Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/09/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  As of September 3, 2024 Response Public Adjusters issued a check#******* telling me it was good to go, the company charged me 20 percent of that amount and the check could not be deposited by the bank because the issurer ************************************************* placed the wrong names on the check. The **** and staff had knowledge that their names was on the check and that the business needed to cash the check. Unknowingly I took the check and paid because they refused to give me the claim amount. They knowingly took my payment of ******** and did not issues me all of the claim funds. issues a false invoice as well. Unethical. These adjusters did not fulfill their job in aiding me to get my claim amount, instead they took funds for 'checks" that could not be deposited. This is not fair to the elderly. My daughter had to intervene and help. The public adjusters are unethical and knew the check given to me was unable to be cashed. We have requested several times for this check to be printed and re-issued directly to me not to the public adjuster and both companies refuse to consider my request. per state insurance should issue claim funds within **********************************************************************************I am unable to fix my home without this amount.

  

  Business response

  01/15/2025

  To whom it may concern; Please note I, **** ***** CEO of the firm will be formally responding to this complaint. Please note the complaint was filed by the clients/homeowners who retained our office for representation. To explain, we are a public adjusting firm who assist and advocate for policyholders during their property claims process since 2018. In specific this client/insured retained our services for two claims due to water damages to their kitchen and wind damage to their roof of the home. The responsible insurer is Universal Property and Casualty. The kitchen claim was determined for coverage and issued payment directly from the insurance company payable to the client/insured, their Trust, their lien holder and our office. The checks are issued by the insurance company according to the insurance policy the client/insured purchases from their insurance agent being *************. Our office does not have any authority to sell, bind or update insurance policies, this is the responsibility of the agent of record and the client/insured to maintain their agent updated with any changes to their Trust and current mortgage company etc. These clients/insureds first statement "Responsive Public Adjusters issued check#*******" is false; the check is issued by Universal Property and Casualty. Pursuant to the contractual agreement between the clients/insureds and Responsive Public Adjusters, our firm is due 20% of the total proceeds (monies) issued per claim after deductible, therefore their statement stating "the company charged me 20 percent" is correct as we are collecting the fees which are due to comply with the contractual agreement. Our firm can collect our percentage fee once the amount is approved by the insurance company. We are not responsible for any specific processing procedures the clients/insureds must oblige by due to their Trust account and/or Mortgage processing requirements for endorsement of the insurance checks. As the clients/insureds state "Universal Property & *************** placed the wrong names on the check" this statement is false; ********************* issues payments (checks) pursuant to the written insurance policy which is the information these client/insured provide their insurance agent when purchasing the policy. If anything changes during the effective dates of the insurance policy, it is the responsibility of the named insured "****** ********* and ******* *********" to communicate and provide this information to their insurance agent ************** Please note when the insurance company issued payments the insured did not update their mortgage information and was completely unaware of their Revocable Living Trust, however they were aware this property was inherited. Therefore, the checks were issued according to the information the clients/insured provided the insurance agent when the insurance policy was purchased. The following statement "**** and the staff had knowledge that their names was on the check and that the business needed to cash the check"; is false. The insureds daughter continuously refused to allow our office to process the valid insurance checks, nonetheless the clients/insured did not have any information about their Revocable Living Trust until my office personnel informed the Marcellus family. In turn the clients/insureds decided not to endorse the checks to our office for deposit and payment disbursement, and decided to simple render personal check#*** to satisfy the full balance of fees due for the claim. Our office upon receipt of the personal check and pursuant to ****** ******** ******* request our office in person endorsed and rendered the insurance checks to the Marcellus family. The invoice the client/insured provided is not false and in fact accurately depicts the monies approved for the claim by the insurance company, and we adequately invoice 20% of the total amount issued for the claim. Since the receipt of payment 9/03/2024, the insurance company was due to reissue a check with the correct named payees pursuant to the policy change name of the clients/insureds name of the Trust. Again, our firm does not service insurance policies nor can we obligate the insurance company to change names on the check unless the agent correctly updates the insurance policy. The clients/insureds daughter does not want our firm listed on the new check; therefore, we have repeatedly requested the check to be reissued by ********* removing our name as a payee and to expedite the reissuance. Our office does not issue checks the checks are issued by the insurance company, therefore our office has been waiting for this to transpire. There is not set deadline for reissuance of payment from *********. Should you wish to confirm this information please feel free to contact the insurer directly ************. To date the clients/insureds have received $14,058.74 of their monies of which ********* is pending to reissue $6,689.20 in a new check to reflect the correct payees pursuant to their policy change and their request to remove our firm as a named *****. Again, the issuance of insurance checks is directly by and from ****************** and Casualty. I have formally attached all supporting information, documentation to include our internal claim notes. 

  Customer response

  01/23/2025

   
  Complaint: 22789461
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The Public Adjusters, **** and Team Has failed to provide me with my check timely and failed to help me get them properly endorsed. Its unfortunate that what that asked to help with was not done. I think its unethical to charge 20% of the full amount and not release the full amount as stated by **** it was only *********. The public adjusters did not help me and charged me for an amount that was not release as stated above only ********* was released and I paid in full. The public adjusters gave me the false impression that it was the total amount. Causing delay. The public adjusters gave check as pure deception and I filed this complaint to  BB so that this company does not do this to anyone else. The company is unethical and issuing false receipts and un-cashable checks and did not giving the pedestrians funds first, just to ensure they receive payment. This should be seen as taking advantage of me, the insured.
  
  Due to the publics adjusters lack of action caused delay,therefore That should be considered unethical and financial abuse of the insured. The public adjusters and insurance should pay statutory interest for the time holding the checks, since May 4, 2024. thank you.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *********

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