Help needed asap

[MKC]

Hello to everybody

Today I bid for 1 broken branch that felt on other tree due to wind. I bid $800 just to remove a branch. Owner of the house/tree want me to do this tomorrow. He signed my estimate but does not want to pay money for it. He says he can have his insurance send me check directly to me or he can get a check and than give it to me.

How does this work? I never did jobs and have insurance send me checks.

Is this Ok to do the job and will insurance send me money in full? If yes how long does it take to get money?

Please help because I have to do this next day and now is night by me.

Thank you

 

[nytreeman]

Ive removed downed trees from houses on several occasions and the customers submitted my bill to the insurance who paid them and then customer paid me.Ive never been paid by the insurance directly.But you might have to speak to an agent.

 

[treevet]

100% of my insurance claim work is done by the customer paying me and they collect from the invoice, or contract or verbal quote or whatever, I don t care. You have absolutely no leverage w their insurance company. They could care less if you are happy or not. You prob don t even know if they are going to cover the job for sure. Do they let you read their policy? It s worked for me for 37 plus years. Never got stiffed.

 

[treevet]

PS Welcome to AS and good luck.

 

[Ekka]

Today I bid for 1 broken branch that felt on other tree due to wind.

Is this covered by the insurance company? Over here it most cases it wouldn't be so too bad for you if the client's insurance doesn't pay and then the client says "take it up with them".

You work for the client, he engaged your services not the insurance company. If you were working for the insurance company you would have an authorisation or claim number etc.

You need to talk to who-ever is paying you, why doesn't the customer pay you then get reimbursed from the insurance company? Safest and fastest method for you.

 

[MKC]

thank you

thank you guys. i am worried about taking this job and risking and maybe not even get paid by his insurance. by the way the owner is giving me his insurance policy number if that helps?

 

[ropensaddle]

No that would not make me feel better I get paid.

 

[preach it]

Ditto to all the above majority. Get them to pay you first. It is their problem to deal with the ins. company. I learned the hard way when I was first starting. Half of a tree fell on a house in a storm. I removed it with no problem. They submitted the bill to their ins. company. I was never paid and the owner seemed to disappear. It's not worth it to take the job if you won't get paid anyway.

 

[Buzz 880]

Here you have submit the invoice to the insurance company and they will pay you but you have lots of patients because they take 2-5 months now i just make the customer pay and let them fight with the insurance.

 

[Dadatwins]

I would agree with those that say you are working for the customer and they are responsible for the payment when the job is complete. If the deal was made with the insurance broker that would be different. Unless the customer can provide written documentation that the insurance company has authorized the payment directly to you. You need to specify a time limit on the payment also. Good luck.

 

[treeseer]

1. Get insurance company phone number from client.

2. Call insurer.

3. Make a deal that they will pay you.

4. You do the job.

5. They pay you.

I do this often. I wonder how many contractors here advising you to only be paid by the client would be so happy about that arrangement if they were the client.

Does everyone here have a loose $800 in the bank all the time?:monkey:

 

[mckeetree]

Watch out. If the branch did not strike a house, fence or out building the insurance policy probably has a $250.00 limit. Some policies have no coverage at all for this sort of claim.

 

[RedlineIt]

My sister is an insurance adjuster and I asked her about this awhile back.

Unless you have talked directly with the insurance company's claims adjuster (and no one else, not the insurance saleman or broker) and gotten the approval and a verified claim number, you will not have a leg to stand on if the claim goes bad.

Your client may have honest intentions, but cannot predict the future of the claim. And my sister has also dealt with scams where the client had claimed a job was covered, but never had any intention of even filing a claim. The jobber was totally S.O.L.

And, the insurance company's payables are normally 90 days as a starting point.

Good Luck and Welcome to AS.



RedlineIt

 

[Justice]

Being a former insurance agent I would say NO.

Make him pay you and let him collect from the insurance company. He should have had an adjuster out to look at the "loss" already anyway to see if it is even covered. Sounds like a scam to me.

If you are really interested and feel like working for free you could do the work of calling his insurance broker, and then the company and get everything in writing.

I think you would be better off spending your time sleeping in

 

[beelsr]

My sister is an insurance adjuster and I asked her about this awhile back.

Unless you have talked directly with the insurance company's claims adjuster (and no one else, not the insurance saleman or broker) and gotten the approval and a verified claim number, you will not have a leg to stand on if the claim goes bad.

Amen to that. The salesman/broker sells insurance and takes your money. That's all he does.

The adjuster is the one who pays you. And only him. Never trust the salesman when it comes to specific claims. And take everything he says about coverage in the most negative way possible.

 

[treeseer]

If you are really interested and feel like working for free you could do the work of calling his insurance broker, and then the company and get everything in writing.

One phone call to the adjuster and trade emails to get the official goahead--how much work is that? Compared to peeing away hours doing free estimates, nothing. I've learned to decipher policies in the course of assessing tree casualty claims from lightning and storms, and I'm on the call list of several insurers.

They make great clients. Average pay time here is 15 days, over 30 is rare (and not the way for them to earn your loyalty as a contractor). If you have cred as a CA you too can be on their call list to assess trees after storms. Article in June TCI will talk more about lightning.

When lightning strikes a tree, its owner or manager or insurance company has a difficult decision. Depending on the tree and the injury, the response is often either “We don’t know how bad the damage is, so we should remove it”, or ”It looks okay for now, let’s wait and see.” Many times, these responses do not adequately address the needs of the owner or the tree. More information is needed before a reasonable decision can be made, so an experienced arborist should be immediately brought in. After systematically assessing the damage, the arborist can make a better prognosis of the tree’s chances of recovery if mitigation treatments are applied. All arboricultural options should be presented so an informed decision can be made.

 

[RedlineIt]

treeseer,

My sister, the insurance claims adjuster, loves to have people like you (us) on her list for mitigation of damages in every situation from trees, to flood damage, to roof repair, and minor fire reparation.

The point is to deal with the insurance adjuster not the clients promise that insurance will cover it.

The only exception to that would be a property management company that holds large rental properties, who I have dealt with before. I will deal on their say so, based on reputation and previous relationship, and still a bit queer on that. Staff and management change, promises are nice, solid confirmation better.

But the private client's say so, never.

And I still say an insurance company's payables will be 90 days, but if it's approved, it as good as in the bank, just expect 90 days.


RedlineIt.

 

[treeseer]

ok redlineit we agree except the money flows slower in your corner of the continent.

Each claim has an adjuster and a number and if you have both of those firm you should be ok. I've been in the middle of he said she said stuff between adjusters so just be sure there is an individual responsible.

 

[Justice]

treeseer, for you who have dealt with the insurance companies, and their adjusters it would probably be pretty easy. You know who to call and they know you.

However that is not the case here as I have read it. With the question that was asked it would seem that MKC does not know the "ins and outs" of insurance so there is a learning curve that he would have to climb to get to a position similar to yours. Does he really want to do that? I don't know, but my answer was directed towards him and his situation.
Therefore it sounded like it would be much easer for MKC to get the money up front. How much would the whole job be for one limb anyway?

Again it would seem that it would be much easer for MKC to focus on what he know's rather than get hurt in the end.

 

[PA Plumber]

treeseer, for you who have dealt with the insurance companies, and their adjusters it would probably be pretty easy. You know who to call and they know you.

However that is not the case here as I have read it. With the question that was asked it would seem that MKC does not know the "ins and outs" of insurance so there is a learning curve that he would have to climb to get to a position similar to yours. Does he really want to do that? I don't know, but my answer was directed towards him and his situation.
Therefore it sounded like it would be much easer for MKC to get the money up front. How much would the whole job be for one limb anyway?

Again it would seem that it would be much easer for MKC to focus on what he know's rather than get hurt in the end.

Good Post. I have done claims work for homeowners. Homeowners are always responsible for the bill with no exceptions. I am a small company and would likely never be the go-to guy for large insurance companies. I just don't have the capacity to turn jobs over quickly (Just me, no employees).

The homeowner has signed the quote, not the insurance company. Keep the responsibility with the signature.