Well, it appears the whole thing is settled.  Allstate has sold the bus at auction for $29,573.50.  They have donated 100% of the money to a local charity in Washington State.  I, for one, am pleased about this outcome.  Allstate has taken the high road and, I believe,  have done an admiral thing.

Here is the official press release:

Dec. 21, 2009 Bothell, Wash. -

Allstate (NYSE: ALL) announced today that the public auction of a recovered 1965 VW Bus totaled $29,573.50. Last week Allstate announced it would sell the recovered 1965 Volkswagen Bus at auction and donate 100% of the proceeds to Lydia Place, a nonprofit organization in Washington State serving homeless women and children impacted by domestic violence.

“The women of Lydia Place need economic stability, secure housing, and life skills training to empower them to be successful and overcome the devastating effects of domestic violence,” said Teresa Josephson, Executive Director, Lydia Place. “Allstate and Lydia Place both share the belief that domestic violence survivors must achieve economic stability in order to live free of abuse. We are grateful to receive the proceeds from the VW Bus auction, as these funds lend additional resources to achieving our vision, that future generations will experience life free from violence and homelessness.”

The 1965 VW Bus was reported stolen nearly four decades ago by an Allstate customer and resident of Washington State. Allstate paid the customer’s claim and, as part of the claims process, the vehicle title was transferred to Allstate. The vehicle was missing for 35 years until October of this year, when it was discovered during a U.S. Customs Service inspection of a shipping container departing for the Netherlands. U.S. Customs, the California Highway Patrol, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau conducted an investigation of the vehicle’s history, which includes several possessors in multiple states across the country during the last 35 years, and concluded that Allstate is the lawful titleholder. Working with national auction vendor, Copart, Allstate made the 1965 VW Bus available for public auction on Friday, December 18, 2009.

“Allstate has a long history of supporting domestic violence survivors through The Allstate Foundation and our financial literacy programs,” said Michelle Lee, field vice president of Allstate’s northwest region. “This unique situation presented us with a truly unique opportunity to help women and children in Washington State at this critical time of year.”

Lydia Place is a six-month transitional housing program that serves women and their children by offering shelter, life-skills training, and support needed to enable them to move from poverty to self-support and independence. Ninety-five percent of the families that come to Lydia Place have experienced domestic violence and the fear and abuse these women have endured in their relationships have resulted in poor self-esteem, inability to trust, and difficulty focusing on daily tasks. Since 1991, 245 families have found safe and supportive shelter at Lydia Place.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate®” slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.

We here at the Insurance Paper wish everybody a safe holiday.  It’s a great time to reflect on the year and be thankful for the blessings that we do have, even though trials can be hard to forget. There is always something to be thankful for, just take a second and think.

Along with all this thankfulness, cooking and fellowship we tend to forget how to be safe while doing so.  Our minds are too consumed with hurring to get out the door to a relatives house or cleaning the house if company is coming over.

Let’s keep a couple things in mind to keep the holiday a festive one to remember and not a tragic one.

Insurance Tips for Cooking:

A recent study shows that 40% of house fires start in the kitchen.  This stat increases our odds for a possible devastating Thanksgiving.  Lets keep in mind some of these tips while we are making that fabulous turkey!

• If you need to walk away from your cooking station, find someone to overlook the situation while you step away.
• Keep pot holders, dishtowels, food packaging and clothing away from burners.  This is one of the biggest culprits of a kitchen fire.  Set a 2 foot safe zone around these areas to help prevent such a fire
• Make sure and clean your cookware, cook-tops and range hoods.  Grease and oil buildup can cause a serious fire when such areas get hot.
• Keep Children Away from the cooking area.  Children tend to get under our feet.  This can cause a tripping hazard causing something to spill on the unsuspecting little one. Set up a zone for no children.  I know it’s hard but maybe zone your kitchen as a no children zone.  Good Luck!
• Keep pot lids handy.  When your cooking on the stove and a fire occurs in the pan. Use pot lid, preferably the matching size, and cover it.  Never use water.

Insurance Tips for Driving:

• Do not drink and drive.  Thanksgiving statistically is one of the biggest drinking and driving holidays.  This may seem like common sense but please for my daughters sake don’t drink and drive.
• Defensive Driving.  There will be a lot of cars on the road. Which mean a lot of bad drivers.  Keep in mind that not everyone drives like you.  Be ready for anything to pop out causing a driving hazard.

We are thankful for all the readers out there and supporters making this site a great informational tool for the public.  We wish a great holiday for everybody and don’t forget to be safe!

The claim process can be full of priorities.  Paperwork, returning phone calls, proof of loss, unrestoreable contents and above all else the client should be the highest priority. One of the biggest problems; everybody is different.  Wow, that is really profound, I know.  But really, you have to truly grasp the idea when a claim is filed.  That first initial phone call to the insured after an insurance loss is yet another first impression for them.  How you handle the client will somewhat set the tone of how the claim will be handled going forward.

If you call and the insured has any ill will or uneasy feeling afterward, they could be on guard and defensive throughout the claim.  This can cause major delays in the process and possibly more money and time for you.  The goal at the end of the insurance claim is a happier client.  I chose “happier” intentionally.  You can’t always count on a client to be completely happy at the end of it all.  For one, them going through a claim, especially if it’s devastating, will never make them completely ecstatic at the end.  They usually have the feeling of “I wish this never happened to me” attitude.  I would consider it a successful claim process if you have a client “happier” at completion than when it first happened.  But obviously, if the client is happier at the end because they don’t have to work with you again is a bad thing.

Every client I have run into can be put into one of these 5 categories.  But, the same client can be in different categories at different parts of the claim.  I’ve handled insured’s that went from “The Crier” to “The Laugher” in a period of 5 minutes.  Handling the insured properly throughout each category will only help your chances of a successful claim process.

The Crier

There is nothing more uncomfortable then getting on the phone or in person and talking to a hysterical person.  How can you truly say “I understand” if you have never gone through a claim as severe as the one they just went through?  The goal with this type of insured is to make it all about them.  When you are making first contact, let them be and give them all the time in the world.  Handle them slowly.  Give them comforting words like, “I’m sorry for your loss(meaning insurance loss)”,“Is everything going at the pace you are comfortable with?” and “What can we do to help you right now?”  They need comfort and stability to know everything is going to be okay.
This type usually will go from “The Crier” to another type through a little time.  How you handle them now will help them go straight to “The Cheerleader” and hopefully soon.

The Hater

This is one of the most difficult to handle. These insured are usually bitter about what just happened and sometimes with just cause.  More than likely they are really upset about the loss because it was either something that was done intentionally to them (vandalism, break in, arson) or a dumb mistake by someone else (left sump pump unplugged, spotty work by a previous contractor).  Sometimes, who can blame them?  I would be just as upset.  But they don’t know how this is affecting the claim process.  Everybody will be walking on eggshells around them.

This is one area where you want them to feel like you understand.  If the same thing happened to you, by all means tell them you went through the exact same thing. Now, if you haven’t had this happen to you, say things like “I would be upset if that happened to me” or if the client is pretty vulgar you should be safe to say “That would piss me off” without them looking down at you.  In fact some will actually feel better.  The client wants to feel justified for being upset.  By giving them that feeling they will feel better about themselves and calm down over time and move to “The Cheerleader” insured.

The Laugher

There are people that deal with rough situations by laughing or being too jovial. Beware, underneath could be any of the other types laying dormant ready to come out.  Treat this delicately.  You should give in a little to the humor to find out what their true feeling is about the situation.  Then you can handle them accordingly.  This is a tough predicament to be in.  Please don’t be too involved with the humor because they can take it the wrong way and go straight to becoming “The Hater.” Sometimes, there are a few people that are just that way.  It is in their blood.  They like to laugh and be happy.  This isn’t a bad thing.  Be careful and on your toes a little just to be on the safe side.

The Challenger

This is a handle full of people that have too high of expectations.  They don’t understand the process and never will.  Most of the time it’s a long road ahead and there is nothing you can do to weather the storm.  It’s almost impossible for them to understand that you want to help and you understand.  At the end of the claim some will leave your agency no matter what happens.  In this case, pull out your insurance handbook, dot your I’s and cross your T’s.  Please don’t lose sleep over it.  Try your best but don’t cater because you will lose your mind and it will never stop.  Please understand that you will run into this group of people again and again.  It helps getting through it.

Sometimes, client like this are craving for someone to put them in their place.  They actually enjoy and need it.  You can transform this person by telling them off in a nice but direct way.  “Mrs. Jones, you have too high of expectations.  Stop.  We want to help you but you have to let us do our job.”  It may come time for you to stick your heals in the ground.  If you are not that type of person to be confrontational have someone else in your office do it.  Just don’t break your company policy by using the wrong words.

The Cheerleader

Every other type has the possibility to transform into “The Cheerleader” client.  Really, that is our goal isn’t it?  These are the best to deal with.  We, unfortunately by human nature, try harder for these people.  We go WAY beyond what is expected.  These clients are going to be our major cheerleaders for us down the road.  They do their part of the claim, ask quality questions and let us do what we love.  Often, they may be a little too involved but we don’t mind and actually understand why they are doing it.

The only thing that can ruin this relationship is if you REALLY screw it up.  Too many phone calls not returned can make this turn ugly.  If this relationship goes sour, we have nothing to blame but ourselves.  Just do the job that you love, servicing people, and you shouldn’t have any problems.

Conclusion

Every insured has different needs.  Identifying those early is the key to success.  This will help decipher what path you are going down and what path your going to take to bring them to “The Cheerleader.” When I make the first contact with the insured I try and asking them a question up front and see how they respond.  If it’s a fire loss, I ask “I was just informed you had a fire at your home, is everybody okay?” and gauge their response. Servicing the client is our number one goal and priority.  Anything we can do to help them become “The Cheerleader” will help them be a happier client in the end.

Ever worry about your teen’s when they first get their license? Of course you do, as a parent it’s your job to worry right?

Well American Family Insurance is making it easier to see exactly what your teens are doing wrong behind the wheel. Our teen safe driver program is designed to let the parents see their child before they get into an accident. Plus it comes as no cost to you if we insure your auto. I will post a link below that shows the program acutally at work for a better understanding.

Take a look at it and find out how this could potentially save you child’s life.

Follow me on Twitter, @adamviet as well as on facebook to get up to the minute updates about American Family and all of their great products.

American Family Facebook Video

So my good buddy, Chris, along with his lady pal moved down south last year. Long story short they have decided to move back to good old Boston Massachusetts. I guess they got tired of the warm weather and missed the snow. I got a call from Chris this morning (I promise this story is true) and he said “hey Duff, the wife and I are renting a U-Haul to move all of our stuff home, should I purchase the auto insurance on the rental?

We get this question a lot. Although, the conversation usually goes like this; INSURED: “Hi this is Billy Button and I’m a Duffy Insurance customer and I’m in Vegas for my good pal’s bachelor party right now. I’m trying to get a rental car and they are asking me if I want to purchase the insurance on it. Should I buy it? To cover their behinds most insurance agents always recommend purchasing the coverage. That’s the lazy answer! But, below is some stuff your typical insurance agent may not tell you. (If you travel outside the U.S. the following does not apply. If you are traveling anywhere for business, then the following does not apply).

As an auto insurance buyer here’s some of what you need to know about getting insurance on a rental car.

We are going to assume that you rent a car in the U.S. that is similar in style and value to what you own, then your own auto insurance should cover the rental car. Always call your insurance agent to double check. If you have collision coverage on your personal auto insurance then it should cover you for the rental car. But, if you do not have collision coverage on your policy, then obviously you do not have collision coverage on the rental. This is the same with all the individual coverage on your auto insurance.

The tricky stuff:

1. Should you not choose to purchase the insurance from the rental company and rely on your own insurance, the vehicle that you have at home is not supposed to be driven by anybody.
2. Should you rent a vehicle that is nothing like your own, (My Buddy Chris in the above example) then your personal auto insurance will not cover you in most cases. So, buy the insurance if you want coverage!
3. If you are not listed as a named insured on your policy at home, then coverage will not follow you from that insurance policy. So buy the coverage at the rental counter! (Please note a named insured is different from being listed as a licensed operator).
4. An issue when declining to purchase the coverage from the rental car company is that typically your primary auto insurance company will not cover the loss of use. This usually gets charged to your credit card by the rental company and can be a nightmare. Loss of use is the money that the rental car company would have made by renting during the time that the car was being fixed. We have heard a few cases in which the rental company charged the renter’s credit card on file for loss of use.
5. Credit Card companies are typically an X factor when renting cars. Some credit card companies will offer certain types of insurance coverage for rental cars complimentary. We strongly recommend contacting them as certain ones will pay for the loss of use talked about in the last point.

So my advice to my good pal Chris and his lady friend was to buy the insurance on the U-Haul. Obviously, since there are many factors involved, it really depends on the situation when determining whether or not to buy the coverage from the rental company. I know when I go away I always purchase the insurance. We have seen too many cases where people get burned for not doing so. When in doubt call your insurance agent, credit card company, and insurance company.

Provided By @DuffyInsurance

Most people have heard about the recovered 1965 Volkswagen Bus hopefully by now.  If you haven’t here is a quick run down:

1. October 16, 2009, A ‘65 VW Bus was uncovered in a box shipment that was being sent to the Netherlands.
2. In 1974 the bus was reported as stolen.
3. Allstate paid the Policyholder for replacement vehicle.
4. Technically the Bus is now owned by Allstate.

The little kicker to the whole situation is the bus is in GREAT condition.  It appears it was completely restored to showroom finish by whoever stole it.  Allstate appears to want to do the right thing.  I have to be honest though, what is the right thing?  They by contract own this vehicle now.  I, for one, would not look negatively on Allstate if they kept the vehicle and sold it.

Here is Allstate’s official statement:

At Allstate, we value our role as a responsible corporate citizen and are determined to take the right course of action. Given the unique circumstances surrounding the recently recovered 1965 Volkswagen Bus and its complex history, Allstate is fully investigating this matter to determine the best course of action.

Background information:
On October 16, 2009, a 1965 Volkswagen Bus was discovered during an inspection of a shipping container departing for the Netherlands.

The vehicle was reported stolen in 1974 by an Allstate customer, a resident of Washington State. At that time, Allstate settled the claim and as part of the claims process, the title of the vehicle was transferred to Allstate.

Contact:

Megan Brunet
cell: 847-226-4098

Image provide by the LA Times

Anybody else have an opinion on this?

Fairly Good Experience with Homewise

I have never made a claim but I can say that I have never had a problem with HomeWise Insurance.  Like many people, I needed insurance.  I went shopping around and was trying to find the best rate.  Overall their rates are pretty good.

I have not had any major problems although I have not had a claim. I’m a pretty good customer. I just give them money all the time and never ask for anything in return.

Because of this the only thing I have to compare them with is rates. As I shopped around I found they had very good rates and have stuck with theme because of that.

HomeWise began its operations in Florida following very active storm seasons in 2004 and 2005 in the state which created a volatile homeowners insurance market. As many insurance companies stopped writing homeowners insurance in Florida, demand was high for experienced, financially sound carriers offering homeowners coverage.

HomeWise was established by insurance professionals with extensive homeowners insurance experience. From the beginning, our company vision has been to provide traditional homeowners insurance products and high quality service at fair prices. Since 2006, the company has expanded beyond Florida into other southern states as well.

HomeWise Insurance Company

This is a program that American Family has put in place is to help reduce the high enough statistics of teens in accidents. Great job American Family for promoting such a program. Our youth are the future, lets help them not become the past.

In early 2006, young drivers from 54 families in Minnesota and Wisconsin were enrolled in a Teen Safe Driver test project. After nine months in the program, teens averaged a 70 percent decrease in the frequency and severity of high-risk driving events.

Here is a short overview:

Giving the keys to your teenage driver is one of the most difficult things you’ll ever do as a parent. While teens may drive safely when mom and dad are in the car, crash rates increase dramatically when they’re not.

Fortunately, the Teen Safe Driver Program ^SM is focused on reversing this trend. Through innovative technology and parent feedback, it’s helping teenagers become safer drivers by dramatically reducing risky behavior on the road.

And the best part is it’s absolutely free for American Family’s auto insurance customers.

To Read More go here

Thanks @adamviet for the find.