Insurance Articles

There has been an explosion of mobile devices that can access the Internet. Mobile Internet access began before the iPhone, but prior to Apple's introduction of this landmark device, most mobile web users were accessing the Internet on devices designed specially for business, specifically smart phones from Blackberry and Palm. But then Apple made mobile web access a consumer game as well.

And once Google entered the mobile scene with their Android operating system, consumer mobile web access shot up again. According to a report from big data analyst Flurry, Android and iOS, smart phones have captured a 55 percent share of the U.S. smart phone market.

Of course, mobile isn't confined just to smart phones. In February of 2012, Apple's Tim Cook mentioned that Apple had sold 55 million iPads to-date, and Google and others have entered this arena as well.

We know an increasing number of our New York business and personal insurance clients are surfing the web on mobile devices now. We anticipated this trend from day one by providing you with a mobile version of our website. You don't need to do anything special to access either our smart phone or tablet version website, our servers will automatically detect your mobile device and serve up the appropriate website for fast service and access to information.

If you haven't already done so, you may want to bookmark our website on your mobile device. Ready access may come in handy for several reasons:

• You may be out of town and realize you need to pay your bill. Most of our insurance companies have online bill payment options and all those links are available from the Billing page of our website.
• The mobile websites come with instructions for auto and home claims as well as all the 800 numbers for claim reporting. Think of your smart phone as your glove box claim kit.
• We also have detailed product lists, Quote forms, insurance videos, cell phone interactive driving directions. (depending on your device) and much more.

Answers to those questions are just a click away on your tablet or phone.

Earth Day is April 22, 2012. It's a time for those of us in New York to celebrate the miraculous beauty of our precious planet and all its offerings, as well as to make changes to our own habits and lives that will help to preserve the earth for many generations to come. Making such changes will not only benefit the planet; they will benefit you, and all of its present and future inhabitants.

Remember to make sure your home and auto insurance policies reflect the earth-friendly steps you are taking in your life.

New York Home Insurance

• Before making green modifications to your home, such as adding solar panels or wind turbines, check with your state insurance department to find out if you are required to insure them. If you are, make sure that your coverage can be extended to these renovations.
• If you are already working to make your home meet the U.S. Green Building Council or LEED certification, make sure that your homeowner's policy will cover the costs of replacing the green upgrades you've been making to your dwelling. This way, you can avoid paying out of pocket to keep your home green when certain aspects need replacing.
• Look into green homeowners' policies specially tailored to cover either the actual cash value or replacement costs of rebuilding a certified green home or upgrading from a traditional home to a green one.
• Green homeowners' policies vary. Some will enable you to make home repairs using green materials; others might cover earth-friendly demolition and debris removal. Such policies are not available in all states.

New York Auto Insurance

• Bike or walk instead of driving. This helps save resources, and saves you money. If you reduce the amount of driving you do, let your auto insurance provider know; it may significantly lower your monthly premium.
• Pay-as-you-drive policies are available in some states, and these are ideal for people who will decrease the amount of driving they do. A data-logging device is installed in your car; it keeps track of the number of miles you drive and enables the provider to calculate a corresponding, fair premium.
• Buying a hybrid vehicle? It's a smart idea, as you'll burn less fuel and benefit from a federal tax incentive. Check with your provider to find out how the change will affect your policy; many companies offer discounts to owners of hybrid cars, and this can offset the increase in your premium that may result from switching from a used car to a new one.
• If you participate in a car-sharing program, in which members can use a car for a couple of hours or a day, look into a non-owners liability insurance policy. This will cover you when driving either a borrowed vehicle or a car share vehicle.

Call or contact John G. Lambros Co., Inc. today for more information about up-to-date insurance plans.

Do you consider yourself one of those people to whom nothing is shocking? Have you seen and heard it all? Do you merely roll your eyes, unsurprised and unimpressed, at the quirks and foibles of your fellow humans?

Perhaps you should consider working at an insurance company, because in such an environment you'd be bound to hear at least a few stories to make you raise your eyebrows in wonderment...whether at the stories themselves or at the imagination required to come up with such tales. Yes, strange claims abound, and surprisingly enough, not all of them are pure fiction.

Crazy Claims

The Gardener and the Camel

A green-thumbed fellow was leaving his favorite nursery just in time to see a passing camel-yes, a camel-kick and damage his car in the manner of a no-account, adolescent vandal with a giant chip on his shoulder. Needless to say, the man's insurance company was dubious, but it just so happened that a local television crew had unwittingly caught the humpbacked hell-raiser on tape! The gardener's insurance covered the damage to his car.

The Cow and the Car on the Coast

In another true tale involving a large animal and a vehicle, a fisherman who had been enjoying a sporting weekend on the salty coast discovered a cow lavishing his car with long, affectionate licks. In fact, the cow was enjoying all the tasty salt residue that had built up on the car during its seaside travels and, in licking it from one end to another, had managed to ruin all the rubber trim. It is unknown whether the folks at the insurance company agreed to pay for replacement rubber after they stopped laughing.

The Robber Who Ate Dog Food...and Got Paid!

A burglar broke into a house and managed to lock himself in the garage. Since the homeowners were out of town, he was stuck in there for over a week, subsisting on dog kibble and warm soda pop. Inexplicably, when his ordeal was over, the man managed to file and win an insurance claim against the owners of the house for undue mental anguish.