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| Image courtesy of flickr.com |
Like many other Americans, this week the family and I are on
our last vacation of the summer. Vacation is a bit different for me as a
business owner versus my decades as an employee for a large national insurance
company. Back when I worked as an employee of the insurance company, I could
just go. My job and the office would be there when I returned, but I didn’t
have to worry about work while I was away on vacation. Now when I go on
vacation, I have to be sure to take my phone and laptop (and chargers) with me,
both of which allow me to communicate in various ways with coworkers, insureds,
and others. With the systems we use, I can work virtually from anywhere, as
long as I can connect to a network, or get Wi-Fi, without missing a beat.
In fact, just yesterday, as I was completing the last
driving leg of our trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, I got a call from an
adjuster I was expecting to hear from the day before, and in just less than 10
minutes at highway speeds, we were able to settle the claim. My insured, Ms.
“P”, will be very happy. Ms. “P” suffered a water leak in April when the shower
valve in her daughter’s bathroom sprang a leak in the wall cavity between the
bathroom and the laundry room. They immediately shut off the water and called a
plumber, who located and repaired the source of the leak. She then called a
contractor who extracted the water and dried the structure. In the meantime,
Ms. “P” got a closet-full of shoes out of her daughter’s room, and began drying
and cleaning them. A few days later, the insurance adjuster showed up, and Ms.
“P” said she could tell it was not going to go well from the start. The
adjuster began by saying he needed photos of odd things, like the mailbox, and
the exterior of the home (none of which had any damage or were related to the
claim in any way). The adjuster suggested the water was leaking for “quite some
time” and questioned the insured’s truthfulness regarding certain aspects of
the claim.
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| Image courtesy of flickr.com |
Sure enough, about a week later, the insured was officially
told her claim would be denied because the insurance company felt the water
leak was an ongoing maintenance issue that occurred for weeks or months, and
not just hours or days as the insured had claimed. Fortunately for Ms. “P”, her
water restoration contractor told her about me, and one month after the leak
was discovered, she hired me to help recover on the claim. As soon as I saw the
damages, exactly as the insurance company adjuster saw them, I knew with
certainty the loss should have been covered. I took my photos, made some notes,
and had an estimate prepared. The estimate was sent in to the insurance company
with a request to meet with an adjuster (either the same one, or a new one).
They sent a new one, about a month later. When we met back at the house, the
adjuster acknowledged he was not familiar with the claim, or why it was not
covered, but assured us he would consider it with “fresh eyes”. I remained sure
the claim would be paid. Ms. “P” was encouraged, but not yet convinced. Until
today, when I communicated (via email from 3 states away), the general terms of
the agreement the adjuster and I came to in the car yesterday. He confirmed
they agreed to fully cover the claim, and even agreed to the vast majority of
my estimate, plus something to compensate the insured for saving and cleaning
her daughter’s shoes.
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While on vacation, the TVs where we are staying are
programmed to have the weather channel appear when the TVs are turned on. For
most guests, I imagine this is so the visiting tourists can check the weather
and plan their days. Of course, for me, I get to see where the storms are, and
remain in “work-mode”. Today, for example, I see Tropical Storm Earl is heading
for Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and that Maryland is recovering from recent
heavy flooding. So, while my family is at a local theme park, I am taking the
day off from vacationing to catch up on some emails and write this blog.
Tomorrow, though, it is back to family vacation fun, I promise – but I may need
to take a work call or two, and check email and text every few hours. And I
wouldn’t have it any other way. I love that I can help people any day of the
week, no matter where I am!
That's the problem with technology. It allows you to be at the office anywhere.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt almost seems like the adjusters say no reflexively when they see a claim. With a PA, consumers can find their way to a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteAnother client saved from wranglings of an insurance co. by a good public adjuster. Whats weird is that insurance companies refer to public adjusters as the dark-side. The way I see it, the insurance company is the dark side - at minimum they aren't on your side.
ReplyDeleteGlad it had a good ending, without having to go to litigation.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a familiar story..."leaking for some period of time." In fact, it's the first curve ball insurance adjusters use to deny a water-damage claim. Persistence however, with the right representation can make all the difference.
ReplyDelete