Ray Hall Senior Member Posts:2443  
| 05/07/2008 4:39 PM |
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Since I decided to stop storm travel after Hurricane Rita in the fall 06 I have listed with about 15 of the vendors who posted the adds. I think two required IC and the rest required Xactinet connections for up load and down load. My total out lay for xmate exceded $830. one 1 month and two 90 day leases. I received two losses from one vendor and let them re-write the estimate in xmate for 50% of the service bill. I recieved 2 more from another vendor using xnet. I received 2 more from the 3rd vendor using xnet.
This is not a slam about the estimating program, but about the vendors who hang the carrot out. My advise is if you do not have xmate now, have the vendor pay for your lease and let them deduct $25.00 from each paid for file, until they are reimbursed. O by the way this is a very hard program to learn, and a harder program to upload the flood forms, photos, attachments. I still think the carriers who use this program will be hit by a monster lawsuit someday, if they do not act as the administrator of the program and funished a loaded computer like State Farm does.
Why don't these vendors post "no one over 60 need apply" as I did not get a peep out of the other 12 vendors |
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okclarryd Veteran Member Posts:954
| 05/07/2008 7:51 PM |
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It's a conspiracy, Ray, a friggin' conspiracy. Larry D Hardin
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 05/09/2008 1:31 PM |
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Hmm sounds like this topic may have 2 points that are two hot to discuss on a public forum. |
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| 07/10/2008 11:57 PM |
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Amen bro , go girl , I also think any client who uses this program has not done their homework in looking at soft ware and its capabilities. And the people at xactware are subhuman. I really should post the copies of my chat with these morons over the last three weeks when i tried to get them to set up my profiles properly, these people at xact should go away . They are a danger to the entire cat community. They are just wasting air each day they live. |
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Tom TollModerator & Life Member Senior Member Posts:1865 
| 07/11/2008 8:37 AM |
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Richard, don't be shy, go ahead and tell us how you feel about Xacitmate. All kidding aside, I totally agree with you. The tech support for xactimate is atrocious. At least Integraclaim has a good support staff, even though they are becoming an inferior product. Simsol is the way to go, but we must convince the companies and vendors to use it. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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okclarrydVeteran Member Posts:954
| 07/12/2008 10:24 PM |
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If we continue to be loud and long, eventually someone will hear.
If we continue to say "no thanks" to the vendors/carriers that demand Xactimate, eventually someone will hear.
Or not.
Happy Trails
Larry D Hardin
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| 07/13/2008 9:57 AM |
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Larry,
I would not hold my breathe on that one.......
Joe
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| 07/13/2008 12:04 PM |
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Posted By Larry Hardin on 07/12/2008 10:24 PM
If we continue to say "no thanks" to the vendors/carriers that demand Xactimate, eventually someone will hear.
There are those of us who do not mind Xm8. and as long as you "just say no", that leaves an opening for someone willing to learn something new. As many adjusters as we see on this sight waiting for an oppertunity to prove themselves, I would be willing to learn any system to improve my chances at recieving claims. It dosen't matter whether its property or auto, the company hires us and pays us to do things their way, even if we think it makes no sense. When I was in Mississippi after Katrina, State Farm required us to use Mitchell on auto, and when th same cew moved to Fla after Wilma, State Farm used ADP. People grumbled, but we adapted, and came home knowing a new software for my resume.
Just food for thought
JWG I know the voices aren't real, but sometimes they're right!
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BobHVeteran Member Posts:759 
| 07/13/2008 3:28 PM |
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Posted By joseph lombardo jr. on 07/13/2008 9:57 AM
Larry,
I would not hold my breathe on that one.......
Joe
Joe's right, Xm8 has market share that has been quoted at 80% per their site. If one of the big 3 carriers (Allstate) wasn't married to IntegraClaim, it might be a larger share. ISO purchased Xm8, so it is just not going away.
State Farm has been using Xm8 since the 1980's. Comments that it is "contractor's software" are not fully accurate, Xm8 has had depreciation and insurance focused features since I started working with it 16 years ago. Of course the water-fire damage contractors use it too - but that doesn't bother me personally.
I have one comment for those that hate Xm8 - if you are doing an estimate with other software and find yourself searching for a repair item that is not in your database, odds are that it is in Xm8. If you use the "search" feature to narrow down the many thousands of choices in Xm8, the process can go quickly. Bob H
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okclarrydVeteran Member Posts:954
| 07/14/2008 10:03 PM |
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I side with those who don't care for Xactimate simply because I'm kinda fed up with companies demanding one brand of estimating software or another. And, Xactimate support is absolutely atrocious.
I understand that a company wishes all the estimates prepared with a particular software as it keeps everyone kinda on the same page. By the same token, some consideration should be afforded to the poor schmuck that has to pay for it.
When I used Xactimate as a staff adjuster, I liked it and willingly used it. It was not as good as it might have been for commercial losses but it was way ahead of Integraclaim.
The other side of this coin is just as Jim relates. All software usage certainly adds to one's resume and probability of employment.
Kinda depends on which side of the fence you are standing on, doesn't it?
Larry D Hardin
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BobHVeteran Member Posts:759
| 07/14/2008 10:20 PM |
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Posted By Larry Hardin on 07/14/2008 10:03 PM
...some consideration should be afforded to the poor schmuck that has to pay for it.
Yeah, I don't like the cost either - but it is about the same as the fee for IntegraClaim.
I just look at it as one of the costs of doing business, and then I don't have a lot of internal friction. The ability to get Email on my Blackberry while I am on the road is also expensive, with service plans, but if it gets me an assignment while I am in that region without having to fire up my lap top it eventually pays for itself.
I realize there are less expensive estimating programs out there. Bob H
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okclarrydVeteran Member Posts:954
| 07/15/2008 10:42 PM |
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After the day that I've had today, ......................
I'm just makin' lemonade.
If you're stuck with using Xactimate and don't like it, ............ make some lemonade.
Happy Trails
Larry D Hardin
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HuskerCatVeteran Member Posts:762
| 07/15/2008 11:26 PM |
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Posted By Larry Hardin on 07/15/2008 10:42 PM
After the day that I've had today, ......................
I'm just makin' lemonade.
If you're stuck with using Xactimate and don't like it, ............ make some lemonade.
Happy Trails
Been there, done that.. Hope you had some sugar on hand, or other fitting additives that will cut the sourness of it. Heard the lemons aren't quite in season yet in Oklahoma.
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okclarrydVeteran Member Posts:954
| 07/16/2008 11:07 PM |
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Ahhh, yes.
The additives.
Life gets better by the minute.
Larry D Hardin
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HuskerCatVeteran Member Posts:762
| 07/17/2008 2:45 AM |
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Additives??....I think my Mom's great- uncle on my sister's side called them "squeezins". Life just keeps getting better & better, don't it!. |
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okclarrydVeteran Member Posts:954
| 07/17/2008 8:25 PM |
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It does, Mike. It really does.
Happy Trails
Larry D Hardin
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 08/03/2008 2:06 PM |
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You have read my rants about the smoke ,fire and water suckers. I thought they just got togather in a penthouse in Vegas at Christmas Time and invented the contents clean codes and cost. But when I printed out my xmate sheets I found all the cleaning codes. I am still disapointed in xmate for this fraud. Thats why I do not have a Homeowners Policy too expensive with the package concept. |
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| 08/15/2008 11:42 PM |
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The crying about how expensive Xactimate is seems ridiculous. It's a tool of the trade and it works well. Have you priced golf clubs lately? People spend thousands on clubs and that's just a hobby. This is our business and tools can be expensive. I find it interesting that no one complains about cashing the checks earned while using Xactimate.
Regarding the original poster's claim that "no one over 60 need apply," unless there is some proof of discrimination, it's irresponsible, not to mention childish (a little irony here) to complain about alleged discrimintation. It is possible that those companies just didn't want to hire you for any number of reasons. Perhaps you were whining about Xactimate too much and they didn't want to have to teach an stubborn dog new tricks. Xactimate is not perfect, but no system is perfect. But, it's efficient and it isn't hard to learn. Like any new skill, it takes some concentrated practice. The Xactware.com scenario training is about six hours long for the Basic and Intermediate level and it will get you up to speed. Additional resources are available. Perhaps the closed-mind is the discrimination criteria, not the age. I have my frustrations with Xactimate just like everyone, but I also get angry standing in line at the Post Office.. that doesn't mean that we should stop using the Postal Service any more than we should complain that particular companies choose to use a particular brand of software. If you don't like the software, then you're free to work for a company that doesn't use it. The free market is great.
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rbryanhines Member Posts:119
| 08/18/2008 10:03 PM |
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"If you don't like the software, then you're free to work for a company that doesn't use it. The free market is great." after your entire post you finally get to his point, although I'm not sureyou get it. Thats his point, almost every carrier requires it.
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Tom TollModerator & Life Member Senior Member Posts:1865
| 08/19/2008 9:20 AM |
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Bryan, come on, almost every carrier requires it. Apparently you don't work with many carriers. None of the companies I handle local claims for requires exatimate, in fact, they don't like it. I use Integraclaim and am using Simsol on a 30 day trial. If Simsol is what I think it is, I will be using it instead of Integraclaim.
One reason I don't like it is because I had a contractor years ago tell me that they like it because they could hide fluff in it and many adjusters with little experience could not find it. Exactimate may be required by a few carriers, but your right, we don't have to work for those carriers. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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