What the Surveyor wants from the claims adjuster

by: Gregory T. Davis

Now that I have been invited to voice my opinion/s on what the surveyor wants from the claims person, I find myself in that rare position of addressing all of my clients (each of them quite anonymous) while I stand openly upon the foredeck remembering my father's admonition to "pee to the lee".

So, what do I need from the claims adjuster? A common theme in the claims persons columns was expense, time is money. A fax of the Accord notice or other loss notice document saves time, about 1 minute against ten minutes to phone an assignment in, and a fax reduces transcription errors in telephone numbers, addresses and names.

Please, give me a good boat identification. I can't count the number of times the marina's records are based upon color, model and manufacturer or boat name. When I go into the yard I find three boats the same color, model and manufacturer or four with the same boat name. I need a Hull Identification Number (HIN) with the assignment. I need to know if there is more than one owner, named insured, at the time of assignment as the marina records may be in that party's name, not the name I was given with the assignment. I especially need this information when I am five hours out from the office and "Charlie" from the marina, the only one who knows the insured's boat, has left for the day and cannot be reached till tomorrow.

I agree that you need me to call you when I see something out of the ordinary or believe a problem is brewing. You want to give your insured the fairest and fastest claim service. I want to help you do that. I also want to be the first to advise you of the trouble that's brewing, before you get that stinging call from the insured or the agent that comes out of nowhere and catches you flat footed. Because the next call is going to be to me and I do not enjoy being the receiver of your anger.

Please, try to be available to me on the telephone. I know you are busy and can't be reached at all times. Remember, that at times I am desperately in need of your instructions and or a decision from you. I need to know that in the event I cannot reach you when a decision must be made immediately, you will back me up when I make that decision in your stead.

I want your insured with me when I make my inspection. But in a practical sense he is working the same hours as you and I. I may meet him after he gets off work and on weekends, when necessary. In most instances I will advise your insured of my scheduled inspection date and time and I will call him after the inspection to advise my findings and the time schedule for sending my report to you. I will not commit you to a time in which to contact him.

I will advise the insured and the repairer that I cannot authorize repairs and that I am not the insurance adjuster. However they are going to ask me if the claim is covered, how much will be paid, and when will the check be issued...even after I have told them the foregoing three times over. Because I know this I get a cost to repair agreement from the repairer that verifies I cannot authorize repairs and I send a written assignment acknowledgement letter to the insured advising the foregoing. But please don't be surprised, after the insured receives your letter advising there is no coverage, to receive a phone from the insured saying I told him it was covered and that you would pay.

I know that I am likely the only representative of the insurance company the insured will likely ever see. As a result I will arrive on time, dressed neatly and ready to completed the survey, most of the time. I know that the insured has suffered a traumatic experience and to a large degree my job is to assuage his/her fears and concerns. Sometimes I am traveling from a great distance and traffic may hold me up, or I may have been delayed at the previous job site and am running late. I will try to call the insured and let them know, if that is possible. I may have gotten dirty crawling through the prior boats bilge in search of the source of that stubborn leak. When I arrive the insured may not be understanding, or the insured may not agree with my findings and begin to find fault with "any little thing I did". Since you know me, I hope you will realize that this can happen, and that I really didn't call your insured all those names (while appearing late, in crumpled clothes, and smelling of bilge water) just because I didn't like the trim of his or her jib, as you were told I did.

I realize that my reports are 'public' documents and I write them with that in mind. Since I do not know who the final reader may be I need to document What I saw, Who I talked to, When I was there, Where I saw it, How it happened, and Why it happened. This may be verbose and my wording may be archaic, but I am doing this to protect my assets.

If you decide to pay a claim or to deny a claim, that is your business. My interest is in completing my job professionally and competently. If you want to tell me about the final resolution I am interested in how you handled your part of the job. I can learn from this and do my job better the next time.

The most important part of my SERVICE to you is my timely written report. I will send you a preliminary report within five days and in most assignments I will send you the final report within fifteen days. This report will include my worksheet (estimate) and an agreed cost to repair with the repairer chosen by your insured.

It is within this report that my ability or inability to COMMUNICATE effectively is determined. This report is my 'widget', my product. Sometimes you ask me to change this report. A word, a sentence, a paragraph. I am usually willing to do so, if the intent is not changed, or the conclusion. Because I produce my reports with these caveats in mind: