R
Richard W. Wise
Guest
Getting an Appraisal; Part II; The games people play
by Richard W. Wise, G.G.
?2006
Jewelers sometimes use appraisals as sales documents. “I’ll sell it to you for $1,000.00 but I’ll give you an appraisal for $5,000.00.” The IRS defines value as what the willing buyer pays the willing seller. In this case we know the seller is more than willing and to entice the buyer he provides an appraisal document that inflates the value of the item sold. The replacement value is the price the buyer paid. It is difficult to believe that anyone would fall for this but they do. Not only is this practice unethical but over the long run the buyer pays through the nose.
Insurance premiums are based upon the replacement price stated in the appraisal document. Insurance companies are well aware of the practice of inflating value, a practice they could eliminate it with the stroke of a pen. They purposely choose not to do so. In fact they are more than willing participants in a defacto fraud that makes them huge profits.
Most insurance policies contain a clause that allows the company to replace a lost item with “like kind and quality.” Insurance companies maintain ongoing relationships with certain jewelers and manufacturers that allow them to buy at wholesale. You insure at retail, they replace at wholesale or in the case of the example sited above they collect a premium based on five times the retail price year after year and if a claim is filed they replace at their cost which may be a fraction of the insured value. READ ON: GemWise: www.gemwiseblogspotcom.blogspot.com
by Richard W. Wise, G.G.
?2006
Jewelers sometimes use appraisals as sales documents. “I’ll sell it to you for $1,000.00 but I’ll give you an appraisal for $5,000.00.” The IRS defines value as what the willing buyer pays the willing seller. In this case we know the seller is more than willing and to entice the buyer he provides an appraisal document that inflates the value of the item sold. The replacement value is the price the buyer paid. It is difficult to believe that anyone would fall for this but they do. Not only is this practice unethical but over the long run the buyer pays through the nose.
Insurance premiums are based upon the replacement price stated in the appraisal document. Insurance companies are well aware of the practice of inflating value, a practice they could eliminate it with the stroke of a pen. They purposely choose not to do so. In fact they are more than willing participants in a defacto fraud that makes them huge profits.
Most insurance policies contain a clause that allows the company to replace a lost item with “like kind and quality.” Insurance companies maintain ongoing relationships with certain jewelers and manufacturers that allow them to buy at wholesale. You insure at retail, they replace at wholesale or in the case of the example sited above they collect a premium based on five times the retail price year after year and if a claim is filed they replace at their cost which may be a fraction of the insured value. READ ON: GemWise: www.gemwiseblogspotcom.blogspot.com
