Most states have a Dept of Insurance Complaints division. The first thing I would do is place a call to your Dept. of Insurance in your state. Then fill out the form they give you and get it back to them ASAP. At the same time, contact the insurance company and let them know you are filing a consumer complaint.
Sometimes that is enough to get the ball rolling. Don’t forget that your insurance company is probably deluged with claims and is looking at massive losses. So the have to delay in order to adjust the claims and to pay them. Allstate went from an A++ carrier to a B rated carrier after a Florida hurricane. The companies can go broke under the weight of this kind of catastrophe.
You just want to make sure you are first in line as they pay. So, make sure they know you are there by complaining and repeatedly calling. You could lawyer-up, but it may not be effective. Sometimes when an insurance company gets a letter from a lawyer your file is moved to a legal division and then there is very little conversation. File the complaint and keep calling. I would also send the written confirmation of the calls you are making. If you still have not gotten ahold of an adjuster, then have a lawyer write a letter.
My 2 cents.
“Sometimes that is enough to get the ball rolling. Don’t forget that your insurance company is probably deluged with claims and is looking at massive losses. So the have to delay in order to adjust the claims and to pay them. Allstate went from an A++ carrier to a B rated carrier after a Florida hurricane. The companies can go broke under the weight of this kind of catastrophe.”
Wouldn’t be surprised if this actually happens.
One or more companies may go bankrupt. Could hurricane Sandy do to the insurance industry, what the collapse of the subprime market did for big banking firms?
In any case, I would expect several insurance companies — even if they manage to pay off the Sandy claims in NY and NJ — to afterwards cease writing policies in both those states altogether...