Stories From Our Viewers - Remain Anonymous If You Choose

Alice H. is not her true name and elected to be anonymous because of her ongoing claim with her insurance company. Alice told HOI Exposed her story and our staff helped her with this narrative. This is her story, and our words, only to help her get her story out.

Alice was sitting at her son's dining room table pondering how she was going to get through her claim . Her paperwork seemed to just keep getting larger everyday. This paperwork seemed to be a constant reminder of of everything she had lost in the Los Angeles fires. She soon realized she had a serious up hill battle on her hands. She stated that at her age she thought that she had seen it all, but this was something else.

Alice has lived in her home for over thirty years, she raised her three children in that house, she build a life with her deceased husband Rick in that house. In a matter of hours, it all vanished. Her insurance company promised to help, saying we are here for you, but in reality that wasn't the case for her at all.

First of all was the waiting and before long days turned into weeks, then into months. Next, she would only receive automated emails or a quick phone call telling her that her claim is being processed. Then the relent request for more documentation that was already sent to the insurance company. She explained that she had already sent the items that they were requesting again. She spent hours on hold, then to only be put on hold and shifted to another department. Every time that she thought she was getting somewhere with her claim the insurance company requested more documentation.

She was getting to the end of her rope, the insurance company informed her that they needed to send out another independent adjuster to address more damage, as if what documentation the insurance company wasn't enough already. At that time they told her that the adjuster would call her and schedule another appointment with in 10 days. At this point her patience was wearing thin.

She picked up the phone and dialed the insurance company again. After twenty minutes on hold, a representative answered.

He stated that I see your claim here, he said. “It’s still under review. We appreciate your patience.

Alice told him I’ve sent everything you’ve asked for. I’ve done everything by the book. My house is gone, and I can’t even move forward because you keep delaying things. I need to know what’s really going on.

The representative told her unfortunately, these claims take time.

Alice's son reached out to us and asked what should his mother do. We suggested a Public Adjuster might be their best option after he explained what has happened so far with their claim.

Alice H contacted HOI Exposed, we recommended a Public Adjusting firm to Alice. We spoke to her and her son, they both agreed that a Public Adjuster was the way to go.

We will keep you posted on Alice’s progress.

My name is Thomas L. and I used to live in the Pacific Palisades before the fire took almost everything I owned. This story is hard for me to compose and I really don't really know where to begin because my life has been completely turned upside down. One day everything was fine, then the next day my life was in ruins. The fire hit so fast and there was no time to get any belongings. In fact the only thing I got was what I was wearing, my wallet, computer, and my cell phone. Everything else is gone from family photos, important documents, memories that I will never be able to replace. I have no words to describe the feeling that has come over me realizing that it is all gone.

Initially, I thought my insurance company would help for me to be able to get back on my feet. That's what insurance is fore, Right? Trust me that has not been the case. Trying to get in touch with the person assigned to my claim has been a nightmare. Almost every time I try to make contact, I either get a voicemail or an email saying saying they have a  high volume of calls. Okay, I get that, the fire destroyed a lot of houses. It doesn't make things any easier to deal with. Weeks and months have gone by and I still have no real answers. I'm frustrated and I feel I'm stuck in limbo, and for why?

After what seemed forever, I finally received a small check for some personal property and living expenses. The money has helped, but it is nowhere enough to try and rebuild my life prior to the fire. This claim is far from over and the treatment that I have received so far is beyond exasperating. Every time I make contact and ask for updated, I get the same response, we are working on it..

It's frustrating to say the least. And honestly, it seems so unfair. When I took out my policy, I never thought something like this could ever happen and I'm referring as to how my insurance company is treating me. Now I'm just another person in the system, waiting waiting and hoping that someday I can move on with my life.

The insurance system needs to be drastically changed. The system that is in place is so biased toward the insurance companies, and they need to be held accountable. That’s why I took the time to tell my story.

Since contacting HOI Exposed, Thomas has retained the help from a Public Adjusting Firm. We will keep you up to date as his story unfolds.

Hello, my name is Robert W. and I live near Ashville, North Carolina. Last year Hurricane Helene ripped through our little town and it turned into a nightmare. The wind was intense and the rain seemed to never stop. When the storm was finally over, our basement was filled with eight inches of water. Everything in the basement was ruined. Our furniture, storage boxes, clothing and most of our walls got wet. I thought the hardest part would be cleaning up the water, but I was wrong. The hardest part was having to deal with my insurance company, and I couldn't be more serious.

Also, I had damage to our roof, sheds, and parts of the interior of our home .Next, the adjuster shows up only to inform us that the shed amongst some other thing weren't covered with in the insurance policy. My policy specifically stated that these things were covered..

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After the adjuster left our home, I called our agent, she too agreed with us that in fact, we were covered for those other items. After receiving an email from our agent, the claims adjuster assigned to our claim agreed that we were covered.

The adjuster independent adjuster that was assigned to our claim was from out of town. I would like to mention that this guy was very pleasant and seemed to know what he was doing. Upon his departure I asked when we would be getting his report, he responded that the claims adjuster would get in touch with us.

A couple of weeks went by so I contacted our claims adjuster, only to find out the report that was generated concerning our house is only for inter-departmental use and We were not privy to its content. Yes, you read that correctly, the insurance company sends out an independent adjuster to our house and we can't see what he says about our house! That's when I knew we were going to have some trouble.

From the first phone call I had with the claims adjuster, they were telling me that my claim was a flood and not a hurricane. They kept saying the water in my basement was from flooding and not a hurricane, but I know that the hurricane caused my damages. The rain was so heavy and the winds were so strong, that's how the water entered our basement. But no matter how many times I explained it, they kept insisting that the water came in from a flood and Floods aren't covered in my policy

For months, I fought with them. I sent them pictures, reports, and everything they asked for, but they still refused to pay. It felt like they were just trying to make me give up. That’s when I found HOI Exposed, a website where people share their stories about bad experiences with homeowners insurance. After reading what others went through, I realized I wasn’t alone. The website also gave good advice, and I decided to follow it. They said that sometimes the only way to win is to get a lawyer, so that’s what I did.

On the advice of HOI Exposed, I also chose not to use my real name because my case might end up in court. Ever since I hired a lawyer, things have started to change. My insurance company, which ignored me for months, is suddenly paying attention. The fight isn’t over yet, but now I have someone on my side who knows the law and won’t let them take advantage of me.

This whole experience has been frustrating, but I’ve learned one big lesson: homeowners insurance companies don’t always play fair. They’ll do whatever they can to avoid paying. But thanks to HOI Exposed, I’m not giving up. I’m standing my ground, and with my lawyer’s help, I’m going hopefully to get what I deserve.

Robert sought legal help with an attorney, again we will update you after Robert gets his claim settled..

My name’s not really Michael, but I have to stay anonymous because I have an attorney. I own a second home in Big Bear, CA. The winter of 2022-2023 was brutal, with record-breaking snowfall. A lot of houses and buildings collapsed in our little city from all the weight, and mine was one of them. My roof completely caved in, you could see the sky in some spots.

I’ve worked in construction for years, so I knew right away this was a serious problem. I contacted my insurance company immediately, but from the very start, they gave me the runaround. They kept telling me certain things weren’t covered, but I knew my policy, and I could see plain as day that those things were covered. The agent just wasn’t listening to me.

The adjuster they sent out didn’t seem to know what she was doing. I looked up her license and found out she was new to adjusting. That explained a lot. Then I read a post online from HOI Exposed that talked about how insurance companies send out their own engineers after you get estimates from contractors. The post said those engineers aren’t there to help, they are there to find a way to deny your claim. And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

The engineer they sent wrote a report saying I had “pre-existing conditions,” which gave the insurance company a way to minimize my claim. I knew that was a bunch of nonsense, so I hired my own independent engineer. His report completely contradicted the insurance company’s engineer.

At that point, I knew I was in over my head. I decided to hire a Public Adjuster. He did a great job and really helped me, but even he couldn’t get the insurance company to budge from their low estimate. He even contacted the Insurance Commissioner’s office twice. I will say, reaching out to Ricardo Lara’s office did help get things moving again, and I appreciate the help I got from them.

My Public Adjuster kept trying to get my claim moved to a large-claim adjuster, but the woman handling my case refused. I was getting nowhere. He told me I needed to get a lawyer. At first, I thought having a Public Adjuster involved might make it harder to find one, but that wasn’t the case at all. J.D. helped me find a lawyer, and when I talked to the law firm, they told me they take over cases from Public Adjusters all the time. They also said my Public Adjuster did a great job documenting everything, which was good to hear.

So now, two years later, my claim is with an attorney, and we’re moving into the next phase. My lawyer told me this is going to take time. Can you believe that? A simple claim, with all the documentation in the world, and it’s still dragging on. This whole thing has been beyond frustrating. The last thing I would like to add my insurance went from approximately 2,400 dollars a year to 5,300 dollars the next year and I paid it, then my insurance canceled me.

We will keep you informed as to the progress of Michaels claim as we get updated

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