Location: Baltimore, Md.
Several years ago, my kitchen sink sprang a leak while I was at work. Water flooded my kitchen floor and into the basement. After I got the water shut off and the pipe replaced, my floor was destroyed and the water had washed over my electrical box, causing brown outs. I got in touch with my insurance company, Travellers, and followed the steps they outlined. I got a quote from a contractor, and Travelers rejected it. They said it was too much. Get another quote. So I got another contractor. Their quote came out $500 more than the first person. Travelers rejected it again. What followed was a year of me getting quotes, and Travelers rejecting them. When they suggested I go with one of their approved contractors, all of them said they couldn't do the repairs for the $2500 that Travelers wanted to pay out for a $35k job. Meanwhile, my electrical box was causing problems, so I got the city inspector involved. He determined that Travelers was responsible for replacing the box under our policy. Traveler's paid me $2900 towards the $9000 replacement, with the rest to be paid out upon completion. As you can guess, Travelers did not pay out the remainder.
I filed a complaint with the Maryland Insurance Commision. So here it is, 4 years later, and I have a hearing sometime after July. Their lawyer sent a letter to me telling me they are representing the insurance company. I was not able to get a lawyer because the three firms I reached to about this refused to take on Travelers because they historically don't pay out claims.
My question is, would it be wise to reach out to their firm and seek a settlement rather than go to court?