There is a lot of misinformation about Public Adjusters on the internet. While we were researching the resources available to consumers, we were shocked at how blatantly the insurance industry has tried to paint them as unprofessional or completely unnecessary. Nothing could be further from the truth.
- Public Adjuster, Company Adjuster, Independent Adjuster… What are their roles?
The very titles for adjusters are incredibly misleading. As a consumer, you are probably thinking “independent” adjuster has a nice ring to it – they must be neutral, right? Wrong. They work for insurance companies on a for-hire basis. “Public” adjuster sounds like a government employee, advocating for the public at large. Wrong again, a Public Adjuster is a private adjuster that is hired by consumers who would like help with their insurance claim. Company adjusters are more accurately named – they do indeed work for the insurance companies. But you won’t catch them calling themselves what they really are – employees working for the benefit of insurers. Instead they call themselves merely “adjusters,” and pretend that they are considering your rights along with the company’s rights.
- Why would I need a Public Adjuster when the insurance company provides me with an adjuster?
Don’t be fooled by the convincing propaganda of insurance companies. Their adjusters do NOT work for you. They are trained, paid, and work entirely for your insurance company. They do not receive rewards for paying you in full and making you happy. They receive rewards for what the insurance companies call “cost savings” or “claims streamlining,” otherwise known as paying you less for your claim.
Would you show up for a trial without a lawyer, and just rely on the insurance company’s lawyer to make the best decisions? No, you wouldn’t. You shouldn’t rely on their adjuster to make the best decisions for your insurance claim, either. You need an advocate on your side.
- Why do Public Adjusters often actively seek people with claims and approach them immediately after the loss (i.e. Fire, flood, other damage to building)? That seems like shady “ambulance-chasing.”
Good Public Adjusters know what they are up against, and they know they are completely out-manned and out-spent by behemoth insurance companies. If you’ve experienced the trauma of a fire, flood, or other serious damage to your home or business, you know that suddenly an entire crew of people appear at your property. The scene can become a chaos of firefighters, emergency crews, emergency repair and cleaning vendors, building contractors, investigators, and insurance company adjusters. The experience is quite rattling and it is difficult to know who to trust and what services you may or may not need, particularly while you are under so much stress. Many Public Adjusters believe that being there for you during this chaotic time is more important than at any other time during the claims process, so they risk the bad-mouthing of the insurance company adjusters and those contractors who angle to work with them, and they show up on site in case you need help or have questions.
Public Adjusters know that if this is your first insurance claim, you have no idea what you are up against.
- Decades of Insurance Company Slandering has Made the Public Adjuster’s Battle a Daunting One – Yet More Important than Ever
The services of Public Adjusters are not traditionally well-known to the public, and insurance companies have spent a lot of money to slander the role of a PA in a claim. In the last few decades we have watched insurance companies grow larger and larger, making more and more profits for their shareholders. Without the advocacy of a PA on the consumer’s side, insurers can (and will) easily continue to underpay claims and increase their profits.
Thankfully, there are dedicated professionals who spend their lives educating the public about the existence of Public Adjusters, letting consumers know that there are reputable, licensed experts available to help them obtain their rightful benefits from their insurance companies.[1] The value a good public adjuster offers is priceless. They shield you from the stress of fighting with your insurance company and the struggles of preparing a claim detailed enough to receive payment. Good PAs employ their own team of specialists to prepare your building estimate costs, contents inventory, and financial loss claim in incredible detail.
- Why would I Hire a Public Adjuster if they Can’t Get Me More Money than I’m Already Entitled To Under My Policy?
Insurance companies do not pay you all the benefits you are entitled to unless you know exactly what those benefits are and you fight hard for them. Insurance Companies are not in the business of making maximum claim payments promptly. They are in the business of making minimum payments, and as slowly as possible.
Insurers use the complex policy language, your lack of resources to prepare the detailed claim, and your lack of knowledge of insurance regulations to pay you less than you are entitled to. They also slow the claim down as much as they possibly can because 1) they hope you give up in frustration and take the insufficient amount they offered you, and 2) there is an industry-wide initiative to keep the claims monies in the bank as long as they possibly can, in order to make more interest from the bank.
- Why would I Hire a Public Adjuster if they Can’t Get My Claim Settled Faster?
As detailed in the answer above, insurance companies make money when they delay your claim payment as much as possible. They often accuse Public Adjusters of slowing the claim, which is the ultimate irony because without the advocacy of a PA, the process would either take longer or you’d simply never see those benefits you are fighting for, at all. Or both.
[1] NAPIA; United Policyholders; Adjusters International