Message from the Claims Desk 8.2.16

stewartms • August 2, 2016
Table of Contents +

Good Morning Stewart Family,

Three days from today begins the most time honored tradition in the world. The summer games in Rio will begin with the arrival of the Olympic flame on Friday August 5 th . These are the first Olympic games to ever be hosted in the southern hemisphere since the inception of the games in 776 BC. The United States will attempt to continue it’s reign as the country with the most gold metals in the world (2,406). So as the judges criticize these athlete’s performances, think about how you critique furniture.

This week I would like to talk about the value of a good rider. Now days, with furniture being handled by so many different parties there is a much higher chance for damage and it leaves claims adjusters wondering who is responsible. Unfortunately, the short end of the stick usually goes to whomever had custody of the shipment last. For instance, if you picked up a sofa and left it wrapped and it turns out that it was damaged when you delivered it… You got it, you would be paying for it. Also, let me take this opportunity to debunk the myth that if you write something up as “wrapped in brown paper” or “padded and shrink wrapped” that it will protect you from a claim. It doesn’t and actually accomplishes nothing other than wasting your pen ink.

The best way to protect yourself from paying for damage that you did not cause is to use an electronic rider and include pictures. If you have a tablet and can perform an electronic inventory, you already have this capability and I have attached the procedure to show you how. When we have pictures of the condition the item was in on a electronic rider, you will avoid paying for damages that you didn’t cause.

So make sure you use those riders, don’t buy into the myths, and use the electronic rider system and save yourself and the company money.

Cheers,

Robert Wright- Claims Manager

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