Although Allstate originally maintained that it hadn’t done anything wrong by using the image of a home ravaged by Sandy in an ad without obtaining permission from the couple who owned it, the insurance company says it’ll pull the image of that house. Besides the fact that the couple had no idea their home was in the commercial —which touts Allstate’s great customer service — they say Allstate is low-balling them on their insurance claim.

The couple said last week they’d been offered $10,000 for the damages sustained to their home, an offer they turned down because they believe the damage was caused by wind and not the storm surge. Allstate seems to be of the opinion that they’re out of luck because they didn’t have flood insurance.

A spokeswoman told the Chicago Tribune, in part:

“We have continued to reach out to the [the couple] to discuss their concerns and are committed to resolving the matter in accordance with the policy they purchased from our company. It is our understanding that the [couple] chose to drop their flood insurance policy before Sandy struck. We encourage our customers to consider flood insurance to protect themselves in ways that would not be covered under a homeowner’s policy.”

Translation? Too late, suckers.

While Allstate is pulling the ad, the company points out with a piece of paper-thin rhetoric that just because their home was in the commercial doesn’t mean the couple was necessarily satisfied. But why would a commercial bragging about customer service show unsatisfied policy holders?

“It does not reference them as customers or in any way imply they are satisfied with the status of their claim,”  the spokeswoman told the paper.”We regret any concern this advertisement may have caused the Trainas and images of their home will not be included in Allstate’s advertising.”

Allstate pulls Sandy ads showing home at center of dispute [Chicago Tribune]

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