My 4th of July started off well. We were leaving MA to go to our place in ME. It was raining and cloudy here, but we heard it was 75 degrees and sunny up north.
Once we got to our place I poured a beer and grabbed a snack. I headed out to the deck--it was indeed a perfect day. Then I heard the scream that changed everything. The scream that took away my place of solitude and also $2,000 out of my pocket. My husband yelled from the back yard "someone stole our solar panels!!!"
Sure enough someone had climbed nearly 14 feet off the ground and stole our ONLY energy source.
So my 4th of July was spent dealing with the State Cops. My 4th of July weekend was spent having to use $4.29/gallon gas in my generator to power the house.
This week started with me learning how Liberty Mutual refuses to cover our claim. Our only energy source was stolen and insurance refuses to cover it!! I think of those folks in the Gulf Coast still living in FEMA trailers all these years later and understand why. Insurance is really sucky. And we have no choice but to have it. We have 3 cars and two houses on the LM policy. They are a horrible company. I would not reccomend them to anyone.
We're installing a web cam. We're putting up a gate perhaps. Being a New Englander that loves to snomobile and ATV a gate is not cool. However, stealing $2,000 from someone's house is not cool either. Leaving us with gasoline only to power our home is not cool.
My Tai Chi teacher told me his kids bikes were also stolen in recent weeks. His neighbor's rider mower was also stolen. Folks are stealing gas from gas stations and from people's cars.
Welcome to the Wild West. (or East). Welcome to a USA that really really sucks to live in right now. And no, anything that is bolted down on your house is not SAFE. Nor will insurance cover it.
---------------
About the author: Leah G. is a photographer, avid reader, geocacher, and true Western Mass girl at heart. She has an off-the-grid vacation home and loves growing her own organic veggies. Leah's day job is working in client service for Working Advantage (a source for discount entertainment tickets, shopping and more!). Currently Leah is pursuing a Master's in Business Administration at Framingham State College.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 16
First of all we're from MA with property in ME. We're considered 'out of towners' and 'mass-holes'. We have respect from many of the locals (and we are good friends with our next door neighbor). However, I don't think the cops give two craps about what happened. After all, we were disturbing them on our Nation's Birthday and all...
The Cops LIED to us and said they can't dust for prints because it's outside? Um, that's not true. I talked to a forensics teacher from a local college and she told me that's a lie.
So were the cops helpful? I'd have to say my tax dollars for Maine were not well spent on the entire situation. Someone in our town trashed the cemetary up there recently. I'm pretty sure the cops told the town they could not investigate since it was outside. *shrug*
That's a great idea!! I will look into those. I forgot those even existed.
State of the world today though. (feeling glass-half-empty about the whole thing...)
Thanks for your comment!
I wasn't aware, as Laura says, that the policy is to say no at first. All of those poor people who need help and are refused then lose their life savings or have to forgo a year of college or a much needed car because they were denied and thought there was no hope.
Hopefully it all works out.
The Liberty Mutual in MA was very mean. The one in Maine was very nice to my husband when he called. Two days later we were denied again verbally. We're having out friend that is an attorney contact them directly. After all, we're off the grid and have no power without the panels!
I'm not being rude. I talked to the town office, the wind power company we're working with, and our next door neighbors. Our neighbor is having his friends check all of the pawn shops and we're checking Ebay and Craig's List.
I'm just frustrated with LM, the cops, and just the whole thing in general.
My husband has taken to calling this a 'redneck tax' (we too have redneck genes in us and do many redneck things in our daily lives...) However, if the person knew what they were doing they would have stolen the rest of the solar system. The panel is useless without the rest of the system.
Thanks for your comment Laura. I should get the denial in writing and I should have my freind write a letter right away.
We were also denied in 2003 when our primary home was struck by lightning. The worse part about that claim was that they took away our 'safe homeowner credit' after that occured and told us over the phone we should have paid for our repairs out of pocket? What?? Crazy, huh?
No, it was not an easy theft. One of our friends thought it may have taken them hours to remove...
Perhaps you'll consider an insurance company with a local agent. This was my HR Manager's advice today.
John,
So good to hear from you. I'm not exaggerating. If you're coming back to the US get a gas cap that locks for your car.
Don't get copper gutters or other trim made of copper. Folks are now ripping gutters and copper pipes off of houses. Houses that have been foreclosed upon are getting the wire ripped out and sold for the copper. These are real stories about how life here now is.
Nothing is safe. I'm sorry John, it's not the America you left behind. I'm not happy living here right now. However, my friends and family keep me here...I could not bear to be far from them.