was tonight by midnight I just wanted to get packed and to a warm hotel. We are new to the area it is my first real winter and of course my husband was out of town so it was just myself and the 2 kids and just wanted to be in a warm well lit place. I am sure had a thought to that it would have all been ok since it was freakin 16 degrees outside.

 

[GeorgeG]

One of my department's jobs with the electric company I worked for was to verify outages in specific areas and what caused them so our risk management department could decide on claims. I'm sure each company is a little different, but our rule of thumb was we only paid claims when the outage was the company's fault. Then, the customer had to provide proof that they actually had what they claimed spoiled, such as the spoiled food or a recent reciept for purchase. You'd be surprised how many people claimed they had just stocked up on $4,000 worth of meat (yes, I actually saw those claims). The smallest claim I remember seeing was $6 to replace the class hamster that died during an outage a customer's daughter had brought home from school for the night. The outage was fairly brief and there wasn't harsh weather. We didn't pay that one.

As for insurance companies, I guess they cover a flat fee if it's specified (and paid for) in the individual policy, kind of like taking a standard deduction on your taxes. Otherwise, they might require itemized proof of loss.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

The $500 for spoiled food due to a power outage is a rider on the policy. Some insurance companies have it bundled in with the policy so you automatically have it, others you would have to ask the company to add it on.

Each insurance company is different, but they each have a set limit per claim that can be paid without having your insurance rate raise (Generally they are in the $500-$750 range though you would want to check with your company). If you go past that limit on a claim, when you see the raise in your premium, it is not actually a surcharge but you are losing your good homeowner discount (which basically means you have been claim free for 5 years or more). That discount is usually very large. If you have another claim within the next 3 years, you would see a 25% surcharge to your policy. If you have 3 claims in a 3 year period, you will see anywhere between 50% - 125% surcharge.

I worked as a licensed Customer Service Insurance Rep for 3 years in MA. It always surprises me reading these forums with the interpretation people have of their insurance policies. It is definitely worth your time to either call or make an appointment to go in and sit down with a Customer Service Rep to explain your policy. It will make you feel so much better if you truly understand what you are covered for.

 

[tvguy]

I guess I'm spoiled, in 30 years in this house we've had only 1 power outage I can remember that was more than a few hours. That one lasted 18 hours, idiot took out a major power pole, lines fell, fried everything electronic that was plugged in (even items that were off) in the houses on either side of the power pole. They literally worked for about 16 hours straight untangling the wires, replacing the pole, and reconnecting the wires.

I would be more concerned about the refrigerator dying that a power failure. That actually was the final straw with our 27 year old refrigerator......it was running a lot more than normal, and while keeping everything frozen, we knew it's days were numbered, so replaced it.

 

[chrissyt27]

My mom lost and entire deep freeze of food, a ton of steaks and other meat. she happen to still have the bills, so they gave her every dime of the loss back. This was about 10 years ago.

 

[Disney Doll]

We had the same thing.
AMICA Insurance.
Got $500 for the food in both fridges (one in the kitchen and a spare downstairs).
No deductioble and no impact on our rates. DH talked to the rep at AMICA himself.