"Hail, hail, the hail's all here!"

And thus began my June, 1999 column, concerning a reader's question on hail damage to siding.History is said to repeat itself, and herewith the proof. Recently, an e-mail wended its way to my inbox from alert reader Gary Malat of Rochester, Minn. Ostensibly, the legendary Lake Woebegon exists near Gary's neck of the north woods. The children may all be above average, but the insurance claims settlement procedures remain depressingly mediocre:

Hail damage to roofs. The HO policy pays to replace or repair the damaged shingles. Company A takes policy interpretation very literally and will proudly pay (a depreciated amount until the work is completed) for the damaged shingles, even if it's every other one. Company B takes a quick look and writes a check for the full cost of replacement. Company C measures a 10 x 10 representative section of the roof and determines compensation by the number of hail strikes within the section. The problem is not all companies use the same criteria–some require five strikes to replace the roof; others 10 or 15.Neighboritis is not a friend of the insurance agent. It is very challenging for an agent to explain to the insured that the threshold for the payment varies from one company to another.Insurance company claim departments have a history of paying for iffy claims. Why should a roof be so difficult to adjust?