Dealing with Insurance Drama in 9 Not So Easy Steps

Sorry for the bad photo. I didn't realize it came out so blurry when I took it.  

Notice the ceiling that is falling and hanging on the garage door tracks?  

Still not 100% sure what caused this but it ended up being over 

$3,000 worth of damage to our garage and door!  And while we were

sorting out the insurance and contractors, our garage door was stuck open for 6 days!  

Luckilywe live in a good area and nothing was stolen.  

Dealing with Insurance Drama in 9 Not So Easy Steps: 

1. Call local agent and describe damage. Get told that our Condo insurance wouldn't cover the damage because a ceiling is considered "structural damage".  Insurance agent recommended that we contact the insurance company that holds the master policy for the condos.
2. Contact Condo Association and ask them to check the master insurance policy for coverage.
3. Condo Association verifies that the master policy only covers damage to the outside of the structure.  Interior ceiling damage is not considered structural damage.
4. Call local agent again.  He maintains that he doesn't think we are covered for this damage and that if he submits the claim, even if it gets denied, it will count against us.  He recommends getting a quote to see if the cost of repairs is worth the risk of submitting a claim.
5. Contact very nice contractor who verifies the cost of repairs will be way more than our deductible.  He also is positive that this is an insurable claim.  Contractor recommends calling Erie Insurance directly and not going through local agent.
6. Call Erie and file a claim.  Very Simple, not sure why I need a local agent.
7. Within a couple hours of filing a claim, we had an adjuster scheduled to come look at the damage.  
8. Call Contractor and inform him that an adjuster will be at our house in 2 hours.  Our contractor, with only 2 hours notice, made sure he was at our house to discuss the damage with the adjuster.  
9. By the end of the day, only about 6 hours after filing the claim, we were told we would be receiving a check for over $2800 to cover the damage.

Moral of the story?  Don't call local insurance agent.  They just waste days on something that only took hours.

Good News: Our only out of pocket expense is our $500 deductible.