Edit info for Claims Delegates

You’re an informed consumer aren’t you? You shop for high-priced items when they’re on sale. You’re a member of a wholesale warehouse. When you need home repairs you utilize a reputable referral service or get recommendations from people you trust. You even know that hiring a CPA makes sense at tax time, because they are good at taxes and you’re not. So why wouldn’t you take a similar approach when it comes to a fire or water disaster event?The reality is that most people have little knowledge of either their own insurance policies or the claim process. And why would they? Only one in ten of us will have a major insurance claim event in our lifetimes. The rest will never need to know anything about their insurance company beyond where to send the premium checks.I’m writing this article for those who aren’t as lucky. For you who HAVE recently experienced an “insurable” event, I have a question for you: would you let the IRS do your taxes? (stay with me here).Arguably the IRS is infinitely qualified to file your tax return. After all they wrote the rules and they write the checks. Why not? The answer is that they aren’t working for you or your best interests.“Beginning in the 1990s… insurance companies reconsidered [their] understanding of the claims process. The insight was simple. An insurance company’s greatest expense is what it pays out in claims. If it pays out less in claims, it keeps more in profits. Therefore, the claims department became a profit center rather than the place that kept the company’s promise(s).” – Jay Feinman Delay Deny Defend 2010Letting your insurance company adjust your claim and write your repair estimate is exactly like asking the IRS to file your tax return. The industry is counting on the ignorance and complacency of its’ very own customers in order to return profits for their shareholders. There is good news though: you have the power to change it. Let me give you a few “secrets” that will enable you to take control of your insurance claim.You Can Choose Your ContractorMost people ask their insurance company who they should get to fix their home. They don’t know what you know. These so-called “preferred” vendors play the game for their repeat customer – the INSURANCE company.Choose you own preferred vendor. Who is most qualified to replace your laminate floors after they’ve been damaged by water from a broken pipe? How about the guy that installed them the first time? A kitchen fire destroyed the cabinets that