restorers state farm alert

[steve g]

I think most of us, me in being no exception get a call for a pipe break, or water heater problem, talk to the customer confirm they have insurance and just start doing the work. I don't really get into the price because insurance is covering it. insurance always pays our bill and there is no need to sticker shock the customer at that time. we say you will just be responsible for paying the deductible typically $250, $500, or $1000

apparently after talking to a state farm agent what the company is doing is when their insured policy is time to renew, they send a letter out saying your premium is this much. if you would like to lower your premium to this much select option 2 and opt for a 1% deductible. this is happening without the customer really understanding what they are doing and what it means. most peoples reaction is yeah yippe lets take the lower premium. (state farm is so nice!!)on the last 2 state farm losses the customer had no idea they had a 1% deductible, the first job was 4k and the last one is 6k deductibles, as you can imagine this is big problem finding out we have a huge deductible problem once the job is in process or in the first case completed.

The agent I talked to was also very mad at what state farm is doing because it takes them out of the service loop and also LOWERS their renewal commission. they are bypassing the agent. and also ending up with disgruntled customers that the agents have to deal with and likely loose as customers. I have ran into 1% deductibles over the years but in the past the customers always seemed to know what they had going in and we, could decline the job, alter our procedures or do something to save money for them. this has been something the customer has no idea has changed. so beware and know going in on your next state farm job there could be a problem.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Yea that sucks. We normally ask about their deductible, do you not ask them at all?

One of these days the deductible will be so high they won't have much coverage for the amounts we deal with. Like a major medical policy.

I'd much rather deal with an uninsured homeowner than the insurance company any way. The option for replacement just gets in the way of what we could have restored any ways.

Many a time have we gone back after an insured loss, when the homeowner had said they didn't believe it was possible to restore anything and opted to replace. Then when they had a second uninsured loss they practically beg us to restore the very items they said couldn't be restored. :roll:

 

[floorguy]

soooooo how is it the agents (who are losing money and control) are not stopping or at least questioning HQ????

after 2 i would be all WTF is going on.....know what i mean :?: :?: :?: :?:

 

[dealtimeman]

in texas it is the norm to have a 1% deductible.

some poeple have 2% :shock: deductibles.

 

[steve g]

in texas it is the norm to have a 1% deductible.

some poeple have 2% :shock: deductibles.

didn't used to be that normal down there, that is where I started out in this work, but that was like 12 years ago. and even if it was the average house I worked in, in texas was less than $150,000 out here that gets you a house in ghetto hood where you are foolish not to be packing.

yeah we ask about deductibles but most people are like I dunno $500 or a $1000. The troubling way is how state farm is doing this behind the agents back and without the home owner knowing what they did.

chavez, so you would rather show up and not have the insurance paying?? seriously?? are you charging enough. if insurance isn't paying I don't wanna even get in my truck most of the time.

 

[Desk Jockey]

chavez, so you would rather show up and not have the insurance paying?? seriously?? are you charging enough. if insurance isn't paying I don't wanna even get in my truck most of the time.

No I'd rather not do the work if I know it's going to be a problem getting paid.

We start talking about money right off, who's responsible for payment, what 's your deductible if insured? We will give them a ball park estimate from the info they give us over the phone and then revise that if the scope changes once on site.

If it's going to be a problem I'd rather it rear it's ugly head now before we are involved in it. After hours I want $500.00 to dispatch a truck, regular time $250.00, if they balk we move on and go about our day or night.