Tom TollModerator & Life Member  Senior Member Posts:1865  
| 08/08/2009 10:00 AM |
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I disagree with you Mike. They will be around for a long time. Hopefully their EyeQ program will give Exactimate some serious competition. From what I hear, it will. Time will tell. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com  Member Posts:386 
| 08/15/2009 12:55 PM |
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Posted By Mike B on 07 Aug 2009 09:47 PM
I personally do not believe that MSB will be around in 5 years. It seems that 90% are using X-actimate
Mike B
The first time I heard that it was only going to be Xactimate left standing was in 1996. We will see when that prediction comes true. :)
Allstate is not small account nor do I expect MSB has ever showed a net profit on the estimating software side and may never do so. That is not their core business and never will be based on what I can learn about the direction of MDA. I expect the estimating software is a loss leader to gain/maintain the I2V accounts.
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| 08/18/2009 7:14 PM |
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Go over to the exactimate forum and read the complaints...unless they change exactimate is NOT the wave of the future.
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| 06/23/2010 4:50 PM |
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now that allstate dumped msb, it is dead, simsol is next
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 06/23/2010 8:01 PM |
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Nope Simsol is still the program of choice for most of the flood adjusters who do not work for the WYO and married to xmate. Many many small IA,s in the USA use Simsol and will not change. I do not use either, but would use SIMSOL if Houston gets flooded.
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ChuckDeatonLife Member Senior Member Posts:1110 
| 06/23/2010 10:27 PM |
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All Hail, John Postava. When Houston floods me and Simsol and Excel will be on the scene.
Lets hear 3 for John Postava, all join in, hip hip HOORAY, hip hip HOORAY, hip hip HOORAY!
"Prattling on and on about being an ass with experience doesn't make someone experienced. It just makes you an ass." Rod Buvens, Pilot grunt
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| 06/24/2010 12:32 AM |
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I have used Simsol for about 16 years and love it. It can be easily adapted for any line of coverage Fortunately, the vendor I work with only uses Simsol for flood. Xactimate has modified its programs making it harder and harder to use. There are alot of complaints by adjusters but the problem is Xm8 could care less they market carriers not adjusters but things can change When the floods come this year Simsol will deliver the best final product |
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 06/24/2010 10:49 AM |
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Good adjusters do not need xmate, worms need xmate.
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johnpostavaSIMSOL.com Member Posts:141 
| 06/25/2010 10:12 AM |
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Thanks for the kind (and not so kind) words. Have not been on CADO for a couple of months - hope everyone is well. SIMSOL is doing great and we are continuing to provide professional estimating software to those adjusters who have a choice in the software they can use. With Allstate going to the "dark side", X now tells the industry what construction costs and can now limit the amount of money contractors can charge for repairs. This smells of anti-trust and somebody someday will take them to court over it. Just because X says drywall costs X-per-square-foot doesn't make it the right price. The free market used to set the cost of repairs - now a software company dictates costs. I've been adjusting for 30 years now and this is just plain BAD for the insurance industry. MSB took a big blow and even their new applicaiton "Q" couldn't save the good hands account. People will lose their jobs and that is not a good thing. We all work very hard on the software and support we provide adjusters and contractors and it is a shame we have an 800 pound ISO gorilla out there tellling everyone how to pay their claims.
Whatever software you use or have to use, learn it well and get ready for this year's hurricane season - all forecasts say we will all be working in September!!!
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 06/26/2010 12:46 PM |
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I have been telling the adjusting world for years, insurance adjusters(insurance carriers) can not set the price for restoration work. The reason this program is used by many companies is the large national water suckers have set the price for cleaning operations by the unit, by the truck, by the man and by the supervisor. these are all measurable units, but they are really ONE measurable unit split out four way. We alll know a competive bid would save 30-40 % off the bottom line. I am working with the fire marshall,s in several TX. cities to expose this little know fact. The buying public is not aware the fixed prices, increases the fire loss cost on a city by city basis , which raises the fire rate; the base of all Homeowner rates. Now throw in the accidental water losses (the mother load) and the lazy ins. commish and you have a money maker for EVERYONE but the consumer.
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| 07/11/2010 4:10 PM |
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it's only matter of time before xact takes over competely... And the reason for this is that it is simply better software... all your theories about great conspiracy are completely ridiculous... it is pity that instead of making simsol competitive you indulge in self deception...
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/11/2010 6:06 PM |
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When xactimate and the water suckers dominate the estimating world of insurance ckaims, this is when the class action lawsuits on clean water, gray water, flood water, fire, smoke, odor losses will be class action suits after the fact. It is a fact today... I can write an estimate in 27 with all the bells and whistles and put it out for blind bids on scope only in Houston, Texas and get the work done as good as the best "insurance restoration contractor in Houston" and save 20% on ever loss. But the carrier has to kiss the loss adjustment forever..... this is not the plan.... get em closed is the carriers plan and I don,t know any independent adjuster who wants to cut his service bill 20% and live with the grief, and it will be lots of long tail involvement. I really don,t think Cat. adjusters care about the cost, the more it cost the more they make. Kinda sounds like the retired auto workers in Michigan, who killed the golden goose? And this goose is mow more like 2 snakes eating each others tails.
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johnpostavaSIMSOL.com Member Posts:141
| 07/14/2010 11:57 AM |
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I dont know of one industry where one software controls 100% of the marketplace. SIMSOL is very much alive and we serve our clients very well. Our first program was released in 1989 and it still works today. I just finished a 500K plus estimate in less than an hour. Simsol simply works and if you were weaned on MSB or X of course you would think either system was the best. I know them all and they all produce an estimate. Each time X comes out with a new version I see more and more simsol in their "new" features. Simsol may not have the most "sizzle" when compared to X but it gets the job done in a fraction of the time and, as an IA cat adjuster, gets the service bills paid. As far as estimating the area of a "curve", most experienced contractors and adjusters (with more than 10 years experience) square it off and leave the rest to waste....estimating is an ART and not an Xact science (pardon the pun). Just my two cents....
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/14/2010 2:46 PM |
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I have always thought computers were a great tool when it came to revising my estimate, for any reason.I will argue this point with any expert in the world estimate ever cube, square and rectangle and add a waste factor thats reasonable and close the file. Anything else is wasting SOMEONES $$$. I will bet most of the Local Independent Adjusters in the USA do not use x and will not be blackmailed into using x. Any takers
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| 07/17/2010 10:38 AM |
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Ray,
I always hate to differ with you because you almost alway beat me anyway. This time I have to differ with you about Independent firms staying away from XM8.
Here you have an estimating system (XM8) that is owned by a company (ISO) that at one time was owned by the insurance industry that are now in many cases major stock holders in ISO so still owned by the carriers. The ones in Finance will reccomend that the carrier use the system they have stock ownership in. The one biggie I know of that sold off their stock and made what looked like some nice money was The Hartford. I believe the rest retained their stock in ISO. Now the small carriers may allow IA firms to use what they want but the ones that still have stock in ISO are either changing to XM8 or have been using it for a good while. When a carrier you do work for wants you to use a particular system, you either bite the bullet and use it or find someone else to do work for. Look @ Allstate, done gone to XM8. I believe the top 10 or maybe 15 carriers use XM8. Could be wrong but it has to be close.
IA firms have to look at bottom line and many would love to dump XM8 because of the cost, however untill someone can prove price fixing, domination of market like the old Standard Oil case or the like, many IA's are forced to use what they do not want to. Rocke Baker
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/17/2010 1:46 PM |
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I dont think I have ever disagreed with you Rocke, but you hit it on the head, Iknow the market price makes it better for the buyer. I just think blind bids by contractors with line item estimates would result in 20 to 30% reduction in cost nationwide on insurance repair cost. I think the carriers can overlook this fact as the contractors are the ones who write the unit prices in x. This is called we need to keep a lid on these cost going in. I have not been called to testify in a class action lawsuit by all the policyholders in one zip code (the whole USA) who complain about large premium increases ever year of 5, 10, 15% that is BECAUSE the cost of repairs is passed on to the consumer as the "estimate" is not determined by market, but x in about 80-90% of all insurance estimates. The fee bill adjusters go along and get along by keeping the status que and their mouth shut. I really think all insurance carriers still try to make an underwriting profit of x % and underwriting profit goes up with the cost of insurance as we all know. I have never seen it come down because of competive bids to repair damage.
Why should the insurance carrier say what is owed, they have tried this for years on medical cost and what good has it done. If a policy holder selects a contractor and the three agree on the scope and cost, seems like the lawsuits will slow down. Whats unfair when three people agree like they can if they try .Then you could plug all this in x( or a less complicated-expensive program) and see if the adjuster and the contractor are between the ditchs beside the highway. I still think this is a honorable job it had made me a good living for almost 50 years.
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/17/2010 1:50 PM |
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Posted By Ray Hall on 17 Jul 2010 01:46 PM
I dont think I have ever disagreed with you Rocke, but you hit it on the head, Iknow the market price makes it better for the buyer. I just think blind bids by contractors with line item estimates would result in 20 to 30% reduction in cost nationwide on insurance repair cost. I think the carriers can overlook this fact as the contractors are the ones who write the unit prices in x. This is called we need to keep a lid on these cost going in. I have not been called to testify in a class action lawsuit by all the policyholders in one zip code (the whole USA) who complain about large premium increases ever year of 5, 10, 15% that is BECAUSE the cost of repairs is passed on to the consumer as the "estimate" is not determined by market, but x in about 80-90% of all insurance estimates. The fee bill adjusters go along and get along by keeping the status que and their mouth shut. I really think all insurance carriers still try to make an underwriting profit of x % and underwriting profit goes up with the cost of insurance as we all know. I have never seen it come down because of competive bids to repair damage.
Why should the insurance carrierhave the only say what is owed, they have tried this for years on medical cost and what good has it done. If a policy holder selects a contractor and the three agree on the scope and cost, seems like the lawsuits will slow down. Whats unfair when three people agree like they can if they try .Then you could plug all this in x( or a less complicated-expensive program) and see if the adjuster and the contractor are between the ditchs beside the highway. I still think this is a honorable job it had made me a good living for almost 50 years.But standard prices for insurance policys is a bad practice, and standard prices for repairs is equally bad for the same reasons
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Ryan in Houston Guest Posts:16
| 07/17/2010 10:46 PM |
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My worthless opinion....
No carrier or vendor should have to force software on anyone. I can write anything in Xact, Simsol, or MSB...but I want to choose, not pay fees to 3 companies.
With the ISO Xact relatioinship, it has the potential to look really bad for carriers using ISO forms and Xact. All it takes is one motivated plaintiff's lawyer and one judge to change all that.
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| 07/18/2010 10:29 AM |
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Ray,
I meant no disrespect when I said differing with you I would always lose. Your years and experience (over 15 years more than me) make mine pale compared to yours. You make me think long and hard before posting which is what I need. I want to have the ducks in a row and even then between you, Chuck, Tom and some others, I know that somewhere I could be very wrong in my position on some things. And you folks have no qualm about correcting if need be. Thank you for that.
I hope that the new folks out there remember that a lot of us began our careers with some crusty adjusters and supervisors who were not afraid to tell us what we did wrong. That is how we learned and while we may not be politically correct in our opinions or answers we are willing to help and guide. Just not willing to do the work for the new ones. No one learns that way.
Rocke Baker
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/18/2010 3:24 PM |
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Thanks again Rocke. Bad info on a public forum or training school blather must be discarded. If its not refuted or a good argument is not made to refute the "bad info", valuable knowledge has been blended with junk.
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