There's been a lot of criticism lately about the insurance industry and I wrote about some of the bad press in an earlier blog. Unfortunately, there's not enough said about the good the industry does.
So when my sister called the other day, so happy she couldn't get the story out fast enough, I took notice.
My sister is a single mom with two kids, who also works full time and has a long commute, so time is a premium for her. When a slow leak in her main bathroom caused the glue on the carpets to dissolve, creating strong fumes, it was no small matter.
She and the kids were moved out of the house and into a hotel until carpet and flooring could be replaced. This was a month ago at least. In fact, when she called I expected the work to have been completed and that she had moved back into the house.
That's not how it worked out, however. Because she is in the process of refinancing, one bank received the check from the insurer and began dictating terms for repairs—doling out money only 20 percent at a time, after repairs were made. Unfortunately, very few contractors will work this way, and so the house sat, and sat.
After several weeks in a hotel with two kids and a very frustrated baby sitter, she called her adjuster, practically in tears. When the adjuster found out what was happening, she promised she would take care of the situation. Wonder Woman made a few calls and before long, she arrived with check in-hand. Finally the repair work could begin.
This is where the insurance industry excels, people to people, and the adjuster is often the face of the industry. The question becomes how to get the word out about the many people who are helped after disasters and incidents like my sister's.
One insurer that knows first-hand about the long term goodwill of coming through after a disaster is Lloyd's, which is still remembered for paying claims in San Francisco after the great earthquake and fire of 1906.
Here's a fascinating paragraph from Wikipedia that gives an idea of the role insurers played:
"Insurance companies, faced with staggering claims of $250 million, paid out between $235 million and $265 million on policyholders' claims, often for fire damage only, since shake damage from earthquakes was excluded from coverage under most policies. At least 137 insurance companies were directly involved and another 17 as reinsurers. Twenty companies went bankrupt, and most excluded shake damage claims. However, Lloyds of London reports having paid all claims in full, more than 50 million dollars and the insurance companies in Hartford, Connecticut report also paying every claim in full; the Hartford Fire Insurance Company paying over 11 million dollars and Aetna Insurance Company almost $3 million."
Again, how to get the word out—beyond the industry. Maybe a cartoon strip, "Amazing True Adjuster Tales," would work, or perhaps a column consisting of testimonials?
But this is a creative industry—ideas anyone?
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