| Author |
Message |
J. Odermann
| | Posted on Friday, March 10, 2000 - 9:10 am: | |
We could'nt agree more about not combining adjusting and selling roofs at the same time.However if you have'nt been deployed as an adjuster and need to still make a living, working with a reputable roofing company is an alternative. Just apply the same ethics that you would and should when working as an adjuster and keep them TOTALY seperate. Good luck everyone and lets all hope for alot of adjusting work so we don't have to keep looking for other options. Stay safe!! |
Trent Massey
| | Posted on Thursday, March 09, 2000 - 6:14 pm: | |
I want to add or clear up that from my previous post that I in no way approve of anyone adjusting and selling roofs at the same time and/or storm. I think that particular co-mixing is unethical and truly unprofessional. Do one or the other, but not both together! It's these acts that gives us all a bad name. |
Trent Massey
| | Posted on Thursday, March 09, 2000 - 6:09 pm: | |
I don't find fault with anyone taking their talents and lending them to selling roofs especially if no one is calling you for adjusting work. I just wished those selling roofs would not post on this site about being adjusters but currently selling. To me it sends the wrong signals to insurers who read here. If we are going to project professionalism towards the insurers, it must begin somewhere.
I don't mean to knock roofing salesmen, so please no one take this the wrong way. I know many salesmen personally that thoroughly enjoy their work, are great representatives of their co's, are good to their customers, and make a nice living at the same time. However, having been on the staff side of one insurer for a long time, I know behind closed doors, in general, one insurer does not necessarily think highly of this occupation, and especially if it's co-mixed ( as someone said earlier ) with adjusting.
Sell if you must in order to provide for the family, I say. I will be the first to commend you for taking responsibility as a breadwinner. However, please don't broadcast it to everyone you are doing it. I just don't think it looks good. |
Tom
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2000 - 7:17 am: | |
We as adjusters have all received estimates on roofs for hail damages that were questionable at best on the issue of damage. As an estimator (sic) for a contractor are you putting together the estimate with damage as the consideration or writing replacements as your probably being paid a percentage of the fee. Doesn't seem much different from the issue as to whether you can be an indept adj and also a public adjusters. Its still working both sides of the fence. |
David Bennett
| | Posted on Monday, March 06, 2000 - 11:10 pm: | |
I don't want to be the one to put a hiatus on what obviously would be income, but here is the reality. As an adjuster you cannot work both sides of the fence with out opening the door for allegations of inproprieties, whether true or not. It has long since been said " that you cannot serve two masters" There is a real and distinct difference. As an adjuster your primary goal is to keep the customer and the company happy. You estimate losses with an eye towards repairability vs replacement, with r/c vs acv and of course coverage and non coverage. As an estimator your job is to solicit jobs for your employer and get the most for that job that you can. You also will find yourself in negotiations or an adverse position with the adjuster who has the loss. If you don't believe that word doesn't travel about your being on the opposite side of the fence, then you really don't know the industry.
You see if you work as an estimator in a storm and then switch to adjusting in that storm and the contractor you estimated for obtains work from the losses you adjust, you have allready opened the door for questioning.
This was done recently in the Virginia area, where several cat adjusters started working for a contractor soliciting jobs (lets call it by its name your not estimating) and then because they found out about a stream of losses from a local carrier (by the way, they obtained this information from a cat adjuster on site and then went in and solicited the business out from under the company that the adjuster who gave them the information, during a friendly conversation, was working for, in essence stealing the business) they switch to adjusting. Low and behold the same roofing company obtained several jobs on the losses these individuals were working on.
I am not saying that there was anything wrong here, but if you put yourself in the place of the company staff, what would you think?
Its ok to go to work for the contractor as an estimator as an employee of the contractor. Most all contractors welcome exadjusters onto their staff as estimators, because the insurance industry when they train, do prepare us better for estimating than any other source.
Now if you want to work as an estimator for a local contractor and receive a set fee up front, say 1% of the estimate if the job is not signed up and 3% if the contractor gets the job. That's a whole different ball game. You truly are only estimating and the contractor is doing the soliciting and your not going to be in a position to be arguing with an adjuster.
You have to make your own decision, I urge you to look at the risks and rewards very carefully. You cannot play on both teams during the same event. |
Dave
| | Posted on Monday, March 06, 2000 - 8:19 pm: | |
Many adjusters have, on occassion, sold roofing /siding etc. in the slow times.
This normally occurs on a big storm, when the "stormer" roofing contractors have set-up a location and are in need of experienced people to ascertain the hail damage.
There is no problem with being a salesman, as long as, you do not co-mix your duties. You cannot be an adjuster and con-currently be a salesman.
Nor can you try and represent the client (insured) to the adjuster in States where you need a Public Adjusters license.
The position is one that works for some and not for others. While it may appear to be an easy task, in reality it is very time consuming, the pay is slow in coming, the responsibilities are great and it ALL depends on the company you have elected to work for.
(Not unlike adjusting for some firms)
If you would choose to try this, make absolutely sure you know the ground rules, check out the company, get some references, strike the best deal you can. And remember that you are still an independent, with the same downside effects as an adjuster. |
Roy Cupps
| | Posted on Monday, March 06, 2000 - 8:17 pm: | |
I received this question from a CADO visitor.
I like many other adjusters are sitiing at home waiting for work. I have seen more than one message about selling roofs in New Orleans. I was wondering how you feel about this situation is it on the up and up or could one get in trouble doing this . |
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