Choosing a contractor
Franchise, preferred vendor, or independent?
After a fire you will hear from all three, sometimes before the trucks have left. Here is the honest difference, including where the others are the better choice.
| Question | National franchise | Insurer's preferred vendor | Independent (us) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who do they work for? | The franchisee, within a national system and its fees | Contracted to the insurer's pricing and audit rules | You. No insurer contract, no franchise system |
| Who answers the phone at night? | Often a national call center, then a local dispatch | Varies; often routed through the insurer's program | The on-call phone, answered by someone who will be on the job |
| Who is accountable for the rebuild? | Often a separate contractor after mitigation | Often mitigation only; rebuild goes elsewhere | Same crew, same manager, start to finish |
| Scale for very large losses | Deep: national equipment and staff pools | Depends on the vendor | Regional. We say so if a loss is beyond us and help you find the right size of contractor |
| Pricing pressure | Franchise royalties are in the price somewhere | Negotiated down by the insurer; scope can follow the price | Scope written to the damage, priced in standard line items |
| Do you have to use them? | No | No. "Preferred" is a suggestion, not a requirement | No |
When a franchise is the right call
A very large commercial loss, a high-rise, or a disaster that has hit a whole neighborhood at once can need more equipment and people than any regional contractor has. National networks exist for that, and we will say so rather than take on a job we cannot staff.
When a preferred vendor is the right call
If you want the least possible involvement and are content with the insurer's scope, the program vendor is set up for that. The trade-off is that the vendor's customer, in practice, is the insurer.
When an independent is the right call
Most house fires and most small-to-mid commercial losses. You want the person who saw the damage on night one to be the person building it back, a scope written to what actually burned, and someone whose reputation is local and personal.
What we will not say
That we are the fastest, the best, or number one. Those claims are everywhere in this industry and none of them are checkable. What we will say is what we do, how we do it, and what it costs, in writing, before we start.
Fire out. Now what?
Call before you touch anything. We will tell you what to do in the next hour, what not to do, and when a crew can be there. No charge for the call, no obligation for the visit.