No home repair estimate yet!

[Guest]

We had our fire in July and have not got a repair estimate. We are tired of being cramped up in a hotel room. My wife is expecting a baby soon. How long will it take to get the estimate and repair our home?

[vanessa2]

If you have not filed your complaint with the department of insurance, you need to do so immediately. Have you gotten a settlement for contents? Did they low ball your claim? Maybe, you should seek the advice of an attorney.

If someone else on this site tells you not to hire a lawyer, do not listen to that non-sense. You must protect yourself from greedy insurers.

Good Luck

[JAYDEE]

Wow! No excuse for that! How come they haven't written an estimate yet?

You should find two "Fire and Water" restoration companies and get them to provide bids to you and submit them to Allstate. They should be itemized and detailed.

I'd also be talking to supervisor as well.

[vanessa2]

You should find two "Fire and Water" restoration companies and get them to provide bids to you and submit them to Allstate. They should be itemized and detailed.

I'd also be talking to supervisor as well.

JAYDEE are you joking or what?

No contractor is going to bid on a home repair job without receiving an estimate of damages. A Contractor must know what exactly is being repaired before bidding on a job.DUH!!! I thought you were an adjuster?

They have not completed the estimate because they do not intent to settle your claim fairly.

Allsnake will try to reduce you to the point of desperation before they give you a bogus repair estimate. They are hoping to catch you at a point where you will accept little or nothing just to resolve your claim. I guess your family haven't suffered enough yet.

I bet if you get an attorney they would hurry up and resolve the issue.

[Guest]

I have been in insurance for 10 yrs and in all the yrs have never known anyone to be "put through the wringer" in any theif, fire or liablity claim except in cases where things were "not up and up" meaning there is a foreclosure soon, a bk soon or another fraud thing going on................

I might be in the "FFFFEEEWWW" that this site promotes.

If it is true, it will be paid even if it takes a month of two longer.

Just sayin.

[vanessa2]

I have been in insurance for 10 yrs and in all the yrs have never known anyone to be "put through the wringer" in any theif, fire or liablity claim except in cases where things were "not up and up" meaning there is a foreclosure soon, a bk soon or another fraud thing going on................

Here are the cases for the exceptions.

Allsnake only put certain people through the wringer. The majority are either/and/or.

a.minorities
b.the poor
c. people they consider uneducated
d. single parents
e. elderly

They only screw over people that they assume can't afford an attorney and/or do not know their rights as policy holders.

If you don't believe me, just read some of the shill's postings. All they do is criticize grammar and degrade people. I read somewhere on this site, a shill accussed policy holders(victims ) of doing nothing but defrauding insurers and waiting on a "welfare" check. This supports my belief about Allsnake. They really do SUCK!!!!

WHEN and Where does this stereo typing end?

[Dasfuk]

JAYDEE are you joking or what?

No contractor is going to bid on a home repair job without receiving an estimate of damages. A Contractor must know what exactly is being repaired before bidding on a job.DUH!!! I thought you were an adjuster?

They have not completed the estimate because they do not intent to settle your claim fairly.

Allsnake will try to reduce you to the point of desperation before they give you a bogus repair estimate. They are hoping to catch you at a point where you will accept little or nothing just to resolve your claim. I guess your family haven't suffered enough yet.

I bet if you get an attorney they would hurry up and resolve the issue.

Vanessa:

I would agree that something does not add up that an estimate has not been prepared by Allstate, however, they really do not have to prepare one. The only reason that they usually do prepare an estimate is to make sure the insured's contractor is in line.

Really, it is the policyholders place to prove their loss to their insurance company. Now your average person is not going to know how to estimate a loss and that is why most people call a contractor. Contractors scope losses and write estimates all of the time. They don't need an adjuster at the house to do it. This is what they do for a living. They know what needs to be done.

This guy needs to get at least one contractor out at his property to give him a line item estimate to make the needed repairs. He then needs to submit that to his adjuster and follow up with that adjuster and or his manager to find out what is going on. Then his adjuster can get together with his contractor and they can work out any differences in scope and pricing. It really is simple.

[vanessa2]

Dasfuk,

If you want to pretend that you don't know Allsnake's claims process, it is ok with me.

For all of you victims with home damage issues, I am here to inform you. According to Allsnake's claims process they are suppose to have a home repair contractor/adjuster to assess the extent of damages and give an estimate of repair. I am not exactly sure of the time table for this estimate. I believe this should be done within 60 days from the reported date of loss. This is called "prompt resolution of a claim".

Once the homeowner recieves this damage estimate, he/she will find a contrator to do the said repairs.

I know exactly how this process works. I went through this process.

Just look at Allsnake's Market Conduct Exams. They claim that 85% of there most difficult claims are resolved in 60 days.


Yeah right!!

[Mike]

WHEN and Where does this stereo typing end?

As soon as you and anyone else who has this opinion, realize that just because someone has a difference of opinion, or does not agree with you or your thought process, does not make them a shill or an employee of Allstate.

Simply stated, if you want to play by those rules than everyone gets to play by those rules.

[JAYDEE]

JAYDEE are you joking or what?

No contractor is going to bid on a home repair job without receiving an estimate of damages. A Contractor must know what exactly is being repaired before bidding on a job.DUH!!! I thought you were an adjuster?

They have not completed the estimate because they do not intent to settle your claim fairly.

Allsnake will try to reduce you to the point of desperation before they give you a bogus repair estimate. They are hoping to catch you at a point where you will accept little or nothing just to resolve your claim. I guess your family haven't suffered enough yet.

I bet if you get an attorney they would hurry up and resolve the issue

Vanessa:

You're so far off base it's not even funny. Are you saying that there are no contractors who can estimate damage without first consulting with an almighty adjuster?

It's time to drop the irrational hysteria and arm yourself with some useful knowledge.

Read through your policy and find the section that states that you have to wait for your insurance company to prepare an estimate.

The fact is that it doesn't exist. There are many contractors out there who provide bids and written estimates all the time. Let your fingers do the walking and look under fire and water restoration (at least it's that way in my phone book).

No insurer can tell you who has to estimate or repair your home. They can disagree with your contractor on the repair cost, scope of damages and such. For any signficant property loss they're always going to want to inspect the damage.

As a homeowner, you should want to have a competent contractor who is familiar with both restoration and reconstruction work.

Now, whether an insurance company will write their own estimate depends on the company and many times the competency of the individual adjuster.

I'm sure Allstate probably has some sort of contractor program, as do a lot of companies. Some of the contractors may be very good and some others not so good. That's a whole different discussion.

However, no one .... I mean no one .... has to have a "company program" contractor repair, let alone estimate their damage. Everyone does have the right to get their own contractor to evaluate the damage before, during or after your insurance company has completed their evaluation.

[Dasfuk]

vanessa:

Maybe I am off base here, but this is how I see your loss went down. Allstate sent their adjuster out to your house and he prepared an estimate. You sat on your hands and did nothing. You waited for the estimate and then could not find a contractor to do it for your price. I would guess that you were not very pro-active and then cried foul when you could not find a contractor to do it for their price.

Instead you should have contacted your own contractor to prepare an estimate and then submitted it to Allstate. This is how claims go down all fo the time.

If you waited around for the adjuster's estimate then that is on you. I have never read in one single policy where it states we will supply you the homeowner an estimate and then it is up to you to find someone that will do it for that amount. Sure I have prepared estimates for people that were not sure who they were going to use, and when I send it to them I tell them to share it with their selected contractor and I can discuss it with them to get the claim resolved.

Who knows.... maybe you got snowballed by your adjuster. If that is the case, shame on him.

[vanessa2]

WHEN and Where does this stereo typing end?

Simply stated, if you want to play by those rules than everyone gets to play by those rules.

Is this the best you can come up with. Oh! I get it. When you are unable to defend the horrible actions of Allsnake you throw out insults. This is not a productive reaction. You know what they say about sticks and stones.

[vanessa2]

Vanessa:

You're so far off base it's not even funny.

It's time to drop the irrational hysteria and arm yourself with some useful knowledge.

I never said that a homeowner could not obtain his/her own estimate. I did say that in this case Allsnake is not following their own claims process!!! You seem to be the person displaying the "irrational hysteria". You might as well sit back and relax because the "Revolution" will be televised. Consumers are really fed up with the "good hands people's" CRAP!!! and we are not going to take it any more.

Questions.
Does your company demand that the homeowner obtain their independent estimate before recieving one from your company?

If so, please tell us which company you are referring to?

Next Question.
What are the NAIC recommendations for this type of claim?

[vanessa2]

vanessa:

Maybe I am off base here, but this is how I see your loss went down. Allstate sent their adjuster out to your house and he prepared an estimate. You sat on your hands and did nothing. You waited for the estimate and then could not find a contractor to do it for your price. I would guess that you were not very pro-active and then cried foul when you could not find a contractor to do it for their price.

Instead you should have contacted your own contractor to prepare an estimate and then submitted it to Allstate. This is how claims go down all fo the time.

If you waited around for the adjuster's estimate then that is on you. I have never read in one single policy where it states we will supply you the homeowner an estimate and then it is up to you to find someone that will do it for that amount. Sure I have prepared estimates for people that were not sure who they were going to use, and when I send it to them I tell them to share it with their selected contractor and I can discuss it with them to get the claim resolved.

Who knows.... maybe you got snowballed by your adjuster. If that is the case, shame on him.

Dasfuk,
you seem to have an extraordinary interest in my claim with Allnake. I wonder why?

I explained to you earlier on that my case was in litigation. Yet, you continue to press for information.

I really wonder, what is your motivation?

You should not have to guess much longer. hopefully, I will be able to share some of our ordeals with Allsnake here within the next six months after the trial.


I am also working on my book "Raped by Good Hands". You can look for it sometime late 2007. Keep guessing until then.

[Dasfuk]

Vanessa:

I have interst in any first party claim that ends up in court. There is always two sides to every story and we are only getting one. When you spout off to the original poster that Allstate has to prepare an estimate to him, you are way off base, and is the reason for my assumptions regarding your claim.

It is the insured's responsibility to present their claim to their insurance company and document it the best possible way. With a fire loss, it is an estimate from their contrator or the homeowner or whoever they want to write it. If it is content damage then it is supplying content lists, prices, proof of ownership, etc. Now most times, the insurance company will do alot of the work for the policyholder, but once again there is nowhere int he policy that states that they have to prepare an estimate.

Also, where past my last post with assumptions have I "pressed" for information on your claim. I think you are mixing different posts together.

Also, good luck with your revolution. Don't you know things don't change unless done so by the wealthy.

[JAYDEE]

No contractor is going to bid on a home repair job without receiving an estimate of damages. A Contractor must know what exactly is being repaired before bidding on a job.DUH!!!

Doesn't this statement doesn't indicate that according to you a contractor can't estimate damage without the insurance company?

I never said that a homeowner could not obtain his/her own estimate.

See your statement above

My company does not "demand" that an estimate be prepared before, during or after. However, they can demand an itemized estimate through the "duties and conditions" section of the policy. Actually, all companies can request you to "document" your loss.

Simply, claims are a service. When it comes to large homeowner claims there are very few adjusters out there who have expertise in electrical systems, heating systems. local codes, engineering issues, ordinances and such to be able to write a complete estimate.

Almost all of my claims are large losses and the more accurate an estimate is up front, then, the less problems throughout the claim.

This is where it is preferred that a customer get a contractor involved early, working with your insurance company and adjuster, so that a proper scope of damages is developed. It can be a "program" contractor or someone else of your choice.

Imo, it's in an insured's best interest to involve a licensed/ competent contractor.

Otherwise, you could have a hundred different people estimating the damage and both the scope and damage amount are all over the board which creates a mess.

What are the NAIC recommendations for this type of claim?

I don't believe that NAIC makes recommendations for claims handling. Normally, each individual state will have a set of guidelines and "Unfair Claims Practices". Beyond that, I'm sure that every company is different to some degree on how they handle their claims.

[vanessa2]

What are the NAIC recommendations for this type of claim?

I don't believe that NAIC makes recommendations for claims handling. Normally, each individual state will have a set of guidelines and "Unfair Claims Practices". Beyond that, I'm sure that every company is different to some degree on how they handle their claims.

Sweet Heart, the NAIC does make recommendations for claims handling. The NAIC organization is comprised of the Insurance commissioners of all 50 U.S. states and other places i.e. Virgin Islands.

I am sorry, but the info you are posting here is incorrect. According to NAIC, the insurers are to complete their investigation of an occurence within 30 days. An investigation includes the scope of the damages to a policy holder's home.

Again, the usual procedure requires that Allsnake provide the insured with a copy of their damage estimate. Then, the homeowner can handle things from that point. When the homeowner hires a contractor, the construction co. will provide their own estimate of the damages.

I do not think this debate will get us anywhere. Now, I am going to simply AGREE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU AND DASFUK.

[Mike]

Thats interesting because in Missouri (one of those pesky 50 states) They want all Fire and Water restoration losses to be bid, contracted, examined and handled through a certified fire and water restoration service. I do not know of any company in the nation (and I deal with a lot of them) that will not take an estimate from either Paul Davis Restoration or Servpro and treat them and their estimate of damage as fact.

This would of course all be due to three issues you deal with in fire and water restoration

1) Asbestos.
2) Mold.
3) Environmental pollutants.

Of course if you want to verify my information it can be found in either the property section or the pollution section of the national CIC or CPCU manual.

[Mike]

I would ask what you do for a living Vanessa as you seem to have most all of your insurance terms confused.

" No contractor is going to bid a job without an estimate from the adjuster".

Since when! That is the Contractors job. The adjustors job is to review the contractors estimate and approve or dissaprove based on his companies guidelines. And yes the insurance company (any insurance company) will do their own assessment of damages. This makes the mediation process much easier if it ever gets that far.

For your future info (so as to not end up in an E+O claim if you are in the insurance field) the NAIC is not a governing body and they do not make rules. They simply make recommendations which then go to individual State Dept of Insurance's who then decide if they are going to legislate that rule into law. If there is a case where a recommendation has use on a national level then it will go into legislation on a nationwide level AKA the National Flood Insurance Program.

As fas as "prompt resolution of claim". This is not a 60 day timetable to make payment on a claim. That would be "Prompt payment of claims". "prompt resolution of claim" is nothing but a timetable set forth to keep the process moving. Insured has X amount of day's to report, company has X amount of day's to respond, insured has X amount of day's to respond back, company has X amount of day's to pay once accepted, so on and so forth. And each company can write their own timetable (within limits) to make this whole process move forward.

I tell you all this to protect you. If you are in the insurance field and you pass on some of these idea's that you have, I can almost guarantee an E+O lawsuit. I would suggest looking at possibly attending a Ruble, CIC,CRM or CPCU seminar to better arm yourself in the future. I am teaching a risk management CRM in Eden Prairie MN in February, perhaps you would like to participate.

Questions?

[Dasfuk]

Who knows maybe that's how they handle claims in Michigan. It's a screwed up state anyways. I would love to write up an estimate, give it to an insured and tell them find someone to do it for my price because its final. It just doesn't work that way, except apparently in Michigan.

Side note Mike. Vanessa is a homeowner who is not satisifed with her fire claim and is pursuing it through an attorney. I may be wrong, but many times people overhear or are told a lot of legal mumbo jumbo by their attorney and then they go off half cocked thinking they have a law degree. The information they supply with have some validity but their either confuse or mix up the information that they have learned.

Vanessa, I do know that some adjusters and some carriers will write an estimate and supply it to the insured. They don't come out and say that it is a final price but they will imply it. Most of the time the homeowners take it and find someone to do the work. Sometimes people get upset and get an attorney. I've written estimates and sent them to insured's with a nice little letter stating that here is my estimate, share it with your contractor and I can reach an agreed price with either you or your contractor. It seems everytime that I have to call back a few weeks later, and the insured states that they have been waiting on the check cause that's all they thought they were getting.

An estimate is just that, an estimate, be it from a contractor or an adjuster. There is nothing set in stone. But if the homeowner does not get a bid themselves, they have nothing to dispute the carrier's estimate. A good contractor that deals with insurance claims can save a homeowner a lot of money in legal fees. Maybe it is just me, but I'm not trusting repairs to my home to some overweight, overworked, dork that can run a tape measure and a computer. Heck you could teach a monkey to scope a loss and write an estimate. Real adjusting is getting down to coverages and working out an agreed price.