Fire victim turns to Troubleshooter for insurance claim help

Friday, November 16, 2012

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Diane Wilson
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RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A Raleigh fire victim turned to the ABC11 Troubleshooter after the blaze left him with nothing.

Arthur Mintz had insurance, but nearly two months after the fire he still hadn't gotten a dime from his insurance company.

Mintz is 82 years old and has tried to be patient and not complain. However, he wonders why his insurance company hasn't been there for him.

"I feel like they are taking advantage of me because I am old," said Mintz.

You can hear the frustration in Mintz's voice.

"I came to Raleigh in '48, and I've been working from then to now and I've never begged for nothing," said Mintz.

Now he needs help. In September, there was a fire at Mintz's downtown Raleigh home.

"I wanna see my house fixed," he said. "I've never lived like this in my life."

Since then he's been out of his home. Shortly after the fire, an adjustor with Mintz's insurance company, N.C. Grange Mutual, showed up at his home to assess the damage.

All of Mintz's possessions were moved into storage but after that he says he's been waiting to hear from his adjustor.

"I asked him why hadn't he done something and he told me he was getting figures together," said Mintz. "This is about three weeks after the fire. I didn't think it took that long for nobody to get figures."

No figures means no insurance money, and it's been nearly two months since the fire.

"Nobody has given me a dime," said Mintz. "All that money I spent has come out of my pocket."

It's been expensive for Mintz. He works all day in his store right next door to his house. Before the fire, he would just walk from his home. Now, he's staying with his grandson in Clayton, which is more than 20 miles away. Just filling up with gas for the 40 mile roundtrip trek each day is costly, not to mention that he's been dining out as well since he has no home.

"It's not fair," said Mintz. "It would be different if I didn't have insurance."

Confused why his insurance wasn't helping, I started asking questions of Mintz's adjustor, and his insurance company. The president of the N.C. Grange Mutual got back to me and said he'd look into it. He took quick action. He got the report from the adjustor, cut two checks -- one for the structural damage and another towards Mintz's expenses.

Mintz still has a long road ahead.

"I know it's helping with you, as I didn't have anything before," he said.

His content claim is still being processed, but Mintz is relieved he now has some of his insurance money to start the rebuilding process.

"Just keep up the good work because I really enjoy working with you all, and you all working with me," said Mintz.

The president of N.C. Grange Mutual said he could not discuss many of the details of the case, but he did say their goal is to take care of their insured. He thanked me for bringing this to their attention, as he feels my involvement helped get Mintz's claim processed quicker.

Mintz has hired a private adjustor to help him through this insurance claim. We will keep you updated on how things progress.