The mark that Hurricane Ike left on Houston and its environs will be around for a long time and it’s not because the damage will take months to repair. It’s because some insurance companies will delay paying claims as long as they can. Given Jim Adler’s 30 years of experience with insurance companies trying to dodge their responsibilities, he has plunged into the middle of the mess to protect homeowners and businesses from insurance fraud. Case evaluations at Jim Adler & Associates are free and so is representation.
The firm collects a percentage of the settlement after the case is won. And sometimes victims pay nothing. Judges can order insurance companies to pay all attorney fees in some cases.
Ike hit the Houston area hard on Sept. 13, 2008 and stories are already surfacing about companies denying claims or offering small amounts to cover damage that will take thousands of dollars to repair. Like this writer’s sister. Her insurance company is offering her less than $1,000 to pay for two damaged skylights in her Galleria area condo when the repair bill exceeds $10,000. The insurance company admits that one skylight was “damaged” (it was smashed) but says the other is okay. After inspecting that skylight, its manufacturer said it has a cracked frame so both skylights need to be replaced to properly insure the integrity of the roof.
Who was the manufacturer of the damaged skylights? Is this manufacturer approved by the Texas Department of Insurance?
Comment by David Thornton — November 11, 2008 @ 6:32 am