"The millions of people who survive disasters each year such as hurricane, earthquake, tornado, flood, and fire, usually carry insurance, but they generally have no idea what they have coming, even after asking around. Just what should they expect, and how do they conceive their damage claims or partake in the process? Nearly everyone has been left out of the loop," Braga said.
"When it comes to disasters there is nothing more fundamental than the elements of recovery. Policyholders have had plenty of authority within the insurance contract to enable a fair settlement. It is more a matter of knowing one's authority and how to implement it that escapes notice. That in itself is a rather large problem. However, there is an even larger problem: an ongoing process to negate policyholder authority by removing wording in some policies.
Along those same lines, many company adjusters act to represent the policyholder just as if they had that right and authority...it is commonly accepted behavior. Conflict of interest is hardly even thought of, never mind raised. The misinformed public actually expects company claims adjusters to act that way and are disappointed if somehow that does not happen. This is mostly due to rampant advertising that tells us we are in good hands, have a good neighbor, someone on our side, or some other such claim, and oddly enough the companies' misleading, very costly advertising is paid from policyholder premiums, not from companies' own coffers. It is no wonder we have become helpless and lost in this area. We are programed that way, and we have been defused from our authority without being aware that it happened.
It is important for insurance consumers to have an idea how to determine what they are entitled to under their property insurance policies (home, business, auto, boat, etc.). Policyholders are entitled to have an understanding in terms of fundamental adjusting principles, rights, and rules that show what to expect in case of loss--the nuts and bolts of insurance consumer protection. There is no reasonable argument against the policyholder having equal information as the company. No one can very well argue that a policyholder in good standing is any less legitimate than the company itself.
What do you expect in case of an insured loss? Who cares? Who has disaster preparedness/
