Should You Hire the Company Your Insurance Company Recommends?

When asked this question it makes me reflect back at the numerous water damage situations our company has responded too. When Color Tech is called for water damage jobs, we immediately respond and dispatch our emergency technicians to extract the water and set up drying equipment. We then advise our customers that the next step is to inform their insurance company to report the loss.

When reporting their water damage to the insurance companies, some customers have been asked by their insurance representatives who they have hired to help them with the water damage. The insurance representative often offers advice as to whom they "would prefer" you to use. Insurance companies will never insinuate not to hire a vendor, but they will "imply" that you should hire one of their "preferred vendors". You as a customer, can hire anyone you desire; actually it is your right by law.

Under the law, it's your right to choose the firm that will perform the services in your home. Insurance companies cannot tell you which vendor to use, "they can only recommend". Some of these preferred water damage firms have agreements with the insurance companies to charge certain prices and to handle the water losses in a certain way that might not always be in the customer's best interest.

Therefore it poses the question, any insurance vendor that gets a large percentage of their income from insurance companies, where do their allegiances lie? Is it with their customer or the insurance company? It seems to me that the possibility of conflict of interest is very real with relationships like this. A lot of these insurance vendors are very good and competent, but when you are hiring any vendor to work in your home or business, that vendor's allegiance should be with you, the customer, and not the insurance company, so be aware!

Home	Contact Us	About Us	Common Questions About Water Damage
List of Restoration Services	Categories of Water	About Water Damage	Water Damage Guide
Some of the Tools We Use for the Initial Inspection	Some of the Drying Equipment We Use	Thermal Energy Drying System, Heat Drying	Heat Drying; an Old Concept
Mold & Mildew	Construction & Repairs	Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning	Carpet Stretching & Repairs
Tile & Grout Cleaning	Pet Odors & Deodorizing	Air Duct Cleaning	Terms of Use/Disclaimer