There are those things in life you should know about no matter how unlikely they are to happen to you. Having the right information on your side and knowing what to do in certain problematic situations can make all the difference between an average or sufficient outcome and a good and positive one. In terms of insurance and protecting your property, things tend to be very important and crucial to your safe existence and well-being.
What are Adjusters?
Source: riadjusters.com
In a scenario where your property, business or home, experienced damage, you will want to file an insurance claim. Now, damages vary and it is not the same if you have had a flooded or a burnt down home. In either case, you will have to make an estimate of the damages as a part of the claim. Naturally, the insurance company will try to get away with paying as little as possible for the damages since they too want what is best for them. If the damages happen to be quite extensive, the claim will have to be large. In such a situation the insurance company sends out an insurance adjuster.
As their name suggests, they come to inspect the damages and the claim for themselves and adjust what needs adjusting. You can either accept the offer they give you afterward or sue the insurance company to get more for your damaged property. Remember that their employer, your insurance company, is in their best interest so rest assured they will not see things as bad as you do. Since accepting a low offer is not a very attractive thing to do, and suing can be very expensive, neither option is really viable for most clients. The best course of action instead is to hire a public adjuster who will not be biased and will actually help you.
To learn more about this as well as to get the idea of what type of questions you should ask a public adjuster before you hire them, keep reading the article. In addition, visit the NFA adjusting solutions if you want to browse the offers of one of the best public adjusting firms in Canada. Visit their website.
Questions Worth Asking
While you are still negotiating with and interviewing your potential public adjuster hire, you will definitely want to know all the key details about them. You do not want just about anyone helping you win an insurance claim, only the best you can find. To find the best, you must know what to ask.
1. How long have you been in the business?
Experience is everything in matters like this because every single case is unique. Sometimes it is a home, sometimes an office building, and damages vary dramatically. No matter the size of the firm they work for, you have to know about their own longevity in the business and how much experience they have in total. Ask them about their background and how long they have been a part of the industry. You will get a lot from a simple question like this one.
2. Do you work alone?
Not all public adjusters work alone. Some are a part of a larger team that works together. No matter how knowledgeable, a single person is still alone and you only get a single point of view. If possible, it is always better to go with a team because they can combine their experiences and skills and find the best solution together. Helping each other works no matter the industry so go with a team of adjusters if the situation allows it.
3. Have you seen a situation like this before?
Source: askanadjuster.com
We mentioned overall experience already but now we have to discuss your case specifically. No matter what it is, the adjuster will have to evaluate it. Before they get the chance though, there has to be a conversation about the type of problems they usually review and whether or not they have seen something like this before. While it could not matter if the individual is a professional who always does a good job, it matters if you can identify a specialist for your kind of issue. Some adjusters deal with certain damages better and give more pleasing results. Ask if they have seen it and if so, how did it go.
4. What and how do you charge?
The point of a public adjuster is for the client to get the most affordable solution do deal with their issue at hand. Since they are a part of the public sector, they do not get paid for their service until their client gets paid. This means that they have a strong incentive to work as hard as they can since their payment depends on how well your case goes. If a public adjuster asks for any sort of payment upfront, skip them because it is unethical and not at all according to the law. If they are legit, talk about the percentage and how they usually charge their clients following a successful claim.
5. How many other claims do you have at the moment?
Source: worldfinancialreview.com
While it may seem intrusive and unprofessional, you must ask this because it matters how many cases they are handling at once. Larger firms will always have quite a few other clients looking for the same thing as you and often times, your adjuster will not be just yours. It is hard to split your time between two clients, let alone half a dozen, so ask them how many other claims they have at the moment. If they have nobody but you and you are happy with most other things about them, there is no reason not to choose them for your case. If they are honest and say they are busy but that they always tend to all of their clients equally, you should seriously consider their services too.
6. Do you mind me staying involved?
Professionals in certain areas do not like it when clients are overly attached to the case and when they have questions. Those professionals are not very professional and it is easy to identify other bad business traits if you happen to come across one. Honest adjusters who wish you well will like the fact that you want to stay involved and informed, so ask them if they mind it and what their approach and attitude towards this is.
