[TowerTalk] Insurance question

[Dale L Martin]

>
> I also have State Farm and when I had a tower/antenna claim
> (storm/lightning
> damage), my agent wrote me a check almost instantly; no arguments, no
> hassle, and for the full amount of the damage (minus my deductable, of
> course).  This was under my regular homeowner's policy (no special
> endorsements or riders).
>
> 73, Mike K3AIR
>
>

(Dale don's K7LXC Off-Topic flame preventer suit here)

I have State Farm, too.

My A3 (since replaced by a C3 at 70' and lowered to 40') was hit by
lightning (got the tip segment with the 3/8" burned hole).  The strike took
out my rotor controller, a TNC, two VHF FM radios, 286 computer, living room
TV, Sherwood stereo receiver, garage door opener, AC/Heating controller,
phone answering machine and a couple of other things I cannot recall.

Maybe they treat equipment in the house differently than equipment out on
the tower.

I had to get the TNC's repaired (board replacements are what AEA and MFJ
did), Icom and Kenwood replaced the finals of the VHF radios, a local
computer shop replaced the H/D, PS, video card, s/p card; Tv shop fixed the
18-year-old TV and the nearly-30-year-old Sherwood; Stanley shipped a
replacement opener board.  But they did let me REPLACE with new the
AC/Heating controller and phone answering machine.  Geez!!!

It cost $200 to get the 19" television fixed--almost as much as a new one
costs. It cost $125 to fix the Sherwood; more than a new one cost.  The
computer hardware replacement cost more than twice what it would have cost
me to buy the hardware and install it myself.

I could not convince the insurance person that replacing the equipment would
be better.

The TV crapped out a few months later and I bought a new one.

The Sherwood passed away about a year after the strike and it's
'repair'--the sensitivity was never the same.

The TNC's never quite operated right.

The VHF radios worked for a long time, but the LED/LCD displays in each went
a bit funky after a couple of years.

Bizarre.

I was told later by some others who had similar experiences that I needed to
press the issue more for replacement and fight the insurance company's
desire for repair as much as possible.

73,
dale, kg5u



>


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