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Ken Bailey
USA
1 Posts |
 Posted - 10/07/2003 : 14:34:55
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| How do you go about getting certified with USAA as a property adjuster? I can't seem to get anyone on the phone, or get anyone that actually knows anything? Any info would be greatly apprecaited. Thanks |
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jlombardo
USA
212 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2003 : 14:37:19
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| Contact the E.A. Renfroe Company @1-800-972-8989....they are wondreful people and will help you...... |
Edited by - jlombardo on 10/07/2003 14:37:54 |
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345
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2003 : 17:09:45
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| Carefully compare the new USAA fee schedule to several others before you commit to go to a storm, especially if the location is far from home. |
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dano009
46 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2003 : 19:41:39
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| Crawford and Allcat are two other vendors. |
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danmeler
25 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2003 : 21:06:34
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| Talk to a few people who have had the USAA experienc before you go to the trouble and expense of certifying with them - I'm sure the results would be mixed, BUT: In my opinion they are one of the least desirable carriers to work for. Unfortunately their attitude towards Independents is that we're something akin to pack mules. Motivation through intimidation. No respect, no support of any kind. I don't plan on working for them again when Isabel is finished. The fee schedule is so-so, but you'll likely barely get enough files to make a storm worth a cross country trip. On a positive note, the insureds (members) are an upper class lot who are a pleasure to deal with. |
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dano009
46 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2003 : 11:27:37
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| As Dan suggest, USAA is a difficult company to work for. Their fee schedule is okay. However, the cat supervisors are kind of anal-retentive and for the most part, don't have a significant amount of property experience, much less cat property claim experience. I've heard that USAA is requiring all cat adjusters to carry a minimum 24' ladders and a micrometer to measure siding thickness. All adjusters must use Xactimate and lease SkyTel pagers. However, as far as a class of insured’s or member’s go, USAA has the best. In my humble experience, only State Farm is more of a pain in the ass company to work a cat storm for. |
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danmeler
25 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2003 : 15:51:03
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| If you want to hear a good one...USAA just kicked back an Isabel file to me for the remove/reset of a toilet in a bathroom where the wallpaper has to be replaced. I had explained in the log it was to provide access to R/R the wallpaper. The USAA reviewer comment is "Unless photographic evidence is provided that Rem/Reset of toilet is necessary it will not be allowed". Have you ever seen a toilet far enough from the wall to do wallpaper? Me neither, and certainly not this one. I'll just re-do the estimate and short the Insured. I'm NOT revisiting the loss for photos when this kind of ignorance is involved. |
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dano009
46 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2003 : 16:34:25
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| I hear you Dan. In twenty years, I've worked anywhere from eight to ten thousand claims, liability, auto and property. But SF and USAA get these youngsters file reviewers and they just have no clue as to what needs to be done to effectuate a repair/replacement of certain items. That is why I don’t work for USAA or SF. You have reviewers and reinspectors that just came out of some one week property or auto class and of course they know by default, because of their short careers and education, everything! Plus, the staff at USAA and SF think all cat adjuster’s are morons and treat them accordingly. |
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KileAnderson
USA
875 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2003 : 17:40:49
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Dan, I've worked almost exclusively for SF as an independant for the past 5 years and your comments do not reflect the experiences I have had. I don't know about USAA as I've never worked for them but when working for State Farm the only person that has ever reviewed my files has been a Cat Team manager and all the ones that I've worked for have been seasoned veterans of the claims world. I've had reinspectors look at my files and all my reinspects have come back with great reviews. All of the reinspectors I've met have had at least 10 years of claims experience if not more.
I'm not saying this to defend SF or anything, I'm just saying my experience has been the polar opposite of what you have described. |
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345
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2003 : 18:01:34
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| Kile, I would like to know what area of the country you have been working for SF, because I NEVER have been able to find the type of team leaders or reviewers working for SF as you are describing. You must be leading some kind of charmed life and living in a fantasy world to have had the experiences you are relating to. |
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KileAnderson
USA
875 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2003 : 18:09:28
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I've worked in the midwest the south and the east coast. I have not experienced any of the problems that have been mentioned here. I've heard many people complain about working for SF in the past but I wonder if these people have done any work for them in the past 5 years. Maybe things have changed since they have worked for them. I thoroughly enjoy working for SF.
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345
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2003 : 19:28:26
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| USAA has a bad habit of overstaffing a storm. They will send 50 adjusters when 15 could handle the number of files in a reasonable time. The 50 adjusters may get 25 to 50 claims at most, get finished in two weeks where 15 adjusters would have 100 to 125 claims and finish in 5 to 6 weeks. The 50 adjusters would not have a very good paycheck and in addition to driving 1500 miles one way to the storm. This is currently what has been done in NC, and I personally went to a storm in NC a few years ago for them, drove 1500 miles one way from Texas in RV @ 6 MPG and got paid $500 expense money and no claims to work. There were 49 other adjusters that reported to that storm also, and some of them drove all the way from California to NC and got -0- files. |
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danmeler
25 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2003 : 07:06:53
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| Actually I've had pretty good luck with State Farm...although I realize things vary from storm to storm. They really DO seem to know how to run a cat. To illustrate the USAA attitude here at Isabel: At the initial orientation meeting at USAA's extremely inconvenient Reston, VA offices, one of the many questions that came up was "when will we be getting policies?" and the very curt answer was "you won't, just do things the way we tell you to do them". I am not kidding...we are not allowed to have copies of the policies here, and that's a new one on me! I've received fewer than 70 mostly minimum fee wind claims and they're just coming in one here and there now. I think some adjusters have quit, some fired, the rest just miserable. It's been quite a sage. We're not allowed to talk to our USAA team leader unless it's a borderline emergency (per the team leaders instructions). The office phone system has been put on a message-only status, so you can't directly contact anyone from the field. We be havin' a real good time here!! |
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jlombardo
USA
212 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2003 : 07:18:48
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| I hate to take this attitude, but if it is so bad.....LEAVE.....Period...End Story....If enough adjusters would stop taking their bull **** , then things WOULD change.....What gives the carriers and vendors the right to treat independent adjusters like trailer trash?????? |
Edited by - jlombardo on 10/19/2003 07:20:42 |
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Ghostbuster
476 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2003 : 08:56:23
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A genuine, fire-breathing, stomp-a-mudhole-and-walk-it-dry Professional Trade Association wouldn't let this happen!
(Sorry, I couldn't resist the temptation to beller from the soapbox.) |
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jlombardo
USA
212 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2003 : 10:30:10
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Mark,
You are 100% correct.....The time is fast approaching that a trade orgaization of professional adjusters be formed...From what I can gather, this has been the worst year for hammering on the Cat adjuster...... |
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USAA Certification ?
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