Why Public Adjusters Are Not Enemies of Independent Agents

March 5, 2010

  • March 10, 2010 at 10:11 am
    FightingSaints says:
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    Robby,

    “Sorry but your example of an inflated claim was not the best choice because of the very nature of the “Appraisal Clause”, which means the insured must accept an appraisal from a third party chosen by the INSURER.”

    With all due respect this is wrong. Not sure where you handle claims, but in the states I have handled claims, the insured doesn’t have to accept an appraisal from somebody the insurer chooses. The insurer and the insured pick their own “appraisers.” Those two then try to agree on a third person, mostly called an umpire. It is this umpire who makes the final decision.

    Do I disagree? Yes I do. The appraisal clause does not shut out the insured from anything. I have won (for lack of a better word) and lost cases that went to the appraisal clause. It gives both sides a cost-effective (cheap) way to resolve the dispute.

  • March 10, 2010 at 10:27 am
    steve says:
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    CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG

  • March 11, 2010 at 4:18 am
    Robby Robinson says:
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    Hey Steve
    A PA’s 10 % fees are paid out of any additional claim award negotiated by said PA , If PA is not able to increase the initial claim award, then the PA worked for free

  • March 11, 2010 at 4:21 am
    Robby Robinson says:
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    Correction, the preceding post should have been addressed to Shield

  • March 11, 2010 at 5:19 am
    Robby Robinson says:
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    FightingSaints

    while I was correct that the PA industry is lobbying against the validity and binding power of an appraisal clause, you are right and I am wrong about my specific statement on how an appraiser is chosen, I stand corrected !

  • March 12, 2010 at 9:16 am
    keep it real says:
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    The carrier has selective appraisers and the insured has not a clue. They know where there bread is buttered from.

  • March 17, 2010 at 5:59 am
    Mark Smith says:
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    George, if you are an IA or Staff employee then you have NOT been representing the insureds. WTF are you talking about – u really been adjusting for 20 years? U do not even know the definition of IA, Staff Adj and PA. The only people representing the insured are:
    1. Public Adjuster
    2. Attorney
    3. Contractor

    Of course each one of the 3 also have their own interests at heart. However, the insurer and its reps have much less of the insured’s interest at heart than any of the TRUE insured helpers above.

  • February 1, 2015 at 8:39 am
    Gary says:
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    I find it amazing too that there is so much negativism towards public adjusters. They and attorneys are the consumers ONLY choices to a low balled estimate, collusion with an contractor, or fighting the large insurance companies with their buildings full of money at the consumers expense. Is it fair that a consumer should have to pay for their services? No it is not. So how about after the PA proves the low ball estimate is wrong, watch as the carrier hired a different engineer to skew the record, or hired another adjuster to write a different estimate because they didn’t like the first one, that the carrier has to pay the PA fee because they tried to get by on the cheap? Further, the policy and statutes of your state require the doubt to be given to the insured. That rarely happens anymore, and it is their policy! Not all PAs are perfect, not all carrier reps are perfect, they all miss things, however, there is no excuse for the carrier that willfully minimizes a consumers claim for no other reason than the checkbook!



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