Gentlemen, and those that wish they were...
Just to piggyback on Tim's (K5TH) very eloquent submission...the key issue
here is that you must take a proactive stance instead of a reactive one. As
a ten-year agent with State Farm, my most unpleasant experiences as an agent
have been with clients who THOUGHT they were covered for a particular loss,
but were not. When somebody calls me with a claim...if I can say "sure
that's covered...just get me an estimate and we'll take care of it," believe
me, life is REAL good.
Most people buy a policy, don't listen to the agent when he explains it,
don't read it...and pray they're covered it they have a loss. There's no
magic here...an insurance policy is a contract...what's covered, what's not
covered is all spelled out in the policy form...if you don't have one...call
your agent and get one. Most companies have brochure than translates the
policy so you can understand it. At State Farm, we have a brochure entitled
"A brief explanation of your homeowner's policy." Your company will probably
have the same type of information. Get one and read it.
Believe me, your insurance agent doesn't want these headaches any more than
you do. Most agents and claims adjusters like to resolve claims, get them
out of their inventory and move on. It's kind of like advice I got from a
driver's ed teacher in dealing with the PO-lice...if you're ever stopped,
make that police officer think you're the best friend he ever had. Likewise
with a claims rep...make him/her think you're the best friend he/she ever had
and all will usually go smoothly.
So my advice would be:
1. Inventory your towers, antennas, rotors, coaxes, plastic owls, etc...price
them out
and total it up. New street value prices...not flea market prices.
You'll probably
want new stuff for old stuff in the event of a loss...your carrier is
entitled to the
appropriate premium. You might be surprised at the investment. Take
some
photos of your installation and provide them to your agent for his files.
If you
put up new stuff and/or replace old stuff...make sure he knows about it.
2. Call your agent and review your entire insurance
program...auto/homeowners/life
disability...but make sure he/she knows about your ugly aluminum
collection and
explains to you how it would be covered in the event of a loss and under
what
circumstances and perils (wind,fire, vandalism), if any, it would NOT be
covered.
3. Take his advice...suck it up...pay the small additional premium, if
any...go home
and sleep soundly when the north winds blow. I hear people talk about
being
"insurance poor" all the time. But I have NEVER had anybody call me with
a
claim complaining about the cost of their insurance. Go figure.
4. One other issue, campers...just like swimming pools and trampolines, that
tower
of yours is an "attractive nuisance." You may want to review liability
coverages
on your homeowner's policy with your agent, in the event one of the
neighborhood
children decides to scale Mount Rohn some afternoon. Consider the
purchase
of a personal liability umbrella policy...it covers lots of other stuff
too. It's a good
thing.
As Tim pointed out, coverages differ from state to state, from company to
company and from policy form to policy form. Your agent should be your
source of information and explanation. That's what they get paid to do. If
your agent can't or won't take the time with you...you need to go shopping
for a new agent.
73, Ray
nd8l @ aol.com
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