Adjusters Arrive At House Fires Before Firefighters

Well, this seems unsavory.

Reports out of Florida say adjusters, the people who help property owners navigate insurance and recovery after disasters, and repair contractors are showing up at house fires at the same time as firefighters get there, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel

If this were your house, would you want
an adjuster and contractors pestering you
to sign a contract for their services
at this moment?

There, as the house burns and firefighters struggle to contain the flames, the adjusters pressure the distraught homeowner to sign on with them and not talk to any competitors.

As a person who last week had to make major medical decisions about my dog who was critically ill, the midst of a crisis is not the best time to make rational choices.

So if somebody's house is burning, they're probably not thinking clearly about the pro and cons of which adjuster or contractors will do the best job.

Which is probably what some of these crooked adjusters have in mind. Hey, if you can't think it through, you can't ask the hard questions.

The adjusters say they arrive early because the homeowner is still there while the house is burning, but won't be there once it's out, because the house is uninhabitable.

Adjusters can be helpful, The Consumerist notes. After all, they can help people navigate the maze of insurance settlements, hiring contractors, overseeing cleanup and repair, etc.

But still. The fire truck chasers, like ambulance chasers, are kind of gross. How do they sleep at night?

Anything to make money, I guess