Halloween Tricks Lead To A Ghastly Number Of Insurance Claims

A reminder from Mercury Insurance Group about how to protect your car and home from vandals around Halloween.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Pumpkins are an autumn staple, with uses ranging from jack-o'-lanterns to pies. However, Mercury Insurance reports that, in the wrong hands, pumpkins can lead to nothing but trouble, noting a substantial increase in property damage during the week of Halloween compared to an average week.

"Last year, we had nearly three percent more auto claims and five percent more homeowners claims during the week of Halloween, with our insureds reporting everything from egged and 'pumpkined' cars to creatively mummified homes," says Stephanie Behnke, claims innovation director of Mercury Insurance. "Although these may sound like harmless pranks, they can cause significant and costly damage, so taking some simple steps to protect your property is no joke."

Mercury Insurance offers the following tips to help keep you from falling victim to a Halloween trick:

Park in a garage or well-lit area when possible. Otherwise, consider installing motion detectors in your driveway to turn on lights when someone approaches. If you only have access to street parking, try to park near streetlamps.

Light your walkway. This can reduce the likelihood of vandalism to your home as well as increase visibility for costumed visitors who may have difficulty viewing the terrain.

Avoid parking in deserted areas. Vandals are less likely to do their dirty work out in the open, so park in well-populated areas whenever possible. If you're attending a Halloween party in an unfamiliar neighborhood, ask the host for recommendations on safe places to park.

Activate your alarm. Car alarms are loud and draw people's attention, so use them to deter vandals. 

Keep pets indoors. Some dogs and cats can become easily spooked by strangers or kids disguised in costumes and Halloween attire. Keep pets inside – or in a separate part of your home if you're hosting a party – to keep them safe and prevent any ugly situations where a pet can bite or scratch a guest.

If your car is damaged, many acts of vandalism fall under comprehensive insurance, according to Behnke.

"Comprehensive insurance covers your vehicle if it's damaged due to something other than a collision," she says. "For example, if rowdy teens toss pumpkins out of windows or use cars for batting practice, remaining damages would be covered after you've paid your deductible, assuming you have comprehensive insurance at the time of the incident. Otherwise, you'll need to pay for everything on your own."

Before filing a claim:

• Call the police. Filing a report provides you with an official record of the incident and, hopefully, the police will be able to track down the offender. Don't attempt to move or clean any of the damaged items until the police arrive and retrieve necessary information and document the scene.
• Take photos of the damage.
• Contact your insurer. Report claims right away to your insurance company. Mercury customers can call the company toll-free 24 hours a day, seven days a week to report a claim at (800) 503-3724.  

ABOUT MERCURY INSURANCE (www.mercuryinsurance.com)

Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile, homeowners and commercial insurance through a network of independent agents in Florida, Georgia,California, New Jersey, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Since 1962, Mercury has specialized in offering quality insurance at affordable prices – core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace.

A Voting Quandary

I am a life-long Democrat. I believe that government does have a place in our lives. I do not believe it is some evil behemoth out to subjugate Americans. However, I am not so naïve as to believe that our elected representatives are always looking out for our best interests. There are occasions where I feel there is too much micromanaging: for example limiting the size of soda cups to control obesity. There are times when common sense and personal choice trump the nanny state. The challenge is figuring out when government needs to act in the public’s interest.

That said, next week we will once again make our biannual choice for representative government. This time around, I will probably be casting my vote for a few Republican incumbents. I read somewhere that when a voter decides to remove someone from office there should be a good reason for doing so. For some incumbents, I do not have a good reason for removing them. However, I wish I could say that for all the candidates.

Concerning Staten Island’s Congressional race – between the incumbent, Republican Congressman Michael Grimm and the challenger, Democrat Domenic Recchia, I find the choice to be a difficult one. If you watched the one debate aired by ABC Eyewitness News, the choice becomes less certain.

On debate points, I give Grimm a huge edge. He came across as knowledgeable, intelligent and levelheaded — unlike his celebrated blow-up when he threatened to throw a reporter off the balcony for asking a question about his indictment. Recchia, on the other hand, came across as a buffoon with no other message than Michael Grimm is under indictment and I’m not. He appeared ill prepared to discuss any substantive issues and was more interested in provoking an argument than defining who he is as a candidate. He gave a vague promise about looking out for the interests of State Islanders. His major platform for improving traffic congestion is the creation of a light-rail line for Staten Islanders. He obviously hasn’t done much driving around Staten Island otherwise he would realize while this might help some commuters, it would not be a panacea for the bottlenecks that create traffic crawl around the island.

In Grimm’s disfavor is the federal indictment for failing to pay workers their wages at a business he once owned. He was also involved in the investigation of some questionable campaign contributions and there was that incident with the reporter. Remember that incident during the last campaign when someone vandalized his campaign office on Hylan Boulevard? He jumped to the conclusion that it was the work of some Democratic operatives, only to discover later that it was a group of idiot kids with nothing better to do than bust windows.

However, I’ll be among the first to admit that he has worked hard for this district. I have seen him at the Superstorm Sandy related rallies and I think his involvement is genuine. His heart appears to be in the right place. I am disturbed when he tows the Republican line about Obama Care, runaway budget spending and adopts the philosophical tone that I feel will not benefit middleclass Americans struggling with stagnant wages while a small class of upper-income Americans continue to reap growing financial benefits.

The Democrats were either desperate or clueless to pick Recchia. Grimm, however, is carrying baggage that could hurt his future and his ability to exert influence within the halls of Congress. So then, what is a voter to do?

For me, I’m going to choose someone who I believe would be competent, loyal, honest and probably has as good a grasp of the issues as anyone — my wife.

Why her? Because I feel she can do as good job, if not better, than others who have held or seek to hold a seat in Congress. She is not schooled in all the nuance of foreign and domestic issues, but she will not fake what she does not know and will learn what she needs to know. One may not agree with everything she says and thinks, but I know she is not coming from a position of self-aggrandizement or desire for personal gain. She is not under indictment and she would not threaten to throw a reporter off a balcony. So come Nov. 4, my wife is getting my vote for Congress.

Some may say I’m throwing my vote away, but maybe more of us should use the ballot box to display our dissatisfaction with the current state of politics instead of sitting this one out. Vote for someone you feel is more qualified than the current choice. It may not alter the ultimate outcome of the election, but if we show enough dissatisfaction, some in Congress may get the message that we expect them to have a high degree of integrity and to engage us intelligently. Electing that kind of representative may go a long way to replacing congressional inaction with action.

A Cautionary Tale

If you are someone who believes that once you pay your insurance premium you're covered, you may want to reconsider that. On Friday, West Hartford police arrested the former president of Wright Insurance Agency in Connecticut for taking premium payments and issuing forged insurance documents.

The story appeared online on FOXCT.

Always follow-up to make sure you have a policy if one doesn't come directly from the company. If in doubt about your agent, call your state insurance office to make sure they are licensed in your state.

Additional helpful information can be found at the website of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Build It Back Causes Sleepless Nights For My Wife

N.Y. State Sen. Andrew Lanza
(Photo: Mark Ruquet)

By Mark E. Ruquet

FEMA made my wife cry and now Build It Back is causing her to lose sleep. But there is some hope that the state will do what the city has failed to do, which is to make her and other homeowners whole again. Last Wednesday, during the Sept. 10, Midland Beach Civic Association meeting, my wife expressed her anger and frustration with the program to city officials present. She told them that their efforts to help her are failing miserably, and if completed as planned, will leave her with half the home she has now.

According to an architectural engineer from Build It Back who took measurements of our home early last week to elevate the house above the one in one hundred-year flood line, the program will not replace the space lost when they fill-in the finished basement for the elevation. Why does this upset her; because our home is a high-ranch and we live in our basement like many others in the Northeast. It is not a crawlspace for storage. It is a living area that when lost, will force members of the family to be displaced because the house is otherwise too small for everyone to live in. When she purchased the house over 30 years ago, she did so because of the basement, which she always used as a kitchen, dining room or for bedrooms over the years.

She explained that not only does the plan call for taking the space away, but what we would be left with is a home a mere two feet higher than it is now. The re-paired brick facing will be gone leaving a home sitting on pillars and open space all around. She accurately describes what we would be left with is a bungalow on concrete stilts and there is no way to argue that this eyesore does not diminish the value of the home and our quality of life.

In a broader sense, this is endemic of a system that is placing little value on the comfort of home or is striving to make people whole again. It’s nothing but band aid treatment. Two years of neglect and incompetence has been frustrating enough, but now the insult goes further when the aid we are to receive addresses part of the need and the solution diminishes the quality of life. From the comments from people around us at the meeting, we know we are not alone facing this insult. This same scenario has greeted our neighbors. Others in our community will soon find that what is supposed to be a hand of relief to aid Sandy victims is nothing more than another slap in the face.

At least one elected representative at Wednesday’s meeting heard us and agreed that this situation is unreasonable. State Senator Andrew Lanza heard my wife and said the state should try to step in and help. He made no promises, other than to see what money the state may have to help and to speak to the governor on our behalf. But he sees this for what it is — a wholly unacceptable situation that is making my wife a victim twice, once from Sandy and now from city official incompetence and intransigence. My wife hopes Mr. Lanza will keep his word and get us, and others, the help we need. But until she sees results she remains skeptical.

Her skepticism is not unfounded. A three page spread in the Sept. 5 edition of the New York Times laid out how broken the city's Build It Back program is (Titled: “Storm Rebuilding Program Mired by Its Design”). We, the victims of Sandy, in Staten Island and Brooklyn, need to make a collective effort at letting our elected officials know our displeasure with the lack of progress and how much harm their solutions are doing.

We have to ask our representatives to explain what has happened with the more than $61 billion in aid Congress approved for Sandy victims back in January of 2013. The money was to be split between victims in New York State, New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut. I don’t understand the disbursement schedule, but a good chunk of that cash had to go to New York City. A four-way split would be over $30 billion between New York State and the city. The governor’s office has said that 10,000 homes were substantially damage from the storm throughout the state. For the sake of argument, take $5 billion out for administrative costs, leaving $25 billion — if my math is right — that means $2.5 million per homeowner. Folks just need a fraction of that. So where’s the money? Where’s the help? And why is the city of New York being such a Scrooge and further ruining people’s lives?    

Everest Climbers to Foot 32% Insurance Increase

Mount Everest Shows Itself Courtesy of Jari on Flickr 

By Mark E. Ruquet

When that insurance bill comes in the mail and you begin to feel faint over the cost of the premium, you can take some satisfaction in knowing that there is someone out there paying a lot more than you. However, they can afford afford that trek through the Himalayas that will be costing them so much. If they begin to feel faint it will be for a different reason.

Reuters reports that hikers of the world’s tallest peaks, primarily Mount Everest, will have to fork over an additional 32 percent in insurance costs to cover their Sherpa guide’s insurance coverage beginning in September.

According to the report, foreign mountaineers will pay $19,000 for each guide’s insurance coverage, including medical insurance, up from $13,000. The government of Nepal says the increase is an effort to improve the compensation to the guides. The action comes after an avalanche claimed the lives of at least a dozen people on a climb of Mount Everest just this past April, one of the deadliest avalanche events, say experts.

Do check out the story, if for nothing else than to see the photo of one porter’s burden. After reading what a Sherpa earns, one has to wonder if they are not getting the short-end of the stick.

  

Driver Satisfaction With Auto Insurer on the Rise

By Mark E. Ruquet

I was cleaning my desk recently and came across this press release I thought would be of interest to many auto owners. It is a J.D. Power survey of customer’s satisfaction with their auto insurer from mid-June.

Are you happy with your carrier? J.D. Power’s annual Auto Insurance Study for 2014 says that despite continuing increases in rates policyholder’s overall satisfaction with their carrier is at its highest level in the survey’s 14-year history.

The consumer research firm said overall satisfaction increased by “a significant 16 points to 810” on a 1,000-point scale. The increase comes despite average increases of $86 in 2014, down from last year’s rise in premium of $153. The number of consumers experiencing an increase remained almost unchanged at 19 percent compared to 20 percent in 2013.

“A premium increase often triggers shopping behavior, but we’re seeing fewer people shopping,” said Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power, in a statement. “This indicates that insurers are more effectively communicating with their customers, making them aware of the premium increases when they occur and why they’re necessary, and demonstrating the value of their coverage.”

The report underscores the importance of having an agent in the insurance company relationship, finding that overall satisfaction is highest with consumers that have an agent scoring 867. These customers, the report said, are the least likely to shop and switch carriers because of their strong relationship with their agent. 

Those consumers with little relationship with an insurer scored the lowest at 742.

Smaller companies also appear to be doing a better job. J.D. Power said satisfaction with small carriers—those outside of the top 30 companies, improved by 41 points, while the top carriers saw only a 10-point improvement.

So what carriers in the New York region got the highest satisfaction rating? GEICO and State Farm were the highest with an overall score of 822. Of the 11 carriers ranked, Progressive was last with a score of 773.

However, the highest satisfaction score goes to USAA with a score of 901 — which held true on a national level and other regions of the country. J.D. Power does not include the company in its rankings because the company is only open to U.S. military personnel and their families. Three insurers New Yorkers may be familiar with, Amica Mutual, Erie Insurance and Kemper did not make the survey because of small sample size, the research firm said.

Pet Insurance Is Not Health Insurance

You love your pet? Do you treat your pet like family. Like many pet owners, you are willing to spend a lot to care for your dog, cat, bird or whatever furry friend you have at home. At one point you probably have made a visit the veterinarian and it was not cheap.

Realizing an opportunity, some insurers have offered pet insurance to help pet owners defray the high cost of medical treatment for their pets. However, buyers beware. Pet insurance is not health insurance. In fact, the policies fall under property insurance and policyholders should not expect a visit to the vet to be covered in the same way that a visit to their doctor is covered.

In California, one legislator is trying to push a bill through the state legislature that will force insurers to be transparent about the breath of coverage and no longer leave consumers guessing about what precisely they are paying for.

Please read this piece from the Sacramento Bee.

On a personal note, I hope to get back to posting regularly on my blog after taking a mental vacation of sorts.