Check out this great feature by Fox43 TV in York County, PA. Jackie De Tore from their crack investigative team examined a bad faith partial claim denial by the Erie Insurance Group (EIG). It seems virtually every house in a crowded subdivision of identical houses suffered similar roof damage from a powerful hail storm. Only ONE homeowner – the one with an insurance policy provided by EIG – had the portion of his claim that would have fixed his roof denied.
Huh?
Turns out EIG sent out a not-so-observant insurance adjuster to examine this homeowner’s roof. The adjuster supposedly scrutinized the damage and insisted it didn’t require extensive repairs. So EIG denied the portion of his claim that sought a new roof – even though the claim was supported by two separate estimates from independent contractors agreeing that the homeowner absolutely needed a new roof.
This adds up to bad faith on the part of EIG – so much so that the homeowner threatened to sue and formally complain to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.
If you live in Massachusetts and you think an insurance company is acting in bad faith – including, for example, denying your valid claim despite compelling facts being in your favor – you can file a complaint with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Insurance. To access the Mass. Division of Insurance web page for complaints, please click here.
Or: you can hire a public adjuster (PA) to manage your claims. Unlike insurance adjusters, PAs don’t work for the insurance carrier – they work for you. A good PA can manage every aspect of your claim recovery and push back immediately on any bad faith efforts by the insurance company.
Should you need assistance with submitting a claim, contact us at info@swerling.com.
