Pinecrest Roof Claim - Miami Public Adjuster

Over 4 years ago, Hurricane Wilma damaged the roof and caused extensive interior damages to Mrs. George’s residence located near 57th Avenue and SW 104th St in the heart of Pinecrest in Miami-Dade County. Their insurance company sent two of their adjusters to inspect the home one month apart form each other. Both insurance company adjusters informed the homeowner that the insurance company would be paying her for a new roof. Both times, the inside examiner at the insurance company denied replacement of the roof. This nice lady who is old enough to be my grandmother, had an very sick husband during Hurricane Wilma who shortly after, passed away. Within that same time period, she had to be hospitalized for a severe slip and fall in her home. Between the mourning of her husband’s death and the recovery from her accident. You can well imagine her insurance claim was the last thing on her mind. It wasn’t until late 2009, that Intellaclaim Public Adjusters was retained to assist getting proper settlement for this claim. The insurance company had only paid around $34,000 prior to our involvement. Around $5,200 of which was for roof repairs to a type of tile roof that was dis-continued and impossible to repair in compliance with Miami-Dade County code requirements. We just settled the claim this week for a little over $113,000, which included full replacement of the roof and some other areas not noticed by prior insurance company adjusters. Mrs. George was relieved to finally get the new roof she deserved over 4 years ago, and be able to repair her home back to normal before the 2010 hurricane season.

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Read FAPIA’s response to the OPPAGA Report!

Intellaclaim Public Adjusters proudly sponsors Miami-Dade Police Department Open House Novemeber 11th, 2009

This Veteran’s Day, The Miami-Dade Police Department and Citizens Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County along with Police, Firefighters, and all branches of military hosted a community event to celebrate “Heroes on Every Front” with free food, games, raffles, and live music for the entire family. Intellaclaim gladly sponsored the event paying respect to those who protect our freedoms and way of life on a regular basis.

Homeowners insurance customers who file a property claim are much less satisfied with their claims experience than auto claimants, according to a new study.

The satisfaction level of homeowners claimants is significantly lower than that of auto claimants, says J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Home Claims Satisfaction Study. The study finds that customer satisfaction with the home claims experience averages 828 on a 1,000-point scale. In comparison, satisfaction with the auto claims experience averages 842, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study released in November.

“Home claims are typically far more complex than auto claims, and homeowners insurance claimants tend to have less knowledge of the specifics of their policy coverage than do auto claimants,” said Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Although satisfying home claimants is particularly challenging, it’s still crucial for insurance providers to meet the needs of these customers, given the significant impact the experience has on long-term policy retention.”

The study also finds that higher levels of satisfaction with the home claims experience have a positive impact on customer loyalty and advocacy. Among customers of insurers that achieve high satisfaction scores (averaging 837 or higher), two-thirds say they “definitely will” renew their policy, while 64 percent say they “definitely will” recommend the insurer. In contrast, among customers of insurers with lower levels of satisfaction (scores averaging 816 or below), only 49 percent say they “definitely will” renew and 42 percent say they “definitely will” recommend the insurer.

“While only about 6 percent of homeowners insurance customers per year file a home claim, for those who do, no other aspect of the experience with their insurer is more meaningful,” said Bowler. “An experience that meets or exceeds customer expectations may foster long-term loyalty, just as a negative experience may drive a customer to shop other insurance companies.”

In particular, insurers have the opportunity to improve customer satisfaction during the first notice of loss and settlement portions of the claims process. During the first notice of loss process, fewer than three-fourths of home claimants indicate that the insurer provided an explanation of their policy coverage, compared with 81 percent of auto claimants.

During the settlement process, claimants’ lack of understanding regarding their policy coverage often leads to negotiated settlements. Twenty-two percent of home claimants report negotiating the settlement amount, while just 11 percent of auto claimants say the same.

“The negotiation process tends to be difficult and stressful and often leads most customers to become dissatisfied with their claims experience,” said Bowler. “On average, satisfaction among home claimants who negotiate their settlement is 117 points lower than among those who didn’t negotiate. By thoroughly explaining the limitations of the policy coverage and fully managing customer expectations, insurance companies may be able to lower the number of negotiations and improve claimant satisfaction considerably.”

The 2009 Home Claims Satisfaction Study measures insurance customer satisfaction with the property claims experience by examining five factors: settlement; first notice of loss; appraisal; service interaction; and repair process. The study is based on surveys from 2,500 insurance customers nationally who filed a property claim between January 2008 and July 2009 and evaluates 11 insurance companies across the industry, including: Allstate; American Family; Amica Mutual; Farmers; Liberty Mutual; Nationwide; Safeco; State Farm; The Hartford; Travelers; and USAA. The study was fielded in July and August 2009.

Source: J.D. Power and Associates

Miami Heat Dancers Visit Intellaclaim Public Adjusters

Miami Heat Dancers visit Intellaclaim Public Adjusters at The Miami Home Show on Labor Day weekend at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Over a thousand South Florida homeowners were educated on the benefits of hiring a Public Adjuster and their rights as a policy holder. People as far north as Boca Raton and as far South as Key Largo were in attendance.

CS4 Ad-times Hurricane Guide

With all the tropical storms in the tropics, make sure to pick up the CBS4.com Ad Times publications available free at these locations:

Publix Supermarkets
Winn Dixie Supermarkets
Sedano’s Supermarkets
CVS Pharmacies
Sam’s Clubs
Big Lots
Regal Cinemas

There is lots of useful information inside to help you prepare for whichever storm comes our way. Check out our full page ad on page 39

Hurricane Wilma

Even if the insurance company already settled your claim for Hurricane Wilma or any other damage, Intellaclaim Public Adjusters can help. We’ve recovered millions of dollars for customers just like you.

Our inspections can uncover damages you might have never noticed. And our services are paid from your insurance proceeds, not from your pocket.

Click here to learn more about our services

Lightning Strikes Home, Gas Station

Firefighters Battle Weston Blaze

Blue tarp covering a home in West Kendall

Over 3 years ago, Hurricane Wilma damaged the roof of a residence located near Southwest 40th Street and 157 Ave in Miami-Dade county. Their insurance company agreed to provide coverage for the damaged roof tiles, a blown down wood fence, and several screen doors blown off the back of the house. Unfortunately, the amount of damages estimated by the insurance company adjuster was below the homeowner’s deductible. In late 2007, Intellaclaim Public Adjusters was retained to assist getting proper settlement for this claim. Engineering firms hired by the insurance company stated the roof was past it’s life expectancy and showed no signs of wind damage. Their reports went on to say that “all broken tiles were a result of foot traffic caused by people pressure washing it”. Due to this contradiction from the insurance company’s initial report where they stated “Roof Damage caused by Hurricane”. Intellaclaim brought in their own team of Engineers and Certified Roofing Contractors to inspect the same roof. The results were the complete opposite of those sent by the insurance company. Thermal imaging was used to show hidden roof leaks throughout the entire roof supporting our argument that the damages were far greater than what the insurance company had thought.  It was without any doubt that the roof damages were caused by high winds from a Hurricane. The claim was settled in appraisal last month for almost 8 times more than what the insurance company had originally offered.