Insurance Quotes

hulk

i've been looking over this years records and i,ve notice that there is a lot more insurance quotes this year(about 3 a month)over the 34 quotes so far this year and i,ve not got a single one.now in my area i charge on the high end so i know why there calling me so my question is should i charge for insurance quotes and refund the money when i done with the job i mean by the time i go out and looking at the job fax the paper work and talk to the insurance company it,s just a big pain in the butt if it takes a hour per quote(it,s takes more)i,ve just lost a 40 hour work week (like i work 40)so what do you guys do.

Donedat

I just bid the jobs like any other job. I do handwritten bids, hand it to the customer, then go home and do a Quickbooks bid and send it to the customer so they can fax or send it to the insurance company.

I never work for the insurance companyies. I always work for the customer. Keeps me in control of the job at all times.

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I admit...I don't know everything...but don't tell my kids I told you.

Floorwizard

Instead of going directly to the insurance companies, you might want to check with restoration companies and see if they subcontract.
Let THEM deal with the insurance and you can just do the job.

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"

Teetorbilt

I love these guys, the're paper pushers and know nothing about high end stuff. I just submit my quotes to the customer. When and if I have to deal with an adjuster, I just ask them about what other quotes they have. How much is a wound bamboo floor? How much are sliced palm cabinets? Bobu wood? If it's not in their computer or outside of their knowledge, the're lost.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Floorwizard

it's true, they really know only what the computer tells them.

what a way to live

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"

Glasshousebltr

I don't up insurance much, the little I do up it is to cover dealing with the pain an adjuster can cause.

Bob

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Bob

kenvest

i try and find out if the customer gets the check or does the insurance company pay you directly. if the insurance company pays the customer, then i'll pay them a visit. if the company is stroking a check, i don't stand a chance.

if the customer recieves the settlement, it then becomes their choice as to who to use to repair their home. my estimate will usually be high because i like to insure that the cosmetics blend together correctly. kind of like "paint the whole car so it'll match" kinda thing. i inform the customer that they do not want to present any bids that don't include a proper cosemtic blending of paint, flooring material, paneling, brick, concrete, whatever it is.

"the whole room needs to be painted" - usually true

"there's no way we'll be able to match the flooring/paneling/tile" - true in most cases

"we need to replace the whole patio for it to look good" - thats why they pay insurance

"we'll need to pressure wash the whole house to make it look right" - true

then i tell them to call me if we need to negotiate after they've reached a settlement. as with just about any quote, i build 5% negotiation room into the bid if i think there's room.

at this point, i'm their buddy because i'm making an effort to help them place a claim that will actually fix their home back to original state (sometimes better) not just trying to be the low bidder. i get alot of insurance work when i can find it.

Floorwizard

Insurance work makes up 1/3 of my business. It keeps me warm during the winter and suppliments my income come summer.
I got on with 2 restoration companies and I work really hard for them. As long as I make things run smoothly and on time with no probs from the client, then they are very happy.
I enjoy working with them too. It's a great business relationship.

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"