claims adjuster

adjuster

insider

customer service representative

auto appraiser

Pilot Catastrophe Services

I wish I could say working 24/7 was the worst part of working for pilot, but it's far from it. The worst part is that the management expects you to leave your family, work on the road 24/7, give perfect customer service, get a claim done within 1 hr, drive all over the state, send up a min. of 18 claims a week, but yet if your brakes go out, or you get sick, no one has your back, no one will stand up for you. If a customer calls and complains, and you have done everything exactly as Pilot wanted it, they still will not "get your back", they feed you to the dogs, it's a company of everyone covering their own butts. It's all about money, they don't care about any one of their employees AND ESPECIALLY NOT ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS, unless it's a VOT. And thats all it comes down to...you can work there for years, but they will still treat you like trash, you can be an A rated adj, they will treat you like trash...pretty much you are EXPENDABLE at pilot and they are just as happy to let you get in trouble for something they told you do, and then they replace you with the next person who needs a job in this economy. Really and truly, there are better adj firms out there- don't go to pilot unless you are absolutely new at adjusting and need to get your foot in the door- if you have any experience at all, don't go to Pilot- they are HORRIBLE employers! HORRIBLE!! I am a high rated adj, never have had any real problems with insureds/customers, never got fired, never been in trouble with management...I am an IDEAL employee, and guess what- I get treated like absolute trash.

You may feel the pay is worth it---it's not. If you are working fee schedule, you won't make enough to survive because they won't let you pay for anything, even if it truly needs to be replaced. This isn't Pilot's fault, it's their vendors (the actual insurance company). However, the pay is the only reason anyone in their right mind would travel the country living in hotels without friends or family and work 24/7 365 days a year---that's right, not even Easter off. But if you aren't working Day rate, you won't make near enough to send home to your family, or save up. If you are working Day rate, be ready to drive 8 hrs a day and then come home and work on claims until 3:30 am and then go out and do it again...and if it rains, you better photograph the rain so you can tell them why you didn't get on the roof- they don't take your word for it. In fact, I was told by management "Some employees are dishonest, so we have to treat all employees like thay are dishonest"...not my preferred management philosophy.

If you work for pilot, your mental, spiritual, and physical health with suffer and your family will have to deal with a stressed out, always gone, always tired, always behind father/mother. No health benefits, no benefits or pros at all that I can see.

If you feel this is biased, please go ask working Pilot adjusters about their work situation- see what they say.

Typical day after arriving at storm site: 

Call customers within 24 hrs after claims received, set appointments, determine legal liability and extent of damage to property, review prior losses, assist in the quick resolution of claims by working with policy holders to investigate, evaluate and conclude claims including verification of coverage, assess losses and pay for covered losses within the carrier's policy quidelines. Set 2-4 appointments a day depending on extent of loss, inspect the loss, (roof, exterior elevations/interior, other structures, contents), create an estimate,label pictures, document all activities associated with the claim, call customer to discuss claim when complete, upload all information to carrier for review, confirm appointments for the following day and return all phone calls and email.

A close relationship with management and fellow adjusters is imperitive to maintain productivity and complete claims in a timely manner. 

The hardest part of the job is time management due to the volume of claims and scheduling appointments so  that as many as possible can be written on site as table tops. Uploading of all claims, labeling pictures, activity notes, reserves, invoices, etc also must be done daily to stay on track and provide good customer service. 

The most enjoyable aspects of the job: I love helping people and developing a relationship from the first phone call that conveys to the customer that I am there to help and pay for covered damages in a timely manner. The process is overwhelming especially to elderly customers. I truly enjoy being the face of the carrier that I represent and making the claims process efficient. I also love climbing on roofs.

You'll get thrown to the wolves so to speak, which is good if you're new - in the sense that you will learn how to property work a claim; however at least 50% of managers there are not there to help and do not necessarily provide guidance if you are new.  You'll receive conflicting messages from different managers, and be punished for following directions.  There may be 10-15% of the managers that actually know how to work a claim and have done so for years prior to being managers; but you may also find yourself working on a newly appointed manager's team, who has less than a quarter of your accumulative experience - simply because said person socializes w/management outside of work.  Playing politics shouldn't be a necessity when the Monday - Friday schedule is typically 12 hrs a day.  You can't just do your job well and advance.  Morale among the rank and file adjusters/employees is justifiably low; for 90% of people it's simply a job for an okay paycheck.  When busy though, you'll have little to no work life balance.  You'll work 12 hours Monday through Friday, and 8 hour shifts on weekends - when busy; so it's not really a family company, beyond that you work for the family that's owned the company since it's inception.

I have been with Pilot for less than 6 months. In this time frame, I have witnessed a team of people and departments come together to meet a common goal. To make sure that our clients, customers and claimants are helped and attended to in a timely manner. With the type of work we do time is of the essence and everyone plays their part in making it happen. I continually see process improvements being looked at and changes being made to ensure the most optimal performance company wide. You will never make everyone happy but from my perspective the managers truly care about the workforce and are willing to provide training and assistance when requested or needed. It is a very fast paced and demanding environment and it may not be for everyone but it can be rewarding as well. If you are willing to put in the work and opportunity presents itself, I have seen promotions and progressions occur. I personally have an amazing team of people that work diligently every day. What I love most is the fact that the company and its founders believe in giving back to the workforce and to others. They are actively involved in various community events and support so many worthwhile causes. The adjusters and others give of their time and raise money to donate to charitable causes as well. It is a really beautiful thing to witness having work at so many different companies during my career. TEAM PILOT IS AWESOME!

Work-life balance
Its a cat center. 7/12. If you survive the releases, you may get 6/12 or 5/12 depending on the segment. There is a flex schedule- you can clock in between 630 and 8..clock out between 530 and 8.

Pay & benefits
My pay and benefits at Pilot Catastrophe Services are good. Although many say its less than other IA firms. Keep in mind this is a contract CAT deployment they have benefit packages but what is the point if you are unsure of how long you will stay.

Job security and advancement
In terms of job security at Pilot Catastrophe Services, I think its hit or miss. You are deployed as a cat adjuster so staying is based on three things. 1. Your overall desire and determination 2. Claim Volume  3. Who you know and how they feel about you when it comes to release day.

Management
In general, managers at Pilot Catastrophe Services are hit or miss. Some are dedicated to helping you grow professionally; some need to grow up themselves.

Culture
Collaboration with my colleagues at Pilot Catastrophe Services is great. Within your team you have a lot of help as there is a great mix of seasoned adjusters.

Overall
My experience working at Pilot Catastrophe Services overall has been good. I would highly recommend this company for the person who is starting their career as an adjuster. If you are a seasoned adjuster only apply for management positions if any exists.

It is a seasonal job.  Cat- Adjuster work is generally that way. Unless you have been with the company for a while. Very busy and stressful work.But rewarding ! Love helping the people ! You work out of town. I would be gone 3-6 months at a time.You work long hours every day. Start early in the morning and work late in the day. It is a great learning experience  . I would recommend it to any one who has the time to travel out of town. It was fun and very stressful. But very, very rewarding ! You get to help many families in stressful situations. Sometimes their home is gone or down the street ! I did Wind,Hail, Flood adjusting. Management was very good.Always helpful and There if you needed them for anything.Co-workers, we were independent contractors, we worked apart from one another. But we would help one another out when we could. The hardest part of the job would be time management and When you could not help the person as much as you would of liked to.Some times they did not have insurance to cover the loss ! No flood insurance. The most enjoyable part of the job was really helping people get back on their feet. You could not replace lost personal items,but you could give them the finances to replace or fix their home or personal items. Help get their life back to normal again.

I was contacted by Pilot shortly after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. I traveled to Pennsylvania for a two day crash course training on how to use their automobile estimate software. The managers did not want to be handling this storm and they let everyone in the classroom know it. The work was challenging but very rewarding. I helped a lot of people with their auto claims due to the storm and it was the first time in my insurance career that people appreciated me. My territory was northern New Jersey. The daily pay plus per diem was the best part of the job. Being away from home and family was the worst. You are a contractor for hire. So when the claims end, the work ends. The demand of claims was about what I expected it to be. You get claims the night before. Make your calls to schedule your appointments. Go out on your appointments. Write up estimates and print checks. Go back to hotel and write up claims. Report to manager and submit claims processed. Start all over with calling and schedule appointments for the following day. Stay with your routine and learn best practices from some of the better managers. One claim at a time one day at a time. 

I worked 5 years with Pilot Catastrophe Services as a CAT adjuster.  I worked as much as I wanted to as I was an experienced adjuster.  One of their major accounts has went through monumental changes that challenges the best adjusters ability to make a good living.  On my last assignment I didn't make any money, I lost money.

The management is non existent and therefore it is important you are experienced before you embark on this journey.  Just know ahead of time that if you can get a staff job you'll have less stress, benefits, more hair, and some money in your pocket.  I could no longer accept working for a company where I was giving charity and service without getting a check.  It's not all Pilot's fault, but it is what it is.  

You'll notice a lot of recent openings with Pilot on the job listing sites.  2-3 years ago this would have been unheard of because it was a good job with unlimited earning potential.  Now they can't keep anyone, because no one wants a job that you work for free.  

Shame on this major player in the industy who is doing this to the independent companies and shame on Pilot for not having a backbone to do anything about it.

Save yourself the stress of thinking you have a good paying job.  You do not.  Best of luck to all.

A typical day looks like starting at 8am 
8am-6pm Drive to clients properties to review and assess damage draw up estimates & take care of property owner.  
-Take calls in between appointments, return phone calls, respond to emails for the ultimate result to close contracts.  
-I manage my own time through-out the day and set appointment for the following day. I feel that time management is extrememly important to me & I value my time to make sure my work is done efficiently.  
-I usually am in contact with my manager either everyday or every other day depending on situations.  I value the importance of there role and appreciate a great manager.  
-I sometime will go with co-workers to learn there approach with appointments as well as vice versa. I have some great co-workers.
-The hardest part of my job is when it gets a little slower. I try and keep a consistant work load through-out the year. 
-The most enjoyable part of my job is assisting home owners and seeing them happy with our services.  Customer service is something I hold to a high esteem and is extremely important in my work. 

Pilot will train you from day one on. Great place to get started as an adjuster to get experience. In office, dress warm, even if it's 100 outside. Your team leaders are there to help you and to make you grow as an adjuster, work with them. During CAT work you will work 12 hours a day every day until the claim volume goes down. Not complaining about that at all, it makes for a better check. However, the per diem is only for days you work. So your housing and food costs that are being paid nicely when you're working 7 days, dwindles rapidly when you begin to get days off, 2 days off per week and you barely have enough in per diem to cover your motel for the week. Just something to be aware of before you deploy the first time. When you get the call you won't know what area (investigative, contents, condo, specialty, ale) they are sending you to, you might get the same area from year to year, or you might get a different one, I don't know how they determine where you're going. Overall though, it's a great place to start and you get to work with some really awesome people.

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