"RG" wrote in message
. ..

"
That's a good point, and you'd better not trust what any insurance agent
says unless he's ready to put it in writing. I'm not talking about
reading the policy itself, which is obviously important, although they
can also be vague. I'm talking about a plain-English letter from the
agent which addresses specific questions you ask. I just went through
this with my agent, who's a real pro with regard to home, car & life
insurance. But, he was a bit weak when it came to providing coverage for
musical equipment used professionally, and questions about what happens
if a club burns down with my equipment in it. I kept giving him scenarios
like that, and he finally said he wasn't 100% sure about all of them. We
ended up doing a conference call to an underwriter at the actual
insurance company.

A letter signed by the agent is worth little more than the paper it's
written on, since your contract of coverage is not with the agent. An
agent can attest to anything, but if it is outside the coverage specified
in the contract (policy), it may not be enforceable. The insurance
company can always claim that the agent was acting outside the authority
of his capacity as agent. A letter signed by an officer of the insurance
company stipulating or clarifying coverage is another matter. I'd take
that with me to court any day.


Per my lawyer, a letter from the agent is a reminder that he may be
personally liable. Fear is good.