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Man dropped by insurance company after making call to ask about coverage
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PRARIEVILLE - A Prairieville man learned a hard lesson when one phone call to his insurance carrier cost him his coverage.
John Rosso called 2 On Your Side after his insurance company dropped him. All he did was ask his insurance company if something might be covered, which initiated a claim process - even though money did not exchange hands.
Rosso's home was built with care, but over the years he has had setbacks. The property flooded in 2016 and again in 2024 when a line under his kitchen sink broke.
"It had flowed for two days and completely flooded the house," Rosso said.
The major issue was costly but Rosso was covered under his home insurance plan. During that time, he learned his insurance carrier would be leaving the state and he started looking for coverage. That's when a phone call came back to haunt him.
"In 2023, I was sitting in my den and I noticed a little orange spot on the ceiling," he said.
He had called his insurance company then too, checking to see if a leak on his roof might be covered by his policy. The carrier told him they would have to take a look but he opted to cover the repairs out of pocket.
"After we started to do the repairs, I got a quote from the insurance company. I said I didn't want to make a claim... and I thought it was all over with," Rosso said.
To his surprise, it was not. Even though a claim was not filed, his call inquiring about the issue did the damage. That information went into a national database shared by insurance companies.
His information went into the CLUE Report: Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. The report keeps a record of insurance claims made on a property. Rosso showed that he made two in one year.
"No one would write me insurance," he said.
Rosso is now insured by Citizens, Louisiana's insurance of last resort which is very costly. It's why he's here with a warning.
"Just be sure you know what you're doing," Rosso said.
The Louisiana Department of Insurance opened a complaint in the matter. They investigated and said they weren't able to resolve factual disagreements between parties and Rosso would need a lawyer to fix his problem.
Rosso says that he learned insurers keep records of claims filed, regardless of the outcome.
"What I found, is the appropriate process is to contact your agent," Rosso said.
The Louisiana Department of Insurance says that if you have a question about your policy, call your agent or insurer. If you open a claim, it will be listed in your claim file, whether it's approved or denied.
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