You have my deepest sympathies.
Heed the warning! My soundsystem and records are a pile of ashes
Hi Audiogon family,
Wanted to reach out with a message of warning to please endorse your soundsystem on your insurance policy if you have not already. I have just lost my home and all belongings in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, CA, and I will likely not be able to recover it in full because I did not specifically insure it.
This also goes for records! I'm learning that I will probably be sub-limited on my $80k record collection that I have been assembling since childhood.
I know that stuff is stuff. I literally had to evacuate within minutes because of my house's proximity to the fire's origin. How I wish I had grabbed some of the priceless, unbuyable records that I searched high and low for throughout my life. But I'm alive, my family is alive, and that's what matters most.
I've worked so hard to provide for my family all these years - we are not a trust fund situation. Records/hifi - MUSIC - was, is and will continue to be my most beloved hobby. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, and hope some of you may heed my advice to avoid losing your priceless collections.
I have a gofundme setup if anyone is feeling generous, but would appreciate any thoughts and prayers as well. I've found encouragement from my community has been a major saving grace for us during this time. Also, if anyone has experience starting again from the ground up, I'd love to hear your inspirational stories.
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SoCal resident here. Thankfully not in harms way Agon members, I'd be weary of anyone, regardless of the situation asking for money in an internet forum. If the post is real, good to hear you're alive. Unfortunately, there are people with not so good intentions taking advantage of this horrible time.
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So sorry to hear about this. I live across the hills in the San Fernando Valley. It's been rough and I'm not even in the mix of it, save for the air quality and a close call on the ridges near Encino. Like you said, nothing is more valuable than family and your health. Glad you all got out in time as this was so fast moving. Here's something that may be of help:
All the best, | ||||||||||||||||||
My deepest condolences to you and your family. What a difficult time this must be for all of you. Feel free to contact me (PM) when you another system. I have a list of LPs that I am moving along and am happy to send some your way. None in the 'priceless' category, but pleasant listening, nonetheless. | ||||||||||||||||||
I lost my home last year to a lightning strike and fire I had standard replacement coverage for my possessions I did not have My audio equipment or records listed separately in any way The insurance company paid full replacement value for all my equipment and records up to the maximum of my policy. I learned the hard way that I should have had a higher maximum, but generally, they covered everything About $200,000 in equipment and records was Covered and replaced It’s a lot of work explaining to the adjuster how your particular record album isn’t a $20 Walmart version but an audiophile grade special issue worth quite a bit more but other than that it went pretty smoothly I had the original Bowers and Wilkins Nautilis 801 speakers and they actually paid $55,000 to replace them with the latest version of the 801 D4 signature I have Safeco insurance, which is owned by liberty mutual I suspect different insurance companies and different policies and different adjusters may make all the difference so everybody check with your insurance agent and insurance company and make sure your policy is for full replacement value | ||||||||||||||||||
Wow so sorry for your loss. Hope you are able to replace what's important. Something I started several years ago is a spreadsheet listing every record album and CD I own. I can add notes as necessary to each as needed. Of course pictures is also a good idea and everything saved in the cloud for good measure. | ||||||||||||||||||
@amitynick thanks for posting a positive result with an insurance company. Most people only post when they have a negative experiene and then the haters pile on and people hate insurance companies. it isn't always bad. Lets hope the OP has a similar mostly positive experience with insurance. As for limits, you choose how much you want to pay for and many people go with lower limits to save money. that is a personal choice and I see you wish you'd gone with higher limits. Finally, you didn't mention all the priceless things you lost. While you got your insurance coverage worked out, the pain and stress and loss must have been tough. I don't wish that on anybody. Jerry | ||||||||||||||||||
I lived on the Gulf Coast many years. You anywhere near Panama City? I’ve now got a house in the Northeast part. If somebody loses a few shingles in a storm anywhere in the state, my insurance goes up. @OP, sending positive vibes your way. You and your loved ones won the Life Lottery. Compared to that, anything you lost materially is meaningless. | ||||||||||||||||||
OP, my deepest sympathies and glad you and family are safe. Rebuilding is a hard process but it also gives you an opportunity to build something better. I know things with sentimental importance are irreplaceable but there is nothing above your personal and family well being. Look into CLZ Music software, it’s a great software to catalog your music collection. And its accessibility has been a huge help in avoiding dupe purchases when I am out and about shopping for elusive records or CD’s. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thank you all so much for the encouragement and sympathy. I needed a place to cry about my hifi and records when everyone around me has lost so much, and this felt like a good place for it haha @nonoise Very helpful to have all those programs listed on one page with explanations. I'm getting so much piecemeal information, having everything in one place, with the limits of the help, is honestly very helpful. @amitynick This is so good to hear. It's exactly the fight I'm preparing for. I think I'll be able to easily hit my personal property limit, so at least there's that. @jsal3689 Same here, Louisiana native. Have always been blessed going through hurricanes Andrew, Isadore, Katrina... this is the first time a natural disaster has put me out. What I saw as I left my house was truly a fire hurricane... unbelievable. @fbgbill One good thing is that my entire collection is meticulously catalogued on Discogs. I don't have receipts/photos of everything, but I do for a lot of it. Hoping it helps... | ||||||||||||||||||
I feel for you in ways you cannot appreciate because you don't realize how much my situation parallels yours. My fire that robbed me of everything near and dear except my wife and my life occurred last april and it continues to be a long haul getting back to normal. Its a heartbreak that doesn't go away. I pray your experience with your insurance is better than ours has been. Hug your wife and kids and never forget to show them how much you love them...I feel your pain in a very profound way. Stay in touch. | ||||||||||||||||||
In 2018 my house flooded and did extensive damage. My ausio system and record collection was in the top floor attic and was not affected but everything else in the house was. Because my wife is detail oriented and her sister is an insurance executive, she immediately began detailing everything about our loss and preserving every communication with our insurance company, the mitigation company and all the contractors. She also built a spread sheet listing evey item imanginable, what the insurance company offered for it and when payment or replacement was done. Your loss is worse and I am so sorry for you all all the people affected. My advice is go pick up a portable file box and files, start listing your pwssesions, keeip records and look for photos on your phone or in the cloud that document your losses. Insurance companies tend to pay those people who document well. Treasure you family! | ||||||||||||||||||
Very sorry for your loss, really. Most HO policies will cover your records and equipment from fire, all subject to the total "Coverage C - Personal Property" limit shown in the policy declarations, w/out sub-limits. There may be endorsements that expand that limit as well, so review your coverages thoroughly. As opposed to preparing for a fight, come ready to educate the carrier/adjuster on the specifics of what you have/had, whether music gear or otherwise (even the home). It is a tough ask, especially after such a tragedy, but the concept of helping them to help you goes a long way. The policy is a contract and says what it says. They need to see you get the full benefit of the policy terms, and to explain all coverages available to you. Generally, they want to pay you what is owed, no more or no less. Valuation of personal property at "like kind and quality" is a thing, nothing new and has been a generally accepted principle for decades. Are some companies/adjusters better, more skilled, more empathetic than others? Yes. People are people in any job/role/industry. They do not stay awake at night thinking for ways to cheat you. The plaintiffs bar in CA is skilled and aggressive. Carriers are fully aware of this. There is always time to fight, but starting from that point can make the process more of a challenge. Best of luck and wish you and all those directly/indirectly impacted the best possible outcome from all this. Hang tough. | ||||||||||||||||||
You and your family are safe. Material things can be recouped. Someone i know lost his firstborn almost 20 years ago and he still feels like shooting himself in the head every year the hint of a birthday rolls around... Doesn't matter how wealthy one is or not, life has all kinds of ways to break you. You ain't taking a single atom with you on the way out...it's all taken back 100%. So...fire, records lost, etc isn't too bad.. A qobuz subscription at 10 dollars a month in the near future will fix you right up and the insurance will take care of the housing situation. Rent a li'l place by the beach in puerto rico or something for 500 bucks a month and the sound of the ocean will make things pretty good. | ||||||||||||||||||
A friend lost absolutely everything except for the clothes on their backs when a faulty built-in home vacuum system started a fire. They are all, now, living happily ever after - having fully recovered from that trauma. "Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit" Perhaps someday we will look back upon these days with joy. The Aenid, Book 1, (Vergil) Prayers going out for your safe recovery. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sorry for your loss. I've been closely monitoring the situation out there, complete devastation in some areas. Trying hard to imagine how I would cope if faced with similar loss, and these losses are not simply individual but entire communities have been lost, major trauma here! I've watched many videos of the devastation, how surreal to see such a beautiful area of the country now looking like a war zone. How will people carry on after this! | ||||||||||||||||||
Congressman Sherman did some more research and found this as well:
Hope that helps, All the best, | ||||||||||||||||||
@evanpress you rock!
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to the OP - Thanks for sharing your loss and potential lessons learned. i understand to a small degree your loss. We are in Carlsbad and have many friends and family deeply impacted as you have been. Peace and grace upon you. Like other generous souls here, ive got some LP’s i can get to you when you get an anchor out. I looked at your system and room it was beautiful. Grace and peace. Jim | ||||||||||||||||||
@evanpress, yes, you rock! A few years ago a good friend, audiophile buddy, lost everything in an Oregon fire. Heartbreaking. | ||||||||||||||||||
@nardandsaffron I am so sorry for your lose. I lived in Altadena from 2007 to 2020, and it makes be sick to see the destruction and loss. It was a special place, and hopefully will be again. What are the "priceless, unbuyable records that I searched high and low for throughout my life"? Maybe someone here has a back-up copy or one they will part with. Do you know about Audio Element in Pasadena? One of the best turntable set-up skill sets. @lalitk Do you know how the CLZ Music software compares to using the Discogs app for Vinyl and CDs? -docknow PS-Pray for rain in LA
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