If everybody followed the rules, nothing would ever change. ~Richard Branson

Bull Trout UnderwaterCreative Commons License 

Fighting upstream is hard. Being different is hard. Making real change is hard.

The last couple weeks have shown me just how hard it is to be different.

I had a potential client accept a settlement offer from their insurance company that was $75,000 LESS than the estimate I provided. Why would anyone do that, you ask? Because fighting is hard, that’s why.

Filing an insurance claim is an intimidating process, and it has been designed to be.  The insurance claim process is only as helpful to policy holders as it needs to be to avoid massive complaints.

Once the claim department became a profit center, the needs of individual people became secondary.  Anyone who has filed a claim knows that the first thing companies to is try to talk you OUT of filing a claim.  The second thing is they try to write a check immediately to settle the claim.
Insurance companies understand that you are more likely to take less money right now, than to wait and get more money after a period of potential conflict; even when they know you’re owed more than what they’re offering.

01 (342)Change is Happening

Claims Delegates is leading the charge for change in the insurance repair industry – and meeting plenty of opposition along the way.

Several adjusters have told me that they don’t have to “deal with me”.  Some have accused me of breaking the law (adjusting without a license), which I’m not.  In every instance, the only thing I’m guilty of is telling the policyholder the truth of the situation: that THEY ARE IN CONTROL.

The reason I face such fierce opposition is because they fear the change I represent.  My approach and business model is nothing short of a 180 degree shift in “business as usual.”  Carriers and program contractors alike do not want to lose control of the claims process.  But they are, slowly but surely.  And that scares them.

The most dangerous thing to the establishment is the idea that they are not in control.  Once the idea of policyholder control spreads, the claims landscape will be changed forever.  For the good of EVERYONE.

Change is Good

My vision of the insurance claims process is one that is truly customer driven.  The ideal claim is one where the insured is equipped with the knowledge and advice necessary to make the big decisions the easy ones.

My definition of a “preferred vendor” is the contractor that the OWNER prefers, not the insurance carrier’s vendor who has agreed to give a discount to the insurance company. What about YOUR discount?

Why should restoration contractors enjoy profit margins that exceed 30% when the work is actually performed by subcontractors making far less?  Who is paying for all this anyway?

D-Day: The Normandy InvasionAre You Ready for some Change?

Do you want a different claims experience?  Do you want to know that your best interests are being considered and looked after?

If so, strap on your helmet, put an “R” in CHANGE, and get ready to take CHARGE.  Stake YOUR claim, and Trust the Badge – Claims Delegates.

503-719-9821 Anytime, Day or Night