Contractor I never hired wants payment for Estimate to Insurance

Contractor I never hired wants payment for Estimate to Insurance

Investor · chevy chase, MD · Member since 2016 · 3 posts · 0 votes

Was using a public adjuster for a claim. He pushed his preferred contractor on me to use. 

I never signed a contract and assumed the public adjuster needed his guy to come up with estimate to submit to my insurance company.

Since he never mentioned a fee for the estimate and part of his job description IS creating the repair estimate, I never gave it a 2nd thought.

I was open to using his contractor and the contractor's design company. But months went by and nothing was set up. The public adjuster and his contractor only came to my house one time to take some photos and measurements.

Finally, the public adjuster's contractor buddy's secretary brought me a few settlement checks to sign.  These were to be sent to my mortgage company to hold. The contractor also asked to me to sign their contract.

I looked it over carefully and it set off so many red flags.

Improper notice required by state (penalties involved for failing to add proper notice)

Missing separate form to cancel as required by state.

The final price stated TBD. Just a myriad of things wrong with it.

I looked further into the contractor's actual corporation and it just seems shady. Half the owners live in another continent even. 

And since nothing was ever started or agreed to , I sent a letter of rejection to the contractor.

Public Adjuster his the ceiling and tried to use emotional tactics to make me feel bad. Said the contractor put a huge amount of time and effort into the estimate. Said I should give him money.

Didn't state how much though. 

After this outburst I decided     

0Reply
16 views

4 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Contractor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y
    Lol. Neglect all communications. Don't use any of the contractors items, estimates or whatever just to not heat up situations. Even if you do, you have no obligation to pay a cent. No contract, no transaction.
  • Investor · chevy chase, MD · Member since 2016 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    10y

    Thanks Manolo, I overthink things, so I thought perhaps I was missing something.

    LOL indeed.

  • Investor · chevy chase, MD · Member since 2016 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    10y

    The Public Adjuster did not reply to my request for mutual cancellation or my offer to pay him his 10% fee this week.

    Instead he called my insurance company and got 2k more from them according to my agent.

    Why would he be ignoring my offer to pay now and also end the agreement ?

  • Contractor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    What 2k more? Never offer anything (your 10%), nothing was performed, quotes are free, especially if it's an insurance paying for it, the potential return of the business is enough to give a free quote. Insurance claims need licensed, bonded, and supersized insured contractors (mostly 1M GL, 1M WC, etc), not your 100k handyman GL. Insurance claims also have a set of $ per scope, he could have added a few more scopes but you'll never notice it because it won't get to your end, however, it will reflect when you buy/renew your insurance, it "might" increase your premium, verify with your agent and report the adjuster if he is doing something outside of your knowledge/work done.

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.