Total Loss After the Flood? Fight by Invoking the Appraisal Clause!
Prove a point! Fight for your total loss after the flood by invoking the Appraisal Clause!
If you’re a victim of the recent flooding in South Texas, Florida or any other state affected and you have a total loss after the flood against your own carrier, you should call our office immediately and make sure that any offer you get is fair and reasonable.
Now that South Texas is dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Florida and Georgia brace for the impact of category 5 Hurricane Irma, victims will undoubtedly be dealing with total loss claims in exponential numbers and they need to know that insurance companies routinely handle these claims in a very dogmatic manner.
The biggest tactic is for a carrier to simply refuse to negotiate.
They will simply tell you, “take it or leave it”.
They like to claim that they do not have the authority to negotiate outside of their captive company market reports.
This is completely untrue.
Unfortunately, most insurance adjusters are brainwashed by training that tells them how it is, and then they simply regurgitate the same brainwashing mantra given to them by their superiors.
The standard personal auto insurance policy in Texas contains an appraisal clause, and that clause is typically very vague.
The good thing is that there is case law precedence that clarifies many of the questions that arise when either the insurance company or the policyholder invokes the clause.
Simply put, the appraisal clause is meant to get two independent appraisers to discuss and attempt to settle the value of the loss.
The point is to get two people that don’t have a dog in the fight to discuss the value of the claim and see if they can come to a meeting of the minds.
Simple, right?
I’ll Pretend I Didn’t Hear That
As simple as it sounds, most insurance companies refuse to acknowledge the point of the appraisal clause like a first grader plugging their ears and throwing a tantrum. A lot of times, they will attempt to name themselves (an employee) as their own appraiser!
It sounds silly, but the fact is they do it.
The reason they do it is because they can.
Most people simply give up when their insurance company bullies them. If you knew that you could simply steal from somebody and, even if you got caught, the most that would happen is that you’d have to give back what you stole, the only thing stopping you from stealing would be your good nature.
Trust me, insurance companies are not “good-natured”.
They are in the business of profit.
Even when a savvy victim is able to find good help on their total loss claim, the insurance company still makes profit because there are not enough people giving out good help at an affordable price when it comes to dealing with a total loss due to flooding (or any total loss claim for that matter).
Attorneys will shy away from total loss claims because there is no money in them.
Unfortunately, most attorneys also work for profit alone (although we have searched high and low and have managed to locate some of the good guys across the U.S.).
You must be willing to fight.
Profit or Principle?
Fighting for your total loss after the flood
Of course, I talk a big talk, but anybody with a brain knows that I must make money to stay in business. I do charge for appraisals if they are needed, but I primarily work on the principle of the matter.
I fight so they will have to pay what is owed to the people that have been paying premiums! That feeling of elation when I prove something that most don’t believe can be done is good payment, and it makes word of mouth referrals easy to come by.
In fact, even though I do charge for appraisals when they’re needed, I routinely help people with their case for free, just to prove there is somebody who will and I ALWAYS review cases for free up front to help victims devise a plan.
Insurance companies just can’t figure out how somebody does it.
That’s because they are not honest and work for money!
Those dishonest carriers who are out for profit will never figure out the trick (and they are the majority). Only honest insurance companies (yes there are a few. . . Met Life. . . Amica. . ) use my services because they are alright with getting the truth – not just the truth according to them. The vast majority of insurance carriers hate me and I am OK with that.
Doing The Right Thing
The basis of our mission at Petty Details, LLC is to pay attention to the details and do the right thing. We think everything else will fall into place if we focus on the simple and seemingly petty details (like doing the right thing).
Most insurance companies refuse to do the right thing. Their mission is to make money by putting in place profitable claims handling guidelines and forcing their staff to abide by them.
I’ll tell you the truth whether it means you are getting free help or not.
Just call my office and we’ll discuss your claim and options. If I don’t have the answer to your question, I know somebody who does.
Sometimes the answer sucks, but we stick to our guns and information is always free at Petty Details, LLC.
Use our form below to request a TOTALLY FREE consultation with our experts to discuss your total loss due to flooding or any other reason!
Trouble viewing the form or missing a submit button? Here is a direct link to it: https://pettydetails.wufoo.com/forms/request-a-free-appraisal-clause-consultation/