I sent the following open and public letter yesterday regarding Texas roof claims in response to Texas legislation which encourages insurance companies to pay less than what is owed, less than what roofing manufacturers require to be done, and encourages unsafe conditions which literally kill people:
Ron and David,
Most Texas insurers try to make most Texas roofers take less than what is legal for them to do the job. Some roofers give into the insurer to put food on their table. But, that is not right.
Are you guys adding in all the OSHA and manufacturer’s requirements to do the job legally? Most estimates never have these figures. It is wrong if you do not have them in your estimates, you are encouraging illegal construction. Most of us know a good friend who was killed this past week because he was working on a roof and fell off where the insurer refused to comply with OSHA requirements.
Many roofing contractors, to get jobs and win bids, do so with bids that are criminal and illegal because they are made with no intention of ever complying with laws to place roofs on safely and which are required by the manufacturer.
I agree with David Moore that no public adjuster should retain a client with the expectation of simply turning the case over to an attorney and not adjusting the loss. That is criminal under Texas law.
But, I see many more adjustments by the insurers that are criminal. They intentionally exclude legally required safety costs for roofers and then they disregard costs of manufacturers to make a quality roof. Texas policyholders are getting criminally ripped off by their own insurance companies. They get an inferior repair or replacement because their own insurers rip them off. This insurance company profit motive to pay less is what is leading to widespread lawsuits.
Insurers then pay millions of dollars to pay public relation specialists and lobbyists to spin fake reasons for why people have to file lawsuits to get anything close to what is owed. Nobody should listen to insurance company propagandists unless and until they honestly explain the full truth of how they cheat their own customers, criminally refuse to follow the law, and encourage safety violations which result in deaths to roofers that have to work in dangerous conditions just to help insurers make more money than they already do.
