Insurance Quotes

[Les Martin. MCPF]

We have been enjoying/suffering a number of insurance claim quotes for old and new customers lately. The problem is the time taken to get the information together for some of the customer has not been recovered by doing the work. How do YOU handle this, with a percentage, fixed amount per piece, as deposit on job, non-refundable, ........? Plus no one seems in a hurry to get their items back? (storage?)

 

[Gregory K. Norris CPF]

I fell for these early on. Folks I had never seen would come in and ask for a written estimate. I suspected they were just trying to increase their payout on an insurance claim. They never returned with the work for me to do. I eliminated most of them by charging $25 for written estimates. If the claim is legitimate, the company almost always reimburses them.

Adjusters always want a lot of detail and usually a report in writing. Now I won't do them unless I am paid. I charge a minimum of $125 for one piece, then an additional $75 for each additional piece when I am assessing the damage in writing. I don't start the work until I am paid. Legitimate insurance claims have resulted in no push back from insurance companies. I also require that the name of the company and claim number be provided so I can address it to the adjuster. I do 6-7 a year.

I have a couple of contract adjusters I have worked with that represent insurance companies specializing in household movers. I don't know if they recommend me, but I have seen a steady increase in this kind of business. And no matter what they tell you, almost all of them have a credit card to pay for these kind of things over the phone. Otherwise, I wait for the check.

I have occasionally waived the charge for the insurance report for a regular customer that has had fire or flood damage. They almost always pay for the repair work in advance and are receiving a lump-sum settlement later from their insurance companies. I usually provide them with a report gratis.

 

[David Waldmann]

... not been recovered by doing the work.

If you are not making enough by doing the job, then you simply are not charging enough.

If you mean that the jobs you DO get don't cover the ones you DON'T get, then I would charge a fee for insurance quotes, that would be converted to a Deposit if the job is accepted.

 

[Robin Gentry MCPF]

Be sure you charge a fee for the assessment. Most insurance companies will pay for this fee. If you have to store the piece charge a storage fee. You must state this upfront. Get the adjusters name and number along with the claim number. You may want to contact the adjuster directly to get payment.

What we find is we do the claim then the client decides not to do any of the work or leaves the items for an extremely long amount of time before making any decisions. It takes up space and is an insurance liability. Be sure you take photos of the items to document the condition they arrived in and what you find when you are working with them.

Good Luck!