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Cook & Associates
Track Record
Tenacity
Pays Off Where No Coverage In Effect
A tornado whipped through Kissimmee, FL, in February 1998.
Mr. & Mrs. R. hired another
public adjusting firm to handle their loss.
When it was discovered that the
Mortgage Company was the only party named on
the policy, the other Public Adjusters
withdrew.
Mr. & Mrs. R. had given up on the
claim when a neighbor, whose loss we were processing, suggested Mr. & Mrs. R. have W. S. Cook
& Associates look it over.
Our careful analysis of the
circumstances and persistence in negotiating
directly with home office claims examiners
resulted in a transfer of coverage to the
insured.
The final
amount went from zero to $20,000 in
claim payment.
Historic
Plantation’s Homeowner Now Happy
Mr. and Mrs. W suffered
a loss to their historic home during
Hurricane Floyd.
The independent adjuster’s original
settlement was $16,000.00.
Based on his boss’s successes with
W. S. Cook & Associates along the
Carolina Coast, Mr. W. hired us to pursue
additional recoveries.
After several weeks of negotiation,
we were able to recover an additional
$23,000, or 145% over the original
adjuster’s settlement offer.
Penalties Wrongly
Applied to Claim
Mr. R’s case is a
classic example of a company adjuster
erroneously applying a severe coinsurance
penalty to this insured’s loss.
Mr. R. had damage from Hurricane
Fran to his two-story commercial building.
Due to an erroneous policy
interpretation by a company paid adjuster,
the insured received a settlement of
$25,000 after a coinsurance penalty was
applied.
Our efforts erased the severe
coinsurance penalty and increased the net
settlement to the insured by $100,000.
Insured
Short-Changed after Two Consecutive
Hurricanes
Another Hurricane Fran
loss involved an ocean front real estate
office located on North Topsail Beach, NC. This realty office suffered extensive wind and water damage
from the hurricane that resulted in an
eight-week evacuation of the area.
Mr. B’s efforts to resolve his
claim with the insurance company resulted in
a stalemate.
The company offered him $7,000 for
the building and nothing for business
personal property on a take-it-or-leave-it
basis. Mr. B. called W. S. Cook & Associates to handle his loss.
After prolonged negotiations with
four different General Adjusters, we were
able to recover an additional $24,000 on the
building and $17,000 on the business
personal property.
This is a net increase of 585% over
the amount Mr. B. was able to recover on his
own.
Absentee
Owner Practices Medicine, Public
Adjuster Practices Maximizing Recovery
Dr. S. had a hurricane loss
to his two vacation homes located 800
miles from his residence.
Dr. S. tried to deal with the
adjuster directly while maintaining his
medical practice. However, he quickly found this overwhelming and hired W. S.
Cook & Associates to help.
We were able to recover an
additional $24,500 on his previously
settled claim.
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220%
Increase from Adjuster’s “Final”
Offer
Mr. J. was a savvy
businessman and considered himself a tough
negotiator.
When Hurricane Fran damaged his
twenty-one-unit residence inn and shopping
mall, he was ready to do battle.
The independent adjuster offered to
settle his claim for $33,000.
After several unsuccessful
negotiation attempts, Mr. J. hired W. S.
Cook & Associates, who was able to
recover an additional $73,000 for an
increase of 220% over the original
settlement offer.
Owner
Forced to Accept Substandard Repair Methods
so the Company Adjuster
“Looks Good”
This owner’s upscale
jewelry store and strip shopping center
sustained damage from an ice storm in
western North Carolina.
The copper roof was damaged due to
ice damming which resulted in extensive
interior water damage.
The company adjusters determined the
cheapest repairs to the roof would be to
remove, repair and then reinstall the
antique damaged copper roofing.
They told the insured that their
contractor agreed to the substandard repair
methods and that the total settlement offer
was $75,000, which included interior
repairs.
When the insured balked at these
repair methods, the adjuster stated that she
couldn’t offer more since it would make
her look bad.
After months of fruitless effort on
Mr. G’s part, he called W.S. Cook &
Associates to maximize his claim.
Our investigation determined that the
agreement with the contractor was bogus and
the insured was entitled to a roof
replacement.
We were able to recover an additional
$47,000 on this loss after the adjuster drew
a line in the sand.
Adjuster’s
$14,000 Offer Pushed to $140,000,
a 1000% Increase!
Complex damage and coverage
issues and incompetent adjusters left a
church with a $14,750 settlement from a
Hurricane Fran loss.
The finance officers of the church
reviewed the settlement and decided to get
a review of their claim by
W. S. Cook & Associates on a no-cost
basis. After reviewing the claim, we determined their settlement was
insufficient to cover the repairs to their
buildings. After extensive negotiations with an army of insurance
company attorneys, engineers, and
adjusters, we were able to negotiate a
final settlement of $140,000, an
increase of over 1000%!!
Insurers
Deny a Veteran Adjuster’s Freeze Claim
Mr. C. was a company
adjuster for 20 years.
He had handled claims promptly and
fairly and considered fair claims practice a
way of life. When his pipes froze and burst, he had no reservations about
turning in a covered loss to his insurance
carrier. He quickly joined the ranks of other victims of insurance
company misrepresentation.
His carrier immediately denied major
portions of his claim. Mr. C. hired W. S. Cook & Associates to process the
denied claim.
After tough negotiations with company
adjusters and attorneys, coverage was found
to apply, and claim recovery went from $500
to $5700.
Furniture
Store Claim Increased 350% And Owner
Retained the Salvage
Mr. M.’s frustrations with low-ball settlement offers from
damage due to a hurricane resulted in hiring
W. S. Cook & Associates.
The insurance company offered $36,000
for damages to his building with no
allowance for damaged furniture inventory.
After intense negotiations, we were
able to recover $126,000 while allowing the
owner to retain his slightly damaged
inventory.
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