Am I Really In Good Hands?

If you're old enough, you remember the slogan "You're in good hands with Allstate." That was before the ex-president from 24 became their spokesman and talked about how people are more important and that's why they give out teddy bears to little children affected by catastrophe. It's a nice thought - an insurance company that cares. I hope that just because their slogan has changed doesn't mean that I'm not in good hands anymore.

Our adjuster (from Allstate) paid us a visit today. We took him through the house and showed him all the water spots, bowed ceiling, blown away fence, etc. He came back in the house and started explaining a few things. He said he was submitting our roof as a repair instead of replacement because there were areas where just a few shingles were missing. I asked him a question about why he would recommend repair instead of replacement because (as a roofer friend and others with knowledge had told me previously) when your roof has been through a storm like Ike, you may have more damage than just missing shingles. Often times the seals (the sticky part on the back of the shingle) is broken, which means it can rain into your house even though it may look like the shingles are fine.

He first disputed that there was a seal on the shingle. Then he basically asserted that I was angling to get more money than was owed me. He said that "Allstate and any other insurance company out there is more than happy and wants to repair your home to its former state, but they're not going to build you a new house."

Now, if you've seen my house, you know that it is nothing fancy, but I have no cause to want more than I have. That's pretty much what I told him. My response was, "We are not dishonest people. I'm not asking you for more money than I should receive. I don't want a new house; I liked my house just fine before the storm came and damaged it. I simply want to be sure that it is repaired properly and we are awarded enough money to do so."

He seemed taken aback that I didn't wilt like a shrinking violet. He quickly backtracked and stated that he'd had an angry client before he arrived at our home, which had put him in a cranky mood. I totally get that it can be frustrating to deal with people. I've been there, but in my experience it helps not to alienate the client who is asking a civilized question. Otherwise, your difficult clients will start outnumbering your happy ones.

I'm hoping and praying that everything works out in the end. Mostly, I hope that my calm and direct response was enough to show him that we have no dishonest designs in our dealings with him or Allstate. We've been loyal customers for years. We were treated fairly after Rita. I'm praying that I can say the same after Ike.

I do know this: I am still in good hands. I am in my Father's hands. He will see that all my needs are met. My Papa owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so taking care of my meager, paltry needs will be no sweat. That's what I know.

So, "Are you in good hands?"