Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:54 am Post subject: conflict of interest
is it considered a conflict of interest if adjusters become close friends with the restoration company they use to repair there clients homes? by this i meen, going to the restoration owners cottage for week-ends, borrowing his seadoo's, fourwheelers, and even having the restoration company use their vehicles and employees to move the adjusters family member from one city to another with no money changing hands?
Good morning honestr, and welcome to the community!
Great question and the answer is yes (and maybe no)....alot of this is company dependent...the company I work for has a huge code of conduct that they take (almost too) very seriously. for instance it used to be that I (as an adjuster) could accept something from say a body shop as long as it wasn't to 'steer' and was less than 50bucks in value...(or i would need to report it to management if over 50 bucks) years ago when I started we got tons of 'gifts' at Christmas etc...Nothing ask for in return mind you, and never affected the way I worked but now...I can lose my job in a nano second for accepting a dag gum ink pin! If my personal vehicle or one of a relative is the shops I work with I have to inform management. When my brother died I received flowers at the funeral home from a couple of shops that I work with I had to immediately let my superiors know this. One shop always sent out Christmas flower arrangements, I had to physically take them back to the shop, and say, 'sorry'...it's so bad that I cannot even take a slice of pizza or a donut, UNLESS it is out front for everyone that walks into the shop to have...really has gone too far I think but I see their point...
I have to sign a conflict of interest statement every year saying that I have no conflicts....
In your example I would consider this a HUGE conflict of interest, and would consider reporting them to the HR dept of thier company, IF I thought this affected the way they did business.......even if it doesn't it sure don't look or smell good does it....and were it me, (the adjuster) even if it were totally innocent, the image it sets forth would make me put a stop to it....alas there are crooked adjusters too..this adjuster may be a straight arrow but I agree it looks really really bad.....
Just curious how do you have all of this information? and does this adjuster work for a large company or are they an independent adjuster or a public adjuster? also what state, some states require licensing of adjusters and those would have (i'd think) codes of conduct attached to them..... _________________ Have you been helped by a poster? Do you want to show your appreciation? YOU CAN !! Just simply click on the donate button and send them some coin!
i have all this information because i've seen it first hand, and if most adjusters were like you seem to be there would be alot less fraud in the insurance industry,unfortunately i've seen to many claims grossly inflated by adjusters and by restoratation companys that are allowed to adjust the damages when no adjuster is available,to even allow myself to think that the good adjusters outweigh the bad ones!
to even allow myself to think that the good adjusters outweigh the bad ones!
Well, let me tell you it's true, there are many many more good ones than bad...(i've been at this 21years), sounds to me like your experience is limited to 'mostly' independent appraisers/adjusters, most are 'appraisers' and NOT adjusters by the way...anyway...the bad ones always leave a bigger impression that the good ones....corruption is in every field, and one out of hundred still makes a big impact....but you were an honest employee right? But you worked (or maybe surrounded by) with crooks...but I wouldn't say that the bad resoration workers out weigh the good....really.... _________________ Have you been helped by a poster? Do you want to show your appreciation? YOU CAN !! Just simply click on the donate button and send them some coin!
A few bad apples can ruin the whole barrel, I am sure this is not always the case, hopefully not anyway, no one wins this way. Sounds pretty fishy to me, why don't you report it to the company?
i've reported this and everything else i know about this firm and these adjusters to the insurance company involved, the adjusting company involved and recently to the insurance bureau of canada who inturn turned it back over to the very people who did nothing about it when i complained earlier. i sent pictures i took of four different residences that had claims where the damages were visibly blown out of proportion. yesterday i e-mailed the canadian insurance association investigative unit. i'm waiting to see what their response is. i'm coming to the conclusion that the people who should care, insurance companies, would rather investigate claims against the consumer and not the people who work for them. my last attempt to hold these thieving adjusters and this firm accountable will be to send all my information to crime stoppers. i feel very comfortable calling these adjusters thieves because of what i witnessed in the last 10 yrs. of my employment there. i homeowner is in the process of suing this restoration firm for not cleaning his house after having a small fire. his home was painted after the fire and smoke and nicotine, from yrs. of him smoking, were bleeding through the paint job. the manager of this restoration firm and the adjuster went to see the homeowner and the homeowner was told by the adjuster that they were not responsible for cleaning the nicotine. tell me how you properly clean a residence after a fire and leave all the nicotine? hopefully this homeowner takes this to a trial as i am his witness and then maybe someone will see the bigger picture here and alert the proper authorities as i am getting nowhere dealing with the insurers and adjusting companies managers and presidents.
i feel very comfortable calling these adjusters thieves because of what i witnessed in the last 10 yrs. of my employment there.
I'll have to agree with you on this call Honestr, and want to thank you for not saying or insinuating that ALL adjusters or insurance companies are crooks...these two (the independent and the resto company) clearly are 'in bed together' the one that should be throwing the fit is the insuring company (the ones that actually have paid all the bills and insure the property)...did you try to get to the top of the claims organization of the company like we discussed?
I appreciate your efforts in this, and although it looks as though all of your work has been for not...it isn't, I firmly believe that you cannot take advantage of people or situation and not have it 'eventually' come back on you...You may (for your own sake) have to let this rest after you have done all you can......for what it's worth, thanks for being a warrior for the little guy! _________________ Have you been helped by a poster? Do you want to show your appreciation? YOU CAN !! Just simply click on the donate button and send them some coin!
i sent an e-mail to the canadian insurance assocition special investigations unit last night which i somehow found on the computer . i explained the situation and my plight to have people held accountable. i received an e-mail from them minutes ago requesting all my information and they also agreed that the insurance bureau of canada should not have put my complaint back in the hands of the insurance company and adjusting company that failed to look into it in the first place. i e-mailed them back with my concerns about the papers i signed when accepting my ex employers offer for wrongful dismissal. if the possibility of me being sued for breaking that contract is involved then i want time to put everything, house ,vehicle, and anything of value in my common-law wifes name. i should hear back from them shortly and will keep all informed of any progress. its very hard for me to give this fight up as when i was terminated my ex employer also called me a loser. i'm hoping to show who the real loser in this game is going to be. i also know that because of how long they have gotten away with this that they have gotten sloppy and by that i mean they stopped taking pictures of their claims over the last 2 or 3 years. if they decide to investigate and go through this companies records i can direct them to all the ways this company has committed fraud. maybe i would have given up on this after my settlement but i have to show this company on my resume and i know what kind of reference he is supplying to any future employers. i have worked only 6 months out of the last 22 months and hold my license as a commercial residential painter. being that this is a small town he knows a lot of the other painting contractors and only 2 have hired me. unfortunately they don't stay as busy as companies that do insurance work so layoffs are inevitable. anyway the fight goes on and i'll keep all that are interested informed. by the way i KNOW alladjusters are'nt bad because the good ones stopped using this company after witnessing their workmanship and hearing complaints from customers
I'm not a law expert, but if your company is committing crimes, I doubt that you can get sued for reporting it. You might want to talk to a lawyer about the whole thing, as anything you say to a lawyer is legally protected, and a good lawyer will defend to the death your right to confidentiality.
Also, not cleaning up the nicotine, that's worse than those lazy janitors at my old school. The teachers deliberately left the rug in the library on the floor when the floor was due for cleaning, result? Everything under the rug, including the rug itself, was ignored, the janitor was fired the next day. They're just looking for excuses. I'd be surprised if they cleaned it at all. _________________ I have a new personal crusade. I'm going to hunt down the people who have strong opinions on subjects they don't understand. Then I'll bop them with this cardboard tube.- Dogbert
I ain't a legal expert, take what I say with a grain of salt.
