Message from the Claims Desk 4.18.17

Good Morning Stewart Family,

Today is Tax Day which represents the deadline for filing taxes on income earned in 2016. Usually April 15th is the day taxes are due, but in 2017, that day falls on a Saturday and since the District of Columbia celebrated Emancipation Day yesterday April 17th, the tax deadline was pushed out to today Tuesday April 18th. The first ever tax deadline was created via the 16th Amendment which created income tax on February 3, 1913. Prior to that, our federal government collected all of its revenue from tariffs on imports and exports. This drove the price of everyday items up, and really hurt the middle class. So as you identify those deductions, let’s think about how we identify our damages as well.

This week I would like to talk about identifying damages on an inventory. Properly classifying damages is essential for us to avoid paying for damage that was pre-existing. Occasionally, I see where the driver has listed a pieced of furniture as being scratched in a certain location, yet the damage has depth and should be classified as a gouge or chip. These misclassifications result in us having to pay hundreds of dollars to have the entire piece refinished.

Now days, we use professional inspectors who compare the damages listed on the inventory to the damages they see on the furniture to determine whether or not it was pre-existing. So, we  got with Weathersby Guild, one of the nations largest furniture repair companies, and developed a picture guide to help properly classify damages.

So let’s all ensure that we understand the differences between scratches and gouges, and avoid paying for damages that we did not cause.

Cheers,

Robert Wright

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