Buying Home Insurance That Weathers the Storm

Find out how homeowners insurance – and Amica – can help customers recover from storm damage.

No matter the season, homes across the U.S. may experience property damage from weather-related incidents, with wind and hail accounting for the largest amount of claims.¹ Amica insurance representatives receive numerous questions and concerns from customers, both before and after storm damage. Hearing how Amica handles these inquiries may help you see how smart insurance buying can help you prepare for whatever nature sends your way.

Making Sure All Needs are Covered

About 60 percent of all homes in the U.S. are underinsured by an average of 20 percent.² The worst time to discover yours is one of them would be after a devastating storm. That’s why it’s key for an insurer to conduct a thorough conversation about coverage at the time of the sale.

“We take a very consultative approach,” says Garrett Rosier, a senior account representative for Amica. “And this allows us to get to know the customer a little more, give them a more individualized experience and make sure that the coverage makes sense for them.”

If this education process doesn’t happen, a potential pitfall could be that a customer never learns, for instance, that floods and earthquakes are not covered under standard home insurance, regardless of the provider.³ Amica representatives make sure individuals know this from the start.

“We definitely help them out and let them know that, even though we don’t offer it, we can get the coverage for you,” notes Joe Agnoli, a lead sales specialist for Amica. Then, if needed, Amica helps customers purchase coverage through the appropriate government agency. “So that way, they’re still directly dealing with us, and we’re just wrapping up all the coverages for them.”

“We just have really empathetic, passionate people who are willing to go above and beyond to help.” – Joe Agnoli, Amica.

Thinking Ahead to Recovery

While the odds of needing to file a homeowners claim are small – about 5 percent of insured homes experienced a claim in 2016¹ – the impact one could potentially have on your life is significant enough that you should always consider an insurer’s ability to help you recover.

With weather-related claims, it can be difficult to distinguish storm damage from pre-existing damage. Amica’s claims experts work with policyholders to thoroughly look into the details of the loss to get an accurate read on whether you’re covered.

But our dedication to our customers doesn’t stop at the claims process — we make every effort to go the extra mile whenever we can, often bringing out engineers in an attempt to provide some support concerning the cause of loss and supply recommendations for repairs.

After a large-scale disaster, insurance companies sometimes face difficulties getting adjusters on the scene to handle claims. One claims adjuster reported a recent wildfire incident where Amica partnered an adjuster with a homeowner who had lost everything, but didn’t have a full inventory of the family’s possessions lost in the fire. The adjuster worked with the policyholder over two weeks to create the inventory so they could get the claim paid as quickly as possible.

“We just have really empathetic, passionate people who are willing to go above and beyond to help, whether it’s answering a question or taking care of a claim to the best of their ability,” notes Agnoli.

Putting Service First

Chances are, you won’t suffer a devastating weather-related loss to your home. But the costs and disruptions they cause are no small matter, which is why Amica’s award-winning representatives treat claims of all sizes and circumstances with the same sense of urgency, care and compassion. As Rosier puts it, “We want customers to have a good experience. At the end of the call, we want them to feel good about what they’re doing, and safe with the company they have.”

• Facts + Statistics: Homeowners and Renters Insurance, Insurance Information Institute, 2019.
• The MarketPulse, CoreLogic, 2017.
• Which Disasters Are Covered by Homeowners Insurance?, Insurance Information Institute, 2019.