05/12/2026
Insurance tip for the day: This tip applies to auto and property. If you have a claim and your insurance company doesn't want to pay the price that the body shop or contractor has estimated for, they can negotiate that price. They can also refuse to pay what they deem is above the "industry standard". Industry Standard is the reasonable price that other shops or contractors would charge for the same work. This means that you are responsible for the difference if you decide to use that body shop or contractor. So now you have 3 options: 1. Pay the difference. 2. Demand arbitration. 3. Hire a public adjuster. 1. Simple, just pay it. 2. Arbitration is provided for in your policy in the event that you disagree with the company and you cannot come to an agreement for the value of the loss. The cost is normally covered by your premium that you have already paid. 3. Public Adjuster. This is not the adjuster that looked at your damage to start with. This is an Adjuster that is separately licensed and bonded. They do not work for the insurance company, they work for you and you have to pay them. They will either charge a fee or an hourly rate depending on the size of the claim and most of the time, the cost will be covered by any additional amount of claim payment that they will obtain for you.
