Stolen hunting gear, insurance help

[dave_83golf]

Hi guys, last night my truck window was broken and nearly 5000$ worth if hunting gear was stolen, minus my guns... Binos, range finders, Sitka bags, etc etc all taken..... End of the day, it was preventable and I take responsibility for that.... Now, I am In the process of making up a list and trying to recall what items were stolen. Now, my binos are Leopold, but 5/6 years old, there is no way I still have the receipt, same goes for the bags, and all of the knives, etc etc.... Does anyone have experience with house insurance, and what documentation they require? I tried to contact them today, but I couldn't touch base with anyone. Thanks everyone for our help!!!

Dave

[coach]

Do you have pictures of you hunting with that gear? I had to use that a couple years ago when our house was broken into and I didn't have receipts.

[Everett]

Had the same situation a couple years ago they started the run around with me but changed there mind when I got nasty. End result I replaced everything sent them $7000 in receipts told them they could pay minus the deductible our see me in court they paid.

[squamishhunter]

Yup, pictures do the trick. dont forget friends who have taken photos of you as well.

[coach]

And friends who are good with Photoshop.. :-D

[Iron Glove]

Your situation is very common - who keeps receipts for any length of time unless for warranties ?
Pictures, manuals, instruction sheets, any parts or accessories that were not take, they can all help to "prove" what you had.
Be straight up and honest about it and you won't have any problems. You don't want to put on your Proof of Loss and your report to the Police that they stole your Leoplds but when ( if ) they ever catch the guy he says "Leopolds, all the guy had were cheap Tascos" :)
The Insurer does not assume that you are a liar, they assume that if you file a Police Report you are telling the truth on the assumption that everyone lies to their Insurer but they won't lie to the cops.
To note, if you don't actually replace your stuff, the Insurer may only pay you the Actual Cash Value, i.e. depreciated for age, use, etc.
I've had numerous claims over my years, no problems. I'm also a 40 ++ year veteran of the Insurance Industry and have handled thousands of claims, you learn how to "smell out" the fraud. Over the years I've found more people forget to claim things than those who try to pull a fast one.

[RayHill]

Take pics of all your bills and keep them on a flash drive in a safe place and you can show what you had. The brand / model, what the price of it is, and sometimes the ser. #'s

Spend a day to do this and it will save your ass one day.

[lovemywinchester]

That sucks Dave. What part of Kamloops are you in? I heard the cops on the radio saying property crimes are up %35 in the loops in the last few months. They say its from some potent, inexpensive meth that is here now. Driving the junkies bat shit crazy I guess. I was hit last spring and just waiting for the next time. I live on royal in the heart of the shit rat zone.

[Davey Crockett]

Had the same situation a couple years ago they started the run around with me but changed there mind when I got nasty. End result I replaced everything sent them $7000 in receipts told them they could pay minus the deductible our see me in court they paid.

I had the exact same experience. It took about a mint of their waffling and when i finally got angry they gave me everything that i claimed. I provided pictures and also ads to quote replacement costs.

[dave_83golf]

Thanks guys! I have spent the evening looking through pictures and have found the majority of the major items. Obviously I don't have pics of most of my knives and other items, but hopefully they will take my word for most of it!

Im up in sahali/Aberdeen just off of Hugh Allan. I spose it's time for an aftermarket car alarm! Thanks a lot guys. Greatly appreciated

Dave

[slamman190]

I had a buddy with a similar situation, who I was able to help out. All his fishing gear was stolen out of his truck. My buddy made up an itemized list of what was taken, and the insurance company asked him if there was anyone who could verify the contents of his tackle box, ie, anyone who had fished with him before. I had to take a copy of the list and a form from the insurance company to a notary, and swear that I could verify I had seen these items before.

Not sure if that would apply to your case, but it worked for my buddy, his loss was covered.

[Papa Sasquatch]

Would such a sign be legal?
"TRESPASSERS FOREGO ALL HUMAN RIGHTS UPON ENTERING THIS PROPERTY"

[luckofthedraw]

I had my car broken into a few years back and insurence wouldn't cover anything that wasn't bolted down. At the time I didn't have home insurence, only apartment insurence. Maybe I got hosed. Hope it works out for you.

[steel_ram]

It's a real shame that insurance fraud is huge and insurance companies have to jack up their rates. It's a criminal offense to lie to the police, even says so on the report you sign, so the insurer has to take that as gospel.

In no way take blame for someone steeling your stuff. It wasn't their's so they should have kept their thieven little hands off it, weather is was bolted down or not.

[oldSchool]

It's unfortunate it's become the world we live in. I've had the house broken into twice and lost guns camera's electronics both times. The insurance company wanted receipts etc. same story as above who keeps receipts for 6 or 7 years. Since that time I video tape every room in the house, just a slow walk around chatting to the camera, I open tackle boxes, because you can't explain to an adjuster that a 13x8 tackle box has $300.00 dollars worth of bass lures in it, and frankly like the former adjuster posted above, at the end of the day you will forget so many things that were taken.

When I get ready for a trip I lay out what I am taking and video that as well, it might seem like a hassle but it may be the best idea in the long run.

I also had two motors stolen off my boat one year. When I put in the claim the insurance company called me up and said they had made a mistake...it only took me a second to ask the person "let me guess you're calling to tell me you over insured my motor and now you want to give me part of my premium back!!" and a lot less for the motor. Exactly what they did, and after finally paying me out, they cancelled my policy. Gotta love em.

[Steeleco]

Sorry your having to go through this, but before you do all that work. I'd advise you read your homeowners policy first. A few years back while renewing ours I read a section about "theft from vehicle" The agent at the time told me ALL the companies she underwrote for were changing to $500 max unless you got a rider to go higher. I'd bet non of us do. As your more than well aware, $500 in a truck isn't much more than a day bag full of stuff.

ICBC IIRC only covers things like roadside emergency items not personal belonging other that maybe sunglasses?

Best of luck.

[Iron Glove]

Sorry your having to go through this, but before you do all that work. I'd advise you read your homeowners policy first. A few years back while renewing ours I read a section about "theft from vehicle" The agent at the time told me ALL the companies she underwrote for were changing to $500 max unless you got a rider to go higher. I'd bet non of us do. As your more than well aware, $500 in a truck isn't much more than a day bag full of stuff.
ICBC IIRC only covers things like roadside emergency items not personal belonging other that maybe sunglasses?
Best of luck.

Yes, some companies limit theft from vehicles, some restrict it to theft from a locked compartment ( i.e. trunk ) and so on. Some do not limit it. Not all policies are created equal.
Yes, read your policy AND deal with an Independant Insurance Broker who can offer you advice and options.
Yes, you are basically right about ICBC, auto stuff only.

[BlackOwL]

I hear some of those who take drugs like meth read between lines!:mrgreen:

[Sofa King]

who leaves $5000 in hunting gear in their truck?
did you pack early for a trip?
only way i'd do that is if I parked in the garage.
I don't even leave my hunting knife in my truck overnight, hell, I even brought in my dirty boots last night.

[hare_assassin]

I leave most of my stuff in my truck (minus my guns and ammo) all the time, and I don't even lock it. Mind you, I only have about $100 worth of gear, not $5000! (?)

Lots of good advice on the claim here. Best of luck to you.

[Aheny]

The most important thing to remember is that the policy is only part of the law. They can "limit" anything they want, but if it doesnt fit the 'spirit of the policy' then the limitations often arent enforceable.

The intention of this policy is to protect your property from theft, so any unreasonable limitation based on requiring years old receipts or not respecting that a locked vehicle is safe from reasonable intrusion, would probably not stand up.

Stand your ground, make an honest list of what was in the truck, and dont take no for an answer. I had a long fight with my house insurance when it was damaged by hail. They tried to severely limit the value of any repairs unless an 'approved vendor' performed the repairs, and submitted an invoice, but I stood fast, and insisted until they finally handed me a cheque for the full amount so that I could choose for myself how and what I wished to repair.

[Iron Glove]

The most important thing to remember is that the policy is only part of the law. They can "limit" anything they want, but if it doesnt fit the 'spirit of the policy' then the limitations often arent enforceable.

The intention of this policy is to protect your property from theft, so any unreasonable limitation based on requiring years old receipts or not respecting that a locked vehicle is safe from reasonable intrusion, would probably not stand up.

Stand your ground, make an honest list of what was in the truck, and dont take no for an answer. I had a long fight with my house insurance when it was damaged by hail. They tried to severely limit the value of any repairs unless an 'approved vendor' performed the repairs, and submitted an invoice, but I stood fast, and insisted until they finally handed me a cheque for the full amount so that I could choose for myself how and what I wished to repair.


The Insurance Policy is not the "Law" per se, it is the contract that both parties entered into and unless the policy goes against the Insurance Act "The Law", you will have a tough time getting a result that goes against the "contract". Limits expressed in the Policy ( the contract ) are very, very enforceable and a limitation in the policy that says you are limited to $500 for theft from your locked vehicle or whatever will likely be upheld.
Your examples of not having receipts or choosing a vendor of your choice are not contractual issues, they are practice issues that the Insurer might WANT to enforce but will have a difficult time enforcing. Now if the policy says "You must have receipts" it might be different.
Unless the policy conditions are actually illegal or against public practice, they will likely be enforced by the Courts.
Where you MIGHT stand a chance is where the Broker didn't correctly explain the policy to you and you wrongly assumed you had coverage that you don't. For example you tell the Broker you have $10,000 worth of Jewellery and the Broker fails to tell you that you only have a $1,000 limit on jewellery and you have a loss that exceeds that $1,000. Might result in a valid Errors & Omissions claim against the Broker.
So again, the moral of the story is to get professional advise when buying your insurance policy, tell the Broker about your particular needs and then read the damn policy when you get home.

[bighornbob]

Like others have said every policy and insurance company is different. When I enquired about theft from a vehicle, some only do like $500 while most don't do any let alone $5000. I had my broker look into it more as I said I wanted more insurance as when I go on hunting trips there is easily $5000 worth of gear in the truck. She found a company that will insure the contents of the vehicle (no limit/ up to your house limit) as long as you are gone from your house overnight. So it wont cover day trips, but as soon as I leave for an overnighter I am covered. The lady also said to take pictures of all the stuff too, to prove what you have.

BHB

[swampthing]

I was in this boat. I had only a few receipts. Insurance took my word for things and paid me out 50% of value on all items I claimed. As I replaced stuff I gave them the receipts and they paid the extra on all items I bought. They were easy to deal with and I was completely satisfied with the results.

[dave_83golf]

Thanks guys. To those commenting on the value.... I had returned that night from a 19 hour trip parked in my driveway, took out the guns and left the rest as it was midnight and we were leaving again to head or again for the next day..... Gps's, binos, knives, radios, Sitka clothing etc was all taken. Upon doing my research, 2 of us has our things stolen, and my insurance only covers "Me". I lost about 1400$ worth if stuff, that I can tell, so I'm eating the bill for replacement as my deductible is 1000..... Yay!

[aggiehunter]

do not listen to anyone that says to pad your claim...this may end your claim...be honest with the adjuster...most companies do not require old receipts but will ask some serious questions when you claim a diamond tiera stolen from your car...like where did you get it etc. RCost puts you back in the position you were before the loss..not better...or worse. A lot of times in a claim it is not the wordings that will act against you it is the personalities involved..ie. an adjuster with a holier than thou attitude or vice versa a client with grandios ideas...relax.

[Iron Glove]

Thanks guys. To those commenting on the value.... I had returned that night from a 19 hour trip parked in my driveway, took out the guns and left the rest as it was midnight and we were leaving again to head or again for the next day..... Gps's, binos, knives, radios, Sitka clothing etc was all taken. Upon doing my research, 2 of us has our things stolen, and my insurance only covers "Me". I lost about 1400$ worth if stuff, that I can tell, so I'm eating the bill for replacement as my deductible is 1000..... Yay!

Depending on who your Insurer is, being in the truck "in he drive way" would be considered "on premises" the same as if it was stolen from your house.
Being in the Insurance Industry, I look for coverage first, the Insurer's reputation in paying claims and last by a mile, the cost. Too often I hear stories of "But I saved 20% by changing to the XYZ Company" only to discover that they also lost a whole bunch of coverage.
I have our House & Cabin insured with Intact as they offer some of the broadest coverage, particularly on the cabin and I am familiar with their claims reputation. I'm paying a bit more but you get what you pay for.
BTW, no limits on firearms, full coverage off premises ........... . Break into my truck when I'm out hunting and I'm fully insured.
If people bought their rifle scopes the same way they buy their Insurance, we'd all have Tascos whilst expecting Swarovski. :)