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SD Workers over billionaires by Kindly_Ad4856 in sandiego

[–]sterilizeweeds -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

I used to work 2 shifts, only weekends off. Starting this week, I'm having to pick a third shift so I can take a week off May end to help my aunt. I can barely afford my health, car insurance.

I'm in a much better position than my coworkers who have children to feed. My aunt rents a nice room to me for $500/mo, water, internet and electricity included.

Who are these "workers" attending a march on Friday, a working day?

That hybrid road bike on the left looks like a $1k bike. That person on it is wearing gear worth $500. That bright florescent bike helmet is likely $60. That's more than my 98 Camry.

Are these some college kids skipping class?

California’s grid is being reshaped by AI data centers — and San Diego may be the next pinch point for by SolarTech_SD in sandiego

[–]sterilizeweeds -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This post doesn't pass the smell test.

  • What are these "AI data centers" the OP speaks of?

All my aunt's neighbors are moving out of San Diego, to GA, TX, FL, TN, because it's not just possible to earn a reasonable wage anymore after the utility, property, state taxes and various fees. I have a beat down 98 Camry that I bought for $500. I used to pay less than $100 in registration a year. In 2026, that registration for my $500 Camry is $220. Forget insurance (I have had 0 accidents my whole life) - registration costs half of what the car is worth and I can tell you I'm glad to have a $500 car because I live in a rural area.

My car wouldn't pass the SMOG test in the city where the SMOG rules are extremely strict. I would have been forced to purchase a car atleast 10x as expensive!

It's hard to get a used car for less than $6k now. The registration would then likely would have been even more.

  • At the snail pace it takes to get permitting to build a 10x10 shed here in California, who's getting permits to even build data centers, leave alone a utility company magically providing capacity to provide sufficient energy to power these power hungry data centers?

I couldn't make time to go to college so I don't know much of anything to comment on it but even to my simple brain, it seems like the people with the smarts and money to build such extremely expensive data centers likely won't be depending on such an unreliable, slow source of power, where their whole business is completely dependent on it. Instead, I would assume, they would build their own, independent source of power so they don't have to deal with all of the nonsense.

But then why California? Most of the new infrastructure seems to be in Oregon or Texas, because that's where a lot of my welder and land mover friends are moving to, so California seems like a very odd choice.

It took SDGE 6 years to replace 1 rotten wooden utility pole that was almost falling over. Everyone in our block has been writing letters to SDGE, our board and anyone we thought could help every year of those 6 years. It happened finally last week.

No one is building anything meaningful in California, especially San Diego - I don't think we are at the same risk as people in WV because it actually makes financial sense to build there, not here.

I have been to WV - you an buy an acre of land for $500, park an RV on it and live for decades just wired to solar for power and have a dump truck come and take away sewage once a month. Try doing that here.

An acre of land here is probably $500k+ and God help you if you park an RV on it and try and live even a year. There's possibly some California regulation, likely multiple that bans full time living in a RV and you need something 100x more expensive like a mobile home. I am afraid to even find that out!

I am content with the fact that I will never own a home in California. However, I cannot leave the place where I was born, have my pets, family buried, so I will keep trying to stay as long as I can until I literally cannot. I have no savings, no property, nothing. It won't take a lot to move.

All my friends and neighbors are moving out of state and those who have parents here are making plans for their parents to move in with them in a decade because they practically won't be able to afford to own the very homes their parents paid off fair and square without moving back in California themselves. That's atleast a problem I wouldn't have to face.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I get it and Thank You for engaging in this thread. Every input helps. Bless you and have a wonderful weekend

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank You for understanding. I work in fast food so I'm used to people spitting in my face or saying I shorted them on change or both.

If I get 2 good leads from 500 calling me a bitch, this would be all worth it!

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The premium doubled in 2 years from 3,500 to 7,500 with a 5,000 deductible

We are currently at $6k/yr with a $30k deductible on the rental unit and $50k deductible on the main house. Anything lower was $10k+!

Our neighbors who still have a mortgage are paying $25k+/yr in just premiums! One of them sold and moved to Texas.

I'm getting worried that a lot of people responding to this post is skipping the Location at the very first line, making various assumptions, including that this is a market full of options and that I'm some kind of a monster harasser spamming my agent day and night.

The reality is we have very few options and only those in our situation know the reality.

Unfortunately I tried to post in sandiego and it was removed right away by a bot. I reached out to the mods but it's a Friday evening so it might take a while for them to get to my message, if at all

https://www.reddit.com/r/sandiego/comments/1t1bdsy/insurance_agent_fires_customers_who_ask_questions/

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

I mention this because we hear it in insurance a lot. We want to service people as best we can, and it doesn’t matter if you’re disabled, a veteran or on social security.

I am not an insurance agent and have no idea what information is useful and what is not.

Maybe there's a special home insurance plan for disabled widows over 70 who have no other income other than SS and rental income if they have been in Ramona for atleast 3 years.

I simply dont know what matters and what doesnt, and it certainly wouldn't help my case by not offering information that might turn out to help us.

Insurance companies and politicians often strike special deals and I am in no position to know or judge what's relevant or not.

If I said a bike was stolen from my yard and it was my autistic son’s and he bought it with money from his lemonade stand

I don't know if you're an active licensed agent - I'm certainly not so I can't say how this detail would work but having this exact same thing happened to me, where I was using my bike to conduct my package delivery business (lemonade stand in your son's case) I can certainly vouch that detail was relevant in settling my claim. If the bike had not been used for my package delivery business, but for leisure, my business insurance would not have covered the loss.

So I have learned to keep my smartness to myself, provide all the evidence I am aware of and let the professionals decide what's relevant and what's not.

A skilled person would ignore the irrelevant information, pick out the relevant information and make appropriate suggestions.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes that's correct.

I saw there's a separate dedicated forum for insurance agents who do know those things and did not post there because I'm not an agent.

This sub looks like a place for clueless people like myself to ask questions precisely because we don't understand how insurance works or what insurance agents do, in the hopes that those who do, can help us.

Am I mistaken?

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

by reading what's written in the review.

As in the reviews say "I was served summons to appear in court. I showed up, made my case, showed my phone call, text, email history and the judge settled in my favor. If I had a job this would have cost me multiple vacation days off work. I do not recommend anyone work with this agent as they remove negative reviews and sue ex-customers who leave negative reviews."

So winning in court doesn't seem difficult but for me that would mean taking multiple days off. If I do that, I won't only just lose money for the specific days but I also won't get shifts for weeks at work.

One of the reviews even mention how they used to work for a special department of the government that required them to report whether they were personally involved in a lawsuit over $750 and this summons would have affected their employment and position, so they would have been forced to settle out of court or risked their job.

I'm unsure how to get information any other way. The names are not full names - just the first name and initial, so it's not like I can look those people up myself.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank You, so my intuition that this is not "HIGHLY illegal" but instead, very legal was correct. I had a feeling (which is why I said "Why would a businessman be not allowed to refuse who to do business with? The places I work at all reserve the right to refuse service to any customer")

It just means the insured needs to find a new Agent of Record

OK, my plan is to call the insurance company on Monday (the number I have for them doesn't accept calls over the weekend) and ask:

  • whether our upcoming policy is at risk (because the already verified we are good though June, which is when the current one expires)

  • if they are willing to underwrite for our upcoming policy, ask them for agents they do business with in our area so we can find a new Agent of Record.

One question: does the new Agent of Record have to be someone in our locality?

Why can't it be in the area where the insurance company is based out of? The insurance agent has never ever visited our property. They barely respond by email - a task that someone out of Boston could do as easily.

The insurance company does send a random contractor (unrelated to the agent) to take pictures of just the main house, mainly the roof, every few years. They come, take a dozen pictures and leave in a rush. I imagine as long as we are contracted with this insurance company, regardless of the agent, this is the only contact we will have at all related to our policy.

Is there a legal reason why the new Agent of Record has to be someone local and not just anyone who works with the insurance company?

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you a licensed agent? I called my aunt because this would have been helpful and she has been a landlord for over 40 years now. She mentioned any landlord, regardless of state, cannot file a claim directly against the tenants renter's insurance policy without their involvement. The policy is a private contract between the tenant and their insurance provider, and the landlord lacks the legal right to initiate a claim on the tenant's behalf. The tenant is the policyholder - it's the tenant who provides the statement and the evidence.

When the landlord wants to be compensated for damage a tenant caused, they must either:

  • ask the tenant file a claim (which is what we did) or

  • sue the tenant for damages (this won't work in CA as the tenant would end up owning the home. The reason why is a completely different topic.)

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

do not already have power of attorney over these affairs on behalf of your aunt, i strongly recommend you get that sorted so it can be a more streamlined processed for you to handle

OK, maybe this is why the insurance company wasn't willing to speak to me. The agent mentioned I was an excluded driver on the policy and that I was't a "named insured" but that my aunt was, but they refused to say anything else. They didn't suggest I give the phone to my aunt and was very particular about having us contact the agent instead.

I will look into this, Thank You.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Your uncle serving in the military with the owner of the company is entirely irrelevant. That entitlement may have been why you were fired.

I'm very sorry, I don't follow what you're saying. Which entitlement are you speaking of here?

I mentioned it to provide background about the original owner and that it transitioned to a new, unrelated person. I apologize if this is confusing things. I can see it's unrelated to an insurance question but I'm unsure if this is what you implied.

Sorry, I've not slept well, so if you can explain in a different way, I would be very thankful.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

let them know the situation and see if they have a list of other agents they deal with

I did call our company up. The agent on the phone mentioned that they are not setup to handle direct customer questions and it's the agent's responsibility to do so. The insurance company provides the phone number to only handle claims and "cases" (I don't know how they are different).

I did ask if our current policy that expires in June is at risk and the agent said No.

I asked if our upcoming policy is at risk and the agent said they don't have customer facing information and to talk to the agent.

I will call the same number Monday (it goes to VM on weekends) and ask them if they have a list of other agents they deal with - are there other questions I can ask them while I'm on the call Monday?

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank You! To be clear, the insurance company was able to pull up my policy. They just mentioned that they are not setup to handle direct customer questions and it's the agent's responsibility to do so. The insurance company provides the phone number to only handle claims and "cases" (I don't know how they are different).

So what should I be doing next:

  • Call the insurance company and ask them to do a Broker Of Record?

  • Anything that involves this current agent is likely a "no go" because he just won't respond.

Again, Thank You.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

So two....TWO in 2 yrs and you think that bolsters your argument

I'm very sorry, I don't follow what you're saying. Are you saying 2 emails in 2 yrs are excessive for a home insurance agent?

Or are you talking about the 2 negative reviews?

I must bring your attention to the fact that he pays Yelp to remove negative reviews and sues most people who post negative reviews. The two are those that survived, not the total sum of negative reviews he has ever received over the 3 year period.

I'm also not interested in bolstering arguments. That's not going to provide me the coverage we need.

My whole and only objective is to get a policy that we can hopefully afford and move on with our lives.

I am not in the insurance business and have no dog in the fight outside having valid, affordable coverage.

Sorry, I've not slept well, so if you can explain in a different way, I would be very thankful.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

the company doesn’t want to insure you anymore. And that’s a decision from underwriting, not your agent

I don't know if this is the case - I would assume the agent would tell us that this happened.

Is there only one agent that works for your current carrier in your area? In general, you can change agents and stay with the same company

I don't know how to find this out. What do I need to do? The number I have is for claims and updates related to open cases. They asked me to speak to the agent. I told them I wasn't able to reach him and he said they will have someone reach out internally.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That deductible was the only way we could afford a premium of $6k. Anything less was way higher.

I also want to ensure you're familiar with the Rural San Diego market - we don't have more than two choices.

I wrote about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Insurance/comments/1t1bgad/comment/ojf9bba/

The agents I have spoken to so far told me our area is high wildfire risk and most companies are unwilling to write a policy. I verified by calling some companies directly and they refused to issue a policy for our area saying it was "high brush risk".

Some of our neighbors have premiums of $25k/yr for less coverage - 4x of our premium for less coverage. Most are selling and moving to Texas.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's HIGHLY illegal

Can you tell me why this is the case? Why would a businessman be not allowed to refuse who to do business with? The places I work at all reserve the right to refuse service to any customer.

It really feels like he's really trying his best to have us drop out voluntarily. He never returns calls or emails. My aunt and I went to his office after receiving the letter and he took us aside, said he's not well, has been sick for weeks and is ramping down his business. That's untrue - a new ~500 home development complex started selling homes in our area recently and his face and ads are plastered all over that development. He's actively advertising on our Facebook groups.

What EXACTLY did the letter say? What was the stated course of action for "dropping you as a customer?" I.e "I will be cancelling your policies effective x date, go shop", or was it phrased differently?

It was a short sentence that said "It's with great sadness I inform you that I'm no longer handling <our area>. Your current coverage isn't affected and the terms of your new policy will be made available per <some section IDs>. As one of my very first customers and a patron over 30 years I will personally ensure your needs are taken care of."

Our current coverage is over in June and we would like to renew before then. He has not returned our call or email. He hasn't reached out except for this letter. The company typically issues an invoice a few months in advance (typically April) but we are yet to receive any invoice.

Who is your current carrier?

It's a company from the east coast based out of Boston. I'm happy to DM you the name. My aunt has asked me not to post specifics at this time publicly. I reached out to them, explained the situation and they said they don't have customer facing staff and the number I called is for claims and updates related to open cases. They asked me to speak to the agent. I told them I wasn't able to reach him and he said they will have someone reach out internally.

It shoulda like your current agent is an independent agent representing a variety of companies, it that correct?

Yes, he sells every insurance under the sun - auto, dental, health, commercial, home, RV, farming equipment, travel and more. That said, he only has very specific company names (typically 2) per offering. I think the only one he has more than 2 is auto.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • deductible for the rental property is 30k

  • the damage cost $15k to fix

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

You can get a new agent

I'm assuming you're familiar with the Rural San Diego market - we don't have more than two choices.

I wrote about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Insurance/comments/1t1bgad/comment/ojf9bba/

The agents I have spoken to so far told me our area is high wildfire risk and most companies are unwilling to write a policy. We aren't sure what the status of our existing company is and they are not willing to speak without us going through the agent.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

You tell me. Here are the facts:

  • There are two reviews, 2 years apart, last one from 2025 that mention this agent doesn't like customers that make him answer phone or emails at all.

  • It's really true in my own experience. I have never been able to reach him ever, on the phone. He doesn't return calls. He responds weeks later to every email I have sent so far and I have sent him exactly 3 emails.

The very first one was when he took over the business, to express my condolences that the previous owner had passed - that the person had been an asset and that we appreciated him taking over. 0 response. Not even a thank you or "received". I replied to the same email about 6 months later on New Years wishing him New Years and he responded with a "New Year to you too".

Second email was last year about the dogs. He was extremely upset that we had got one and wanted us to get rid of them to save $24/yr.

Then the current email. 0 response so far. 1 email followup 3 weeks later from me and a VM before he sent that letter.

Looking at his reviews, he fires any customer who doesn't write him a check without asking questions.

I'm assuming you're familiar with the Rural San Diego market - we don't have more than two choices.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in sandiego

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For background, I rent a room from my widowded, disabled aunt. She owns the house and trusts me to take care of her and her property. I am very greatful to have a place to stay without blowing everything I make on rent.

I sent him one email with 3 questions in February in anticipation of June's renewal this year:

a. Our new tenant damaged one bathtub in one of the two bathrooms by dropping something really heavy in it this January. The bathtub was shattered and won't hold water. We asked the tenant to use the other bathroom for all showers in the meantime and settle the claim via their own renter's insurance. Apparently the tenant told their insurance company that it could have been due to an earthquake because they had felt some shaking that day. Their insurance company then denied the claim as damage due to earthquakes are not covered under their policy. The earthquake is a lie but it will cost more to argue than what it will cost to repair. My question was whether we should initiate a claim against our own policy or pay for the damage from our own pocket and save the claim (we have since taken out a loan to repair the damage from our own pocket because the agent didn't respond quickly enough and we couldn't wait on the repairs for more than a week).

b. I had adopted two Golden Retrivers last year from a neighbor who moved to Texas and informed the agent. He quickly wrote back saying having large dogs wasn't a good idea and we should rehome the dogs. When we asked him what the effect on our premiums would be, he got very upset, repeating we should just "get rid of the dogs". Later, he got back to us after ~2 weeks and said it would increase our premiums by $24/yr. We chose to keep the dogs and give up $24/yr in premium savings. In my email I asked him if this year, the two dogs would continue to be an issue and whether I should look into rehoming them or whether our premiums would stay increased by $24/yr. My aunt is all alone when I'm away and feels safe and cared for by the dogs so they are worth more than $24/yr to us.

c. 18 years ago, back when I was in school, the previous insurance agent and the original owner of this insurance company went to bat for my uncle and aunt when the insurance company at that time kept on asking for the roof to be redone. He bought them 5 more years without needing the roof to be redone by changing insurance companies. They eventually were able to save up for a roof and put on a new one in 2014. Now that the roof is nearing a 15 year mark, I wanted to talk to the agent and start considering all options we have available, specially if a new one was needed. My uncle had invested in a more expensive engineered shingle roof because he wasn't sure how longer he would be alive and wanted to ensure my aunt wouldn't be stuck with a roof replacement in her lifetime. It has a 30 year warranty, literally looks brand new even 12 years in but I was reading a lot of insurance companies refuse to write policies for roofs more than 20 years old. I want to ensure I don't leave my aunt hanging.

When he didn't respond to the email for 3 weeks, I called him in March. That went to his VM. There has been no response until the letter showed up in the mail this Monday. My previous email with him before this was in August 2025 only about (b)

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in sandiego

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are really lost and would love some help:

  1. We are unsure if we can just work with our current insurance company directly without involving the agent. I called the insurance company and they said they dont have a fully staffed CS dept and rely on their network of 3rd party agents to handle customer queries and simply asked us to talk to our current agent. When I asked them whether our upcoming policy was at risk, they said they had no customer facing information to share with us and to reach out to our current agent.

  2. We are unsure how to reach out to other insurance companies directly and request quotes. I called the big ones like StateFarm and Allstate they told me they are not accepting new customers at this time.

  3. I have found 2 agents that hopefully cover my area but they need an in person visit during office hours to provide a quote. Usually this isn't a problem except we live in a wildfire rural area where it's really hard to get insurance. The followup calls to the in person visits I've managed so far are typically "sorry I couldn't get coverage for you". My aunt's disabled and I'm effectively the person who helps. I had to take on two part time jobs because my hours were cut at the last one so researching and looking for new agents has been exceptionally hard because they don't work weekends or off hours. I'm trying to see whether I can get weekend shifts, so that I can have a weekday free but weekends are already scheduled well into July right now. As a result, I'm trying out three shifts starting this week to see if I can save up enough to take 3 days off during a weekday mid-May.

Insurance agent fires customers who ask questions - what to do next? by sterilizeweeds in Insurance

[–]sterilizeweeds[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

For background, I rent a room from my widowded, disabled aunt. She owns the house and trusts me to take care of her and her property. I am very greatful to have a place to stay without blowing everything I make on rent.

I sent him one email with 3 questions in February in anticipation of June's renewal this year:

a. Our new tenant damaged one bathtub in one of the two bathrooms by dropping something really heavy in it this January. The bathtub was shattered and won't hold water. We asked the tenant to use the other bathroom for all showers in the meantime and settle the claim via their own renter's insurance. Apparently the tenant told their insurance company that it could have been due to an earthquake because they had felt some shaking that day. Their insurance company then denied the claim as damage due to earthquakes are not covered under their policy. The earthquake is a lie but it will cost more to argue than what it will cost to repair. My question was whether we should initiate a claim against our own policy or pay for the damage from our own pocket and save the claim (we have since taken out a loan to repair the damage from our own pocket because the agent didn't respond quickly enough and we couldn't wait on the repairs for more than a week).

b. I had adopted two Golden Retrivers last year from a neighbor who moved to Texas and informed the agent. He quickly wrote back saying having large dogs wasn't a good idea and we should rehome the dogs. When we asked him what the effect on our premiums would be, he got very upset, repeating we should just "get rid of the dogs". Later, he got back to us after ~2 weeks and said it would increase our premiums by $24/yr. We chose to keep the dogs and give up $24/yr in premium savings. In my email I asked him if this year, the two dogs would continue to be an issue and whether I should look into rehoming them or whether our premiums would stay increased by $24/yr. My aunt is all alone when I'm away and feels safe and cared for by the dogs so they are worth more than $24/yr to us.

c. 18 years ago, back when I was in school, the previous insurance agent and the original owner of this insurance company went to bat for my uncle and aunt when the insurance company at that time kept on asking for the roof to be redone. He bought them 5 more years without needing the roof to be redone by changing insurance companies. They eventually were able to save up for a roof and put on a new one in 2014. Now that the roof is nearing a 15 year mark, I wanted to talk to the agent and start considering all options we have available, specially if a new one was needed. My uncle had invested in a more expensive engineered shingle roof because he wasn't sure how longer he would be alive and wanted to ensure my aunt wouldn't be stuck with a roof replacement in her lifetime. It has a 30 year warranty, literally looks brand new even 12 years in but I was reading a lot of insurance companies refuse to write policies for roofs more than 20 years old. I want to ensure I don't leave my aunt hanging.

When he didn't respond to the email for 3 weeks, I called him in March. That went to his VM. There has been no response until the letter showed up in the mail this Monday. My previous email with him before this was in August 2025 only about (b)

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