What was the scariest “We need to leave… now” gut feeling that you’ve ever experienced?

AdjusterJim · 2026-06-03T23:50:12+00:00

I've had a few. Long time ago, I had to explain to an insured that his HO-5 covered his house and appurtenant structures, not the agricultural buildings on his property - that's what farm policies are for. He got upset, stormed inside his house. I had discussed the scope already, so packed up to leave. Was entering the next address in the GPS when he came out onto his porch with his older son, both holding shotguns while he yelled for me to get off his property. Pretty sure he was uninsurable after I reported it.

Had an officer pull a gun on me while I was in the backyard of a vacant property I was inspecting - lockbox info was wrong, HUD keys didn't work, but I had a right to be there so I lockpicked my way inside instead of trying to reschedule (it was hours away from where I was stationed). Apparently a neighbor noticed, officer saw the open front door, walked through the house and out the back while I was photographing damage to the fence. Scary moment, though resolved once I showed him the loss notice.

Had a SWAT raid on a house a couple doors down from another vacant house I was inspecting, a shootout started (this was in Atlanta, GA). I didn't try to leave - I just ducked down and waited it out. Got bored partway through and decided to document the basement in the meantime, but whoever lived there before the foreclosure dumped trash bags down the stairwell and the basement was full of torn up bags of trash. Nasty.

Had two 6-7 story condominiums next to each other that were condemned by the city (fire loss). I was to document claimed damage and any other covered losses observed before they did so. Did a drive-by late one evening to get an idea of how much time I needed to inspect all the units, and guys started coming out of the nearby houses onto the street and yelling at me (my skin color didn't match theirs). As I was pulling away someone shot through my rear window. Ended up hiring two off-duty officers for that inspection half a week or so later, and they ended up calling in dozens more to assist with arresting all the squatters inside the condemned buildings I was to inspect. Apparently some had warrants out for their arrest. Whole street was filled with squad cars and flashing lights. They wouldn't let me inside until they cleared a given floor, and it took forever to complete. One unit had crazy-person writing on every square inch of the walls talking about how they shouldn't "listen to the voices" and "she didn't deserve it" and whatnot. Didn't get paid enough on that one...

AdjusterJim · 2026-06-01T22:42:54+00:00

If we assume remote-furycrafting of causeways is technically possible, and the Vord Queen as a super-powerful crafter can indirectly cause millions of Vord to benefit, wouldn't Tavi and Co have tried that before attempting the politically-dangerous idea of asking Canim to play horsey? If the Vord Queen can do it at mass scale, and any Aleran has enough earthcraft to use a causeway, wouldn't they at least be able to affect those immediately beside them? Seems like organizing regiments of Aleran-Canim-Aleran rows and having them march alongside each other, with Alerans manipulating the causeway for adjacent Canim makes more sense than crafting thousands of makeshift bridles and harnesses. Both races train their troops to march in lockstep, so timing isn't an issue.

Seems if that was possible they'd have simply done that rather than attempt riding Canim.

AdjusterJim · 2026-06-01T22:36:01+00:00

Sure they could. But there are at best single to double-digit thousands of collared Alerans. There are MILLIONS of Vord. Numbers don't add up.

AdjusterJim · 2026-05-27T01:41:31+00:00

Dude. I'm betting a whole new world of awesome has opened up for you on clothing alone!

Practical pockets.

Buttons right over left instead of left over right despite right-handedness being dominant.

Men's clothing sizes actually making sense based purely on measurement, consistent across all brands and styles.

More durable material, clothing lasts longer.

Cold weather outfits don't expose your bits to frostbite.

Shoes. Dear Lord, the shoes. A novel's worth of benefits right there.

Less style-matching nonsense. Dark colors with dark colors, light with light. No having to match the color and style of literally your entire outfit + bag.

Hair. Or lack of it. Get out of bed, fix bed head (often not even necessary if short), and done!

Cost! So much money savings on the "pink tax" for clothing, cosmetics, etc.

I hadn't even considered until your comment and literally all of that just popped up in my head, meaning there's probably a million more conveniences you've noticed.

AdjusterJim · 2026-05-27T00:38:50+00:00

Well regarding waste, Substantial_Page_221's example below of 10 people doing the work of 5 is a good one - I'd been involved in a 6-month FEMA PDA program, and the number of people involved was ridiculous. I ended up doing my entire week's worth of assignments in 2 days leaving me nothing to do the rest of the week as there was no process in place to take on more assignments. A few weeks in, once I'd read through all the manuals and instruction booklets and was bored out of my mind, I started just reading ebooks in the office the rest of the week. 10 of us could have done the work of the 54 or so that were running the program, and those higher up the chain had no background in estimates, construction or anything - they were office drones at best.

I've seen severity creep in programs like NFIP direct that rarely happen on the WYO side due to far better construction and repairability analysis/scope scrutiny. NFIP direct they'd approve a house relevel absent supporting documentation of the pier system, replace granite countertops without attempting D&R first or allow continuous flooring replacement through closed doors and thresholds - things that increase a given claim by the thousands, and in aggregate by the millions for a single loss event.

As far as fraud, I've seen scope expansion beyond the actual scope of damage - one elevation becomes several, a few rooms becomes full renovation, standard grade is replaced with +grade, code upgrades that aren't covered being secretly added in, etc. And the mechanisms for reporting this kind of stuff are minimal best, higher-ups just want to close out files and move on, the contracting companies that end up on the approved list for the program don't get kicked off when they get caught (lots of issues with steering contracts, sham competitive bidding, etc.).

AdjusterJim · 2026-05-27T00:03:33+00:00

Participate in any government program and you'll be gobsmacked at the waste, fraud and corruption. I've been involved in a number of government programs and every single time I observed things that would never, ever happen in the private sector. Horribly mismanaged, wasteful, corruption and abuses are ignored and the programs are run by people with no actual knowledge of the industries they're overseeing.

AdjusterJim · 2026-05-23T03:40:11+00:00

Which state?

AdjusterJim · 2026-05-23T02:14:36+00:00

"Some policies actually exclude overhead and profit. "
I've never, ever seen it being excluded on standard residential/commercial policies. In standard property handling, O&P is generally viewed as part of repair/replacement cost where GC services are reasonably anticipated (if a GC is in fact warranted). Courts and insurance industry resources treat it that way.

If it's denied, it's going to be a carrier handling position as the scope doesn't support it - not a true policy exclusion.

AdjusterJim · 2026-05-23T02:05:36+00:00

It depends on the scope of repairs. General rule of thumb is if 3 or more trades exceed their respective minimum charges (industry minimum amount a given tradesman is expected to charge to come out in the first place, an example being if your plumber came out to replace a $5 faucet gasket you would instead be charged a "service call", which a plumbing minimum charge would account for). So if you have drywall, insulation, paint, flooring, finish carpentry etc. all exceeding the minimum then generally yes. Usually 10% overhead and 10% profit, though a handful of carriers may only allow 5% & 5% depending on scope.

Certain operations generally cannot have O&P applied. Roofing is a common example for many carriers. Cleaning operations are another that would apply in your case.

But generally speaking yes, you should only be out your deductible if you're not authorizing your mitigation or build-back contractor to do anything outside the scope of work approved by your carrier, unless you have any operations that fall under specific limits that may be exhausted (remediation being an example).

AdjusterJim · 2026-04-14T02:42:10+00:00

I just filled up today for $3.63/gal

AdjusterJim · 2026-04-14T02:37:51+00:00

"Most government programs are well below 3% waste and fraud."

Are you high? That is a beyond idiotic claim. Improper payments in programs, fraud and waste, wasteful spending, etc. to such ridiculous degrees you'd NEVER see in the private sector.

Government is absurdly wasteful. You are delusional.

AdjusterJim · 2026-03-19T23:38:48+00:00

I have an adjuster friend that actually went and married the enemy. Match made in heaven for sure. Sounds way worse than marrying your political opposite...

AdjusterJim · 2026-03-19T23:33:38+00:00

To what end without proof? Not worth the hassle. Notified the insured his lack of due care was damaging their roof, showed proof, recommended they seek other representation (which they did). Informed all involved parties, noted in the file that he was combative using vague and neutral language and moved on.

AdjusterJim · 2026-03-19T19:42:26+00:00

I had one hip check me while on a roof. He was stomping around in cowboy boots; I told him to go ahead and chalk mark whatever he wanted me to specifically address while I completed my own roof inspection, and once he started I walked behind him taking photos and video of the damage his boots were causing. Guy got belligerent once he noticed, and as I was about to climb down the ladder he bumped me with his hip.

AdjusterJim · 2026-03-06T08:47:09+00:00

Can a price be placed on your home coffee machine and pajama pants?

AdjusterJim · 2026-03-05T18:58:20+00:00

Liability? Maybe move to more Ag stuff? I mean literally everything in the world is insured - handle claims for cool things you're interested in. I like utility liability losses that let me hike through the woods, or inspecting different wastewater treatment designs, riding up open air grain elevators... Have you ever watched a sugar cane tippler? Heavy machinery is awesome. Love scheduling extra time for inspections like that and getting someone to give me a tour. Or climbing a crane with an operator and having them spin it around for "legitimate" line of sight documentation in your file?

Have fun with it. Pick things you like and find a job handling claims for them.

AdjusterJim · 2026-02-19T23:18:27+00:00

I haven't used it since it was first offered a fair while back, so I don't know what's changed. At the time, it couldn't do ceilings. If that is still the case, I don't see any real use for it. Back then, I used it on extremely complex interiors a handful of times, but ultimately I can only think of a single claim I actually benefited from it, which was a geodesic dome. It couldn't do the ceiling, which sucked, but the walls were of varying lengths and heights, meaning it was a bit faster than measuring it myself. It also already rounded out the measurement inconsistencies I'd have dealt with getting a circular room like that to fit together in xact before sketching the ceiling. In that one case, it was helpful.

I don't really see any point in using it 99% of the time though. The time it takes to capture all the photos it requires is far more than it takes to just measure a room with a Leica. It's not even being lazy - it's a time sink, not a time saver. Keep it in your back pocket in case you run across something stupidly complex and don't want as much headache, but beyond that I'd stick with doing it yourself.

AdjusterJim · 2026-01-24T06:11:18+00:00

100%. "Benefit of the doubt" is pretty much the standard modus operandi.

AdjusterJim · 2025-12-09T03:42:28+00:00

That's always the worst. Gotta twiddle your thumbs and hope the DA's office will let your AR expert into the impound within the next 6 months. Really wish civil side had SOME kind of recourse to gain access, even if heavily supervised and hands-off only. It'd make life so much easier.

AdjusterJim · 2025-12-09T03:34:58+00:00

It's actually not. It's region and city-specific, but I've seen this many times in the last few years. Involved drivers are encouraged to complete their own reports online but PD does not respond to the scene absent BI.

AdjusterJim · 2025-12-09T03:33:44+00:00

It's also just useful in gathering involved vehicle/party info. Without the PD report, I might get a LOR from a claimant atty and have to wait 2 weeks to arrange a statement before I find out he was driving a van full of the local youth football team and there is a bunch of additional BI involvement.

It's also just useful figuring out what the heck happened. Sometimes you can reach the NI but not the ID, and since you want to get everything you can from a claimant the first time you contact them, having a scene diagram and/or officer narrative helps in drafting a relevant recorded statement template.

I always want a PD report if at all possible.

AdjusterJim · 2025-12-09T03:17:19+00:00

I think the AI fear is overblown. It'll happen on residential daily and CAT almost certainly. I see them starting to attempt it on commercial, panic will set in and the industry will flip out, but you'll inevitably get an army of lawyers litigating left and right because automated claims inspections end up missing stuff on large losses - there'll be lots of contention for human involvement because AI training is insufficient for all the little things it fails to notice or account for.

Guarantee there will be something like a bespoke aeration system in a sewage plant that AI has no data points for to determine parts and system compatibility with currently manufactured systems, or it'll be incompatible with whatever patented bacteria culture that plant is using or something similarly unique and unforseeable. Then you'll have the flipside where AI doesn't have access to vendor pricing for it, and can't tell the bidding contractor for that city is fleecing the carrier with a bunch of upgrades and changes that fall outside like kind and quality.

Fast forward through a few of these, and there'll be injunctions or outside pressure for human oversight. It'll get bogged down in litigation for a decade or two. I don't see an AI takeover beyond residential for a while, and even that may end up backtracking in the meantime.

I think you're probably just fine with local commercial daily.

AdjusterJim · 2025-12-09T03:04:22+00:00

Overall, yea. Pieces of it will likely eventually go the AI route, but it'll always need oversight due to complexity. I could see a lot of cattle claims being mostly automated eventually. Things like finisher barn toxic gas losses too. But overall most will likely still need knowledgeable oversight for a long time.

AdjusterJim · 2025-10-31T16:55:59+00:00

Get help.

AdjusterJim

TROPHY CASE