"I don't talk to the adjuster"

       The newest trend amongst certain restoration professionals that you’re starting to hear is more is “I don’t negotiate with the carrier”. They state that their bill and contract are with the homeowner and it isn’t their job to argue, negotiate or educate an adjuster on why they are billing the amount they are. If the carrier fails to pay, it’s on the homeowner to make up whatever difference there may be.    

         I get it, years of fighting and spending wasted time explaining something to a person who doesn’t care or care to know the thing you’re explaining can get tiring. Having an adjuster fail to pay for work done out of nothing more than their complete ignorance and boot-licking of their billion-dollar company is frustrating. However, leaving homeowners to fend for themselves isn’t the answer.       As an industry, we need to unite with policyholders against the carrier. For every claim I’ve ever worked on, I have taken the approach of me and you (the homeowner) against them because that is the reality of the situation. It’s also it’s the most rewarding part of the job. I don’t go to work every day only looking for a paycheck, I want to make an impact.      

 This was put on display last week as a California judge ruled in favor of a contractor who was suing Allstate for denied O/P. The contractor had an Assignment of Benefits issued to him and he went after the carrier. Because that’s what we do, he didn’t turn to the homeowner to collect his 10/10. He fought for himself and the industry setting a precedent to get rid of the imaginary 3 trades rule and hopefully putting millions back in the hands of contractors as we move forward from this ruling.    

    I won’t tell anyone how to run their business, but I will say it makes us no better than the carrier when we leave policyholders who lack any knowledge of the industry to fend for themselves. The me-first approach will not enrich restoration, only hurt it and the collateral damage that exists when someone uses the wrong wording and ultimately gets denied is on us.

    To those that say I was adjusting claims without a license when I was fighting for policyholders to get what they deserved, I’ll first point out I’m legally allowed to speak on the scope of work and cost of that scope. Secondly, I’ll note, passing a state-administered test doesn’t mean you’re qualified to talk on a claim. Lastly, I don’t care.

Feel free.

https://www.insurance.pa.gov/Consumers/insurance-complaint/Pages/default.aspx

As a restoration professional, it’s your job to follow IICRC standards, not the guidelines of the carrier. Don’t do their jobs for them