I know some of you guys work in insurance. I have a question. So my lawn mower burned up the other day. They are going to cover it in full. My question is the mower was older and there is not an exact replacement for it. The one i have that burned was a liquid cooled model, the newer comparables are not. Would i be right to argue that or just take what i get ? Also the one that burned had a snowblower attachement, they said they would not cover that because it was not on the mower when it burned. My thought is that to make me whole again i would need a blower, the one i have will not fit another newer machine etc. I'm just curious if this is worth arguing or i just shut up and get what i get. Thanks fella's

Different states have many different policy terms, ect. Do you have Replacement or Actual Cash Value on the mower?

I would not hesitate to opine the question. Insurance is meant to put you, financially, back to where you were on the day of your loss. Not replacement of new value, in most cases.

It was insured for replacement cost value. That is kinda the problem, there is not a new comparable model or one that is liquid cooled, john deere changed their line up some. So if i get the new closest comparable, its not liquid and my blower does not fit it. That's kinda my question is how would a person work with that, i mean i'm getting a new mower but i'm out a blower etc.

actually, it's meant to generate profit for the insurance company's investors.

(and there's NOTHING wrong with that!)

There is if it is done at the expense of filling their obligations to their insureds.

To the OP, if you have reasonable requests then do not hesitate to document them as best you can and make demands of the insurance company. You won't get anywhere without at least making the demand.

You shouldn't be limited to a John Deer if you stay within the Replacement Value, check Out Kubota or a brand of your choice you may not want to, but even if you have to come up with the difference you have that right. There responsibility is a financial one not as a sales person to resell you a John Deer I hope that makes sense.
There is a big difference from a John Deer sold ay s box store and one purchased from a dealer also, just saying.

Also on the snow blower that is a tuff call as it was not damaged. Same as a Hail storm hitting only one side of a house roof, I've seen it were the Ins co only pays for the one side.

Work with the adjuster and ask what amount they consider your current John Deer to be Valued at for replacement then I would recheck with a John Deer Dealer to make sure that is accurate also. After you get the check You can do what ever you want.

all good points thanks fellas

This has been an odd claim, i'll talk to them some more. But there has been no adjuster involved to deal with. They told me to take it to dealer and see if they could find cause of fire and if it was fixable or total loss. Its obviously a loss from my point but i take it in tomorrow. I'm not sold on a JD either i'll look around some

of course they must fulfill their legal (contractual) obligations!

but if you buy a $10,000 policy and suffer a $12,000 loss, guess what...

In my opinion, the water-cooled feature needs to be replaced, just as it was on your mower that burned. I would discuss this with the dealer first and have them quote the replacement of your mower as the nearest possible replacement model which includes the water-cooled feature.

It's been a long time since I worked in insurance but I believe there is language in the standard HO-3 homeowners policy about property which has been made reduced in value due to loss of other damaged property, even though this property itself has not been physically damaged. (e.g. your blower attachment). YOU will need to study your policy and know for sure what should be covered before you talk to an insurance company representative. Most of the insurance claims adjusters don't know much about what the policies actually say - especially the ones that handle little claims like burned up lawn mowers. If you have an independent agent, ask him/her to show you in the policy where it says that your blower attachment is or isn't covered by this loss. If you don't have a good independent agent, you will have to read the policy for yourself.

update: I just looked at the industry standard HO 00 03 homeowners policy. "Property Damage" is defined as: physical injury to, destruction of, or loss of use of tangible property. That means your blower attachment has experience "Property Damage" by virtue of its loss of use, even though there has been no physical injury to it.

Also look at condition D - "Loss to a Pair or Set"

I think you can make a good case for the blower being covered, too. That doesn't mean the insurance company will pay for it or give a cogent reason for why they won't, though.

Good luck to you!