Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Dude, Where's My Truck?

Stolen Truck Log:
Tuesday, October 13, 2015 

It was a brisk October morning. I was dressed and ready to head off to work. I opened up the garage door only to find, or rather not find, my truck. I know I parked right outside the garage, didn’t I? I walked outside because just maybe I’d parked it out in front of the house because I had hauled a trailer the day before. Nope… not in front of the house. Hmmmm…. Was it at the office? No, because I had to pick up Donna’s car to go pick her up at the airport so yes, the truck was at here, at my house last night before I went to bed. Right? 

I headed back inside to tell Donna, “My truck isn’t outside”, with the hopes of her telling me, “You left it at the office,” or anywhere but outside the house. Donna replied with exactly what I didn’t want her to reply with, “WHAT?!” So she gets on the phone to call the police and I head back out because just maybe I didn’t see it. Nope. Still gone so I waited for the police to arrive to take the report and went back inside and to wait on Donna to hitch a ride with her to the office. 

Later that afternoon:

While the search for my truck started, I now had a list of things to take care of:

1.     Call claims and figure out what the steps are for a stolen vehicle.
2.     Changing locks for keys that were in the truck. 
3.     Figure out what items in the truck were covered under what type of insurance: 
        Auto, Homeowners, Business, Umbrella, GAP?
4.     Was it worth a claim based on what was in the truck?  
5.     Sit and wait to see if the truck is recovered.

Most important was my family! After someone steals a vehicle off of your property there is a feeling of being violated and not feeling safe anymore.   It’s horrible to see them like that, so you bet precautions have been put in place now! 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Still no sign of the truck. The search continues…

We started the process of evaluating the truck value and processing paperwork for the insurance company to pay me for the truck. 

And now the search for a replacement starts............

UPDATE: Monday, November 2, 2015 
The truck has been found!!! The plates had been changed but it still had a particular sticker that I had made, and only a handful of people had that same sticker. Oh, and it was found in the Fort Worth area!!! You would think that if you’re going to steal someone’s truck, you might take the stickers off and NOT drive it in the same area that it was stolen from? Just thought… 

Since Farmers Insurance had already paid for the truck, they take possession of the recovered vehicle and sell it off to help recoup the expense of what they paid for the vehicle when it was considered a total loss.

Do you leave things in your vehicle? If it were to be stolen, how much trouble, time, and money will it take to replace those items? Besides you, will other people be affected? Will everything be covered under my current auto insurance? Homeowners? Business Insurance? My Umbrella policy? All or none of the above? These are all things we may not automatically think about if our vehicle were to be stolen. Let’s set up a Farmers Friendly Review and look over your policy to make sure it is still the right fit for you.


Most people think personal belongings in the vehicle are covered under their auto insurance but that isn't the case. Auto insurance covers only those things that belong as part of the auto. Your personal belongings are covered under most homeowners/renters policies as personal property off premise (and subject to limitations). For most people that means that the deductible could be high enough that claiming the stolen items inside the vehicle doesn't meet or barely meets the amount of their deductible. That's if the items belong to the person. If a business owns them then there could be even different issues. Is it worth it?


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

National Drunk Driving Prevention Month

 Jail ain't Jolly


With the end of November starting us off with Thanksgiving leading to December with office parties, visiting family for Christmas and more gatherings into the New Year. One gathering after another, sometimes driving to several different places during the holidays and maybe even enjoying a few festive adult beverages at each stop. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy the holiday’s with a beverage just make sure you have someone else drive.

In search of difference ways to sober up before you get behind the wheel, I went to the best place possible, the internet. If it’s on the internet then it’s true, right? Here’s a few drinking alcohol MYTHS that I found on Lifehacker.com:

1.      Drinking caffeine can sober you up – it may counter the sleepiness from drinking alcohol but it’s NOT going to sober you up.
2.      Having a bite to eat will soak up the alcohol and sober you up – maybe eating before you had alcohol and only if it was a few sips.
3.      Drinking kills brain cells – research shows this to be false but I don’t know. We all have that one friend. Just kidding.
4.      Once you “Break the Seal” you’ll be “going” more often – it’s not that you broke the seal, it’s the alcohol itself that makes you go more.
5.      One drink an hour keeps you sober enough to drive – we all process alcohol differently so this one is hard to measure.

To summarize, caffeine nor food will help you sober up, you just have to wait it out. You won’t lose any brain cells from drinking. Alcohol is what makes you “go” more. Instead of the “one drink an hour keeps you sober enough to drive” theory, go with the “better safe than sorry” theory.  

December is National Drunk Driving Prevention Month. No one likes to read about tragedies but it’s important to raise awareness. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, from December 1, 2013 – January 1, 2014, there are 2,367 DUI-alcohol traffic crashes in Texas resulting in 763 serious injuries and 92 fatalities. One life lost is too many but according to TxDOT, these numbers are down 8.9% compared to the same time frame as the previous year. Less is great but none is even better, especially since this can all be avoided.

There’s no excuse for driving under the influence. It’s against the law so why would you want to, especially when you have options:
1.      Call a taxi
2.      Get the Uber or Lyft app 
3.      Have a designated driver
4.      Take one for the team and you be the designated driver
5.      If you have to get out, make arrangement to stay at your destination

If you going to have an adult beverage, use these options. Don’t put your life or anyone else’s life in danger this holiday season. Have a safe and happy holiday season.




Are you an Uber or Lyft driver? Give the office a call today and let us make sure you have the right auto coverage because having the right insurance is NO accident.


Thursday, December 3, 2015

One More Week Until the The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza!!!

Join us for a night of fun and festivities! We will have.....

Senior Angel Tree (Adopt a local senior citizen)
Pictures with Santa from 6:30 - 7:30 (FREE)
Shopping with local vendors (Scentsy, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Younique, Jamberry, Stella and Dot, Doterra Oils, Massage Gift Certificates by Tara Hayden, Clothing Boutique, Pampered Chef, Princess House,  and more)
Wine tasting with Sarah
Can food drive to support Community Storehouse
Food and beverages.

Make plans to stop by, we know it's a busy time of year, but you can get some Christmas shopping done and see some great people

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Prepping Your Home for Winter Weather

I know… I know… It’s only been cool for a week or so and it’s probably too soon to put up the summer clothes with our unpredictable weather. Even so, why not be one step ahead of the game and at least get our homes ready for winter? Better to be ahead than behind, right?

Start off by doing a walk through of your house, inside and outside. Check the windows and doors, specifically for drafts. You don’t want any warm air going out and you certainly don’t want any cold air coming in. You also want to check for breaks or cracks in your pipes and then cover them up with insulation to prevent them from breaking or cracking if it were to freeze this winter.

When’s the last time your gutters have been cleaned out? Now is the time to give them a check and clean them out to prevent damage to your home in a freeze. If you don’t get them cleaned out, melting ice and snow can get into your home through the roof or even flood your home because of full gutters not letting the melted ice or snow drain. While you’re cleaning your gutters or if you have your gutters cleaned by a professional, have them check out your roof as well for any damage. If there is damage to your roof and a snow or ice storm happens, once it all starts to melt, those damaged areas have the potential to let water seep into the roof and cause damage to the inside of your home. 

If you have a fireplace you should have that checked as well. Make sure that birds have not built nests in there and that you don’t have build up from last year’s cozy fireplace time. I’ve heard it said that chimney’s should be cleaned once a year, depending on how much you use it. Most companies will inspected it while they are there to clean it as well, checking the integrity of the chimney and making sure all is secure and clean before you use it.

STOCK UP... Our family made the mistake of not completely stocking up the year of Icemageddon back in 2013. We honestly didn’t think it was going to be that bad. Thank goodness we aren’t too far from a 7-11. We really needed to get out of the house anyway so we bundled up and made the trek on foot to stock up on as many things as we could carry. When Icemageddon of 2014 was on its way, WE WERE READY! Mental note taken and we were not going to get caught without supplies this time. Stocking up not just on the food but on batteries, wood for your clean fireplace in case the power goes out, candles, board and card games. It’s good to have these around your house once the weather starts to get cold that way you don’t have to fight the crowds. Avoid the madness and be prepared just in case there's an Icemageddon III. 

While the weather is nice, turn on your heater and open up your windows. Let your home air out from the funky smell the heater lets out when you turn on the heater for the first time. 

For more information on prepping your home for the winter, check out, “Winter Weather Home Maintenance Checklist” and the picture below.





The information contained in this page is provided for general informational purposes only. 

Thursday, November 5, 2015

The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza




Join us for a night of fun and festivities!
Thursday, December 10th from 4:30pm - 8:30pm

Farmers Insurance, The Kirkwood Agency
130 E Hill St.
Keller TX 76248

We will have.....
Senior Angel Tree (Adopt a local senior citizen)
Pictures with Santa from 6:30 - 7:30 (FREE)
Shopping with local vendors (Scentsy, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Ramon's Swag Bags, Younique, Stella and Dot, Doterra Oils, Massage Gift Certificates by Tara Hayden, Clothing Boutique, Pampered Chef, Princess House and more)
Wine tasting with Sarah
Can food drive to support Community Storehouse
Food and beverages

Make plans to stop by, we know it's a busy time of year, but you can get some Christmas shopping done and see some great people!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Hydroplaning

As we all know, if you live in Texas, expect the unexpected when it comes to the weather. It can be pouring rain one minute, stop raining and the ground dry as dry can be a few minutes later as if nothing ever happened. It’s the strangest thing but that’s how it goes.

Driving in the pouring rain can be difficult, especially if it’s coming down so hard that your windshield wipers can’t keep up with it. The more it rains the faster the wipers go and it’s just an overall distraction. And then there’s the possibility of hydroplaning. Now that is scary!

Our first instinct is to slam on the brakes which is not the right thing to do. Slamming on the brakes will just make matters worse, locking up the brakes and could also cause you to spin out. Hitting the gas is not the way to go either. Remaining clam is the first thing to do, point your vehicle straight and let it slow down on its own.

Driving like a NASCAR driver is not the way to drive in the rain. No one is saying to drive at a snail’s pace but slow it down. Driving at a high speed can cause you to hydroplane. If the tread on your tires is worn, that also could put you at a higher risk. You can check the tread with a penny by placing it upside down in the tread of the tire. If you can’t see Lincoln’s head, your tread is good. If you can see his head, I’d consider looking into buying new tires.

Cruise control when it’s raining is a no-no. Your vehicle does not know when it’s raining and won’t know to slow down when there’s water in the road. With your car in cruise control the water could cause your car to appear to be slowing down and therefore causing the cruise control to speed your car up. It’s always better for you to be in control of your vehicle, especially if it’s raining so give the cruise control a break.

Vehicle speed, tire tread and weather all can contribute to causing your car to hydroplane. Farmers posted a great article, Hydroplaning. What it is and how to avoid it with more detailed information and helpful tips on what hydroplaning is and how to prevent it. 

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Teal Pumpkins At Halloween? What Do They Mean?


There seems to be more people effected by food allergies, especially nut allergies, these days. Peanut allergies are so bad that most if not all schools are nut free zones.  That has to be scary for parents during this time of year with Halloween and trick or treating.

In an effort to protect food allergy sensitive children, an organization called FARE or Food Allergy Research & Education came up The Teal Pumpkin Project. What they came up with is, to show homes have an alternative to candy, they place a teal pumpkin outside their homes. How cool is that? These homes have a bucket of candy and a separate bucket with stuff that’s not food like bubbles, stickers, things that glow, pencils, erasers, crayons, etc.

No one wants to feel left out, especially for something that is out of their control. I encourage you to participate and put out a teal pumpkin for those children that have food allergies. If you don’t have a teal pumpkin, have a sign saying you have nonfood items as well as candy.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!


For more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project and a list of non-food items, go to http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project.