Are Moving Claim Repair Firms General Contractors?

As a moving claim repair firm, one topic we all have in common is that we repair furniture. We do it various ways, to various degrees, with various levels of staff, skill, and shop capacity. We are experts regarding wood and finish repair. We all concentrate on the breadth and depth of our skills in these areas.

Well, another topic we should all have in common is that we are General Contractors. The claim adjusters just assume that whatever is damaged by their company while the items were in transit is something that we, as claim repair firms, will find a way to resolve. The operating assumption is that we will have a network of third-party sources that are proven specialists in the kinds of repairs that might become required.

We all need to concentrate on the breadth and depth of the experts that we call on when needed.

In my experience the average claim has at least one such third-party source involved. Some have several and, of course, some have none. To the degree that we have not found, tested, developed, and worked out a common understanding with a wide range of repair experts in other areas, then we just can not perform our function effectively to perform the maximum range of possible claim repairs. The maintenance of such a third-party network requires an extensive investment of time and resources.

It struck me recently that the value of such a network to us, and the moving claim adjusters that use us, may not be clearly and fully recognized.

While I am sure the following summary listing is not complete, particularly since it is constant growing for us, it might be helpful to reflect on its breadth and value. For every third-party source that you have available you can save money and hassle for the claims adjuster and the claimant.

If you are located in a major city it is easier to find and maintain such connections. If you are located in a more rural area then it means you just may have to search harder, even in your nearby city area.

Each third-party source is another independent business that also services the general public. You need to convince them that it is worth their while to assist you in resolving transit claims.

Some third-party repair firms only work on items brought to their shop by our staff, others provide parts for us to know how to install, and in some limited situations some such firms also make house calls. When the later is true we must also rely on them to have adequately trained their service people in how to diagnosis the problem as transit related and to handle the claimant properly.