Clubhouse Grille (*** NO LIV DISCUSSIONS ***) (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION ***)

[Duct Tape]

Ok, taking Florida off my potential snowbird patio home/condo location option!    
 

Right @Soloman1?  😀

[bladehunter]

2 hours ago, Triple Lindy said:

what’s the insurance situation like? I’ve read where it’s getting hard to get a homeowners policy and when you find one, it’s crazy expensive.

It’s not bad up where I am. But ….. getting them to pay on storm damage or similar is nuts.  We had 8 huge oaks downed in one storm in 2020. Shingles ripped off. Etc.  And it took 6 months to get auto owners in gear.  And they wanted to patch the roofs. Shop and house. I replaced them out of pocket.  $20k hit.  You can’t patch 14 shingles , each individual in the middle of the roof.  But I know an employee who got hers replaced 3 min from me. A letter from my attorney citing this fact , got me reimbursed.  But that was luck.  And I had to get nasty to get that luck.  We’ve since swapped to State Farm.  I don’t hear good things on them either. 

[Soloman1]

to be fair, allstate and state farm are the worst of the worst for paying claims on car or homeowner insurance. they’ll just tell you no. what are you going to do about it? hire a lawyer.

 

they’ll drag it out forever because the longer you wait, the less you’ll settle for. and the more they make from investments of the premiums while keeping you on ice.

 

they investigate the claimant to see just how desperate they are. the more financially desperate you are, the longer they’ll drag it out.

 

i think they learned from health insurance companies that people will tolerate anything and just suck it up and live with it.

 

premiuns skyrocketing in phoenix and we have no natural disasters. no flooding, no hurricanes, no tornadoes, no earthquakes. i guess we could suffer damage if the cactuses decide to attack.

 

[Soloman1]

10 minutes ago, Duct Tape said:

Ok, taking Florida off my potential snowbird patio home/condo location option!    
 

Right @Soloman1?  😀

 

right!

lived in 3 places in florida. perdido key on the panhandle was nice until the hurricane took it out.

lived on amelia island north of jacksonville. hurricane took out every house on the water.

 

it’s not bad, if you like hurricanes.

[Duct Tape]

11 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

 

 

i think they learned from health insurance companies that people will tolerate anything and just suck it up and live with it. 

 

 

Got that 100% right.   Works both ways too, both as a patient with claims (been there) and as an MD trying to get paid.  

[bscinstnct]

 

[Wooley12]

State farm has treated me well for 50 yearsThe last time was when my wife did a U turn without looking and got slammed. The other driver said he hurt his wrist. 3 years later just before the statute of limitations kicked in, the other driver sued us  through a law firm I call Dooey, Cheetem an Howe for the exact amount of our coverage claiming back injury. Jake took over and went to trial with a jury. He didn't do his homework like I had and we lost. Guy got $350k. We paid nothing out of pocket and got entertained  spending some of the lockdown attending the Zoom trial. 

[Soloman1]

16 minutes ago, Wooley12 said:

Guy got $350k

 

he's probably still waiting to collect after the appeal court lowered it to $12.95. 🙂

 

ah yes, car talk. one of the greatest shows ever on radio!

[bladehunter]

1 hour ago, Wooley12 said:

State farm has treated me well for 50 yearsThe last time was when my wife did a U turn without looking and got slammed. The other driver said he hurt his wrist. 3 years later just before the statute of limitations kicked in, the other driver sued us  through a law firm I call Dooey, Cheetem an Howe for the exact amount of our coverage claiming back injury. Jake took over and went to trial with a jury. He didn't do his homework like I had and we lost. Guy got $350k. We paid nothing out of pocket and got entertained  spending some of the lockdown attending the Zoom trial. 

I’ve had State Farm auto and business liability, cancer/disability  , life , and even a rental policy on a storage place I used to have - for 24 years or so. Now add in homeowners - they’ve been good on auto claims.  But it does suck to see at the end of the year how huge of a chunk of your small revenue stream goes to State Farm right off the top.  I’m insurance poor.  No doubt about it.  

Edited April 18 by bladehunter

[Triple Lindy]

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

And they wanted to patch the roofs.

We had our roof replaced last year. I spent a bit of time talking to the adjuster. He was independent. I was talking to him about how high our premiums were and that I’d probably shop policies after the claim was settled. He told me that our insurer (Amica) was one of the few that would replace the entire roof. All others are now just approving patch work.

[Triple Lindy]

8 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

I’m insurance poor.

Home, auto, health - yeah, me too! Total racket. I was watching CNBC cover United’s earnings yesterday, where profits have been increasing every year. Q4 profit was $5.5b. United talked about how they have been able to reduce claims to boost margins. It absolutely nauseates me.

[Petethreeput]

Riddle me this...

 

State Farm is a mutual company so by law they have to disburse profits back to the shareholder who are also the insureds.  How does a company amass $131B and not issue profit disbursements?

[Nard_S]

I got rejected for coverage of a fully torn labrum. They sent 4 large packets on same day.

 

I appealed by phone, got another 4 letters postmarked same day.

 

Doctor redid code, get 1 tiny acceptance letter. Probably were hoping I would miss it.

 

They say "no" as default on this type of stuff. Did it to my kid too. He had a piece of knee cap floating around, "not medically necessary" ....oh really.

 

I pay a boatload on Home & Auto. My daughter scratched a bumper, I got sued, took two years but they settled and paid out $80K, they took care of it but no doubt its why it costs a bundle for coverage.

[scotee]

8 hours ago, dashanks said:

I used my putter four times on the 3rd hole yesterday.  I hate you.

 

[Triple Lindy]

1 hour ago, Petethreeput said:

Riddle me this...

 

State Farm is a mutual company so by law they have to disburse profits back to the shareholder who are also the insureds.  How does a company amass $131B and not issue profit disbursements?

Amica is the same. We usually get a small check every year. But there’s no obligation for them to pay each year. They can determine when or not to pay at their discretion. Not publicly held, so they can establish whatever rules they want.

[huskydawg]

On 4/17/2024 at 2:36 AM, BIG STU said:

Well they must be stopping here on the way back. I know supposedly the owner thanked the Canadians at the shootout last week. I was not there. I know my course is still crowded. Our league two day tournament has 55 players. They did book some snowflakes and told them it would be slow because of the Members league. On group of young bucks were behind us and complaining at the start on #1 since we were stacked up there. We were the last group on the front with the group start at 7:30 . We teed off at 8:20. Those Bucks hit into us 2 times and were verbally warned. From what I heard they complained at the clubhouse on the turn. They were told that they were warned about the League event in advance. They were offered a 9 hole rain check but refused. On 14 the 3 rd time happened and we promptly hit 3 of their balls in the water. They never drove up and left then and there They would never face to face confront us. One of our guys called the club house and informed them what was going down. They had the gall to go in and demand a full refund which was refused because they were told. The owner told them no and to never come back again. Now to give full credit the older ones in that situation just sit back and roll with the flow. When we got in it was bedlam with a bunch waiting on carts. I know the Canadians in our league who are "seasonal members" are going back in the next 2 weeks. We have like 4 or 5 of them and they are great folks to talk and play golf with. I know the Shootouts are supposedly "sold out" the next 2 weeks. My running partner Big Bear and I are tapped to fill in on another team and "the Kid" is tapped for another. I talked to the kid Monday and he said he was getting like he did not care if he played or not. Besides his Carolinas AM Tour Thing starts in May. Last week the wife and I played the Little Par 3 had lunch afterwards and had a blast. 

I'm glad some people fire the customer when they are wrong.

[huskydawg]

On 4/17/2024 at 9:48 AM, bscinstnct said:

 

🤣

 

Remind me of

 

 

In Shawn Green's book, he mentioned this matchup.  Green, a left handed hitter, had a tip on RJ.  From my faint memory of the book, Johnson had a small glove flair on his slider grip compared to his fastball grip so when RJ threw his nastiest 3/4 delivery slider Green didn't even flinch.

 

At that point, Johnson knew Green had him pegged.  He tried to change his delivery and do all sorts of contortions to throw him off, but he still batted over .300 on him. Funny how Johnson got in most left handed batters' heads with that slider but Green made him get into his own head.

[Fellaheen51]

Make a point of not having our insurances with companies that have a national risk exposure.   Was explained to me many years back by my independent agent.  National companies build into their rate structures, all risks exposures regardless of locale.   Hurricane in FLA, one indirectly pays for the resulting claims by increased rates here.  Not to be unsympathetic, but I don't want to pay for your losses by virtue of where one chooses to reside.  

 

My P&C, Auto and Umbrella insurances are through a Michigan based mutual company that only underwrites policies in state and marketed through  independent agents.  They began 100+ years ago, underwriting policies to farmers.  Subsequently expanding into a broad line company.  A.M. Best rated A+ Superior for 62 consecutive years.  My agency is also multi-line, with several companies to cross check for coverages vs. premiums.  We sit down to review our insurance requirements every couple years.  Once in awhile, will seek out quotes from other insurance providers (Allstate, State Farm, Liberty, Independents, etc.), and the comparables do not come close to what we pay in total premiums for the entire bundle of coverages.  

 

Michigan is an expensive auto insurance state (no-fault), we pay ~2600.00 per year for two vehicles that are both 5+ years old.  Just renewed the homeowners last week and the annual premium was $1020.  A premium, low deductible policy plus a rider for a couple amended items over and above the primary policy.   The umbrella policy is inexpensive for $1M of additional liability coverage.  I've never had to make a significant homeowners claim.  An auto claim was necessary about 5 years back, and was handled expediently and satisfactorily.  So far, I've had no reason to be unsatisfied with the performance of the company I do business with.  

 

Health insurance is Medicare, with a BC/BS Medicare Plus Group PPO provided through the Mrs.' retirement benefits program.  Dental and vision plans through the group as well.  We don't shop supplemental plans; one of her retiree gal pals was Director of HR where she worked.  She consults with her for a "what do I need to know" when the plan changes are announced in the fall.  There has been no benefit to be realized by leaving the group plan in benefits obtained or premiums deducted.  And once you leave, you're out for good.  Coverages and out-of-pocket costs are what they are.  

 

Insurance may suck, but explain a better way to transfer risk of significant financial loss.  Devil is in the details I suppose.  

[Soloman1]

looks like michigan has the highest auto insurance costs in the country, followed by louisiana.

 

congratulations, you’re  #1. yet deaths per capita are middle of the road when looking by state.

 

mississippi (woah, probably safer jumping out of an airplane without a chute than driving in mississippi)

wyoming

arkansas

south carolina

montana

 

have the highest fatality rates per capita.

 

usa has the highest insurance rates in the world.

but also the highest accident rate, highest injury rate and highest death rate per capita.

 

were #1!  🙂

maybe insurance wouldn’t be so expensive if drivers stopped crashing their cars so much and not as many people lived where there are hurricanes and floods and below sea level? at least try to be #2?

 

 

Edited April 18 by Soloman1

[Triple Lindy]

48 minutes ago, Fellaheen51 said:

Just renewed the homeowners last week and the annual premium was $1020.

Wow - that’s phenomenal! Our homeowners annual premium is more than 3x that, with . Wind and hail damage drive the rates here. But of course, the insurance companies have started carving out wind and hail damage with higher deductibles. Our standard deductible is 1% but wind or hail damage is double that.

[Petethreeput]

MI is because of some weird no fault law or something that I never really understood but they have been #1 for years and years.

 

MT is so incredible because we really excel at a few things.  According to our local newscasts when they aren't reporting on runaway elephants or bearproof garbage districts, MT DUI numbers are 2X the national average per capita.  The rate in auto accidents are 2X the national average.  And 3X as likely to hit a large animal and do damage to the vehicle.  I think the reason our death numbers are so high is if I drive to the fancy restaurant from the house, 8 miles or so, I spend half of them at 70+ miles per hour.

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, Soloman1 said:

wyoming

arkansas

south carolina

montana

 

have the highest fatality rates per capita.

 

Now we just gotta keep Big Stu and PeteThreePutt off the roads.

[braincramp52]

1 hour ago, Soloman1 said:

looks like michigan has the highest auto insurance costs in the country, followed by louisiana.

 

congratulations, you’re  #1. yet deaths per capita are middle of the road when looking by state.

 

mississippi (woah, probably safer jumping out of an airplane without a chute than driving in mississippi)

wyoming

arkansas

south carolina

montana

 

have the highest fatality rates per capita.

 

usa has the highest insurance rates in the world.

but also the highest accident rate, highest injury rate and highest death rate per capita.

 

were #1!  🙂

maybe insurance wouldn’t be so expensive if drivers stopped crashing their cars so much and not as many people lived where there are hurricanes and floods and below sea level? at least try to be #2?

 

 

Probably gonna get worse the way people text while driving 70mph now.

[braincramp52]

53 minutes ago, Petethreeput said:

MI is because of some weird no fault law or something that I never really understood but they have been #1 for years and years.

 

MT is so incredible because we really excel at a few things.  According to our local newscasts when they aren't reporting on runaway elephants or bearproof garbage districts, MT DUI numbers are 2X the national average per capita.  The rate in auto accidents are 2X the national average.  And 3X as likely to hit a large animal and do damage to the vehicle.  I think the reason our death numbers are so high is if I drive to the fancy restaurant from the house, 8 miles or so, I spend half of them at 70+ miles per hour.

Hey, they made speedometers that go up to and past 120 for a reason ya know.😂

[Fellaheen51]

1 hour ago, Soloman1 said:

looks like michigan has the highest auto insurance costs in the country, followed by louisiana.

 

congratulations, you’re  #1. yet deaths per capita are middle of the road when looking by state.

 

mississippi (woah, probably safer jumping out of an airplane without a chute than driving in mississippi)

wyoming

arkansas

south carolina

montana

 

have the highest fatality rates per capita.

 

usa has the highest insurance rates in the world.

but also the highest accident rate, highest injury rate and highest death rate per capita.

 

were #1!  🙂

maybe insurance wouldn’t be so expensive if drivers stopped crashing their cars so much and not as many people lived where there are hurricanes and floods and below sea level? at least try to be #2?

 

 

 

Surveys, statistics and data gathering methodologies shall be deemed suspect until proven otherwise.  However (cherry picking):

 

According to Insurify (2022), Michigan ranked #1 for best drivers.  Share of drivers with clean record: 88.16%.  Accident rate 52% lower than the national average.   Also by AutoInsurance.org (2024), at 86% clean records.  Motor Trend has Detroit as the #1 city for best drivers. Well practiced in the art of dodging potholes.   

 

Motor Capital Baby.  Pedal to the metal, we know how to roll.  And not get caught.  😗

 

State with most confrontational, angriest drivers (Forbes Adviser, Truckersnews, USA Today, Fox10 Phoenix..)...... Arizona.  Must be the heat and cactus pollen gettin' peeps agitated.  

 

[aenemated]

1 hour ago, Soloman1 said:

looks like michigan has the highest auto insurance costs in the country, followed by louisiana.

 

Having driven in Louisiana ... I have no idea how this is in any way possible. 

 

New Orleans alone is all ...

 

[scotee]

What's old is new again. 1936 Chicago car elevator.

 

 

[bscinstnct]

What a world we live in, such contrast, amazing 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 19 by bscinstnct

[aenemated]

So I made a classic dog training blunder the other day. New guy's been great but a little rough around the edges and we've been putting in a lot of work. He's a VERY fast learner - Rotties are quite smart - and I overplayed it a bit at the worst possible time.

 

Lunch time.

 

Sophie's always been a casual eater. One of the advantages of growing up with ol' Ms. Leona who did what she wanted. So when lil 18mo old Jackie boy arrived; she was entirely unaware of what absolute food monsters a little boy can be. So I've been doing the separate feeding and all that and it'd been going well. So I decided to see how it would go to still feed in separate places but at the same time. 

 

It went poorly.

 

Long story short; she was doing her slow eating and I had Jackie boy well away with me. Then I heard her stop and go for a drink of water from her bowl and Jack was all "Aw yeah, this is my chance!" and took off. Fast lil dude. I jump up to go stop him and he already had his head in her bowl. I SHOULD have left him alone and I suspect she wouldn't have done anything but ... I grabbed his collar to pull him away. He took that as an attack from her as she was right there. So he starts to go at her. She's like "Aw nah" and goes after him. This is all in the time of a downswing. 

 

My left hand got in the way. And I got a good chomp from Sophie. 

 

To her credit, she realized and let go pretty quick - she doesn't wanna hurt dad. But it was enough for a couple stitches and a tetanus shot. The worst is just a lil bit of swelling so no golf for me this weekend. (Which means the weather will be perfect with no wind) The good thing is I've gone back to very remedial food protection training for them both; which will just be great for all of us. 

 

I've been raising and training Rotties for nearly 20 years and this is the first time I've gotten a chomp. It hurt. A lot. But a testament to Sophie realizing quick she'd made a mistake that was entirely my doing with the new guy. I know better and ***I*** messed up. 

 

Moral here? If you're on the receiving end of an actual intentional chomp from a Rottweiler ... I feel bad for you, son. Be a lot more than a stitch or two. 

Edited April 19 by aenemated

[huskydawg]

3 hours ago, Fellaheen51 said:

State with most confrontational, angriest drivers (Forbes Adviser, Truckersnews, USA Today, Fox10 Phoenix..)...... Arizona.  Must be the heat and cactus pollen gettin' peeps agitated.  

 

Must be all the sun making people crazy.  If you never see a snowy day in your life, maybe you find something else to be mad at such as other drivers.  Is it worth risking lives to save a couple seconds or minutes during your commute? I think too many people drive like it’s worth the gamble.