Insurance Sucks

Warning - I'm going to rant.  Feel free to back out now.

I got a voice mail from the Claims Adjuster responsible for processing my insurance claim yesterday.  She said that she had submitted a request to have a cheque cut for me, for approximately 15% of what I claimed.  Apparently, that request will be processed over the next 6-8 weeks and then I should hopefully get a cheque sometime after that.

I phoned back today for an explanation and the news improved even more when she realized that she'd miscalculated the total, and will actually only be requesting even less of  what she'd said my refund would be the day before.  Once they take off my deductible, I get bupkis.

YEAH!

So, four months after the flood, they calculated what the "book" value of what my belongings were worth.  Since the book value equals my deductible, I get nothing.   I just consider myself lucky that they paid for the restoration company that did boatloads of damage.

To clarify, I get nothing if I choose not to replace the items that were damaged in the flood.  However, if I replace items, insurance will refund me the difference between the amount I pay and the book value.  I guess that means that I'll be replacing things I didn't really want, so that I can sell them on Kajiji.  (Keeping in mind the pace at which they've worked until this point, and considering how long I'll likely have to wait for a refund... think of the interest all that would wrack up on a credit card if I didn't have the money to pay up front.)

Don't get me going on the damage that the restoration company did.  The claim's adjuster came out tonight to inspect the damage that I reported back in August and "supposedly" arrange to get it repaired.  However, once reviewing the damage, she determined that insurance would not get involved.  Her excuse is that they couldn't possibly have done the damage I say they did.  According to her, the job that would have caused the damage was never done.   No, they didn't put vapour barrier behind the electrical outlets, so there's no way that they could have damaged or moved the electrical outlets.  All I know is that the electrical outlets were vapour barriered and straight before the flood.  Now they're crooked.  And, apparently, there's no vapour barrier behind them.

The best part was, when I disagreed with her assessment, she suggested that I ask my dad to explain it to me.  I wonder how many 40 year old men she tells to confer with their fathers when she hands them her line of crap.  This was the point that I told her our discussion was over, and suggested that she leave.

Hanging In There

I didn't say much about it, but the Cotton Dog wasn't doing so well this fall.  He couldn't seem to settle down, and and kept popping up every few minutes to rearrange himself in another position.  He stopped lying on one side entirely, and  often seemed stiff and sore.  I've been worried about arthritis, so I've cut down on his activities.

What that means is that the Dude doesn't go for nightly walks anymore.  Or, to be more specific, the Dude doesn't walk when we go out anymore.  He gets a free ride.  This isn't unusual in the winter, but I suspect that it'll be a permanent arrangement.  I think Cotton's days of long walks are over.

Now, when we go for walks, he hangs out inside of a baby sling that I wear it under my coat.   You'd think that he'd want down on the ground to sniff and explore, but he's as  happy as a clam.   Even better, he hasn't seemed nearly as uncomfortable since he stopped walking.

Obviously, I want to keep him as comfortable as I can for as long as possible.  I'm still experimenting with doggie massage, and will inquire about medication if necessary.  I'm hoping, though, that it'll be little changes like this that will help him out the most.

Crankiness, Kindness and Silliness

• I thought I'd do the fiscally responsible thing today and get my groceries at the slightly-cheaper Superstore instead of where I normally go.  I went in with a reasonable mood, but very quickly ramped up from zero to bitch.  The crowds were crazy - Every person there was acting like they were King Poop of Turd Island.  They owned the place, so to heck with anybody else who might need to get past.   I couldn't believe the number of people who parked their carts in the center of the aisle and walked away.  Or, the people who pulled out in front of me - so close that I had to stop my own cart or turn to prevent myself from running into them - and then come to a complete stop.  Needless to say, it took me forever to get what I wanted.  I ended up grabbing what I needed without comparing brands and focused on getting the heck out of there... which didn't work out so well.    Usually, my grocery bill comes to about $75.  This week, it was $97.  Next week, I'm going back to the slightly more expense, much less populated (and way less stressful)  grocery store where I normally go.

• On the way home, I came upon a loose dog that was running on the road.  We weren't very far from the main drag in town, so I stopped to see if I could catch him.  He was super-friendly and let me put him on leash.  We walked the three blocks to the address that was listed on his tags, only to hear that he didn't live there anymore.  The owners had recently moved and hadn't gotten his tags updated yet.  Luckily, the lady at his old house offered to help.  She called the phone number on his tag (which hadn't changed) and when the owner said it would be a "bit" before they could come get him, she took him into her house with her own dog and kept him safe until he could be retrieved.  People like that make up for the hoards of idiots that I'd encountered at the grocery store.  My mood was restored.

• I stopped to get Tallulah her winter boots for the season.  She wears boots on our nightly walk, from the time that the snow flies in the fall until it melts in the spring.  There's a particular brand that I like, but they tend to last only a year before she starts to wear through the soles.  Really, only one or two of the boots wear through, but I have to buy them in sets of four.  In the past, the only colour of these boots that I could get were red.  Last year, they were purple.  This year, the only colour that I could get was black.  Next year, I'm kind of hoping that they will come in a different colour.  That way, for the year after next, she can wear the leftover good boots from past sets, and have a different colour on each foot.

*ahem*

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The horrible cat tree

The butt ugly half pipe


The nest chair

... and the cat decides to sleep on a worn out old face cloth.

Randomosity

• I called my insurance broker yesterday to inquire if it is normal for insurance claims to take 3+ months to process.  Apparently, she called the insurance company, who called the claims adjuster that was contracted out to process my claim.   From the tone of the voice mail that the claims adjuster left me, she's not impressed.  I sure hope that doesn't reflect on the results once my claim is finally processed.  I know, I should probably relax and just wait for it to happen, but I'm impatient.  I also have a very low tolerance for poor communication and/or a lack of effort when it comes to customer service.

• I ordered a slab of granite today.  I'm very excited about that.  It will top the iron table base (which actually turns out to be a Singer sewing table) that I spray painted a few weeks ago.  

• Supposedly, there are no cockroaches in Alberta.  That's what they say, anyway - kind of like there aren't any rats here either.  However, with all of the ethnic food and produce imported here, the cockroaches have been sneaking in.  I've seen them here or there, with hasn't really bothered me in the past.  About a month ago, though, I was walking the dogs after dark.  I noticed something that was reflecting light on the ground, and when I stooped down to get a better look, I realized that it was a huge cockroach.  I've been having bad dreams about cockroaches ever since.

Houston, We Have a Problem

This is my spare room, which I've turned into a home office.  It's working out well for me.  Because I didn't spend much time in here before, it's easy for me to be in work mode when I come in and tune out the distractions.



This is my little work corner.  The furniture is make-shift until the insurance company processes my claim and I can get something new.  (The new stuff is going in another room, and then the desk and chair will be moved in here.)  It's pretty tight in this corner, but it works for now.

It's also pretty tight for the White Fluffy Dudes, who have a bunk bed behind the door.

(Cotton was off chasing sunbeams this afternoon)

Tallulah has her own bed, which she uses most of the time.

In other news, an interesting development has been the observation that the balance ball that I sit on always rolls to the far side of the room if it's not wedged under the table.

Yes, I'm aware that this probably means the floor of the bedroom in my six year old house probably slopes.  

No, I don't want to think about it.

The point being, if I'm not seated at the desk, the ball usually rolls over and blocks the door.  The white fluffy dudes can slip around it, but not Tallulah.  Tallulah, for some reason known only to her, is afraid of the ball.  There have been many times during my lunch hour or at the end of my day when I've gotten up and left the room without thinking about it.  Later on, I'll hear a quiet woof, which quickly becomes a large WOOF if I don't respond.

Tallulah Belle Poodle is calling for help because the big, bad balance ball is blocking her in the room.

Somebody, give that dog a haircut!