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I will not stake my 1st-born on it, but think those uploading charges are paid by the holders of the key to Xactnalysis (the carrier, or the major vendor, such as Crawford, who is first downloading the assignment to the field adjuster & then requires all responses via same venue). 

In the case of the major IA's, it is those folks who decide who to send the claim to, and enter all the data for the claim, and then review it before accepting it as written and/or then forwarding it to the carrier. 

There have to be many many out here who are using Xact, and yet no one has stepped forward to say anything.  Is that because you are not being charged, and don't want to bring attention to it?   Most likely, you are using it but not uploading directly to a carrier that does not use Xactanalysis......just printing/mailing, or pdf'g/emailing.  Thus no fuss and no charges.     

When we used Xactanalysis to upload claims the vendor had us add an uploading fee to the carrier's invoice.  I assume the vendor is the one who pays the fee but apparently can charge it back to the carrier.  I have never heard of an adjuster having to pay it.

Ray, you are correct ! sometimes it almost feels like we are in the hole when the file is assigned. Funny story. Years ago I was working commerial claims for travelers on a fee schedule. After a couple of months they wanted me to switch over to T&E. They sent me a memo with the hourly rate and other details . One of the details was the  first 4 photos and 50 miles were free. Had to scratch my head on that one. They told me it was built into the price. It took a while to get them to understand this made since on a fee schedule when you start with a base fee but on hourly rate it makes no sense. They finally saw the light!

Why do you have to go through xactimate to send the file ? Just email the esx file .

The answer to your last question, Bryan, is that some carriers have been convinced to drink the Xactimate Kool Aid.  There is a product called Xactanalysis through which you can assign claims and through which claims can be sent back to the carrier.  In the process certain reports are generated that show where the adjuster might have varied from Xactimate pricing and/or added something that might not be typical.  It is designed to electronically ferret out adjuster mistakes so that those reviewing the files need to know even less about actually appraising damage than they did before.  The theory, whether stated or not, is that their program can replace truly knowledgeable claim examiners. 

Whenever one uses Xactanalysis they are charged (in addition to the initial charges of buying the program) a per file fee.    Some carriers require this and will not send a claim to anyone who does not have Xactanalysis. 

Sometimes I just feel like John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness, when it comes to Xactimate.  As long as I have a say in what my company does (and I do) I will not be forcing people to use a particular program if they know how to appraise a loss and write an estimate.  And if I don't understand what's right or wrong with an estimate without using some crutch like Xactanalysis, what am I doing examining claims in the first place?

Yep. and another thing for those who have not worked with Xactanalysis - large carriers that have "direct vendor" emergency service programs use this same web-based method to assign out to the Emergency vendor (like Serv-Pro, etc.) The emergency contractor has a relationship with the carrier prior to the loss, gets the assignment via Xactanalysis, sends their invoice (estimate) for work completed using the same method. In other words, they don't just use it for assigning out to adjusters.

It is also a system to hold an activity log, set diary, upload documents such as your prelim report, photos, and estimates to. If you upload the .esx file (not just a PDF of the estimate) then the carrier could make revisions if needed, but the big picture is a scenario where the entire claim file also lives in that bucket. 

The carrier I work with on Xactanalysis no longer wants Email sent to them - they prefer that the adjuster log onto the Xactanalysis network and send them a note that way.  From their perspective, it makes sure that the claim file is not fragmented.  Anyone can open the claim and see what is there, not hidden in separate Emails or documents in a separate hard drive folder.

Personally I am just a worker bee and am not charged for the uploads, but someone higher up the food chain from me could be paying for them. 

  Sure Larry, make it an upsize, like lets reduce the milage free to zero, zed, nada.  And then we give NO photos free and all are at 3.00 each. Hows that for an increase in fries.

Seriouly folks, we do need to make some rules and regs for ourselves that can be acceptable to the carriers. Stand together or cry alone.

For all youse Lone Star adjusters, "REMEMBER THE ALAMO"

Actually, what I meant with my "fries" comment was that if the posture becomes too militant,  if the tone become too strident, if the demands become too firm,  we may all be asking that question. 

I firmly believe that we should receive all of the photo and mileage allowances.  I firmly believe that the fees should be adjusted to reflect the environment that we all work in.  I firmly believe that an experienced productive adjuster should be paid more than one that is less experienced that cannot produce quality files, day in, day out.

Trying to force the IA companies or the carriers to accept these viewpoints is kinda like trying to push a rope up a hill. 

The ol' pendulum swings on a very long arc and to change it's direction of travel takes a while.  When the managers really get fed up with half-done claims, half-hearted attempts to reconcile the claim to address the damages and start looking around for really good adjusters, they are going to have to accept the fact that really good adjusters just cost more.

Only when the managers and those in the corner offices realize these facts, will the pendulum stop and start in a new direction.  Only through concerted and constant respectful demands will those in charge finally start to understand what we have been and are still trying to tell them.

Stay the course................                                                                                                                              

Some form of FICUS TREE and triage adjusting is working now. This has been of of the most active springs and now summer that I can recall in years. I only know one adjuster who is working and they have already worked four storms this year. They are very sharp and  worked first in 2005. They learned the system and will continue to work. I know others I know and many that I do not know have worked in 2008, but they have been very quite.

I heard one North Texas Hail storm near the Red River was being worked 100% by preferred contractors, and have no reason to doubt the source.The good adjusters who post on this site will always work....just about the same time all the 3 days wonders are working. How many of all the training schools and all the vendors who advertize with web sites have people deployed to day ? How many new vendors have you seen since 2000, I think it more than 100. Seems ever profession has about 10%  of the engaged doing 90% of this business.