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Posted By dnjsdad on 27 May 2011 11:19 AM

I have been working steady since 9/2008 until 04/2011.  I have worked a hurricane, several hail storms, and day claims.  I have worked with PA's, Attorneys, and Engineers.  I took a few months off for family issues, now there is Billions of dollars in storm damages and peoples lifes shattered all over the place and I cant seem to find work.  All of my work was with one firm, whom I spoke with this morning, they are not sure if they will have the claim volume to deploy me.  Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Dnjsdad

2 1/2 years straight and then........nothing, well that is what a rookie gets for taking that much time off!! 

I started back in late late 03 and I and I heard from day one that I would NOT make a living for my family , I would not find work after Jeanne, then after Katrina, then Gustav then the wildfires in California in 2007 and 2009. I will be the first to tell you that my almost 6 year run with steady work was as much about blind luck as anything else.

Like you All the 6 years I worked was for the same firm. In October of 2009, I made a senseless decision to climb an unsafe ladder position because I had already rescheduled meeting the insured's PA twice. Well, suffice it to say, I paid heavily. I woke up a few days later with a broken leg, pelvis, ribs, jaw and a fractured skull. I remember thinking where is my boss or my adjusting buddies I worked with, atleast some flowers..........nothing. Alas a few days later, I did get a communication from my team lead......................................................I was fired !!!!! With California being such a litigious state, my employer was afraid of a lawsuit 

 

The funny part was I knew it was my fault and never would have thought to sue my employer. I went through two surgeries and once healed spoke to my former employer. Wow they would not even give me an audience.

So I spent about 5 minutes feeling sorry for myself, I then started my own website doing what I do best, helping serious new adjusters(those in the biz for the right reasons). From that I became a claims manager for an IA firm back east.  About a year later I had a situation develop to where I started my own IA firm and here I am today.

The point I am getting at DnJSDAD is don't look at this brief rough spot in your work life as a bad thing because trust me "It could be a lot worse". Take it for what it is, A time to spend with family . Keep an eye out for work because it is out there. Do NOT spend this time asking what you did wrong, spend this time preparing for the rest of your life friend.

Lots of work friend, if you happen to be USAA or NFIP certified, well then give me a call

Robby Robinson

 If you have closed 25 or 25,000 files you have a history. Send a copy of several of your best files to any of the large vendors who are crying for good adjusters who can close good file. Good construction back ground is what the cat. adjusting biz. is all about.

If you are a contractor who can go into the AGC office and do a take off on blueprints and bid a sub job please send out some proof to the large vendors and you will get all the commercial work you can say grace over for two years.

"If you are a contractor who can go into the AGC office and do a take off on blueprints and bid a sub job please send out some proof to the large vendors and you will get all the commercial work you can say grace over for two years."

Ray,

I am a 15yr commercial contractor and now an adjuster. What is the AGC office and can you point me to the large vendors you are referring to?

Thank You,

Joe

So did you drop of the care package, and what was it and for who?

 The National Association of Gneral Contractor have several hundred members in the USA. Houston has an office that is used to drop off plans, bids etc. Try Pilot, Ebrels, Crawford, Cunningham- Lindsey, Renfro, Worley, Reid-Jones and about 10 more who need commercial adjusters this year.

Public adjusters always need good scopers and estimators. Just keep this info under your hat as it will hurt you with insurance carriers.

Posted By Tater on 12 Jun 2011 08:25 AM
I wasn't going to post here, until what I learned last night. I bartend at night, and several insurance people frequent my bar. We had a hail storm come through my area (Virginia Beach), but I didn't get any claims, or calls from it. Last night some of these folks came in for some food and drinks and told me of the damage their neighborhood received. They told me the adjusters were cat. adjusters from somewhere else. I was put on stand by for the tornado's, but not deployed, which I understand since I'm the rookie. But a hail storm in my own back yard...I don't even need to be deployed, I live here, and still nothing. So now I'm asking myself the same question... Mean while I keep hearing from fellow adjusters in the field that are currently deployed, how busy and backed up things are. And hearing of people that are completely green getting deployed, or some that have been out of the business so long they're clueless on Xactimate, or email for that matter...........Ah screw it, I'm taking advise from Robby Robinson; counting my blessings and heading to the beach....

........................................................................................................................................................................

My friend, Alas I can feel your pain and frustration level. During the approx. 10 months I was recovering from my ladder fall I was fortunate enough to stay with my folks so I could be close to the Portland VA for both surgeries to run some rods through my leg and then a bloodclot out of my skull. Well my folks live in the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest. During a very busy week of three storm systems moving through the area in early January 2010, my folks roof had about 2 ft of snow on the house and even more over the new pre-fab building to house dad's brand new 40 ft. 2010 Thor Motor Coach Astoria. Both roofs gave way due to the weight of the snow. The roof over the house only came in a few inches and a few cracked rafters but the pre-fab building completely failed and did around 30 some odd thousand dollars to dad's Coach.

The carrier who shall remain nameless( Not just a few states but ___states) sent some kid who seemed to NOT even know how to measure a roof. He didn't want to get on the roof NOT because one slope had in fact kinda imploded from the weight of the snow  but because he said they do not get on two story roofs. Fair enough but it should be noted that the house sits on a steep ridge on stilts and although the house is a 3 story house, from the street side is only 1 story. I guess he didn't know that a tape measure can be used from the ridgeline. He had a tough time scoping the pre fab building, come on people there are line item codes for pre fabs on both XM8 and MSB Integra claim!! Not once but twice did he write the building as a storage shed with a difference of almost 18,000.00 between the cost of a storage shed and a prefab building.

So Mr. Tot, I can feel your frustration that some rookie adjusters are deployed and way in over their heads while experienced adjusters are sitting at home.

(Let me go off subject for a brief moment)Although our situations are completely different, in my situation I cannot fathom why the carrier(not a few states but ..............) would send a rookie STAFF adjuster by himself ! I understand that everybody has to start somewhere but he should have been paired with a senior staff adjuster.

Now in regard to your situation. I wouldn't worry too much that you didn't get claims in your own backyard. I can almost guarantee that it had NOTHING to do with your skills as an adjuster. I would simply see it as the carriers and IA firms in which you are on their roster with simply didn't have any exposure in your neck of the woods. You are in a perfect position in that you are tending bar while you are waiting on the weather. So you are NOT starving in between storms.The fact that you have adjusters as patrons is also a GOLDEN opportunity for you to network . You never know which drunkard is a claims manager.    

After I completed 6 months of class room and OJT training as a staff aduster. I was sent to Beaumont by my boss to work ONLY for one family who had about 200 section 8 welfare houses. I met with the son and we inspect all two hundred houses in about 2 weeks. I told the insured I would go back to Houston write up all the losses that exceed to windstorm ded of $100 and be back in touch in about one month.

I worked up all the estimates had a 3 hour meeting showing all my hard work for the past two months and gave the insured the bottom line figure to close all the losses. After The $ figure left my lips and I was wainting on the insureds response which was only one word "un-excepted". I thought to my self I am over my head, I need help and I need to call my boss and I told my insured I would get back with him after my talk.

I drove to the pay phone and called my boss who had 50 years more experience than I did. He was very calm and said he would not take me off the claim and just to hang in there and I would get it worked out.

Now fast foward two years later. I was in the Dallas office for some more training @ the Hagge school and was out to dinner with my two boss's and I chided both for thowing me in the deep water over my head. The simple answer to  a  2 year casualty adjuster, hand picked for property was. We knew what we were doing as we picked you and trained you well and TRUSTED YOU, and knew you had to settle this mess and you did as no right way template was around. 

I never seemed to ask for advise after that time.