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PGJK

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

We had a water main break which cause structural and property damage in 2014. We hired a public adjuster who seriously mishandled the case. Adjuster spent a better part of the claim on monies/damages already paid out on previous claim and not the present one. Documentation was never filled out or filed correctly therefore claim took longer to come to a settlement. We last received a check for the structural portion however property portion has remained unsettled or partially settled? It's had to tell by the documentation received. Nobody told us it was closed however somehow insurance company has deemed it so. I only found this out this fact by calling our insurance broker for assistance. By the non-returning of telephone calls from the adjuster I can only assume they bailed. We still have a basement which is in ruin, property which has been unaddressed, and no help in sight. This case lingered on though 5 insurance carrier adjusters and our public adjuster. Since our public adjuster had locked us into agreement we could not speak with anyone who could possibly help speed up the process. Our PA left us out of any negotiations and promised to pursue our claim. First problem is they had filed late as per carrier. Found this out by telephone call to our broker. Next was the claim by the insurer of a previous payout of $6000 already paid on our claim. No such payment had ever been paid out on the claim, however payment was rendered on a claim made due to storm damage in 2011 resulting in water damages in our basement. Pursuit of this mysterious elusive pay out seemed upper most important to insurer and our PA that it took a better part a year to track down. Please note that both the same PA and insurance company were involved in that claim as well (2011). So on our own we tracked down the elusive pay out through bank deposits, as no one seem to be able to find the a of this check or payment. Next came the cavalcade of carrier adjusters, 5 in all, each making a trek through the carnage and taking notes, pictures, etc. Still having been left out of the process and unknowing what exactly took place in our basement between the PA and carrier's adjuster(s). Nothing in the way of documentation was ever provided to us either explaining what was done or had taken place during those visits. We thought about firing this PA however we had to consider our cost of do so at such a late date. Both my mother and I are on fixed income therefore cost of firing PA was definitely factored into our loss thus far. We spent most of our time waiting for phone calls which were rarely if ever made or returned. Each new visit also involve the tossing about of our belongings not yet not remitted to us for approval or assessment. PA claimed they would "take care of it" and never did. Nothing in the way of pictures, lists or assessment of damaged items was ever present to us even though we were paying for this. These materials have been requested several times over the course of this case and never presented to us. The final insult was documentation presented via the carrier who had hired their own investigative team to assess damage. The list contains only 135 specific items lacking complete description because they refer to photos which nobody seems to have. I made several requests for this material due to issues that had arisen from the onset of the case such as known items missing from our premises after the mitigation. Photographs would have provided the best evidence of said claim and accurate appraisal/assessment, however strangely nobody seems to have these. They were taken at mitigation time, they were taken by the PA and his group, They were taken by the carrier's adjusters yet none were provided to us. As photographs are an most important factor in the whole case yet we received none. The basement is a complete wreck, items had not been tabulated correctly and nobody seems to care about them. Then the coup de grâce is the submission by our insurance carrier for replacement cost and damages that reads like a really bad joke. It list 135 items groups like wholesale shopping list including ridiculous things such as; A fishing pole that got wet assessed for cleaning cost; glass items that got wet again assessed for cleaning cost; wooden statues: cleaning cost; stuffed animals: cleaning cost, ad nauseum. One computer; outdated technology 0 (There's a total of 10-15 computers: about 9 desktops & 6 laptops); 4 oriental rugs misstated with diminished true value (this is where photos would be helpful since spelling means everything when looking for it's replacement). Books (many collectibles and antique); listed amongst paperbacks and calculated as a whole; Several Stereo components of which only 2 are listed (these were stacked on top of one another back in 2011, now strewn about the basement); 4 DVRs not unaccounted for and which are no longer being manufactured or sold and who's replacement costs are about $400 each (found these on eBay); 4 monitor speakers: 2 15" Celestrons and 2 Altec Lansings (circa 1970s) valued at $1000 (missing post mitigation).

This might seem a little extravagant to whomever reads this however basement was storage area for all our belongings since 1950's and most recently made storage while construction was being performed in other parts of the house. This was not junk as might be presupposed. This was all that was important enough to us to save in a safe place until space was allotted for it elsewhere in the home. Please note also prior to this particular claim my brother and then his daughter were forced to move in with us due to their circumstances so it was a pretty full basement at the time with their belongings as well. It's overwhelming that a carrier and our public adjuster would decimate a claim this large. Who is responsible? Where do we lay blame? What do we do next? We have absolutely no pictures to compare with these results therefore replacements cannot be made. We have an assessment revering to photos that apparently do not exist!
 


xylene

Senior Member
That's more than I can wade through, but it seems you suspect fraud?

Have you contacted the office of the attorney general?
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

We had a water main break which cause structural and property damage in 2014. We hired a public adjuster who seriously mishandled the case. Adjuster spent a better part of the claim on monies/damages already paid out on previous claim and not the present one. Documentation was never filled out or filed correctly therefore claim took longer to come to a settlement. We last received a check for the structural portion however property portion has remained unsettled or partially settled? It's had to tell by the documentation received. Nobody told us it was closed however somehow insurance company has deemed it so.


I only found this out this fact by calling our insurance broker for assistance. By the non-returning of telephone calls from the adjuster I can only assume they bailed. We still have a basement which is in ruin, property which has been unaddressed, and no help in sight. This case lingered on though 5 insurance carrier adjusters and our public adjuster. Since our public adjuster had locked us into agreement we could not speak with anyone who could possibly help speed up the process. Our PA left us out of any negotiations and promised to pursue our claim. First problem is they had filed late as per carrier. Found this out by telephone call to our broker.

Next was the claim by the insurer of a previous payout of $6000 already paid on our claim. No such payment had ever been paid out on the claim, however payment was rendered on a claim made due to storm damage in 2011 resulting in water damages in our basement. Pursuit of this mysterious elusive pay out seemed upper most important to insurer and our PA that it took a better part a year to track down. Please note that both the same PA and insurance company were involved in that claim as well (2011). So on our own we tracked down the elusive pay out through bank deposits, as no one seem to be able to find the a of this check or payment. Next came the cavalcade of carrier adjusters, 5 in all, each making a trek through the carnage and taking notes, pictures, etc. Still having been left out of the process and unknowing what exactly took place in our basement between the PA and carrier's adjuster(s). Nothing in the way of documentation was ever provided to us either explaining what was done or had taken place during those visits. We thought about firing this PA however we had to consider our cost of do so at such a late date. Both my mother and I are on fixed income therefore cost of firing PA was definitely factored into our loss thus far.


We spent most of our time waiting for phone calls which were rarely if ever made or returned. Each new visit also involve the tossing about of our belongings not yet not remitted to us for approval or assessment. PA claimed they would "take care of it" and never did. Nothing in the way of pictures, lists or assessment of damaged items was ever present to us even though we were paying for this. These materials have been requested several times over the course of this case and never presented to us. The final insult was documentation presented via the carrier who had hired their own investigative team to assess damage. The list contains only 135 specific items lacking complete description because they refer to photos which nobody seems to have. I made several requests for this material due to issues that had arisen from the onset of the case such as known items missing from our premises after the mitigation. Photographs would have provided the best evidence of said claim and accurate appraisal/assessment, however strangely nobody seems to have these. They were taken at mitigation time, they were taken by the PA and his group, They were taken by the carrier's adjusters yet none were provided to us. As photographs are an most important factor in the whole case yet we received none. The basement is a complete wreck, items had not been tabulated correctly and nobody seems to care about them. Then the coup de grâce is the submission by our insurance carrier for replacement cost and damages that reads like a really bad joke.


It list 135 items groups like wholesale shopping list including ridiculous things such as; A fishing pole that got wet assessed for cleaning cost; glass items that got wet again assessed for cleaning cost; wooden statues: cleaning cost; stuffed animals: cleaning cost, ad nauseum. One computer; outdated technology 0 (There's a total of 10-15 computers: about 9 desktops & 6 laptops); 4 oriental rugs misstated with diminished true value (this is where photos would be helpful since spelling means everything when looking for it's replacement). Books (many collectibles and antique); listed amongst paperbacks and calculated as a whole; Several Stereo components of which only 2 are listed (these were stacked on top of one another back in 2011, now strewn about the basement); 4 DVRs not unaccounted for and which are no longer being manufactured or sold and who's replacement costs are about $400 each (found these on eBay); 4 monitor speakers: 2 15" Celestrons and 2 Altec Lansings (circa 1970s) valued at $1000 (missing post mitigation).

This might seem a little extravagant to whomever reads this however basement was storage area for all our belongings since 1950's and most recently made storage while construction was being performed in other parts of the house. This was not junk as might be presupposed. This was all that was important enough to us to save in a safe place until space was allotted for it elsewhere in the home. Please note also prior to this particular claim my brother and then his daughter were forced to move in with us due to their circumstances so it was a pretty full basement at the time with their belongings as well. It's overwhelming that a carrier and our public adjuster would decimate a claim this large. Who is responsible? Where do we lay blame? What do we do next? We have absolutely no pictures to compare with these results therefore replacements cannot be made. We have an assessment revering to photos that apparently do not exist!
ease of reading:)
 

adjusterjack

Senior Member
We hired a public adjuster
As soon as I read that I was able to predict where the rest of your post was going. I'm a retired property claim rep and my claims territory included Florida, New York and New Jersey, states that are rife with Public Maladjusters. Every time a Public Maladjuster got between me and my customer it always (without exception) went horribly wrong for my customer. Public Maladjusters charge 10% to 15% of the claim and promise the customer that they will get enough money from the big, bad insurance company that will cover the exact amount of the customer's loss PLUS cover the Public Maladjuster's fee and save the deductible. So, if the policy covers $X, how does the Public Maladjuster fulfill his promise of $X + $Y + $Z? That's easy. He fraudulates the claim. (I know, no such word, but it looks good and emphasizes a point.) Worse, he gets the customer to sign a contract that compels the insurance company to pay him and he, in turn, pays the customer net after his commission. Of course, after I have separated the true claim from the fraudulated claim and have paid the correct amount, he pays the customer what's left, leaves the customer short-changed, and moves on to the next victim. After that, there is nothing I can do for my customer unless the Public Maladjuster releases his customer from the contract. Never could get one to do that so my customers always ended up in the hole.

PGJK, your claim is a mess and I have no idea how you can even begin to clean it up.

I suggest that you find a lawyer (if one exists) who has dealt with litigating property losses and see what can be done.
 

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