Allstate - Not joking about good hands.

[nickelcityhomes]

A week ago there was an incident at my house that required a homeowner's policy claim. Here's a chronology...

Early Tuesday morning - The oven ignites in the middle of the night for no reason. All of the tupperware and plastic stored inside the stove is incinerated. The fire company needed to respond due to the intensity of the oven fire and poisonous fumes created by the plastic.

Tuesday morning - Allstate is notified of the fire and concern of smoke damage to the kitchen, living room, and hallway.

Wednesday morning - An emergency cleaning crew arrives to remove all fabrics from the house and clean all surfaces. Every non-attached item in the kitchen and living room is itemized for full replacement cost. Every article of clothing and all curtains are sent to the dry cleaner to remove the smell. Allstate reserves a suite at the Grand Island Holiday Inn for the wife and kids. The reservation is good for one week (all lodging and dining expenses paid).

Thursday - Emergency cleanup continues. The cleanup crew is so meticulous that they are cleaning individual pencils from the drawers in the kitchen. The Allstate adjuster calculates smoke and appliance damage and submits a generous reimbursement amount to have all rooms repainted, cabinets refinished, and oven, hood vent, microwave, and high-end coffee maker replaced at cost.

Friday - Paint crew begins. It is decided to use oil based paints to refinish the cabinets. The reservation at the Holiday Inn is extended for a week due to the fumes from oil based paint.

All of this was handled with one phone call to our claims rep. There was never a dispute about costs. Furthermore, it was their recommendation that the hotel stay be extended while the cabinets are painted.

I haven't seen the final figures yet, but the claim will easily exceed 10k. My cost was $500 for the deductible. That deductible would have been waived if the oven manufacturer was found to be at fault, but the oven was 7 years old and not worth the research expense. I don't mind paying $500 to get a new kitchen and repainted house

Overall I was kind of blown away by the service. I figured it would be a huge hassle to get the claim paid, but they paid for everything, and more, without question.

[Michele J]

glad to hear nobody was hurt.

[Linda_D]

Tell us what happens when it comes time to renew your homeowner's policy. That's where most people people have real complaints about their HO insurance: one claim and they don't want to know you any more.

[SueZq]

From my experiences with Allstate, they won't turn you away after one claim but they will jack your rates. Either way in nicklecityhomes' case, he'll be ahead.

[300miles]

I haven't seen the final figures yet, but the claim will easily exceed 10k. My cost was $500 for the deductible.

Since you have a new kitchen now, could you do us all a favor and NOT store you plastic inside the oven?

[WNYresident]

The stove isn't is not funny. I had to replace the control panel on our stove because it would randomly turn on the cleaning cycle. Didn't want that happening if we weren't home. Sometimes electronic control panels are not as good as just old fashion knobs.

[mikenold]

I use Allstate for Home (replacement cost) and car insurance. They have been awesome for the 30+ years that I have had them. My agent is always helping me do what is best when it comes to claims. Gary Decker Agency, Allstate, Union near George Urban.

[FMD]

Allstate wont even touch my one truck... yet they keep sending me crap in the mail... plus, they wanna insure me for $700 more a year than what I have now, and will NOT insure my other truck....go figure.

As far as the oil paints are concerned, while they have made great strides in the stain blocking ability with latex and alcohol based paints, nothing beats oil. I wouldnt be surprised if the painting crew is priming everything in oil, and top coating with latex. By the way what company is handling the painting?

[nickelcityhomes]

Since you have a new kitchen now, could you do us all a favor and NOT store you plastic inside the oven?

Trust me, I hear ya. The wife unit, being Polish, insisted the oven was a good place to store plastic. I gave up arguing that issue about a year after marriage.

She sees things my way now. Two black eyes may make you blind, but they will help you see.

[nickelcityhomes]

By the way what company is handling the painting?

A friend who is a professional painter, but out of work at the moment.

[nickelcityhomes]

Sometimes electronic control panels are not as good as just old fashion knobs.

The firefighters found an error code on the electronic display. Allstate considered going after the manufacturer for the malfunction, but decided against it since the stove was 7 years old. To be fair, the manufacturer never told the wife to store Tupperware in the oven.

[yaksplat]

I've had good dealings with allstate. I had some shingles blow off of my roof, and they wrote me a check for 6k since the roof could not be repaired. I had a windstorm blow trim off of my house and wreck the hinge on my screen door. The covered it in a day. They covered all damage from the october storm without question.

My rates haven't increased after 12k in claims.

[anyones neighbor]

A few years back my gas stove (electric ignition) made a ticking sound, like I was trying to light it. I just pulled the plug. Then I'd plug it in when I lit the oven. Beat buying another stove.

[SafeWNY]

We had an issue where a 55 gallon fish tank let loose in a second floor bedroom, running down into the living room. It ruined the drywall and carpet in the living and dining room, and caused water damage to the hardwood floors underneath.

Allstate sent crews out to dry the mess, took the carpet, and wrote us a check within a few days to get the repairs made.

No increase in rates when we renewed either

[cheekman]

From my experiences with Allstate, they won't turn you away after one claim but they will jack your rates. Either way in nicklecityhomes' case, he'll be ahead.

back in 1990 i had a small fire in my garage burned the side of the wall and siding damage claim was about $3200.00. i was dumped buy the insurance comapny in six months. i never put in any claims before that