Massachusetts Court: Hire A Public Insurance Adjuster
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance Corroborates the Common Sense Reasons to Consider Hiring a Public Insurance Adjuster
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance recently communicated its recommendation to policyholders to hire a public insurance adjuster following a loss. This favorable recommendation came in spite of recent remarks from State of Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis, who spoke harshly about public insurance adjusters in light of the recent Hurricane Ian.
While likely issued with good intentions, Patronis’ messaging was poor to say the least, warning recent claimants of predatory practices in a nearly slanderous fashion. His statement labeled the professionals, and not bad practices as the cause for concern. It is certainly true that natural disasters provide ample ground for scammers, looters, and bad actors. Yet Patronis’ messaging is a glass-half-empty approach to professional advocacy, which is essentially what hiring a public insurance adjuster provides.
Rather than characterizing public claims adjusters as necessary advocates for policyholders, Patronis warned of predatory actors without properly extolling the numerous benefits of hiring a public insurance adjuster. Policyholders could apply the same logic when hiring a lawyer to hiring an insurance adjuster. The other side will already be prepared with a dedicated professional. The insurance company adjuster is tasked to sift through the nuances and fine print that may heavily impact your case. After all, we may be making educated decisions and doing our research when it comes to buying our insurance policies, but are we truly as well versed as the employed inusrance adjusters who’s job it is to advocate for your policy issuer?
The sheer quantity of litigious language, combined with the insurance company’s existing staff of insurance adjusters mean that even a highly educated consumer is likely to miss opportunities or step into pitfalls that they never knew existed. Rather than warning against potential predators in the wake of a natural disaster, such as the ominous words from Patronis, reference the numerous courts, state commissions, and simple, real life client testimonials to choose the right claims adjuster. You wouldn’t go to court without legal representation, you wouldn’t (and can’t) own a car or home without insurance, so why consider wielding your own cursory knowledge against the purpose-driven apparatus your insurance company has in house? It’s time to rethink our perception of the industry and recognize hiring a public adjuster is no different than hiring a public defender. When your rights, compensation, and livelhihood are on the line, don’t go it alone.