(no subject)
So we FINALLY heard from our insurance adjuster yesterday. She lives in Norfolk, which is HOURS away. She didn't indicate that she has any intention of actually coming to visit us. She listened carefully as the Male unfurled the tale of the overflowing toilet. She asked a lot of questions that had us wondering if she knew what the hell she was doing. For example, he was telling her that the paper is peeling from the drywall in the basement. She asked if we had wallpaper on the walls. No, he said, it's from the drywall. She couldn't seem to comprehend this concept. He had to explain the basic makeup of drywall to her.
She also didn't comprehend the concept of "black water." Now, granted, I had never heard of it until the cleaning company that was sent out by our insurance company introduced me to it. Basically, black water is any water that could be in some way toxic or contaminated. Because the water came from our toilet and wasn't "clean", it is considered toxic. Our insurance adjuster had never heard of this before. When we asked what we should do about our upholstered furniture that had gotten soaked, she suggested we call a cleaning company. I plan to. In fact, I plan to call the cleaning company that was sent out by our insurance company who has already told us that upholstered furniture contaminated with black water cannot be sanitized. *sigh*
Our adjuster gave us two options: we can call our own contractors and have them give an estimate on the work that needs to be done or we can have USAA send out a contractor to do the work. If we choose the second option then USAA will guarantee the work for 2 years. Sounds good, right? Here's my question: if the adjuster isn't even going to come out and view the damage then how does she know what's fair and reasonable work? For example, our basement ceiling obviously needs to be repaired where the cleaning crew cut holes in it to dry it out. But other parts of the ceiling have already started rotting, but its not visible. One of the basement walls had a literal river of water running under it from the basement room to the laundry room. Even though it looks fine, you can put finger indentations into it just by pressing slightly on it. If we request to have that wall replaced, is USAA going to give us a hard time about it?
I'm so lost. I've never had to make a claim before on anything like this and I'm scared because of all the horror stories I've heard from people who have had experience in this arena. I just want my house back. The way it was. Yes, I'm happy to be getting new carpet in the basement. Who wouldn't be? But how do I know exactly what USAA will replace it with, since nobody from the company is bothering to come out and see what was there to begin with? Will they balk at paying for the thicker pad to replace the extra-thick one we had?? What if I want to get a slightly different kind of carpet, but it doesn't cost any more than the one we had? Will they pay to paint all of the walls of the basement, or only the one they replace?? Since the hardwood floors in our dining room are starting to buckle, will they replace the living room as well since they are one big room? Or will we have to deal with two different colored floors? What about the kitchen tiles where the subflooring is warping? Will they just replace the cracked tiles, or the entire floor? How can I be sure they will match? Oy vey. Such angst. LOL.
Well, I guess we'll ride the wave and see where it takes us. I wouldn't care so much but we have ZERO money to put into this little remodeling session ourselves. We're entirely reliant on USAA to give us our home back.
If any of you have experience dealing with contractors or insurance adjusters, please feel free to send a deluge of advice. As long as it's free, I'd take anything right now. :o)
She also didn't comprehend the concept of "black water." Now, granted, I had never heard of it until the cleaning company that was sent out by our insurance company introduced me to it. Basically, black water is any water that could be in some way toxic or contaminated. Because the water came from our toilet and wasn't "clean", it is considered toxic. Our insurance adjuster had never heard of this before. When we asked what we should do about our upholstered furniture that had gotten soaked, she suggested we call a cleaning company. I plan to. In fact, I plan to call the cleaning company that was sent out by our insurance company who has already told us that upholstered furniture contaminated with black water cannot be sanitized. *sigh*
Our adjuster gave us two options: we can call our own contractors and have them give an estimate on the work that needs to be done or we can have USAA send out a contractor to do the work. If we choose the second option then USAA will guarantee the work for 2 years. Sounds good, right? Here's my question: if the adjuster isn't even going to come out and view the damage then how does she know what's fair and reasonable work? For example, our basement ceiling obviously needs to be repaired where the cleaning crew cut holes in it to dry it out. But other parts of the ceiling have already started rotting, but its not visible. One of the basement walls had a literal river of water running under it from the basement room to the laundry room. Even though it looks fine, you can put finger indentations into it just by pressing slightly on it. If we request to have that wall replaced, is USAA going to give us a hard time about it?
I'm so lost. I've never had to make a claim before on anything like this and I'm scared because of all the horror stories I've heard from people who have had experience in this arena. I just want my house back. The way it was. Yes, I'm happy to be getting new carpet in the basement. Who wouldn't be? But how do I know exactly what USAA will replace it with, since nobody from the company is bothering to come out and see what was there to begin with? Will they balk at paying for the thicker pad to replace the extra-thick one we had?? What if I want to get a slightly different kind of carpet, but it doesn't cost any more than the one we had? Will they pay to paint all of the walls of the basement, or only the one they replace?? Since the hardwood floors in our dining room are starting to buckle, will they replace the living room as well since they are one big room? Or will we have to deal with two different colored floors? What about the kitchen tiles where the subflooring is warping? Will they just replace the cracked tiles, or the entire floor? How can I be sure they will match? Oy vey. Such angst. LOL.
Well, I guess we'll ride the wave and see where it takes us. I wouldn't care so much but we have ZERO money to put into this little remodeling session ourselves. We're entirely reliant on USAA to give us our home back.
If any of you have experience dealing with contractors or insurance adjusters, please feel free to send a deluge of advice. As long as it's free, I'd take anything right now. :o)