- many preferred contractors can be reluctant to oppose the opinion of an insurance adjuster and stand with the homeowner when it comes to an issue of an item that needs to be replaced instead of being cleaned, patched, or repaired. In these situations, a preferred contractor may fear loss of favor with an insurance company and may not be bold enough to take a stand for what needs to be done regardless of the adjusters opinion on the matter. Or they may agree with the adjuster up front until they get the job, but while performing the work, only to change their mind.
- If the preferred contractor is not found on a formal approved vendor program but simply an acquaintance of the adjuster, you may not get any true benefit over using another contractor of equal or superior qualifications. The danger here is that there can be a false sense of security created to the homeowner by the preferred contractor simply because they were invited by the adjuster.
- In most cases, adjusters are required to write their own estimates. most insurance adjusters are not licensed contractors and do not have the knowledge nor hands on building experience for repairing damaged property. If the insurance adjuster brings a preferred contractor with them, they may try to reach an agreed cost using that contractor as their “expert” in order to speed up the claim. While some adjusters may try to be as thorough and accurate as possible, you should always get a second opinion to scope the cost of the repairs. If the insurance adjuster underestimates the costs of work, you may not be able to get the repairs done or if they are done, they may not be to the quality you would expect. If the estimator for the preferred contractor is inexperienced with the work that needs to be done, you could be stuck in a situation where the blind are leading the blind.
- Just because a contractor may be on the preferred vendor program, you still run the same risks using them as any other non-preferred vendor. This includes the risks of going bankrupt, shoddy work, construction defects, not showing up, failing to pay sub-contractors and a host of other terrible issues. Ultimately it’s your choice on who you will have work on and in your home and if you decide to use a preferred contractor to do the work and they fail to perform as expected you will have no recourse with the adjuster or the insurance company that recommended them to you.
ASAP is not a preferred vendor!
