February 15 – 17, 2022
2pm – 4pm PST (5pm – 7pm EST)
P.S. We have some extra goodies this time! Don’t miss out!
VIEW THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTfgVj6Tog&t=112s
VISIT THE RESTORATION REBELS FACEBOOK PAGE
https://www.claimsdelegates.com/rebels_facebook
All right y’all. Let’s talk about it.
Ben *** put up a great post this afternoon and it’s getting a lot of response including one from me. His question, “What does it really mean to you or us to be a Restoration Rebel?”
I appreciate Ben for doing that. “Thank you!”
There’s some energy and some discussions here. We really need to have this discussion. We need to repeat this discussion over and over because it’s important. What the Restoration Rebels represent is important but don’t be fooled! Just because you’re a member of this page does NOT mean that you’re a Restoration Rebel.
Membership in this page is FREE. We have a very low bar to membership. You need to be a restorer or an associate of some kind. You need to answer three simple questions. That’s it. That’s the only requirement to being on the page.
The requirement to being a Restoration Rebel is very different. Being a Restoration Rebel means putting a target on your back. It means standing up for things. It means fighting for things you believe in. Sometimes, this is in spite of the fact that it’s probably not in your best interest short term.
It’s for the greater good. I’ve been fired from three different companies because of my affiliation with and my voice in this group. I think that qualifies me as a Restoration Rebel. I’ve given up or been forced to give up my livelihood and start over again and go find another way to make a living because of the things i’ve said in regards to insurance claims in this industry as a whole. You know who else qualifies in my mind as a real Restoration Rebel? Ben.
I’m involved in two files with Ben right now. One as a public adjuster and one as an appraiser. The only reason that both of these claims went sideways is because Ben has a target on his back. The carriers (State Farm and Liberty Safeco) saw his company and his name on the file and it went straight off the rails. They put the brakes on everything and these claims are WAY harder now. It is all because they saw his involvement.
I’m not saying they’re harder because of him. In reality, I’ve gone through his paperwork. I’ve seen his stuff. I’ve seen his estimates. He is MORE than fair on the mitigation side. I would challenge anyone in this group to match his level of documentation.
So why does BEN have a have a target on his back?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because he does the right thing every time. He doesn’t take ****. He doesn’t bend on behalf of the carriers. He takes care of his clients. Some times this is to his own detriment. He doesn’t give in to this idea that we have to negotiate every little thing on every single claim.
Guess what? The founders of this group understand on a deep level that it wasn’t broke to start out with. We didn’t break this thing (the insurance industry). I am tired of us just standing by as things get more and more broken.
There are folks in leadership positions today (in the restoration industry) who were there at the beginning. I was just coming up. They were there every step of the way. They lead organizations and associations at every level of this industry. They didn’t do anything then. They’re still not doing anything. We’ve watched the erosion of influence and power of the
contractor in the restoration world. There’s people that have been
sitting by and letting that happen.
This group is standing up and saying “not on my watch” and “all right, that’s enough.” We are going to take our businesses, our industry, and our clients back. We’re going to treat them well. We’re going to treat our clients like customers.
We’re going to tell their insurers what to pay. We’re going to do it because it’s the right thing to do. We’re not “trying to retire” on every single job. We’re just trying to make a living. We’re trying to make people whole. That’s why we’re here in the first place. You don’t exist in the Restoration Industry unless some part of you enjoys making people whole. Some part of you enjoys being of service.
So that’s what it means to me to be a Restoration Rebel. That’s what I’m going to hold you to. If you’re watching this or you’re on the rebel page as a member. You have to make the hard decisions. Do you make decisions that are probably short-term to your detriment but long-term better for the entire industry? Are you even capable of making that type of decision?
I know a lot of people who are.
That’s all I have to say about that.
We’ll see you guys.
VIEW THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTfgVj6Tog&t=112s
VISIT THE RESTORATION REBELS FACEBOOK PAGE
https://www.claimsdelegates.com/rebels_facebook
What is up, rebels? Mr. McCabe here. Hey, I want to get together next year. And I’m thinking, Boulder, Colorado because that seems to be our theme for the last two years or three years, whatever it is.
I want to tell you a story though.
I had a phone call today and an appraisal meeting today. Me, the umpire, and the opposing.
This file was sent to appraisal by Safeco in June. Safeco did not like one of our members. He’s a member of OUR group in Camas, Washington. Safeco didn’t like their mitigation bill $15,000.
The gist of it was seven days of stabilization while they’re waiting for asbestos results, and four days of drying. $15,000 worth of demo that was done. Not an unreasonable amount.
So it goes to appraisal. I get called in. I charge the homeowner 2500 bucks or so. Six months later, I’m still dealing with these Yahoos. And today, guess what we decided? We decided that the original $15,000 was reasonable.
Shocker (Yes, that is sarcasm).
The mitigation estimate I came up with (based on the information given to me) was $33,000. But here’s the kicker… neither the umpire NOR the opposing appraiser wanted anything to do with my number. And this is why this industry drives me to drink.
I get SO angry because of the injustice level and the unfairness. Here’s an insured. They don’t know anything except for they’re pretty sure they don’t want to go with the vendor that Safeco recommended. So they go find their own vendor. They find a quality vendor. He knows what he’s doing. A guy that documents the hell out of his shit. A guy that’s in THIS group.
He does a bang up job. Not ONLY does he do the mitigation and not get paid for it. He does the repairs. And they’re beautiful. He hasn’t been paid yet. But here we are SIX MONTHS later in the appraisal process. And all Safeco is going to have to pay is the ORIGINAL invoice of 15 grand. The homeowner is OUT. The restoration guy is OUT. He’s had to wait on this money. You know this is dead money to him at this point. Not only did we decide that $15,000 was the right number. The panel (not me) decided that there was “no additional accommodations to be made for my fees.”
This is what’s wrong with the industry today. The fox is guarding the henhouse. The insurance companies are buying lawyers and buying judges and buying legislators and lobbying and submitting legislation for their own purposes. Who’s doing it for US? Nobody. Yeah, talk to me about the IGA layer. Alright, DM me. Here’s the bottom line. The only way this is going to change is if we come together and we act as one.
The MINUTE someone goes across the line and says, “Oh, I had a friend who was an adjuster who asked me to give him a number” we’re all in trouble. Don’t give that number. Don’t be the pet contractor. Don’t give these comp bids. Your contractor, not a consultant. You’re not a building consultant. You’re not an adjuster.
I know you got friends in the industry. They aren’t all bad people. I get that. I understand that. But the bottom line is this: a carrier is NOT here to make people whole. The carrier is here to make money.
Stop giving comp bids. Don’t do it ever again. And here’s the reason I want you to give to the adjusters. So here’s what I want you to tell the next adjuster that calls you. He’ll say, “I got this crazy contractor that’s giving me wild numbers. I need you to come give me a comp bit.” I want you to tell them that you’re NOT an adjuster, and you’re NOT a claims consultant. You’re a contractor.
If the insurance company wants to hire you to do that work, you’re more than happy to come give them a number. Otherwise, shut the fuck up and get out of my face. Contractors that give comp bids are eroding the credibility and power of EVERYONE else in this industry.
So stop doing it. I understand WHY you did it. I want you to STOP RIGHT NOW.
All right. Can we agree on that?
I get so emotionally involved in every claim that I’m in. Because I understand at a deep level that the vast majority of my clients cannot afford to have this loss. The vast majority of my clients would not rebuild. If they didn’t have insurance, they would move away (and that happens from time to time).
We can do better. But we can ONLY do it TOGETHER. We can ONLY do it RIGHT HERE. So let’s start RIGHT HERE in the Restoration Rebels Facebook Page. Let’s start here.
Restoration Rebels Facebook PageBut let’s not let it stop here. Continue it on.
Hey, I came up with a new logo. Alright, new logo for the Rebels. Love it, hate it. I don’t know, whatever. But if you like the rebels and what we stand for, change your Facebook profile, your LinkedIn profile to the logo. Let’s make a statement. Even if it’s for the next three weeks, through December, change back to normal in January. I don’t care. We need to send a signal that we are not blind to what’s happening in this industry EVERY SINGLE DAY. And we’re NOT okay with it. Can you do that? I hope we can.
Hope you’re doing well. Have a great day and go get them.
Make it happen.
DOWNLOAD NEW LOGO
Featured image by visuals on Unsplash. Text added in Canva.com
You did the job. You hired the guys. You put in the sweat and tears. Now the insurance company wants to cut you a deal. Wait a second. A deal for who?
Don’t back down. The insurance companies are all bark. If you stand your ground, they will be forced to pay you in full.
Still don’t know how? Well, first you have to pull on your big boy pants. Don’t think you can? We can certainly do it for you. Our pants are big, indeed.
You can roll over and show your belly. You can take the offered 80%. Before you do that, think of how that will affect all of us. The insurance company gets used to screwing the little guy.
We want you to take the third option. We want you to fight back.
Are you ready?
The insurance company doesn’t want to pay you in full. Everybody knows that. To think otherwise is just crazy talk.
Out of the gate, they’ll try to pay you less. Here is an example of the types of emails I exchange with insurance companies all the time.
They are quick to throw the first punch.
“Your case is under review” they say. That’s all fine and good. You can review the case as much as you want, but you still need to pay the invoice.
This is not a negotiation. If they want to negotiate, they can take it to court. We know full-well that we would win a case if it went to trial. Properly documented losses never go to trial.
Xactimate shows in detail all the work that was done, along with what that work is worth.
There’s a term for this. It’s an “open and shut case.”
Your first email back to the insurance company should cover the following points:
You signed a contract with the insured.
Let me repeat: The insurance company does not want to pay you in full. We all know this. We expect this.
Their next email will list some reason why they can’t pay you in full.
This is a lie. They are likely a billion-dollar company. The way they became a billion-dollar company is by ripping off folks like you and me.
Your next email should remain firm and non-negotiable.
Include the following in email #2:
Remember: The insurance is playing a game with you. They want you to back down and take their low-ball offer. They have no teeth in their threats.
Under no circumstances should you accept their first offer unless that is an offer of payment in full (hey, it could happen!). Or you can decide you are willing to accept it.
We aren’t doing anything illegal. We aren’t doing anything immoral. We’re getting paid for work we already performed.
Usually, after putting up a small fight, the insurance company will pay you in full.
Really, it’s not much of a fight.
If they thought they had a leg to stand on, they would take you to court. Since they know they would lose that battle, there is no legal fight.
Most legal battles are not started by the insurance carrier. Instead, they are started by the insured party. When they realize that they’re on hook to pay the contractor invoice, they sue the insurance company to get full restitution. If the insurance company is smart, they would settle at this point.
Some aren’t so smart. As a contractor, that isn’t your fight.
In 2012, Andy McCabe founded the property claim estimating and claims consultancy called Claims Delegates. Claims Delegates retains an army of dedicated professionals who write Xactimate® estimates for contractors, attorneys and adjusters across the country. They also consult on Large Loss and CAT events. They are currently accepting new client applications. Contact us today!
Featured image by Isabel Vittrup-Pallier on Unsplash. Effects added in Canva.com
It’s a common dilemma. You had a flood in your house. The insurance company offers $10,000 to fix it. You can’t find a contractor to do the work for under $40,000. You may feel this is unfair. It certainly is. This is also by design. The insurance company makes more money when it pays you less than what you’re OWED.
Insurance companies use a very complicated program called Xactimate. This is also by design. If it were easy to use, the common property owner could master it. Xactimate software is very expensive. If it were affordable, the average property owner would have a copy.
We’re not talking about Microsoft Word, here.
Is it starting to feel like the deck is stacked against you? The insurance company is trying to get you on the ropes. They want you to feel powerless and hopeless. When you’re in that position, you will accept ANY low-ball offer they give you. Hint: You don’t have to accept the first offer.
Time to get US in your corner!
Like it or not, the insurance company uses Xactimate. That is their “language.” Speaking the same language as the insurance company generally leads to bigger and more successful claims. That’s why you need Xactimate.
Don’t let the insurance company tell YOU how much the damage is worth. Let an advocate fight for you. We’re on YOUR side!
We’re industry veterans. We’ve been doing restoration jobs for decades. We know the REAL cost of fixing a damaged property. Hint: The first offer from the insurance company will ALWAYS be less than what they think your claim is worth.
We need to be on the same page when we go to the mat with the insurance company. They have a “professional” quote that says the damage can be fixed for $X. We have a quote that says the damage can be fixed for $Y. Which quote is going to succeed? Hint: The property owner (YOU) have more power than you think you do!
Andy McCabe is a licensed Public Adjuster in Oregon, California, Maryland, and Florida. He is insured and bonded. He’s been doing this a long time. You can trust him. He’s itching for a fight. Let him go after your carrier! Put me in, coach!
I want you to think about the real cost of training a water tech. Has it really sunk in?
I’ve had years of experience with water damage. I’ve trained a lot of water techs. I’ve had a lot of workers quit. When that happens, I’ve had to retrain more workers. It is heart-breaking when those technicians quit.
I get it. It’s a hard job.
Personally, I’ve been through WRT three times. The first time was for my initial training. The second and third time was to update my IIRC certificate (for ServiceMaster).
Did I learn anything new the second and third time?
No!
I did learn one thing: training is expensive.
All three times, the cost to my employer was the same.
I had to get on an airplane. I had to stay in a hotel. I had to eat. I had to get paid a salary. I had to pay for the course.
Those figures change over time, but let’s give it a rough number… $3,000. And I took it three times. That $9,000.
Employers, this one’s for you: Was it worth it?
Not from my perspective. What if I hadn’t learned anything? What if I quit soon after?
I’m just sayin’.
It happens.
I came up with a solution. If I was going to go through new technicians, well… like water… then I was going to create a system.
I want every tech to go through a training that was detailed enough to get the job done, and easy enough to finish in one day.
That was the 24-Hour Tech system. I created it first as a simple spreadsheet. Then I expanded it to a full book of lessons and explanations.
Now, it is a course.
This course is not a replacement for WRT (or some other training course). The science is important. I want people to know the science. That’s not what I’m saying here.
I’m saying that a totally green new hire is NOT a candidate for an exclusive, three-day vacation training.
We’re comparing apples and oranges here. Yes, we want to spend $3000 to train a tech who’s been here for 6 months. Right now, we want to spend $250 to train a tech and get him or her to work. In a day, he or she will be ready to gather the data YOU NEED. That will make YOUR life easier. Now you can write a professional quote and get paid.
Why are you spending so much money training new techs?
I was never one for college. It takes five years for a textbook to get into the hands of students. It takes a student four years to graduate. That means they come to you with information that is at least five years out of date (if not nine!).
I don’t need another piece of paper hanging on my wall. I don’t need a text-book education. I need a real-world education and a willingness to work hard. I want to know what I need to know. I want to feed my family. I want to help YOU feed YOUR family.
I want to get the job done, and done right.
That’s what I had in mind when I created the 24-Hour Tech program.
Get in.
Get your learn on.
Get out.
Start making money.
If I forgot part of my WRT course, could I go back and ask the instructor? Not likely!
If I forgot a section of the 24-Hour Tech program, could I review it for free? You better believe it!
You have LIFETIME ACCESS for an UNLIMITED number of techs! It is an absolute steal at $250.
A no-brainer.
I will be going back regularly to update the course. I just finished a major update for 2021. I’m getting ready to release version three of the 24-Hour Tech. When it is done, it will be included in the course.
I can also come to you! Do you want 1-on-1 training for your employees?
Contact me for pricing.
[email protected]
971-806-6193
No catch. I have a heart for restoration and education.
Remember, I was the guy out there training new water techs.
I know the pain of training new people over and over.
Let me make your life just a little bit easier.
Please.
Sure, I hope we’ll become life-long friends, but that’s not what I’m trying to do here. I’ve felt your pain. I want to ease your pain.
For real.
There’s no harm in coming by to kick the tires. We have some FREE lessons for the 24-Hour Tech course. Make your free account here:
https://theclaimclinic.thinkific.com/courses/the-24hr-tech
I have a feeling you’re going to like what you see.
BUY NOW or PREVIEWIt’s possible someone shared this link with you and you have no idea who I am.
My name is Andy McCabe. I have been in the restoration industry for about 20 years now. I’ve been the guy crawling through basements at three in the morning. I’ve been the guy training others to crawl through basements at 3am.
I am a licensed adjuster.
I kind of do all the things.
I founded the company Claims Delegates to empower and educate people in disaster restoration. I am an advocate for the insured. I am a peer for the restoration contractor. I am a friend to all.
Mostly.
I’m on all the socials. Give me a listen!
