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.....The information below is from a web site established by an Allstate policy holder. The URL of the web site as of 20/6/97 is http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5507/
Warning: If this can happen to my family, loyal 20-Year customers, it CAN happen to you!
HURRICANE OPAL
ON OCTOBER 4TH, 1995, Hurricane Opal slammed into the Florida Panhandle. I live in Crestview. We were on the East side of the eye of the storm. We suffered through numerous tornadoes. Witnesses reported at least one that hit a half mile from us to be one half mile wide. That was at noon, way before the eye came on shore. We were stuck in our home, 35 miles North of the Gulf. The warnings came too late to evacuate. I heard several tornadoes close by. At one point, I heard a tornado approaching. We ran for cover in the master bedroom closet. As it passed over our home, our ears popped and we had severe pain. The entire brick house shook like a toy and we heard wood above us snapping like twigs.We smelled a horrible musty smell that permeated the entire house. We were sure we had lost the roof. Another passed what seemed like minutes later. The house didn't shake as hard, but our ears still popped. At six that evening, we took a peak outside. The thick woods located at the back of our property were gone.For the first time we could see a skyline. The tall pine trees were all wiped out.
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MOMENTARY CALM - THE DAY AFTER
THE NEXT MORNING we walked around our property filled with shock and exhaustion. When you go through a hurricane, you don't sleep. Your entire body is tense throughout the whole ordeal. When we walked outback, our child's 500-pound clubhouse lay across our chainlink fence. It's door was facing up toward the sky and it was several yards away from it's original position. One neighbor had witnessed the tornado pick up the clubhouse. He said it looked like a giant had picked it up, twirled it around, then threw it down hard. The little house was destroyed. Our roof remained on our home, much to our suprise. The shingles were all curled up and the ridge vent flapped high in the air, but it remained. Our chimney looked bowed and one outside wall looked bowed. Window screens were everywhere or just plain gone. Large cracks appeared all over our patios, porches, and driveway. Our front porch columns had moved. They are load bearing and help support the roof.
1-800-CALL SOMEONE ELSE
WHEN OUR ELECTRICITY and phone service returned a few days later, we called our Allstate agent. We were given an 800 number to call and were told, curtly, that local agents do not get involved in hurricane claims. We called the 800 number and relayed the damage we knew. We were low in priority and we knew it because our home remained standing.
ALLSTATE ARRIVES - "MR. OZONE"
WHEN ALLSTATE FINALLY ARRIVED, two weeks later, an out of state adjuster, "Mr. C", visited. Prior to this man even leaving our driveway, we told him about the house shaking and the smell. His reponse was, we smelled "Ozone" from the lightening. We hadn't heard any lightening during the storm. He then looked at the roof shingles all curled up. He stated they would eventually lay back down. (We're still waiting for that to happen.) We showed him all the insulation all over the yard, and the pieces of shingles. He said none of it belonged to our house, it just looked like it did. He then said our roof had lifted up and set back down, so it was alright now. He said our attic had standing water in it, but it would dry. Our fireplace had cracks all through it, but he said that was fine, it would still work. We were very quiet during this visit, and tried to be nice.
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PATCH AND DENY
AFTER THIS MAN LEFT, we called the 800 number and complained. A new adjuster was sent out a few weeks later. This man, "Mr. S", was rude, nasty, and even called us liars. He agreed to pay to "patch" our roof where shingles were missing. I wrote to Jerry Choate, CEO of Allstate, and told him everything. He did not respond.
IN NOVEMBER 1995, Allstate brought out a structural engineer. They made a large point to tell us they (Allstate rep & engineer) had never met before. Yet, both had identical cameras and talked freely about there families. The engineer did tell us the shingles would never lay back down. I heard the engineer whisper to the Allstate rep. that he was sure he could blame the bowed chimney on the builder. (He did.) He ignored the fireplace, and the bowed and twisted ceiling beam, and many, many other things.
THE JOKE OF THE $20,000 MEDIATION
IN JANUARY 1996, we went through the Florida Insurance Commissioners Mediation process with Allstate. We were offered $20,000 to settle. By this time, more damage had become obvious. We knew $20,000 would never pay to repair our home. We turned it down. I wrote and faxed Mr. Jerry Choate several times. He responded twice, I believe, and told me how much Allstate cares about their customers. My agent would not even return my calls.
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MR.F - WHAT DAMAGE?
IN MAY OF 1996, Allstate sent yet another adjuster out, "Mr. F". (This man is a freelance adjuster working out of a condo in Panama City.) I had an attorney present hoping to avoid being yelled at by this man. It didn't stop him at all. He yelled, he belittled, he laughed. By this time, every inside and outside wall was bowed, all three roof gables are bowed out, kitchen counter is now approximately 1/2 inch pushed away from the wall, the ceiling beam in my living room is badly twisted and now separated from the ceiling by nearly one inch, the fireplace is leaning and crumbling, you can see where my two bathroom walls used to sit, two outside doors do not fit their casings, my child's bedroom door does not close at the top, electrical outlets and switch plates are twisting out of the walls, two electrical outlets arch and cannot be used. The front porch columns are now cracking vertically due to their obvious new weight they hold. All outside brick walls are now bowed out from chest high level and up. ETC., ETC., ETC. Mr. F saw all of this and more. His offer to settle was $250.00 to renail and paint one roof gable. That's it. We returned his check and refused.
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MY SENATOR - "KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!"
I WROTE TO MY State Representatives for help. Rep (Dr) Durell Peaden (D) answered and Senator WD Childers (R) did not. During the recent elections, both representatives were up for reelection. Both had placed political signs in front of the local Allstate office. I checked their political contribution lists and found that both men had received money from Allstate. Senator Childers had even received a sizeable donation straight from the home office of Allstate. His other campaign contributors looked like the 'who's who' of insurance executives. I took a picture of their political signs in front of the Allstate office (made 5 x 7 copies for them) and sent copies of their own contribution lists, with a letter.
Ý SENATOR CHILDERS called me the day he received my package. He told me that if I KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT, he would help me after the elections. I still have not heard from him. I've called twice and written again. Nothing. However, the day he called me, both political signs disappeared from in front of the Allstate office.
I HAVE REPEATEDLY asked Allstate to pay for an unbiased structural engineer to visit my home. They refuse; They want to send out one of their own. I refuse. We cannot afford to hire our own engineer. We had to let go our attorney due to lack of funds. Allstate is loving this. They know our home cannot be repaired. Our policy is for full replacement no matter what the cost. Allstate says "So sue us".
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LAWSUITS A-PLENTY!
I CHECKED OUT the records at the Court House here. There are hundreds of lawsuits against Allstate going back years. So, what's another lawsuit to them? Nothing! They will pay thousands to avoid paying one valid claim. So here my family sits, in a home not worth the land it sits on and Allstate keeps running their caring commercials to lure even more VICTIMS into their fold. Don't be fooled like we were. Change now if you are with them, quickly. Don't end up like us, now running to motels every time the winds picks up. HAVING ALLSTATE IS LIKE NOT HAVING ANY INSURANCE AT ALL.
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SILENT TREATMENT
UPDATE - FEBRUARY 1997: We are now getting the silent treatment from Allstate (except for the ocassional email from agents and unsigned guestbook entries). I spoke with "Mary", one of Choate's assistants, via phone. She stated Choate never overrides the decisions of his lower managers and does not get involved. She said we will just have to sue them. I promised her we would. I HAVE BEEN researching Allstate to find out what went wrong with our claim and why we've been subjected to such abuse. What I have found is, nothing went wrong. This abusive claim process seems to be very normal for Allstate. They are a nasty, greedy company that will do anything to deny a valid claim that is over $5000. Allstate agents are salesmen only. They are "JOB SCARED" and really can't get involved in disaster claims. Allstate adjusters for disasters are usually "freelance"; they are not vested employeees.
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A PERSONAL NOTE
PERSONAL NOTE: All I have ever asked for was my home to be put back to the way it was prior to hurricane Opal. Nothing more and nothing less! I have video and photos of my home taken prior to the storm. Allstate refuses to look at them. There is TOO much evidence to even suggest my family suffers alone as victims of Allstate. There are numerous magazine articles, newspaper articles, lawsuits, etc. No, we are not the sole victims.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
PLEASE HELP ME SO I MAY HELP OTHERS: (1) If you are also a victim of Allstate, please add your story to my guestbook. (2) Write to your representatives, both State & Federal. Ask they why they take money from Allstate. Then remind them we vote them In or Out; not Allstate. (3) Bombard Jerry Choate, CEO of Allstate, with reminders of his own commercials and "love letters" of we care. Address: 2775 Sanders Road, STE F9, Northbrook, IL 60062/Phone: 847-402-5000/Fax: 847-402-1904. THANK-you for visting my site. Please take the time to click on the links and sign my guestbook.
Check Out These Links To Other Teriffic Sites:
Other Victims Of Allstate![Image]
FORTUNE MAGAZINE - STALKED BY ALLSTATE!
GEICO Insurance - Very Good Auto Insurance
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Allstate Political Action Committee
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Allstate's Record Revenues for 1995
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Hurricane Opal Statistics - Tracking List
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The Allstate SUCKS! WebSite
Subscribe To SmartMoney Magazine!
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[Image] people have learned the truth. Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook
NEW! 13-YEAR ALLSTATE AGENT SPEAKS OUT!
DISCLAIMER: The above link contains "hearsay" information. It is not proven to be fact. It is the exact contents of an anonymous e-mail recieved in my Other Victims mailbox.ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ tickedoff@geocities.com
Webmaster: Commuter Computer Enterprises, Crestview, FL
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