RE: If you had to...
|
Logged in as: Guest
|
NOTICE: We are no longer using this forum for discussions. Please follow the links to the new forums.
Catastrophe Central-The Adjuster's Forum : Community Center- Forums
New Site Registration : New Site Login
Login  | |
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 8:18:41 PM
|
|
|
olderthendirt
Posts: 570
Joined: 4/19/2004
Home base: homeless
Status: offline
|
What do you want to become, a professional cat adjuster or a cat adjustment technician.
_____________________________
Still sliding down the razor blade of life
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 8:48:10 PM
|
|
|
margar
Posts: 241
Joined: 3/18/2006
Home base: Benton, KY
Status: offline
|
Les
I agree totally it is this kind of thinking that is driving the independence out of indepent adjusting. When showing up at the storm site I want to know what the ground rules are. The carrier will set the rules and then I will do my best to play by those rules. There have been instances where I have not always agreed pricing, soft cost or fluff etc. still they basically call the shots. However to have someone making my appointments and setting my schedule is ludicrous. There is a special gifted group that fit right into this and they are called staff. They have made the decision to operate under these guidelines and are compensated with car, laptop, and salary.
It is this kind of thinking that is going to drive this industry in the ground. It seems like we are constantly backing up and giving more and more. The idea of giving up our independence to a company scheduler is wrong. The diary entries and numerous other forms and contact info is plenty.
I will get off my soapbox now as the smoke is starting to come outta my ears!
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 9:35:39 PM
|
|
|
gordon1
Posts: 89
Joined: 9/16/2004
Status: offline
|
It would also be nice to get claims in the same zip codes instead of driving all over Timbuktu to only scope 3 claims in a day.Have had storm assignments where I was all over the place as well as the other adjusters on site. Not very productive when you could narrow territories down, so adjusters get certain zip codes & if the work dries up than start giving them another zip code(s) to work-They wonder why you can't close claims faster, when they have you driving all over G-d's creation, wasting time in your vehicle.One would think assignment by zip code would be common sense, but as we all know this industry is lacking in that area.Without being rude, we are 2 inches away from being staff adjusters at this phase of the cycle. Otherwise, we would be allowed to adjust claims as we saw fit & truly be independents providing our objective opinions. For instance, the use of "soft" charges may be necessitated on a small claim because who can get a contractor to come out for a minimum charge nowadays. I happen to resent the use of the term "soft" because if I am a contractor and my guys have to set up dust protection, it costs me money to have them do it, so my contracting company should be reimbursed for it.Time is money and I know of no one who is in any business to do things for free. The insurance industry is relentlessly trying to get things for free, for which they are not entitled to. If I were to bring my truck to a repair shop for a tune up, I wouldn't dare say you can't charge me extra to check my brakes or I would be told to take my vehicle & shove it.A fine example of this in the insurance end is preparing Insured to Value reports. This is an underwriting job & not that of an adjuster. Property appraisal companies charge people for this as part of their package when you are buying a house. I have seen only once in 15 years where an insurer has paid extra for the ITV.The insurer has had 10 years to see if Mrs. Jones' house was insured to value. Now that she has a claim, they want to penalize her because they failed to do a proper underwriting inspection. Homey don't play that.If I am going to invest $300,000.00 in a business, or bet on a horse, you bet your butt I am going to do as much research as possible before I plunk down my $300k.Why can't they? Simple, they expect it for free.Sorry, but I get carried away. We are no longer in a customer service oriented business, which is what we really should be worrying about (as an industry). Sadly enough, the industry has become totally focused on cutting corners.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 9:35:48 PM
|
|
|
jflora
Posts: 7
Joined: 3/1/2006
Status: offline
|
...improve one thing about the adjusting process for a catastrophic storm, what would it be?
Answer: Currently - Find a CAT to adjust.
_____________________________
If at first you don't suceed, use a bigger hammer.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 9:40:54 PM
|
|
|
RedSupraT
Posts: 274
Joined: 10/31/2004
Status: offline
|
Was a staffer for several years and NEVER was told when or what time I had to be at a loss nor was an appointment ever set for me.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 10:19:09 PM
|
|
|
margar
Posts: 241
Joined: 3/18/2006
Home base: Benton, KY
Status: offline
|
Red
My apologies I am speaking outside of my realm when referring to the criteria of a staff adjuster . I have never worked as a staff adjuster or care to. I guess I should rephrase to say that this type of thinking as far as scheduling is more along the lines of a staffed position which we are not.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 11:04:16 PM
|
|
|
trader
Posts: 1203
Joined: 4/19/2004
Home base: Houston, TX
Status: offline
|
If we become unhappy with the amount of work we have to do that someone else should have do before we get the file and then have to do their work and save us some time to make more money for less time spent on the file ?
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 11:11:13 PM
|
|
|
trader
Posts: 1203
Joined: 4/19/2004
Home base: Houston, TX
Status: offline
|
I think the large and small insurance company's should use FICUS to do the inspections on catastrophe losses and let the non whining IA's work in the office and stop all this abuse and the super human work that is required to make a living wage.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:07:31 AM
|
|
|
Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: FloridaBoy
quote:
ORIGINAL: aporco
Kevin is absolutely correct about contacting HR. Under FloridaBoy's scenario, we all become employees. The company has every right to set the parameters of the final product, but when they start setting appointments and telling IAs when to be at the loss site we have become employees (IRS rules and WC rules in most states). The good news is your FICA tax will be cut in half and you'll be covered when injured on the job.
Agreed. I'll be damned if someone is going to set my appointments... unless they put me on salary.
Twenty?, forty? years from now, this business will have aspects that will make today's adjuster seem "horse-and-buggy."
When I worked for IBM in the seventies, a computer programmer dropped a box of about 500 punched cards--the computer instructions to be read into a 2540 card reader of those mainframe days. The cards scattered to the floor in front of about thirty ladies sitting at key punch machines, punching the instructions into each card. While others helped pick up the scattered, out of sequence punch cards, someone said something like, "If we could hook up a magnetic disk to a keyboard we could bypass this whole punch card process with programmers who type fast."--loud enough for the ladies to hear. I'll never forget the look on some of those ladys' faces.
t
< Message edited by Action -- 10/2/2006 12:37:45 AM >
_____________________________
Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:18:35 AM
|
|
|
rass3742
Posts: 131
Joined: 7/6/2005
Home base: Spokane, WA
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: margar
Red
My apologies I am speaking outside of my realm when referring to the criteria of a staff adjuster . I have never worked as a staff adjuster or care to. I guess I should rephrase to say that this type of thinking as far as scheduling is more along the lines of a staffed position which we are not.
Mark,
I think that was Red's point: Even as a staff adjuster, we didn't have anyone setting appointments for us. I've spent about 8 1/2 years as a staffer; I couldn't imagine having had any sense of proficiency if I had to inspect based on someone else's scheduling. They would have no way of knowing what I had in the hopper at any given time.
_____________________________
Things are never so bad they couldn't be worse.
Count your blessings.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:27:40 AM
|
|
|
Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
|
Margar;
So you're a status quo guy with smoking ears? No new ideas?
I've been making appointments and keeping them for thirty-five years. I think I'll hire me a secretary and let her do that for me now (if I want to). I'll talk to the insured ASAP. ;)
_____________________________
Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:33:25 AM
|
|
|
Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: jflora
...improve one thing about the adjusting process for a catastrophic storm, what would it be?
Answer: Currently - Find a CAT to adjust.
Heh, good one. That Colorado forecaster is pretty quiet these days.
_____________________________
Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:52:49 AM
|
|
|
trader
Posts: 1203
Joined: 4/19/2004
Home base: Houston, TX
Status: offline
|
A few years ago I was working for a large IA in Houston who worked overflow and large losses far a very large Homeowners insurer. The carrier would make appointments for their Homeowners staff appraisers starting at 0700 to 1700 in one and one half hour windows by key map pages in 4 compass point around the city.
Our quadrant was NW. At 1600 each day the carrier would call the manager and the manager would call us and ask each adjuster how many we could handle the next day and how early the first one was. I/We would give our answer and 2, 3 or 4 losses would on our home fax machine when we got home with the appointment time set with the homeowner. We had to phone the homeowner if we were going to be more than 10 min. late.
Now these were overflow losses that we agreed to work for a fee, if the assigned staff adjuster could not work for some reason. I was grateful for the work then and I am today.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 10:20:05 AM
|
|
|
FloridaBoy
Posts: 98
Joined: 8/15/2004
Home base: Ft. Myers, Florida
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: trader
A few years ago I was working for a large IA in Houston who worked overflow and large losses far a very large Homeowners insurer. The carrier would make appointments for their Homeowners staff appraisers starting at 0700 to 1700 in one and one half hour windows by key map pages in 4 compass point around the city.
Our quadrant was NW. At 1600 each day the carrier would call the manager and the manager would call us and ask each adjuster how many we could handle the next day and how early the first one was. I/We would give our answer and 2, 3 or 4 losses would on our home fax machine when we got home with the appointment time set with the homeowner. We had to phone the homeowner if we were going to be more than 10 min. late.
Now these were overflow losses that we agreed to work for a fee, if the assigned staff adjuster could not work for some reason. I was grateful for the work then and I am today.
I had a long term temp assignment with that carrier and their own estimators were O/K/ with the arrangement. No coverage was discussed and they just appraised the damage. However, in a production environment, i.e. a storm.
I'd rather set my appointments.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 10:27:21 AM
|
|
|
FloridaBoy
Posts: 98
Joined: 8/15/2004
Home base: Ft. Myers, Florida
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: gordon1
It would also be nice to get claims in the same zip codes instead of driving all over Timbuktu to only scope 3 claims in a day.Have had storm assignments where I was all over the place as well as the other adjusters on site. Not very productive when you could narrow territories down, so adjusters get certain zip codes & if the work dries up than start giving them another zip code(s) to work-They wonder why you can't close claims faster, when they have you driving all over G-d's creation, wasting time in your vehicle.One would think assignment by zip code would be common sense, but as we all know this industry is lacking in that area.Without being rude, we are 2 inches away from being staff adjusters at this phase of the cycle. Otherwise, we would be allowed to adjust claims as we saw fit & truly be independents providing our objective opinions. For instance, the use of "soft" charges may be necessitated on a small claim because who can get a contractor to come out for a minimum charge nowadays. I happen to resent the use of the term "soft" because if I am a contractor and my guys have to set up dust protection, it costs me money to have them do it, so my contracting company should be reimbursed for it.Time is money and I know of no one who is in any business to do things for free. The insurance industry is relentlessly trying to get things for free, for which they are not entitled to. If I were to bring my truck to a repair shop for a tune up, I wouldn't dare say you can't charge me extra to check my brakes or I would be told to take my vehicle & shove it.A fine example of this in the insurance end is preparing Insured to Value reports. This is an underwriting job & not that of an adjuster. Property appraisal companies charge people for this as part of their package when you are buying a house. I have seen only once in 15 years where an insurer has paid extra for the ITV.The insurer has had 10 years to see if Mrs. Jones' house was insured to value. Now that she has a claim, they want to penalize her because they failed to do a proper underwriting inspection. Homey don't play that.If I am going to invest $300,000.00 in a business, or bet on a horse, you bet your butt I am going to do as much research as possible before I plunk down my $300k.Why can't they? Simple, they expect it for free.Sorry, but I get carried away. We are no longer in a customer service oriented business, which is what we really should be worrying about (as an industry). Sadly enough, the industry has become totally focused on cutting corners.
Agreed. The IA is becoming surrogate staff. Some carriers will not pay for digital pics ulness they request that they be printed.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 11:17:20 AM
|
|
|
yebolu
Posts: 50
Joined: 2/10/2006
Status: offline
|
Gordon1,
The carrier I worked Wilma for (AMCAT) actually distributed claims by zip codes. More carriers should emulate this practice. Having claims limited to 4 zip codes made my appointment setting easier. I typically try to set each day's appointment within the same zip code and interjected urgent claims outside of that area, either as my first or last visit for the day. This made my work easier to manage.
Another strategy in finding directions was to become familiar with a specific area of the locale -maybe a major stree,t and I usually took directions from the insured from that start out location. It worked for me 98% of the time and I did not need a map or navigating system.
_____________________________
If you grow, you will glow!
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 11:49:33 AM
|
|
|
Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: trader
A few years ago I was working for a large IA in Houston who worked overflow and large losses far a very large Homeowners insurer. The carrier would make appointments for their Homeowners staff appraisers starting at 0700 to 1700 in one and one half hour windows by key map pages in 4 compass point around the city.
Our quadrant was NW. At 1600 each day the carrier would call the manager and the manager would call us and ask each adjuster how many we could handle the next day and how early the first one was. I/We would give our answer and 2, 3 or 4 losses would on our home fax machine when we got home with the appointment time set with the homeowner. We had to phone the homeowner if we were going to be more than 10 min. late.
Now these were overflow losses that we agreed to work for a fee, if the assigned staff adjuster could not work for some reason. I was grateful for the work then and I am today.
I and another poster here suggested this process as an "improvement" and a matter of debate for this forum thread. You have experienced this to degree, in actuality. Shows there's no such thing as a new idea.
In a former life, I was in logistics and planning for a large computer firm. It was my job to come up with accurate flow charts that demonstrated the entire plan/process/key individuals from START to FINISH. During Wilma many new adjusters (I was one) were in a state of mental chaos. I devised a flow chart primarily for my own use and to help me understand my independent cat company's requirements for correct claims submissions, complete with a few detailed steps in Integriclaim, and a self-devised scope sheet with check list. Many adjusters asked me for a copy and it even found its way back to our storm manager. Each independent has their own methodologies and quirks. I would recommend a comprehensive but simplified flow chart for any company's new IA's.
What one thing makes your mode of operation easier?
Action
_____________________________
Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:04:57 PM
|
|
|
margar
Posts: 241
Joined: 3/18/2006
Home base: Benton, KY
Status: offline
|
Action
New ideas well lets see .......
Mandatory submission of a past completed claim for examination pre - storm deployment. This would be beneficial to all to have this as a requirement.
There are no telling how many so called adjusters that were deployed during the big 4 in 04 and last year that could not spell Xactimate much less navigate the program to file completion.
There were many vendors burned because of this scenario. People stating years of experience to get deployment and then leaving the storm site weeks later without a trace. It was a bad situation all the way around and many of the vendors are now privy to this. The submission of a sample file will probably become common place in the future while working for a new vendor
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:22:20 PM
|
|
|
TexasCatTeam
Posts: 13
Joined: 8/7/2006
Status: offline
|
Sounds like a new business for someone!
3 Trailers converted into private bunk houses should be able to bunk 12 people.
1 trailer with work stations and satalite internet access and Cell phone antenna boosters.
1 trailer for showers, bathroom and laundry. Area for boys and girls.
1 cook trailer staffed with a cook. Breakfast from 5am-7am and Dinner from 6PM-8PM
Post Adjuster related info in the eating area..
Cost per night: $40-55 or so for a bunk, 2 meals, internet access etc.. Is it worth it?
Cost you about $80,000 to set up all the trailers nice. House 36 people x $40 a night is $1440 a day.
Sounds like a win/win just post the location of the camp on a website and make it for Adjusters ONLY. You would probably pre-book.
Just a thought
|
|
|
|
|
RE: If you had to... - 10/2/2006 12:44:47 PM
|
|
|
Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
|
Margar:
So you effectively have your priors beforehand--maybe even some comparison photos?
I've requested hard copy files for one reason or another. Takes a few days to get. Then again there may be no priors or damage-related priors. If you're working a supplement and the original estimate data (such as roof estimate) is lost or erased from the mainframe system (due to upgrades, etc.), and it is now eight months later and the insured has finally gotten a good contractor, but material prices have sky-rocketed, yeah, that previous estimate comes in handy. The insured (I've found) will usually have a copy of that old estimate. I've gotten them to fax me our old "adjusters estimate" so I can pay them the difference between that and the new (present day) contractor's invoice. I'd rather travel light and get the file when/if I need it.
_____________________________
Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
|
|
|
|
!! You are viewing a post in the forum archive.
NOTICE: We are no longer using this forum for discussions. Please follow the links to the new forums.
Catastrophe Central-The Adjuster's Forum : Community Center- Forums
New Site Registration : New Site Login
 New Messages |
 No New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
 Locked w/ New Messages |
 Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
User Agreement | Privacy Statement| Contact |Copyright 1995 - 2006 CatAdjuster.org. All rights reserved.
0.297
|
Printable Version
