Viewpoint
Are you ready for fire restoration?
Are you ready for fire restoration?
By Tom Tanglos
We offered some real life scenarios to
some fire restoration drycleaners who were visiting not long
ago. The schedule said to spend an hour on the subject. We had
to stop when we hit three hours. It was one of those
“What If” exercises.
These sessions are always lively and
exciting and they go to the heart of what you might run into
when you do this kind of work.
Yes, there are correct answers to the
following questions, and knowing them will, without a doubt,
save you thousands of dollars. Ask the questions of yourself.
Think through them carefully. Remember, it’s not always
what you do, it’s how you do it.
What would you do if…
1. Mr. Jones with Acme Contractors (a
company that refers a lot of fire jobs to you) asks that
referral checks on all jobs be made out to him personally, and
sent to his home address.
What do you do?
2. An insurance adjuster is giving you
tons of work but always pays the policyholder direct. He asks
you to give him a 10 percent discount on a rather large job.
You agree, if he will pay your company direct on this job. He
agrees. You give the discount and he pays the policyholder
direct anyway. What do you do?
3. Do you know the difference between a
discount, a commission, a referral fee and a kickback? Going
down the wrong path here could be trouble. What are the
distinctions?
4. The insurance adjuster pays the
policyholder for the work you’ve done with a company
check (a check with your name and the policyholder’s name
on it). The policyholder is able to cash the check without your
endorsement and doesn’t respond to your requests for
payment.
What do you do?
5. A contractor calls you for the first
time with a job. He wants you to bill him. You agree. He tells
you the insurance adjuster told him to call you. You’re
halfway through the job when the policyholder signs on with a
public adjuster. The insurance company pays the contractor who
promptly goes out of business.
Who owes you the money?
A. The contractor.
B. The insurance company.
C. The policyholder.
D. The public adjuster.
E. All of the above.
Do your homework. Knowing beats guessing
every time.
Tom Tanglos and his family are owners of
Clothes Call in Crofton, MD, one of the largest restoration
drycleaners in the United States. Its 20,000-sq. ft. facility
is dedicated exclusively to the restoration of garments damaged
by smoke and fire. Tom can be reached by phone at (410)
721-7445; fax at (410) 721-6719, or e-mail at TTanglos@aol.com.
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