u/CarexCordata

For years, RPS has been using contracted busses to supplement their own service. This year, they dropped their contracts with Sunrise and First Student in favor of a Silicon Valley company called Zūm. Like most tech startups, they seem to be all flash with terrible execution. Which means I can use their sleek new app to monitor just how late every single ride has been.

My kids were 45 minutes late to the first day of school and 15 minutes late the second day. This week, they've thankfully arrived before the bell rings, but with only a few minutes to spare. The afternoon bus isn't even there when school gets out. After all the other busses have loaded up and taken off, the teachers have had to wait with our neighborhood kids at minimum 25 minutes for the Zūm bus to even show up. The first day, it was almost an hour. When it's pickup time and I check the app to see where the bus is, it's clear on the other side of town wrapping up a different route. Even four days in, I can use the app to watch these busses take wrong turns all over town as they ferry my kids to and from school.

I left a message on the Zūm app sharing my concerns and got a notification that I'd hear back within 48 hours. It's now Tuesday and I haven't heard anything. So, like a good Redditor I'm complaining here. This company has clearly stretched themselves too thin and not familiarized themselves with our city's infrastructure. I know busses always have a few hiccups the first couple days, but this is beyond ridiculous.

From a few conversations I've had, it sounds like this is a pretty common experience with Zūm so far. Anyone else having issues with them?

My home insurance policy is up for renewal, so I have been shopping around to see if I am getting the best deal. I currently have a policy with one of the big, super-bowl-commercial companies, and this time around I'm working with a few local brokers. Local brokers seem to have a better value, for the most part. The premiums are lower and the coverage is better, but the deductibles are slightly more. However, one of the most glaring differences I have noticed is that brokered insurance companies are adding a percentage deductible of around 1.5% for wind and hail damage. This means that if a storm destroys your roof, your deductible wouldn't be a flat rate, but rather 1.5% of the replacement cost for your entire home.

This is replacement cost, which is vastly more than home value. For instance, Zillow says my house is worth just under $250,000, but the replacement cost on the quoted insurance policy is closer to $775,000. If a storm mangled up my roof, I would then have to pay $11,625 before insurance lifts a finger.

So, here's my question: Why do some insurance companies add this wild deductible, but others don't?

It's no secret that we have had a lot of roof-destroying storms the last several years, with lots of construction companies coming in and getting insurance companies to give folks shiny new shingles. I'm told the percentage deductible is a new thing around here because insurance companies are trying to recoup their losses and prepare for future storms. So, this isn't a question of why they are adding it, but rather why some have it and some don't. Especially when brokers say that "everyone" is adding them these days. Does anyone with more insurance experience than me know what's going on?