Tim's complaint:
January 30, 2013

Insurance Company: American Family Insurance
Coverage Type: Homeowners Insurance

• Underwriting - Cancellation
• Underwriting - Nonreneweal
• PolicyHolder Service - Incompetent Employees
• PolicyHolder Service - Inadequate Reimbursement
• Claim Handling - Unsatisfactory Settlement/Offer
• Claim Handling - Denial of Claim

Cancellation letter

I had homeowners insurance with American Family Ins. Co for nearly 50 years and only turned in one claim. A hail storm damaged my roof. They refused to pay for the damage and then cancelled my insurance because my roof was damaged and I didn't get it fixed in the middle of winter with 18 inches of snow on it.

On July 3,2012 an adjuster for American Family Ins Co. came to my house to evaluate hail damage to my property.
The adjuster agreed that there was hail damage and agreed to replace the roof and metal on the house. However he claimed that the hail storm did not damage an adjacent carport or detached garage.

Three different contractors said that there was visual evidence of damage to both of these structures so I did not settle with American Family at that time.
Over the next four or five months I talked to my agent, sent correspondence to other people in the American Family organization, and finally initiated their version of arbitration.

In this arbitration I paid for a disinterested independent contractor to come and do an inspection and estimate of repairs. American Family also sent their person to do the same. These two individuals agreed that there was in fact hail damage to the carport but that the detached garage roof would not be covered because the roofing material was too old to withstand the hail that we had. They would however pay for the replacement of all the metal surfaces and gutter helmet on that building.

I still do not agree with this assessment because my policy was to cover hail damage regardless of the age of the roof, but nonetheless I agreed to settle.

It wasn't until December 20,2012 that arbitration was completed and this claim was finalized.
American Family issued the preliminary check on Dec. 17,2012.

Six days later we had 17 inches of snow and have had sub zero temperatures
since.

On Jan. 24,2013 Vicki Dahl, district underwriter, sent me a letter that, to their regret, American Family was going to cancel my insurance because I had not yet repaired the roof. This is ludicrous since absolutely no contractor could put on roofing during the winter snowstorm.
She also maintained that I had not built steps or a deck at a sliding glass door on the detached garage, in spite of the fact that she herself had approved the door locking solution that I used in a memo to my agent on July 10,2012.

I have been loyal to this company and paid my premiums on time for nearly fifty years .
This is the first home claim that I have had with them, and I feel as if they have treated me with total disrespect.

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