Help Please Roof Damage Shaky Adjuster ???

[NeedsGoodAdvice]

What is the name of your state? MARYLAND

Help Me Please-Roof Damage

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What is the name of your state? Maryland

I have a Home Owners Insurance problem and need some advice as I am not sure what direction to head in at this point .
back in July 19 2005 during a thunderstorm storm , as I lay on my bed I heard a loud cracking sound followed by a swooshing sound
then several very loud big booms at which time my entire house literally shook .... something had hit my roof .
I jumped up and ran outside and saw that several large tree limbs had snapped and hit the roof of my home .
From my driveway area I could see a large limb up on the roof and partially hanging off the roof and
several large limbs also had bounced from the roof and were in my driveway .
I didnot know what damages were done to the roof as I donot get up on roofs and wasn't getting up there to look ...
I called my insurance company explained the situation and filed a claim at which time they assigned me an claim number and claims adjuster who advised me to contact a licensed roofing contractor to come out and inspect the damage and provide an estimate .
Took me about a week to find a contractor ...
The contractor came out and did a thorough inspection and provided me with an estimate of the damages and also took pictures of the huge
limbs still up on the roof and the damaged area's .
I faxed the estimate which was 4500.00 or so in damages to my claim person who then transferred the claim to another adjuster in my local area .
A day or so later I received a call from the new adjuster who scheduled a date to come out.
The new adjuster came out and this is exactly how that went ...
He DIDNOT get up on the roof , instead stood on the ground in my driveway and looked up at the roof .
You cannot see up on top of my roof where the damage area is from the ground area .
He could see the limbs still partially hanging off the roof ...
He then walked around to the other side of my home ( where you STILL cannot see up on the roof and for what I don't know ) ...
He asked if any pictures were taken and I provided him with copies of the pictures that the contractor had taken .
He then said OK , I have what I need .
He was here and gone within 7 minutes .

Latter part of August I get a check in the mail along with a brief cover letter ...
The check was in the amount of 365.00 ???
My deductible is 250.00 and after the 250.00 deduction the check was for 365.00 ???

I was FURIOUS !
I could not understand how this guy came from 4500.00 to 365.00 ??? ... Based on What ???
I at that point contacted the contractor to see if this guy ( adjuster ) had contacted him ... he ( contractor ) said no .
I rejected the insult of a check, sent it back to the insurance company on 8/31/05 along with a cover letter detailing why I was rejecting this check and
of course sent it with signature required upon receipt .
The returned documents and check was signed for at their end on 9/2/2005 .
Expecting to hear from them , I waited patiently .
Finally after not hearing from them by 10/4/05 I contacted them .
Was told I needed to speak directly to the adjuster who handled the claim ... which I did next .
When I first got this guy on the phone , He had not a clue what I was talking about .
He went on eventually to tell me he had sent out a check which was the last transaction on the claim ...
I proceeded to tell him , no , the last transaction was me rejecting the check which he then told me he never received .
I went on to tell him It was signed for by ... on the date of 9/2/2005 .
He then put me on hold for 10 minutes and then came back and said OK , I do have the check and cover letter on my desk .
I then waited while I listened to him read to hisself the letter ... He hadn't even paid this any attention as it apparently was the first time he had read the letter .
I asked him where he got that 365.00 figure from ??? ... No Real Response ???
I stated to him what is that based on ... how can you issue that figure ???
You never got on the roof , you were gone in 7 minutes and to further add you have not even spoken to the contractor who issued the estimate so where does that low figure come from ??? .

He then told me OK , I will contact the contractor today .... DuHHHHH ????
ON 10/7/05 When I got home I had a voice mail from this adjuster who said he had spoken with the contractor on yesterday 10/6/05.
He went on to say that there is minimal damage to the actual shingles on the roof the shingles are cracked and there is a hole , However, the contractor had informed him there is also damage to the actual sheathing and
wood under the shingles and the contractor naturally needs to remove the shingles in order to get the the actual damages .
The adjuster said they only cover damages they can actually see ??? ...
And would not cover the cost to have the contractor remove the shingles to get down to more in depth damage ???
He stated that if I had any questions please give em a call and on friday 10/7/05 I did return his call because to me
that made no sence whatsoever and neither does it make any sence to the contractor .
He was not in his office back on 10/7/05 when I returned that call or at least I got his voicemail and I left a detailed message stressing for him to call me asap .
Well it is now 10/17/05 ... a week + later and still no return call .

WHAT DO I DO HERE ... How should I proceed The amount alotted was completely rediculous ?????
I need some advice here .
Thank YOU

 

[rjordan392]

I am surprised that no legal types answered your plea. I am not legally trained but will offer some advice. All insurance adjusters work for the company and not you. What you need at this point is a "Public Adjuster". Public Adjusters look out for your interests only. Let him look at the property and the roofers estimate and all correspondance between you and the insurance company. In most cases, an agreement can be reached for a fair settlement. If by chance, the insurance company balks at the demands of the public adjuster, then I believe he has an attorney to deal with uncooperative insurance companys. "Public Adjusters" can be found in the telephone yellow pages. Good Luck.

 

[Cosmot0731]

This sounds bad. In one way the adjuster is right, most will not pay to remove shingles, etc to see if more damage was done, but that does not mean they aren't responsible for further damage. Most companies will authorize the work to be done before cutting a check to settle and then have the contractor begin the repairs. If in the process of repairing, further damage is discovered, then the contractor and you need to get the adjuster back out there to see the previously unseen damage.

He should have gotten on the roof, that is a given. If you haven't fixed the roof yet, you might try getting another estimate from another company just to back you up.

The claim is not settled just because they have mailed you a check and say that they have closed the claim.

If you still can't get anywhere with them soon, then you might want to get or at least threaten legal advice.

One important thing to remember, DO NOT put off protecting your home from further damage. Most insurance policies have a clause that if you don't attempt to stop further damage (ie, have a contractor get up and at least tarp the roof to keep rain out or something) they can deny part of the claim if other damage occured when you could have stopped it. Even if you have to pay someone to temporarily protect your home from further damage, those costs ultimately should be reimbursed. (don't hurt yourself by doing it yourself)

Hope this helps.

 

[NeedsGoodAdvice]

Thank you rjordan392 & Cosmot0731 for responding , I now feel welcomed here .

Cosmot0731 ... The case is by no means closed as I stamped REJECTED on the pathetic check that the adjuster sent me and mailed it back to them , I wasn't about to accept that .
The adjuster did FINALLY return my call on 10/20/05 ( almost 2 weeks later ) and I was not at home , he left a voice mail message and his number .
I have yet as of today 10/21/05 to call him back as I am not quite sure of how to proceeed with it all ... other than telling him to send a larger settlement payment .

 

[Cosmot0731]

Yes I would ask for a much bigger check (don't refer to it as a settlement since until the roof is completely repaired you don't want to accept a final payment and the word settlement infers completion) They need to give you a solid reason why there was such a huuuuge discrepency between their check and the contractor's bid and a reminder that they did not acutally get on the roof to properly evaluate it. In Oregon, even to just replace a few shingles would probably cost more than 500 some odd dollars and your damage sounds much worse. Like I said, if there is any way to have another contractor give you a bid so you have two independent evaluations of the damage, it would probably help your case a lot.

Also, in addition to your phone calls (or messages), follow up every phone call with a letter (sent certified w/return receipt) summarizing your message, so that you have a paper trail.

Keep working at it and you can always threaten legal avenues to the adjuster (they hate attorneys, because it always costs them more in the long run, but be careful because your legal expenses may not be reimbursed) I'm not an attorney or an adjuster, but have worked in the insurance field awhile.

Good luck and again hope this helps.

 

[acmb05]

Your estimate was so high

from the contractor because he is estimating replacing the shingles on the entire roof after he repairs the wood. I am a licensed contractor in the state of Michigan and I can tell you first hand that I would always estimate a new roof on damage like this because it would be impossible to match the shingles that are on the roof already unless you have enough in storage to make the repairs.

All of my estimates included any and all repairs that I could determine I usually went into an attic to see if I could see damage inside there also. It is quite possible a roof truss or two could have cracked also which would need to be repaired.

Either way this adjuster is way off base to even think you would settle for that low an amount.