I worked for an insurance company for 13 years first as an underwriter then as an underwriting manager. It is true that there are and have been companies that deny claims at the drop of a hat and are more difficult to deal with however it was not uncommon to receive phone calls from customers who had no idea what the policy they were paying for covered or didn't cover. Now you can lay that at the feet of the agent for not explaining it thoroughly but ultimately it is the consumers responsibility to know what they're buying and how their property is covered, ex: actual cash value vs replacement cost.