Farmers Insurance sent me a registered letter stating that because the cause of the boat sinking was a hole in the bellows and was a result of normal wear and tear, they refuse to pay my claim.
Anyone have any suggestions?:confused: :( :mad:

Holy **** dude, that sucks. :eek:
I hope something turns for the better.

Nope, cant do that. The only thing they can exclude is the cause of loss(Bellows). The resulting damage(sinking) and all recovery costs should be covered. Read your policy and quote it if necessary.

Call your agent and *****- LOUD. Threaten a state dept of insurance complaint for specific performance. Not adhering to a contract, your policy.

They are hoping you will go away, Dont!!!

Iwork in the biz, I know, Good luck

Dean

Thanks Zoomnfun - that was the type of response/info I was looking for. If I can't do anything and/or don't have grounds...fine - I'll live with it.
But if they are just giving me the run around then screw 'em, I'll just take them to court.
I'm letigious...and proud of it!;)

MNake sure you document all calls and letters and also does not hurt to cc: a copy of your complaint to the State insurance commision in the state you live in. Be prepared and don't get discourage. The State Commision should be aware of any problems that develop.

Do you have any maintenance records and/or receipts indicating that the bellows was replaced? Was it an original bellows? What kind of shape was it in? Do you have maintenance records/receipts? If you are going to battle with the insurance company, you need to have your sh-t together. You will need to substantiate that when bellows failed, it was in good condition, and that the boat has been maintained. If it's a newer boat, or the bellows has been replaced, it will be that much easier. However, if it's a boat that is older with original bellows, or if bellows is cracked, old piece of sh-t, you will probably be out of luck.

I agree with get a copy of your policy & READ it. I had a toy box fire & my insureance company said they would only pay for 1 of my 3 waverunners that burned. I got copy of my policy & found out that the wording was from part of a form policy that the state of texas wrote. After reading I still felt I was due the money. I called the state board, after talking to about 4 people that told me I was wrong but could not back up with a decent explanation I got hold of some one that knew what he was talking about. He did a search to see if anyone had made a ruling on working. He found no ruling on the wording. He said I was right & to call insurance company back. After I called & told them that I had read the policy & had what I had found out they decided to pay me.

Hope all comes out OK.

Did you find why bilge pumps did not work?

When ours sank, State Farm kept the claim open for 2 years. It isnt getting wet, it is as the electrical dries out that is gets really screwed.

How much money do you spend at that marina? Seems like they could have help you avoid the whole problem.

My father had a 130k claim when his house was burglarized. He had been a Farmer customer for 33 years at the time and they refused to pay the claim. He hired a lawyer here in San Diego that specializes in litigation against insurance companies and he sued and won. The downside is it took five years after the appeal process, but they had to pay 1.8 mil on top of the claim for attorneys fees plus interest on the claim amount. Farmers sucks. Good luck.