Many of my articles, posts, webpages, etc. start off with “Most people believe…”. I’ve tried to think of other ways to explain to people that things are not always as they seem – or appear as they should. Well, with insurance policies, insurance claims, and the insurance industry – many people find themselves scratching their heads with disbelief when they finally suffer damage to their property.

So, here I go again… Most people believe that when they buy insurance, they will be taken care of when, and if, a tragedy occurs. It’s really quite simple.

1. We purchase insurance.
2. We have been paying for coverage for over X-amount of years.
3. When we have a claim the insurance company will be eager to help us and fulfill there part of the bargain.

Pretty simple… Right? If only it was that easy.

I just read an interesting article. The article was written by an insurance adjuster who specializes and trains other insurance industry adjusters on how to provide “excellent customer service”. Basically, he is known as a customer service expert in the insurance industry. He stated that back in 2001, he was giving a speech about customer service to a group of claim representatives. After his speech, an insurance adjuster approached him and stated, “I disagree with everything you said, Mr. Van.”   I’ll let Mr. Van explain what happened next… (The block below is from the actual article.)

(Van) Puzzled, I asked, “Everything?”

(Adjuster) “Yes; everything.”

(Van) So I asked him, “Like what?”

(Adjuster) “You said we should be nice to customers, and show them respect?”

(Van) “You disagree with that?”

(Adjuster) “Yes, and you said we should be patient with customers and show them you care about helping them.”

(Van) “You disagree with that?”

(Adjuster) “YES!”

(Van) When I asked him why he would disagree with my point about being nice to customers, he said,

(Adjuster) “Because you’re talking about the enemy.”

WOW! It’s hard to fathom that an insurance adjuster would think his customer’s are his enemy. Now, I’m not saying that “every” insurance company adjuster feels that you, the insurance company’s customer, is the enemy. However, many do feel that way. Who trains these people to think this way? This particular insurance adjuster has obviously not been trained correctly, and he actually is entitled to feel however he wants to. That being said, if an adjuster’s attitude deems the customer to be the enemy, then there is an overwhelming chance they are going to treat them as the enemy.

It is actually the insurance adjuster’s job to seek and find, any and all coverage that the policyholder is entitled to under the policy. Did you get that? (Go ahead, read it again… I’ll wait.) Yes, it’s the insurance adjuster’s  job to visit your property, find all the damages you have suffered, and pay for any and all costs associated with the damages incurred. Almost all people that I come in contact with, on a daily basis, do not feel that their adjuster has attempted to provide them that service.

Again, there are many excellent adjusters out there that are doing the job the way it’s supposed to be done. Unfortunately, such adjusters are few and far between. It’s your property, don’t let anyone treat you like the enemy after you have prepaid them to provide you with a service.

You’re not alone. If you feel your adjuster in not providing good customer service, ask them for their Supervisor’s contact information. Read your policy, ask questions, talk to someone with knowledge, and get answers.

Get your questions answered by an independent appraiser, at no cost, 919-669-9111.

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(C) Joe Brennan is President and owner/operator of Insurance Claims Group, Inc., a national independent adjusting, appraisal, and umpiring firm. We will answer your claim questions FREE as part of our FREE Insurance Advice and Insurance Claim Consulting Services.

Insurance Claims Group, Inc.
Joe Brennan
Ph: 919-669-9111
Fx: 919-573-9595
info@insuranceclaimsgroup.com

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