We all hope it won’t happen, that we won’t need the insurance policies we pay so much for. Though sometimes it does happen. Because of the way insurance works, many will opt to forgo reporting small claims to avoid the cost of their insurance going up.
When one does have to put in a claim, often the insurance company will have either their own on staff claims adjuster or they will hire an independent claims adjuster. This adjuster will be the primary person you wind up dealing with if you have had to put in a claim. They will often ask many questions, look at the damaged property, and behind the scenes do a lot of research to determine the replacement costs. They will also be comparing the damage against your individual policy to see what is covered and what is not.
In most cases, you won’t need to hire a public claims adjuster. Basically an insurance adjuster that works for you, the policy holder. The times when you may decide you want to are when your claim seems to be going unhandled, is being claimed at significantly less than actual repair costs, or if it is a very large loss.
In these sorts of cases, you will have to weigh if you think it is a worthwhile investment for you to hire your own claims adjuster to look out for you. This independent claims adjuster will work on your side, helping you make sure you get back what is fair on your claim. In most cases though, it is in the insurance agencies best interest to attempt to resolve claims fairly.
If you feel there is an issue with your claim, you might wish to contact your insurance agent first. See if things can be resolved through them. They may assign a different claims adjuster to your case. If you are still not making any progress on your claim, then would be a wise time to start consulting with a public claims adjuster to see if they can help you out.
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