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JZ
Select Nomad
Posts: 10605
Registered: 10-3-2003
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Best home owners policy??
Has anyone found what they consider the best and most comprehensive policy covering hurricane (wind), flooding, earthquake, injury to 3rd
parties/renters, etc. Who is the carrier?
I'm not looking for the cheapest policy.
[Edited on 8-16-2007 by JZ]
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Do not use Imbursa!!! It is owned by Carlos Slim, the world's richest man and he got richer off of arbitrarily disallowing many items in my claim.
(Mulege disaster flood due to Hurricane John). Every other person that had claims with them also got burned. The Imbursa agent in Santa Rosalia said
she had quit out of disgust. She claimed she could get no response from the company either. It seems she is still selling insurance for them, but does
not want to handle homeowners insurance any more.
The home office had never acknowledged receipt of my claim which I submitted through the agent. Their phone numbers always answered with a recording
and they never returned the calls. They never answered emails either.
I finally had to hire a go-between-person who apparently had a contact within the company and she established communication. She arranged, and I
signed a whole packet of forms, to request they direct deposit a check into my Bank Of America account in the U.S., which they said they could do
(after doing the conversion from pesos to $ and taking a fee).
Almost a year later the agent in Santa Rosalia emailed me and said a check was in her office and she wanted to know what to do with it. After all the
paperwork, they did not follow instructions. After conferring with her and my hired go-between, they decided that I would have to go to a border town
and open up a bank account. I talked to B of A. They said they would deposit the peso check, do the conversion and take a fee. My go-between FEDEXed
it to me and I deposited it with B of A. It cleared! And it cost me about $300. to do the conversion. I also paid the woman I hired a fee.
By the way, her contact was an adjuster. They are independent contractors and aren't employees of Imbursa. It seems they get commission on every item
they disallow. The adjuster is the one who makes the decisions. While staying in the same motel in Mulege as the owner and developer of my property
right after the flood, they (illegally) allegedly conferred and conspired against us. The developer went through each item and said, "This is BS,
this is BS, etc. The adjuster unwittingly let it slip in conversation with another claimant and co-owner in my development.
Many people in Mulege have never gotten a settlement. It seems like the Imbursa tactic is to make it difficult, or even impossible to communicate with
them. It seems like they are counting on gringos giving up and going away.
This is some of the horror and grief we have been going through after having our houses ruined by the flood. The surge carried debris from upstream
structures, trailers, RVs, boats, cows, horses, dogs, fish, palm trees and sewage. I had seven feet of standing, muddy fecal water inside my house.
Outside it was up over the eves.
The good news is that I have totally restored it with my own money and it is beautiful once again. We are crossing our fingers that it doesn't happen
again anytime soon. Conditions would have to set up identically for it to happen again with that degree of magnitude; hurricane path would have to
track identically and stall out over the mountains behind Mulege, dropping over 20 inches of rain in 24 hours.
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JZ
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Posts: 10605
Registered: 10-3-2003
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Sounds like a pain in the a$$. Thanks for the personal input. Glad you had coverage that protected you from the flood damage caused by the
hurricane.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
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Day after surge.
![Carlos_Milon_078 [800x600] [800x600] [800x600].jpg - 42kB](https://forums.bajanomad.com/files.php?pid=250636&aid=16837 "Carlos_Milon_078 [800x600] [800x600] [800x600].jpg - 42kB")
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
Registered: 7-2-2006
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What can insurance do for a cement structure, maybe something for hurricane wind damage but little else.
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JZ
Select Nomad
Posts: 10605
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I don't follow.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
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| Quote: | Originally posted by gnukid
What can insurance do for a cement structure, maybe something for hurricane wind damage but little else. |
The structure survived. Big chunks were taken out of the stucco where debris struck. lanterns were sheared off. Tile floor on slab sank. All
furniture, appliances, electrical outlets, electric breaker switches, exterior plumbing, meter tower, landscaping, woodwork, landscaping ruined. Had
to bring pressure washer, industrial bleach, shovals, tools, respirators, gloves, Lindzer stain blocking primer paint,etc. Had to hire workers to
help. Bought lots of supplies locally too. Stayed in hotels. Big expenses. Policy did include flood insurance, for whatever that was worth.
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
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I meant, in baja, insurance is apparently of little value as compared to US home owners ins.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 7-23-2006
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JZ,
Keep your post up for awhile and you will get some responses as to better recommended insurance companies. Almost everybody who had other company
coverage did better than we did.
There were posts last fall inquiring about insurance experiences. I didn't want to respond until I got some kind of settlement. So this is the first
time I have put out a warning against Imbursa. I just got the check (for less than half my claim) three weeks ago.
This is an advisory so other Nomads don't buy Chingadero Imbursa.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by gnukid
I meant, in baja, insurance is apparently of little value as compared to US home owners ins. |
Read.....learn!
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
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Hmmm I would like to know more, at present mex ins seems silly, let me know how I can benefit.
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JZ
Select Nomad
Posts: 10605
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Silly?? Even in the bad case example stated above they covered ~1/2 of the loss. I wouldn't call that silly.
[Edited on 8-16-2007 by JZ]
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by gnukid
Hmmm I would like to know more, at present mex ins seems silly, let me know how I can benefit. |
Anyone care to enlighten on merits of insurance in the U.S., Katrina, etc.?
All insurance companies are "silly". Some worse than others.
I found it amazing that one could even get flood insurance in Mexico.
[Edited on 8-16-2007 by toneart]
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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right in the bancomer bank here in mulege they sell homeowners insurance
i don't know prices or service when you file a claim BUT...
you DO have some to go to here in town
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
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Mood: Peacefull
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| Quote: | Originally posted by gnukid
I meant, in baja, insurance is apparently of little value as compared to US home owners ins. |
Gnukid,
Just try collecting on a renters policy in the US .... the neverending road has just begun.
It's even worst (sic) with health insurance, Literally every third claim I have to call Cigna to explain to them how to process the claim.
- CaboRon
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BajaRob
Senior Nomad
Posts: 722
Registered: 9-15-2003
Location: Bahia Santa Maria y Newport Or
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Mood: Life is good
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We use ING issued through Lynda Bilyeu in San Felipe. We have not had any claims with them but some of our neighbors have. Payment was slow but
somewhat fair. Rick Bell sells GNP homeowners policies. They were prompt and fair after Hurricane Nora 10 years ago.
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
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Here's my case, while I do live in a hurricane alley, my house is unlikely to be damaged by wind or water. It has survived being hit many times
already and it can't flood due to ts position. It can't burn down. Broken glass would run a few hundred maximum so I can't rationalize mex homeowner's
ins but I sure would like to since it always makes sense to try to insure your home.
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3825
Registered: 2-9-2004
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Some policies also cover personal injury accidents to guests, legal representation if you're sued over a covered occurrence, theft, damage to
appurtences (sheds, antennas, chimneys), landscaping and household contents (flooding could destroy all contents and cabinets, floors, tile work).
And some will exclude damage resulting from acts of God. And sometimes earthquakes are an entirely separate policy. A couple hundred dollars a year
isn't much for what it may buy you some day. You need to read the policy very thoroughly.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
right in the bancomer bank here in mulege they sell homeowners insurance
i don't know prices or service when you file a claim BUT...
you DO have some to go to here in town |
Yes, this is a new service of the new bank in town. Don't know which insurance carrier they represent. No history (as of yet) as to how they
perform.....hope we can keep it that way.
One thing to be aware of; you need an FM3 in order to get the insurance, and you need one to open a bank account.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by gnukid
Here's my case, while I do live in a hurricane alley, my house is unlikely to be damaged by wind or water. It has survived being hit many times
already and it can't flood due to ts position. It can't burn down. Broken glass would run a few hundred maximum so I can't rationalize mex homeowner's
ins but I sure would like to since it always makes sense to try to insure your home. |
Here's something to consider: What side of the unnecessarily politicized, global warming argument do you subscribe to?
Climate change is definitely happening. If it is only cyclic, fine. Call it what you will, we are in the midst of it; hotter water, more frequent
hurricanes and greater intensity.
I don't love insurance companies, but last year I bit the bullet and bought a policy. It has been a pain in the a$$, but it was better than nothing.
If you buy a policy you will sleep better. In case you need to file a claim, it will allay your grief. You will still be angry, but in my not-so
humble opinion, that is a better emotion to have to endure.>>>> vs
 
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