bettershutters.com
Frequently Asked Questions/Insurance Questions
Call us today: 305 266 2100
1. Are all accordion shutters the same?
A. No. There are as many types of accordion shutters as there are types of windows. Some are stronger than others. Choosing the right accordion shutter can make a big difference in price.
2. How many mile an hour winds are our shutters rated for?
A. Our High Velocity Accordion Shutter has been tested up to 175 Miles Per hour High Velocity Zone, which is where Miami Dade County is located.
3. What "Gauge" are our shutters?
A. Our shutters have many different components. Some are thicker than
others. For Example, our accordion shutter tracks are very heavy duty. They are
as thick as 3/16 of one inch, which is very thick for a track. The blades are
about 1/8", but the joints are over 3/16".
4. Are we licensed and insured?
Absolutely.
5. Do we give free estimates?
A. Yes. But only within a 15-mile radius of our location in Miami Dade County.
Outside of that area we may charge for the estimate, but in most cases the fee is credited toward your payments for any work that you get done by our company.
6. Do we have a minimum fee?
A. Yes we do. The minimum for a visit, such as a repair is $150.
7. Do we finance?
A. About two years ago, we became associated with the LightStream® financing program and financing options are available through the programs offered by LightStream®.
8. Are our products approved by Miami Dade County?
A. Yes they are. All our hurricane shutters are certified by NAMI.
9. Do we do repairs and maintenance on shutters?
A. Yes we do. Many commercial and residential customers call us to help them when they have trouble with their shutters, or when the shutters just need regular maintenance.
10. Do we service Broward and Monroe?
A. We service South Broward County and North Monroe County.
11. Do we have references?
A. Absolutely.
12. How many years have we been in the business?
A. We have been in the business for over 25 years.
13. Do we have more products other than shutters?
A. Yes we do. We have aluminum roofs, screen enclosures as well as patio enclosures. Please visit these pages to get more information.
14. Can we contact you via e mail?
A. Yes you can. Just click on the "Contact us" link on the menu and follow the instructions.
We are getting an unprecedented demand for storm panels and accordion shutters to cover one or two openings. Naturally many homeowners are upset that they are "being made" to do this or their coverage will be dropped. Windstorm mitigation companies have gotten stricter when it comes to this insurance. We have
therefore prepared this short list of frequently asked questions for this subject:
1. Why am I being made to cover openings that were never an issue before?
A. Windstorm Insurance companies don't want to run out of money as some of them did back during Hurricane Andrews wake. They have become stricter and want to make sure that the chances of wind or wind borne debris damage is kept to an irreducible minimum. That really is the bottom line.
Glass block openings that have been done according to code aren't actually required to have hurricane shutters by many municipalities. Glass block is considered "wind mitigation". But now insurance companies disagree and require shutters here.
2. Is there a set criteria now, or will it keep changing?
A. Our experience has been that they are rather constant now and this is what they look for:
I. All shutters need to be either stamped (storm panels) or labeled (accordions and roll up shutters). This even includes impact glass. these markings or engravings must show a Notice of Acceptance before they are considered "wind mitigation".
II. All doors that "open in" no longer meet the building code standards, and therefore require shutters.
III. All garage doors that do not meet any type of wind mitigation criteria need to be changed to code or shuttered.
IV. Insurance companies will inspect and recommend action to be taken to correct the problems. Once these problems are corrected, they will re-send either the same or another inspector to make sure the issues were corrected. Inspectors oftentimes require the Notice of Acceptance paperwork or a marking or label as proof.
3. Do we assist homeowners with this process?
A. Yes we do. As covered earlier, we have been doing a lot of these retrofits.
You can also follow the link below for other questions about possible discounts given by Windstorm and/or Homeowner's insurance :
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