All I wanted was a dog~

[Cheryl Marchek AKA JM]

Okay, I'm so mad I could scream....(Oh, wait, I have been screaming!)

So, I have Balboa home owners Insurance. Balboa says I can't have certain breeds of dogs, one of which is a Rottwieler, and if they even see one of the denied breeds on my property they will cancel my policy and can deny any claims I make regardless if they are canine related or not.

So this bothered me. I used to have a rottweiler, she was a great dog, and I would like another. My brothers Rott is pregnant, so I wanted new insurance so I could get a puppy.

Easy, simple~ Right?

WRONG!

Farmers agent comes to my house and quotes me $861 a year for home owners insurance, and I can have any dog I want. Now, I'm only paying Balboa $558/year.....but I'm getting more insurance with Farmers (Replacement cost vs cash value) and I can have a dog, and an agent. Somehow he talked me into it. Deal is I have to swap my car insurance to Farmers as well in order to get that price. (Multi policy discounts) The auto ins is not as good as I had, but it is a bit cheaper (okay, it is $3 every six months cheaper with a WAY higher deductable, but I can have a dog AND the agent kept telling me how it would be better if I had an "AGENT" who was going to "Be there for me" vs no Agent with Geico).....so, somehow I go for that too, and on March 10, I cancelled my Gieco policy.

STUPID!!!!!!!!

So, yesterday I get a bill I did not expect in the mail from Farmers. I call my oh-so-helpfull AGENT, who lets me know that the homeowners ins is actually going to cost an addition $360 a year on top of the $300 more it was going to cost in the first place.

Okay, I wanted a dog~ But not that bad. For an additional $660 a year I don't want a Rott.....if I HAVE to have a big dog I'll get a damn St. Bernard! And thats what I tell that oh-so-helpfull AGENT!!!!

So~ I had paid Geico auto $797 for 6 months back in Oct (October 15, 2002 thru April 15, 2003....and YES that is with the good driver/multi car discounts......California sucks!) So, I dig out the renewal notice that I had gotten from Geico, which says it is gonna cost me $829 for the SAME insurance I had for April 15 thru Oct 15. $30 increase...but hey, it's better than the $663 Farmers was gouging me (Remember, that was for a LITTLE more home owners Ins, and a LOT less auto Ins.....really only plus was the DOG). So, I call Geico to beg for my insurance back at $829, (I don't need a dog, I'll bite any intruders myself!) but NOPE! I cancelled 10 days ago, so I have to start a NEW policy, for the EXACT same coverages......at $900 every 6 months.

I objected, I whined, I got rude with the lady on the phone.........didn't matter, gonna cost me another $140 a year for the EXACT same auto ins, with the exact same policy.........BECAUSE I had the nerve to try and cancel.

I called 5 or 6 other Ins places today. No one will do better than $900 every 6 months unless they get to #### me with the rates on an associated Home Owners policy.

So~ Now I'm wating for Geico to call me back (I HOPE they are going to call me back, they SAID they would....yeah right, I'm ####ed arn't I?) so I can beg and grovel for the ability to pay them another $200 a year ($29 original rate increase plus the $71 punishment for having the balls to try to switch) for the exact same Ins I had before I let that oh-so-helpful Ins AGENT into my house.

ALL I WANTED WAS A DOG!

If that oh-so-helpful Ins AGENT was gonna bend me over like this, at least he could have bought me dinner first.

 

[Stardust]

Now that really sucks! Can't you just say it is a mutt that looks like a Rottie? Aren't mutts covered?
I live in MI but I also had and I say had Farmers. That oh so helpful agent, well, he is not so helpful, especially when you have to start calling Corporate because your agent is just small fry compared to corp. And what does corp. put you in touch with? That lovely recorded voice that tells you to press buttons so you can go where you want to go, is there a human voice? Perhaps after waiting some ungodly amount of time.
So be happy you got out of that mess.

 

[Darin Chappell]

Cheryl,

Insurance quotes are often good for 30 days. Some are good for 30 days or the renewal date of the policy (whichever comes first), but many are just for 30 days regardless of when renewal occurs. If this Geico quote was one with a 30 day guarantee, then they will have to honor the original amount quoted whether they would like to do so or not. You can reach the Insurance Comissioner in California through the Division of Insurance in Sacramento, and that office WILL tell you what real options you have. You may not have any at all, but don't accept that as fact just because someone from Geico told you it was so over the phone!

Also, I would suggest you try Progressive for your car insurance. If you have a good driving record and multi-car discounts, Progressive is often cheaper than Geico (but not always, sadly). I wish there were something I could do for you, but I don't have a license in CA to sell insurance! Let us know how things pan out for you!

Signed,

A TRULY oh-so-helpful Insurance Broker!

:laugh:

 

[jenn_jeffery]

Whoever said "get a mutt that looks like a rottie" has a great idea. That's what I have. We found her at the shelter, and the only reason she doesn't look like a pure bred is she's think...more like a dobie....a great dog though! and she can be claimed as a "mutt" since we have paperwork from the shelter saying she's a "mixed breed"

 

[JasonBrennan]

Well, for what it's worth, I have a dog that is a rottie cross that looks almost identical to that pic. I found her on the side of the highway in Arkansas while I was a truck driver. A dog like her does nothing to the homeowners insurance. Now, the three pit bulls I have, that is another story!!

 

[Cheryl Marchek AKA JM]

Thanks guys

I did get finally get Geico to agree to only charge me $840 for the next 6 months rather than the $900....but they made it very clear there will be a rate increase to AT LEAST $900 next renewal. It's because of where I live, I am very close to the LA Basin, traffic is a nightmare. Really sucks though, I know one of the reasons I have to pay so much is because half the people that may hit me are un-insured. You wouldn't beleive how many cars I see everyday that are past their registration, and CA is threatening to increase registration fees as well. If they would just enforce what they already have in place they wouldn't have to charge those of us willing to be responsible such ridiculous prices.

I'm afraid I couldn't get a mixed breed that looked like a rott past Balboa, they already said I can not have a "Mix" of any of the listed breeds~ get this.....the list: Rottwieler, German Shepard, Akita, Chow, Doberman, Pit Bull, Wolf, Apraise Kanario (SP??) and ANY Bull Dog. Okay, I understand some of those, but german shepard!?! And ANY bull dog~ have you ever seen a french bull dog?!?(Little dog, big eyes) I figure with as much trouble as I've caused in the last couple weeks they are probably really watching me too! (Besides, what I really wanted was a pup from brother's rott) We've talked about it, and now we are thinking about getting a "Dogue De Bordue" (SP??~ Hooch from movie Turner and Hooch) or maybe a Boxer. Or maybe I'll do like I said and bite any intruders myself! )

 

[jenn_jeffery]

Look at bullmastiffs too, if you want a large, sweet, calm dog. The people that own the petshop I was working at before my son was born have one. I want one!!! They take her to the shop with them quite a bit, and everyone loves her--and she's VERY tolerant of kids climbing all over her, and gentle with my son, who is now 2 months...

 

[ms_terese]

You think dogs are bad....

I sympathize with you, cheryl. Same thing happened to us when we moved here. Had to get an insurance rider prior to the closing date on the house. Since we were coming in from out of state, we decided we'd stop by the insurance office on the way to the closing.

All was well and good, and our dogs were no problem (at the time, a labrador and a springer spaniel), but then they asked about other animals, and I listed off reptiles. The Farmer's insurance guy said "Sorry, we can't help you." They refuse to write a homeowner's policy if you have reptiles. Apparently skinks cause huge payouts or something.

We spent hours trying to find an adjuster to give us an insurance rider. We ended up having to take a farm policy. It's hideous.

Good luck on your Rottie, and just keep your mouth shut about anything that slithers!

 

[Cheryl Marchek AKA JM]

HE is not on the list!

Adopted a boxer last week, just love him dearly! GOOD dog too! Isn't he purty! And he isn't on that list!

 

[ms_terese]

CONGRATULATIONS!

Cheryl, he's magnificent! I hope you all share lots of happiness for many years to come!

 

[jenn_jeffery]

Well, you're not alone--hopefully 'breed discrimination' will be banned...



Dog owners' new policy: Bite back

By Patrick McMahon, USA TODAY


Chris and Norm Craanen of San Antonio lost their homeowner's insurance coverage earlier this month. The reason: Bukarus, their 12-year-old Rottweiler.

Bukarus has never bitten anyone, but if he did, the Craanens' insurance policy typically would cover medical costs and claims for damages by the victim.

Hit by increased costs from such claims, some insurance companies are refusing to sell or renew policies to homeowners like the Craanens who own Rottweilers, pit bulls, Doberman Pinschers, Siberian huskies and certain other breeds. The trend is prompting dog owners to fight back and demand an end to what they call "canine profiling."

"We feel we are being discriminated against," says Chris Craanen, who scrambled and found a new policy. "Bukarus is arthritic. He's deaf and going blind. He's been neutered, and he's really good around our two boys 9 and 5. He's a good family dog."

Dog owners in several states are petitioning legislatures to block insurers from dropping their coverage because they own a certain kind of dog.

Insuring by breed "is just not fair," says Tom Campbell, a Republican state representative in Washington who breeds Rottweilers. His bill to ban the practice got a hearing this spring but no action.

So far, only Pennsylvania prohibits "breed discrimination" by insurers. Similar legislation also is pending in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York. "None of these has passed so far this year, but this is just the start of a campaign," says Lisa Weisberg, vice president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Safety concerns about certain breeds often arise after high-profile dog attacks such as the fatal mauling in 2001 of a San Francisco woman by two Presa Canarios, says Stephanie Pier of the American Kennel Club, a non-profit group that promotes purebred dogs. Some cities have banned ownership of particular breeds or required owners to carry minimum liability coverage.

"The first instinct is always to ban the breed," she says. "But people soon realize that it's an individual dog — not the breed — that's responsible."

Dogs bite about 4.7 million Americans a year, and about 800,000 require medical treatment.

About 25 breeds of dogs were involved in 238 fatal dog bites during the 20 years ending in 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in a 2000 study. Pit-bull type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of these deaths, the report said. But the CDC said many factors affect a dog's propensity to bite, including heredity, sex, training, health, reproductive status and the care provided by its owners. The CDC and the American Veterinary Medical Association oppose rules that single out breeds.

The refusal by insurers to write policies for the owners of certain breeds is having other ramifications:

• Renters can face problems obtaining coverage, says Susan Arredondo of San Diego. She and her husband adopted a mixed-breed pit bull named Emily two years ago. "What really gets me mad is that they would insure me if I had a registered firearm in the house, but not if I have a dog," she says. "Does that make sense?"

• Animal shelters are seeing a big increase in drop-offs from owners "who choose their insurance policy over their dog," says Brian Sodergren of the Humane Society.

Homeowner's insurance typically pays for damage, theft and legal liability for injuries to others, including those caused by pets. Dog bites represent about a third of all homeowners' liability claims but only 10% to 15% of the amount companies pay each year.

The cost has grown, however, from $250 million in 1996 to $310 million in 2001, the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group, reports. The total was "up slightly in 2002," spokeswoman Alejandra Soto says.

After a dog bite claim, insurers typically raise the premium, cancel the policy or rewrite it to exclude the dog. But the issue of declining to write insurance at all for owners of certain breeds — regardless of whether individual dogs have ever bitten anyone — has divided the nation's largest homeowner insurers.

Nationwide Insurance and some divisions of Allstate won't insure homes with dogs of certain breeds. State Farm, Farmers Insurance and USAA say a dog's bite history is their chief concern, not the breed. Mercury Insurance gives a 10% discount to people without dogs.

Nationwide banned coverage for certain breeds in the mid-1990s. The company took action "because of the increasing number of biting injuries to children and adults," spokesman Kevin Craiglow says. "We compiled the list of breeds based on reputation, our own research and information from the CDC." On Nationwide's list: Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, pit bull breeds, Presa Canarios, chows and wolf-hybrids.

State Farm focuses on helping dog owners be responsible, spokeswoman Zoe Younker says. Since 1997, the company has distributed 12 million copies of "Fido: Friend or Foe?" a brochure offering tips for children on caring for dogs and behaving around them.

Tia Maria Torres, who runs a pit bull rescue center near Los Angeles, says homeowners are being penalized because of people who train their dogs to be vicious. "Homeowners are responsible people with good credit, responsible kids and responsible pets," she says. "Why are they paying the price for gang members and drug dealers who have the dangerous dogs?"

But some activists support companies that insure by breed. "Certain breeds do a lot more damage because of their size and the size of their jaw," says Phyllis Daugherty, director of a Los Angeles animal welfare group called Animal Issues Movement.

She fears that companies may stop covering all dog bite claims because "the cost is too much and the risk is too high. They have to run their business in a cost-effective way. There are differences in breeds — their excitability, their tolerance and their genetic makeup. Certain breeds simply are more prone to bite."


http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-05-19-dogbite-usat_x.htm

 

[Darin Chappell]

Personally, I disagree with refusing to insure a home simply because a family has a dog, regardless of the breed in question. It would make much more sense to me to simply refuse to cover the act of a dog bite in total than to say that is breed's biteis covered and this one is not.

However, I would take exception to this one bit of "logic" expressed in the above cited article:

"What really gets me mad is that they would insure me if I had a registered firearm in the house, but not if I have a dog," she says. "Does that make sense?"

Uh . . .yeah . . .it does.

There is not, as far as I know, any amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing a right to own dogs of any type, let alone a specific breed. Granted, the Constitution does not directly address the liberties we have in this country (dog ownership included), nor does the Constitution regulate the contract of a specific insurance policy. However, I think it is reasonable to see corporations recognize the same basic rights to gun owneship that are guaranteed us in the the foundational document of our society.

 

[parisjarred]

no insurance because of my dog

Are insurance companies insane? I have owned at one time or another almost every dog on the list of non covered dogs on the insurance company lists, right now I own a very sweet golden lab/wolf mix (her mom was wolf/shepard, dad was a lab) I don't understand how they (the insurance companies) can get away with something like this. People with these dog breeds should write to their states legislature and demand/request a bill that will stop insurance companies from this kind of discrimination. Oops I hope my insurance company doesn't find out about our dog (I have nationwide, of course it helps that she looks just like her father Golden Lab all the way). That is just my opinion but jeez someone needs to do something about this...

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

 

[Darin Chappell]

Personally, I would think that this a situation wherein the pressures of the market place might be more effective and less intrusive than another piece of legislation from some dolt-filled legislature. What we almost never need is an answer to a problem coming from the government!

 

[Cheryl Marchek AKA JM]

Yeah, but........

who's afraid to make a fuss about it now?

ME!

I tried to show my insurance company I was unhappy with their policy by interviewing and attempting to change Ins companies. THAT bit me in the butt harder than any dog ever has. ~And I used to work in a kennel as a dog washer, so I've been bitten by plenty of dogs...........I'm not afraid of dogs, but after the last three months trying to fix my Ins after making the collosal mistake of letting that Evil Ins Broker into my home I'm afraid of the Ins companies.

I got a dog Balboa Ins will allow, and I intend to kiss up as much as I have to just so I don't have to look for another Ins company ever again.

Ever seen those commercials........."which would you prefer, shopping for auto Ins or.........." Anything from pouring ants down your pants, to cleaning the bathroom floor at the gas station with your tongue...........well, I think I am begining to relate!

 

[salito718]

sorry to tell you this BUT!

"Dogue De Bordue" that turner and hooch dog, AKA a french mastiff, which is in the bulldog family, so technically you cant have that either,

neither the BULLmastif, its also technically in the same family....

And sorry once again, but more bad news, so are boxers.......


I am into pitbulls and have done alot of reding regarding the family tree and who and what dogs are related, these dogs amongs others fall into whats known as the "BULLY BREEDS"

they consist of:

staffordshire terrier (AMSTAFF)
APBT, american pit bull terrier
boxers
english bulldog
american bulldog
boston terrier
french bulldog
all mastifs
fila brasileiro (SP)
japanese tosa

and a few others, I don't know if they would violate you for having any of the above mentioned dogs, but technically they can, because they are part of the bully breed

 

[sschind]

They refuse to write a homeowner's policy if you have reptiles. Apparently skinks cause huge payouts or something.

According to a notice at my American Family insurance agents office, AF will not underwrite any new homeowners policies if you have reptiles. When I asked about it they said it was because of the increased risk of fires with all the heat equipment and such, and not because of the animals themselves. I asked if they made any exceptions and she said that they might under some circumstances.

Steve Schindler

 

[Julie Moore]

What A Cutie!

Congrats on your "new addition" Cheryl!! He's adorable. My fiance and I adopted a dog from the humane society and had run into a similar problem. Breeds that are considered "attack dogs" aren't allowed in the particular neighborhood that we live in. Fortunately he was listed as a Rottweiler mix on all of the paperwork (which I'm pretty sure he is), so problem solved. Aside from being protective of me, he isn't anything but a big 'ol pitiful 87 pound baby...LOL. Good luck to y'all.