Posted On: August 16, 2006, 10:01 am CDT

Posted By: Jacqueline

I concur wholeheartedly! It's not just with the Dwelling and HO insurance customers that this happens, either.

The majority of my book is auto insurance. In PA, UM/UIM is optional. People being the cheapskates they are forever demanding the cheapest rock bottom rates are penny wise and dollar stupid. For a measly $13-$17 over the entire 6 months term of their auto policy for this valuable protection of UM/UIM, they b*tch and want me to chop that out. Then if they end up hurt in an accident caused by an uninsured driver with no income or assets to attach to pay for the hospital bills, they cry and moan that "the insurance companies are crooks that don't cover nothin'"

Like flood insurance, earthquake coverage is also frequently declined. Although PA does not have earthquakes like California, it has been known to happen in the northwestern region ( there's a sizeable faultline running right under the middle of Lake Erie)and the tremors we have had, however rarely, are enough to cause structural damage to the foundations of homes. These same people who cry and moan over the cost of their HO's and dwelling policies and opt out of flood and earthquake insurance are the very first ones to raise a fit when their standard HO doesn't pay out on a flood or earthquake related loss.

It's mostly the middle to upper middle income people who can afford $100,000 - $200,000 homes (median home price in Erie, PA is $102,000) but want to harrass the agent over the cost of appropriate coverages, crying poor-mouth that they can't afford the insruance prices and demand cut throat rates. They are the very worst claimants as the poor agent referenced in the article found out, they are also the first to go running to the nearest ambulance-chasers "Dewey, Screwum & Howe" to sue the poor agent, the agency and the carriers.