Today, April 8, 2021, marks the anniversary of one of the absolute most horrific days of my life. As you know, my parents’ homestead was destroyed by fire and my mother perished in the fire. As devastating as that was, I was in no position to deal with the management of an insurance claim associated with this catastrophic loss. …We were not emotionally or professionally capable or competent to navigate the insurance world at this time.
I have to say that a month later at the urging of my husband, we made one of the best decisions of our lives when we retained Brandon Lewis of Strategic Claim Consultants to advocate on our behalf.
When I called you late on a Friday evening, I was fully prepared to leave a voicemail message. However, to my surprise, you actually answered the phone not knowing who I was or that I would be calling. You were kind and patient. You listened to my story with an earnest level of empathy and a significant degree of consternation (though not surprise) at the manner in which the carrier was responding to our family at this devastating time.
You demonstrated a significant level of expertise in this area and communicated with me clearly and explained the process with clarity.
You offered a fair fee for your services with no hidden costs or legal jargon. More importantly, you assured me that you would be the person to shepherd our claim and would personally be responsive to our needs and interests as we navigated through this minefield that is the insurance claims process.
You were also clear that it was not going to be a walk in the park. This I could not believe since the house was clearly burned beyond repair and my mother had passed away so tragically. There was no issue about this being an accident, and the policy was fully paid up and my parents had been customers of this carrier for close to 50 years. We were sophisticated beneficiaries, so I did not understand how this could possibly be complicated.
Boy, was I ever wrong! The carrier’s first offer had already been insulting. The second was no better. The response time was abysmal. The buck passing from agent to underwriter, to claims specialist to manager of contents to manager of structural claims was dizzying. The insurance lingo of actual cash value and replacement value, and the interface between those concepts and total loss determinations and depreciation was stupefying.
But the carrier was no match for you and your team. From the beginning you guys were miles ahead. Just as one example, I recall the ridiculous process whereby the carrier sent us a blank excel spreadsheet and demanded that we fill in everything that we recalled having in our home. Your team undertook to research pricing and specifications using old pictures, conferences and descriptions and thorough research. I am sure that without your assistance we would still be here picking our brains for things we could recall and searching for information to support our claim.
You sent your inspection team to our home, photographed the entire property, including taking aerial photographs by drones. One team, led by Phil Grandchamp, and another, led by Al Iamunno, managed every aspect of this arduous process. They answered my endless calls and many questions.
Even with all of this, the carrier fought tooth and nail for almost seven months, asserting incredulously that the house was NOT a total loss. Yet, you and your team remained steadfast and relentless. And in the end, the carrier capitulated and paid the ENTIRE policy!
I know to a certainty that this would not have happened without Strategic Claim Consultants, led by you, Brandon Lewis. I would tell anyone who asks never to try to negotiate this process alone no matter how sophisticated they think they are and especially if they are in a state of grief. I will forever be in your debt. As we reflect back over this past year, I extend my family’s heartfelt gratitude for rescuing us and carrying us through this unimaginable ordeal.
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All the Best,
MS