Plumb Flushed

[ERD50]

That's all you got, attack some spelling, you gotta bring more hatred for me to the table

You gotta get a sense of humor!


-ERD50

 

[Music Lover]

fender got backed into in a parking lot, got paid Off for $1800 and fixed from a craigslist body man for $300

Why even pay $300 when you could have just slapped a piece of duct tape on it and then been able to brag to everyone that you fixed at no cost?

 

[Texas Proud]

Every day something happens to make me lose more faith in humanity. Today it was the person who wants to make a big deal out of a 17 year old plumbing installation. Then to top that we have another person who sees nothing wrong with committing insurance fraud. Where did we go wrong?

I will give him a pass....

First, you have no idea if he committed insurance fraud... from what he says he did not... he made a claim... they came out and priced it out themselves and offered him an amount he could accept or reject... he accepted... there is NO requirement to get whatever it was fixed...

Now, he shopped around and decided to fix it cheaper than the insurance amount... that is NOT fraud...



NOW, if he had submitted something saying he HAD fixed it for more money then the insurance company was willing to pay and got that money and then paid less... that is fraud....



BTW, I have had my car hit before, got a check and pocketed the money... that is not fraud... I am driving around in a car that needs repairs which I was not doing before the person hit me.... I am being compensated for my loss....

Also, I am not a fan of 97guns with most of what he posted, but he is right on this one....

 

[RetireAge50]

I don't think there is anything wrong with getting an insurance settlement and then doing whatever you want with the money. I got $2,700 for auto damage and actually did put duct tape on it. [emoji3]

 

[Dash man]

My experience with insurance claims over the past 20 years or so has been they pay the company doing the repair work unless it is considered a total loss. Then they pay the replacement value or depreciated value depending on the coverage. Can't recall getting a check before a repair is done otherwise.

 

[Texas Proud]

My experience with insurance claims over the past 20 years or so has been they pay the company doing the repair work unless it is considered a total loss. Then they pay the replacement value or depreciated value depending on the coverage. Can't recall getting a check before a repair is done otherwise.

That surprises me.... now, I will agree that if some other driver hits you and you get the car fixed you can have the check go to the dealer (well, sometimes).... but that is not a requirement....

But, we had all 3 cars get hail damage... the came buy and estimated the cost and cut a check on the spot... I said 'hey, what if it costs more'.... he said get back in touch with us if you PAY more.... when they looked at my roof for hail damage.... they also cut a check to me on the spot... since it was for only 25% of the estimate I have not yet done the work...

So, I have gotten at least 5 checks in the last 2 years directly.... plus I have gotten a few over the years on minor car wrecks (not my fault) where I did not fix the problem....

Side note... it was only 25% even though I have replacement cost because there is a rider that states if a roof is more than 10 years old they can depreciate it up to 50%.... then the deductible was twice what I thought.... so, the 25%...

Second side note.... someone hit my DW... had over $8K of damage... the insurance company refused to send the check to the repair shop and insisted sending it to me... and it had the lien holder on it also so I could not deposit it!!! Had to go to a dealership and get a letter from the GM saying I had it fixed, mail it in with the check so they would endorse it and sent it back!!! What a pain in the B*tt.....

 

[MooreBonds]

Also, I am not a fan of 97guns with most of what he posted, but he is right on this one....

I also agree that it sounds like 97guns probably did not do anything wrong. Sometimes, insurance companies will rush to offer you a settlement for an incident before you even get a chance to figure out which way is up, let alone get quotes on repairs. The insurance company is hoping you will settle and end the claim exposure for them (and possibly agree to a lower amount than what some companies will charge to fix). They have their own estimating procedures to determine what a repair is worth, and base their settlement on that.

Obviously, insurance companies don't magically know the absolutely lowest priced contractor or business for every repair, or else everyone would be hunting around forever to find these mythical bargain basement companies, and would be complaining that insurance companies only offer $X when everyone is wanting to charge more.

Some people simply get one bid and go with it. Others shop around.

Insurance reimbursements are intended to make one whole - many times, it is to repair an item. If you are acceptable with the damages you incurred and wish to keep the money for something else, that is your call. For things for your house, odds are that not repairing it will result in far more costly repairs - so it's not like you can have a tree fall on your roof and simply pocket a $10,000 insurance settlement without repairing the roof, because you will be getting rain pretty soon, and ultimately end up with a $100,000 repair bill. Simply shopping around for lower quotes after your insurance company agrees to a settlement is neither illegal nor foolish. It's not like they blindly accept whatever you submit to them - their claims department is reviewing it, and if they think it's excessive, they will tell you.

For vehicles, it's no different - if you really want to drive around with a smashed ______, as long as it's not a safety violation, you are welcome to. When it comes time to trade in, you will obviously have a lower trade-in value - so whether you repair a car or pocket the insurance money, you still have an approximately neutral situation (because of your reduced trade-in value, although the drop in trade-in value won't be as much as the insurance money).

Of course, for every insurance claim you make, your insurance rates will go up. So people that make a pattern of getting insurance claims that aren't completely out of their control (tree falling, tornado, etc.) will pay much higher insurance claims - or even risk being dropped by insurers altogether.

 

[Sunset]

Let me give you a tip on leaking pipes: Gorilla Duck Tape

No problem with stopping leaks on drains. It'll also fix a leaking copper water line that's pressurized.

I have copper pipes in one of my houses, and have had a couple of pinhole leaks over the years. Once I used a Sharkbite connector. The other time I wrapped the pipe with an old bicycle inner tube and put a screw clamp on it. Neither has since leaked.

wow... ... I don't think bike tubes will pass a home inspection.

I had a pinhole leak in my copper pipe right at a corner bend, so just cut it off and soldered a new one on. Cost about $10 (with lots of left over solder, etc).

Never a thought of suing the copper pipe company, or the homebuilder from 20yrs ago.

 

[Music Lover]

wow... ... I don't think bike tubes will pass a home inspection.

I had a pinhole leak in my copper pipe right at a corner bend, so just cut it off and soldered a new one on. Cost about $10 (with lots of left over solder, etc).

Never a thought of suing the copper pipe company, or the homebuilder from 20yrs ago.

Fixing a small leak, repairing drywall, etc., are all inexpensive and easy fixes that homeowners should know how to do. Of course, no one has to know how to do any of these things if they're fine with the alternative of paying a plumber (up to) $1,000.

 

[calmloki]

wow... ... I don't think bike tubes will pass a home inspection.

I had a pinhole leak in my copper pipe right at a corner bend, so just cut it off and soldered a new one on. Cost about $10 (with lots of left over solder, etc).

Never a thought of suing the copper pipe company, or the homebuilder from 20yrs ago.

Had an old place with galvanized water lines and a pinhole leak up in a wall channel. Could just reach it from the basement. Patched and prayed with this "bike tube" repair. Hasn't blown out yet...

Mueller Streamline 1/2 in. Galvanized Repair Clamp-160-803 - The Home Depot

 

[rodi]

car insurance and home owners insurance are regulated by the state. So payout method might vary from state to state to comply with local rules. Also differerent insurance companies may have different rules on how claims are paid out.

In the past 20 years I've had 2 claims - one in PA one in CA. In both cases my insurance company gave me a list of "acceptable" repair places. I picked the one that was convenient, had decent reviews, and coworkers had used. I never saw a penny - the insurance company paid the auto repair shop directly. Very little paperwork or hassle.

 

[Texas Proud]

car insurance and home owners insurance are regulated by the state. So payout method might vary from state to state to comply with local rules. Also differerent insurance companies may have different rules on how claims are paid out.

In the past 20 years I've had 2 claims - one in PA one in CA. In both cases my insurance company gave me a list of "acceptable" repair places. I picked the one that was convenient, had decent reviews, and coworkers had used. I never saw a penny - the insurance company paid the auto repair shop directly. Very little paperwork or hassle.

That is an option, and I have used it a few times.... but it is not a law that you do it this way...


Now, if you get a bid from a top of the line contractor, they can say they will not cover it... as an example (not a claim, just doing it) we are going to redo out bath... the first bid came in at $31+K.... the second at $24K and we are waiting on the 3rd and 4th... from the talk I think both will be lower than either of the first 2.... if I insisted on the first, then the insurance company can say it is not 'reasonable' and refuse to pay the full amount... they probably would pay the second contractor in full....

 

[pb4uski]

....nothing I'm ashamed of...

Obviously or obliviously? Hard to tell.

 

[Fedup]

car insurance and home owners insurance are regulated by the state. So payout method might vary from state to state to comply with local rules. Also differerent insurance companies may have different rules on how claims are paid out.

In the past 20 years I've had 2 claims - one in PA one in CA. In both cases my insurance company gave me a list of "acceptable" repair places. I picked the one that was convenient, had decent reviews, and coworkers had used. I never saw a penny - the insurance company paid the auto repair shop directly. Very little paperwork or hassle.

You don't have to repair if you don't want to. I've had 4-5 accidents that the insurance company paid me but I didn't repair. It's not a fraud. I paid them to insure my car. I was ok with a little dent on my old car. No insurance increase because it was the other guy's fault. But I usually go to one of their designate repair shops.

 

[Sunset]

Had an old place with galvanized water lines and a pinhole leak up in a wall channel. Could just reach it from the basement. Patched and prayed with this "bike tube" repair. Hasn't blown out yet...

Mueller Streamline 1/2 in. Galvanized Repair Clamp-160-803 - The Home Depot

Our house had a burst outside tap, which broke open between the outside and the actual shutoff washer which is 18 inches in the wall.

I thought a lot about using one of those clamps, it was tempting, but instead I cut open the wall in the dining room and soldered on a new outside tap assembly. Then patched the wall and painted it.

Plumbers here quote $200 for the tap replacement, wall is something else.

 

[Walt34]

I thought a lot about using one of those clamps, it was tempting, but instead I cut open the wall in the dining room and soldered on a new outside tap assembly. Then patched the wall and painted it.

The one time my mother's house had a pinhole pipe leak I "fixed" with a cut-off piece of garden hose and a few car heater hose clamps. I knew this was a temporary repair because the pipe was the old galvanized steel type and there would likely be other leaks in the near future. But it was Christmas Day and finding a plumber would be both problematic and expensive. We called one during normal hours and he replaced that piece and several others that were "about to go".