House Fires and Claims Service - When You Need It Most
Posted on Thu, Feb 02, 2012
Whether you live in Grafton, as I do, or in a neighboring town, more than likely you’ve heard or read about the three house fires which occurred within a 3 week period. It certainly caught our attention as owners of two of the homes are clients of ours. The sales person who sold the homeowners insurance policies and who had the relationship with the clients was at their home within 30 minutes of being called. Our agency recognizes that excellent claim service is one of the most important aspects of our job, it’s when our clients need us the most. In the event of a house fire you can be comfortable in knowing we would show up with a copy of your homeowners policy in hand and be able to help in the following ways:
- Confirm coverage - We are able to confirm with each client that they have sufficient coverage to repair or rebuild their home.
- Offer reassurance - We are able to reassure clients that we care about them and that we are going to be with them throughout the entire claims process.
- Educate - We are also able to educate clients about the role of public adjusters and how they operate. If a public adjuster is hired, not only do they take a percentage of their claim money (10-15%) but they also remove our agency from the claims process so we are not able to assist you in dealing with the insurance carrier. I believe there is a time and place for public adjusters but I do not feel the time is at the scene of a fire pushing people to hire them when they are not in a clear state of mind to be making important decisions.
- Secure the property - We are able to help coordinate the initial steps of boarding off or fencing of properties.
Some insurance agencies do not get involved in the claims process. One reason is that if the claim goes poorly then the agency feels they will be able to keep the client by simply moving them to another insurance carrier. Our philosophy is that claims service is the most important role we have and we enjoy helping people when they need it most.
Every claim for a fire loss proceeds differently, whether it’s a partial or a total loss. Most claims are seamless, you get a couple estimates, the insurance company appraises the damage and the check is cut to you (and your mortgage company, if you have one.) Once in a while you hit a snag, for example a contractor’s labor rate may be excessive or it may make sense to tear down what’s left and rebuild, in which case we would advocate on your behalf to resolve these issues.
While other insurance agents may able to provide similar pricing and account service, you’ve got to ask yourself whether they would be on the scene in the event of a tragedy such as a house fire.