FAQs
Q: Why should I instruct a Loss Assessor to act in my interests?
A: Because your insurers will (or already have) be instructing a Loss Adjuster to act on their behalf. Loss Adjusters may tell you that they are impartial or independent, however they are employed by your Insurance Company to act in their best financial interest….NOT yours. Don’t believe us?…Even the Insurance Ombudsman (employed by the Government) has confirmed that “…as much as Loss Adjusters may tell Claimants how independent they are, Claimants know deep down inside that Loss Adjusters represent the Insurance Company”. Enough said!
Q: At what stage of my claim should I instruct a Loss Assessor?
A: Ideally at the commencement of your claim which is precisely the time when your insurers will instruct a Loss Adjuster to act on their behalf, NOT yours.
Q: Can Salmon Assessors get me a bigger settlement than if I decided to negotiate the insurance claim myself?
A: We cannot give you a cast-iron guarantee that we’ll always get you a bigger settlement than if you decided to “go it alone”, however, the probability is very much in your favour that we will secure you a much better “pay-out”. Please be mindful that Insurers would consider you very unlucky if you have to make more than two major insurance claims in your lifetime. Salmon Assessors handle hundreds of claims a year and we’ve been in business for over 25 years.
When your Insurance Company instructs a firm of Loss Adjusters, they fully recognize that employing expert claim negotiators will result in their saving a lot of money. It is in the Loss Adjusters best interests to pay out as little as possible because the less they pay you the more the Insurance Company will employ that particular Loss Adjuster in the future. Indeed, your insurers would actually far prefer that you conduct your own claim
negotiations. We suggest that you are equally as prudent as your Insurance Company by employing a Loss Assessor (hopefully Salmon Assessors!) to act in YOUR best interests.
Q: What will you charge me?
A: We work on a small percentage of the claim on a No win – No Fee basis. As we charge you on a percentage basis, it is in our own interest to maximize your claim and to get you every last penny that you are entitled to.
Q: Will you charge me if my claim isn’t paid?
A: No and don’t worry! In the 30 years we have been negotiating insurance claims, we can count the claims that haven’t been paid on one hand.
Q: How long will my claim take to settle?
A: No one (not even us!) is able to give you a specific time-frame. The majority of claims are settled within 3 months, but the more complicated claims can take longer.
Q: What if I need the services of an Architect or a Surveyor?
A: We like to work with firms that know their way around insurance claims and we’ll be delighted to suggest these experts. In our experience, when a Loss Adjuster suggests their own Surveyors, very often (not always but very often!) those Surveyors are trying to protect the Insurance Companies interests….not yours. Whether the Surveyors are chosen by the Loss Adjusters or by us, their fees are paid by your Insurers so you might as well get a Surveyor of your choosing!
Q: Do I need a Loss Assessor for a small claim?
A: It is sensible to seek the services of a Loss Assessor for claims over £5,000. However, Salmon Assessors will be delighted to give you any guidance you may need on a small claim free of charge. Simply phone our Customer Help Centre.
Q: Why Salmon Assessors? – Aren’t their other assessors in the market-place?
A: Many firms of loss assessors are one man businesses and when that ‘one man’ is, for example, away on holiday then your claim ‘goes quiet’. Salmon Assessors operates 24/7, 365 days a year. We are very well respected and trusted by insurance companies and loss adjusters alike. In the past, some loss assessing companies have been less than scrupulous and made Insurance Companies very wary. Salmon Assessor’s reputation is above reproach and Insurance Companies and Adjusters enjoy working with us.
Q: I’m a great negotiator and am more than capable of negotiating an insurance claim myself…Why do I need a Loss Assessor?
A: You can negotiate the claim yourself if you have the time and inclination, but the majority of claimants are unaware of the amount of work and effort that goes into pursuing a claim. And again, our experience is based upon our having negotiated thousands of claims over the years. We have been successfully negotiating insurance claims where the initial negotiations were started by the Claimant who soon find themselves not only in trouble but, more often than not, are only offered a fraction of the claim. Salmon Assessors are there to ensure that you are professionally represented from the start and to ensure that you get you every last penny that you are entitled to.
Q: Do insurance companies and loss adjusters like Loss Assessors?
A: The vast majority of loss adjusters and insurance companies far prefer to deal with a fellow professional rather than dealing with the Claimant directly. The main reason being that we make their lives much simpler by fully preparing the claim and the schedule(s); saving them both time and money. However, we find that those Loss Adjusters that don’t like Loss Assessors are the ones who will make your life difficult and give you the worst settlements.
Q: My insurance broker told me that I don’t need a Loss Assessor because they have their own Claims Department.
A: We receive a very large proportion of claims through insurance brokers who have Claims Departments but do not have the expertise or the staff to devote to any one claimant. The main function of a broker is to arrange insurance and not settle insurance claims. Salmon Assessors don’t sell insurance policies because we don’t have the expertise….Insurance brokers do not have the time nor the expertise to represent your interests when you’re making a claim….especially when claims handling is, for them, a non-profit making activity. No one devotes much time and effort if they’re not being paid.
Q: Are you nationwide?
A: We act for claims all over the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Q: I am not insured – can you still help me?
A: We have many clients that for one reason or another did not have insurance. However, if we can demonstrate that the third party has been negligent, then we can pursue a claim on your behalf.
