Sometimes we think no news is good news. I’ve been waiting for a few days to learn how the insurance company will handle the theft of my trailer. No news wasn’t good news. After I filed my claim, the claims adjuster phoned me on Tuesday. Her name is Nicky, she told me she needed to gather more information and would get back to me.

I was a little uneasy. I have an irrational distrust of insurance companies and the uncertainty was frustrating. I was polite and patient with her on the phone. She was the one who could help me and being a demanding customer wouldn’t help my situation. We agreed to talk again on Wednesday afternoon after she verified the facts.

We talked again on Wednesday. Her office is in California, my insurance policy was underwritten in South Dakota. She apologized for the delay, but said she needed more information from the state of South Dakota before she could determine how to apply the coverage.  She said she would get back to me on Thursday. I was feeling like she was looking for a way out of the claim, but I stayed cool, thanked her for her diligence and told her I looked forward to hearing from her.

Yesterday, Nicky called me in the afternoon. She told me she verified how the coverage would apply and had the necessary forms from South Dakota. With some restrictions, replacement of my trailer and contents will be covered. One of the restrictions is the maximum amount applied for any single item in the trailer. The maximum they will pay for a single item is $500. I had a few things in there worth more than that like my shotguns. I’ll do what she told me which is to list the actual value of those. For example, if I list the SKB over/under double barrel shotgun at $X,XXX, I will receive $500 for it.

She advised me to itemize as much as possible. For example, I shouldn’t list assorted hand tools as a single item valued at $X,XXX. I should itemize the individual tools. That way I can be reimbursed for my actual loss without hitting the $500 restriction.

She was really helpful and I felt like she was on my side. Today she will e-mail me the necessary forms, then follow up with a phone call to go over them with me. She wants to ensure that I understand the forms and fill them out correctly to avoid any further delays.

Most of you are probably naturally polite and patient. I try to be, but sometimes I feel like I need to drive an issue. In this case, I feel that being polite and patient with Nicky helped. Maybe she treats every case this way, but I really think she wanted to help me get the most out of the coverage I paid for. This life of retirement might be mellowing me out!

This weekend I will go online to find the value of the items we lost. We’ll complete the forms, then we can start shopping for a new trailer. I won’t be able to replace everything, but this is about the best outcome I could have hoped for.

I know some RVers insure their RVs as if it was another car on their policy. Don’t do this. Read your policy carefully. I’m glad we purchased a Progressive  full-time RV insurance policy with contents coverage and a rider for the trailer.

Today, the sun is shining and the skies are blue. When Donna returns from her exercise class, I’ll go for a bike ride. After lunch, we’ll scooter over to Shelter Island to visit Mark and Emily Fagan on their boat at the Kona Kai marina. They have been full-time RVers and sailboat cruisers since 2007. Their web site is roadslesstraveled.us.