What do you do when an insurance adjuster tells you that your bill is way too high? I am working on a large Cat 3 loss, 1400 sq ft. basement. Total gut and wash/disinfect. I am finishing the mitigation part of the job and submitted my bill. The adjuster said that exactimate is crap and that insurance companies don't recognize it as being legit. He said you can build your bill up to whatever you want. The adjuster is an independent adjuster and I've talked to many people that have delt with him and everyone says he is a stickler. He told me exactimate was a bunch of crap and that Serv Pro doesn't charge them that much. I had a public adjuster look at the job and he wanted to add 15 to 20 grand to my invoice. The home owner wants to get the house put back together and wants the basement rebuilt ASAP. I went back and forth with the adjuster. I had 36 pieces of equipment that needed to be cleaned, disinfected and it was heavy Cat 3(sewage). Exactimate $1500 he wanted to pay me $250. I argued and he said the most he would pay is $50. He only wanted to pay me .30 a sq ft for powerwashing and cleaning the slab. Exactimate charged .80 a sq ft. Many other things as well. He will not pay me any hours for Supervising Water Restoration Tech. I just don't understand how I can create an invoice in exactimate and he can tell me that I charged too much. He kept saying well Serv Pro doesn't charge for all these things and they are way cheaper. He had me look at another job for him. I looked at it and quoted him $3800 to soda blast graffite off of a car wash. He told me Serve Pro only charged $1000. He then later said how it looked like crap and they had to figure out what to do over there. He kept saying Serv Pro doesn't charge this much. After like the 7th or 8th time I started getting pissed. I was like so since when did Serv Pro come the standard of the industry? You just told me that they did a shitty job at the car wash? I told him that I am a specialist and that I do everything in more power to get the job done right and getting it to pre loss condition for the home owner. I talk to him on a daily basis and got his permission to tear out everything. (cause everyone told me he was a stickler) There was a second small back up and he told me that the home owner would have to file a second claim. (second deductible)
I cleaned it up for no-charge. (so my client wouldn't have to deal with anymore BS) Then there was a 3rd back up, it was so big and the adjuster made the home owner file a second claim.
He thought that I did a good job and that everything was done by the standard. I just dont understand how these adjusters can just come in and tell me what they are and what they wont pay for.
What can I do to prevent this in the future? Should I stick to my guns and my invoice or should I meet him in the middle.
Do you think I should have a public adjuster come in? How long will that prolong the rebuild?
He has no problem with my $27000 rebuild invoice. He only wants to pay $15000 for $24000 worth of work. My bill is high becuase I had 2-200ht's and 12 airmovers on the job for 9 days before I could open up the walls and really clean and dry the structure. I had equipment on job for 3 days after I opened the walls. I have had and air scrubber on the job for 32 days and will probably be in the 40 day range before I'm done. (per proto-cal environmental hygenist) I really did everything by the books and just don't understand how this guy can tell me what he is gonna pay. Also, he is holding up the claim now becuase he is subrogating with the town. I don't think that my customer should have to wait for insurance company to make right to my client. Why should they have to wait with there basement all torn apart?
Thanks for any help and sorry for it being so fricken long.
I cleaned it up for no-charge. (so my client wouldn't have to deal with anymore BS) Then there was a 3rd back up, it was so big and the adjuster made the home owner file a second claim.
He thought that I did a good job and that everything was done by the standard. I just dont understand how these adjusters can just come in and tell me what they are and what they wont pay for.
What can I do to prevent this in the future? Should I stick to my guns and my invoice or should I meet him in the middle.
Do you think I should have a public adjuster come in? How long will that prolong the rebuild?
He has no problem with my $27000 rebuild invoice. He only wants to pay $15000 for $24000 worth of work. My bill is high becuase I had 2-200ht's and 12 airmovers on the job for 9 days before I could open up the walls and really clean and dry the structure. I had equipment on job for 3 days after I opened the walls. I have had and air scrubber on the job for 32 days and will probably be in the 40 day range before I'm done. (per proto-cal environmental hygenist) I really did everything by the books and just don't understand how this guy can tell me what he is gonna pay. Also, he is holding up the claim now becuase he is subrogating with the town. I don't think that my customer should have to wait for insurance company to make right to my client. Why should they have to wait with there basement all torn apart?
Thanks for any help and sorry for it being so fricken long.