Being a public adjuster comes with a lot of questions about what we do, and rightfully so!
The process of how to hire a public adjuster is one that most people (we hope) never have to go through, which makes it one that most people have never heard of.
Add that to the fact that most people who come looking to hire a public adjuster have just had a horrible experience with their insurance company burning them that we can’t blame them for being a little skeptical and on edge.
But we are here to help! When you hire a public adjuster, or before officially signing a contract to have one help you with your insurance claim, make sure to ask these questions to be sure they can actually help you and would be a good fit to help!
Do you have experience with claims like mine?
Many public adjusters have plenty of experience in the industry, but not all public adjusters are specialists in every type of claim.
So may have more experience with fire damage while others might specialize in flood or storm damage. Again, most adjusters will have at least some experience with each, but you might want to find out just how much they know about your specific kind of claim.
On the same thread, asking if they have experience working with your specific insurance agency or your specific policy might be good additional questions to ask because they can provide additional expertise to make the entire process much easier for you.
Do you have the time to address my claim with intent?
Especially during the busy time of the year (winter, right after a storm, etc.), public adjusters can be extremely busy people. This question is absolutely one that you should feel comfortable asking and feel good about going with someone else if the adjuster is too busy.
The process of getting you a higher settlement for your insurance claim can already take a longer time than normal as we likely are not going to take the first offer that the insurance agency sends to us.
Having a public adjuster that is stretched too thin could end up making the process take longer, end up with that adjuster cutting corners, or have them willing to give up sooner than they should have.
Make sure you ask this question of your public adjuster to make sure they are going to give your claim the attention that it deserves.
Can I stay involved with the process or do you handle it all?
This is a great question to ask to get some clarity about how the public adjuster you are talking to handles their clients.
For us, we invite the policyholder to be as involved or uninvolved as they like. We understand that some people want to use the opportunity to learn about something new, while others are just going to trust us as experts and let us go to work. That is really up to you.
Of course, there are boundaries to this. You will never be able to be completely removed from the process as we are going to need information from you along the way to keep things moving.
At the same time, having too much involvement could end up slowing things down or having to do things over again. We find that there is a nice balance in the middle of getting good involvement from our clients without being too overbearing that gets us the best results.
If an adjuster tells you that you are not allowed to know the details at all, or that you can micromanage them as much as you want, they are probably someone that you want to avoid hiring.
Why is the percentage worth it?
Never be afraid to ask us about our rates!
Every public adjuster charges for their services a little differently. Some charge based on the type of claim it is, others just collect a flat fee, while some will charge you by the hour. The main question is how much does it cost to hire a public adjuster?
Here at fortitude, we charge based on a % of the settlement that you receive from the insurance company. We do it this way because that gives us the incentive to try and get you the highest insurance settlement from your insurance company possible and ties us straight to the results we are getting you. This means if we don’t get you a higher settlement, we don’t get paid.
However, we understand that this isn’t for everyone. Some of you might prefer one of the other methods we listed above, and that is ok! That is why this question is an important one to ask before you get into any agreement.
Whether you end up working with us here at Fortitude or you go with another adjuster, we want the process of hiring a public adjuster to be as easy for you as possible.
Finding the right adjuster for you could be the difference between a successful settlement, and one that fails. Make sure you find the right fit for you and get what you deserve!
