Need ADVICE on Insurance claim

If you don't find in in the SAFER web, don't panic yet. I checked my brother's company right now and his cargo insurance is not there. I know for a fact he is covered, he hauls cars and just yesterday we were talking about how expensive it's got.

 

Just call the owner of the insurance agency or ask to speak to the head guy in charge and get to the bottom of it. What did SAFER say?
If it was an error on the part of the agency that is what they carry professional liability coverage for. How much of a claim are we talking here?

As i mentioned you should have some sort of paperwork / email when you bound the coverage as to what company insures you cargo. Call the insurance company directly and mention your situation along with something in writing saying this is the coverage you signed up for and this is where we have the quote, etc....there is no way you cannot have anything other than a certificate??

 

Very good point.

 

Sounds like an insurance scam that's as old as the hills. Bill for and get paid for coverage, supply documentation stating same, and then when there's a claim suddenly "Oh no, you don't have that coverage after all".

Lawyer up.

 

Couple of scenarios here:

Insurance companies send copies of cancellation letters to the insured and the agent. If anything were to have cancelled then you got a letter about it in the mail.

As Searcher said perhaps it is a scam - agent tells you coverage is in place and charges you for it but it really wasn't. To figure this out ask yourself, did I pay anything for cargo insurance? Do I have or can I get a copy of the check where it was paid for? Did I fill out and sign / date an Application for Cargo Insurance and send to agent? If all you did was send one email saying you need cargo insurance and you thought it was handled then it will probably be your fault. Should the agent send out a certificate showing that you have it, then that isn't right either and sounds like a mistake but if you didnt pay for something or fill out an application then you should know you didn't have it.

Did you have it at one time and stopped paying on it? And it perhaps cancelled that way. That may be why your certificate shows the coverage.

What is the salvage value of the cargo and what was the commodity? Perhaps if 10 pallets, etc...are still good you can get credit for that or sell those 10 pallets. That is how insurance companies handle it.

The whole thing sounds like a gray area and at this point you may want to get a lawyer involved - just call the Bar Association for help searching for one that specializes in the insurance area.

Was the accident the fault of your driver? If not you could always go after the at - fault parties insurance.

 

Why not name your insurance company your having problems with so we won't use them. I'm curious how someone could miss or not know of their MOST EXPENSIVE Task to keep up with in the Trucking Industry? Something just not Jiving for me on this thread.

 

Also, contact the state board in nj. Nj is highly regulated for insurance, they might be able to give you some direction. Did you pay the agency or the company?