Barbara, your sense of humor is appreciated, and yet I know this bothers you. An attitude adjustment would be simply to reframe this newest potential challenge into a new friendship. Utilizing the skills of Winning Without Intimidation, see if you can "turn your enemy into your friend" and win them over to your side in order to attain a fair value adjustment. At the same time, let's look at an alternative route so that you have choices.

You might write a letter to the insurance company, giving an "I Message"
{http://www.burg.com/imessage.html},
respectfully letting them know of your concerns. Without knowing your entire story and history with them, Barbara, let me give it a try right here:

Dear Ms. Hendricks,

"Thank you for working with me as my home insurer. As you know, despite what I'm sure were good intentions on their part, the outside claim adjuster you hired seven years ago regarding my previous claim caused me concern regarding the fairness of the value they put on my loss.

My feelings were then justified by the public adjuster, who helped me to receive a more substantial settlement. Again, I have no doubt this was an unintentional miscalculation by the first firm. I also don't in any way hold that as a reflection on your fine company, and know you were happy to pay what was determined to be the fair amount.

May I respectfully request, Ms. Hendricks, that you possibly retain a different firm than the previous one to research my present claim. Good intentions aside, they don't necessarily have my confidence, and I don't think either of us wants to invest the time and money it would take if, sadly, it came down to seeking out the wisdom of another adjuster. If it would be more convenient on your part for me to research and seek out my own adjuster, I'd certainly be glad to."

Best Regards,
Barbara

In this letter, Barbara, you've shown the decision-maker of the insurance company enough respect that her ego won't elicit her using the first firm just to make you mad. However, you have also let her know in a kind, respectful, Winning Without Intimidation manner, that if the previous company is used as the adjuster, there's a good chance you will be taking the next step and making the insurance company's life just a bit more difficult.

My feeling is that, no, they won't ask you to handle retaining the eventual adjuster :-), but will bring in a different one from the first.

Please let me know how things turn out.

Bob Burg http:www.burg.com is author of Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales, Winning Without Intimidation and The Success Formula.

He has a full line of books, ebooks and CDs from which everyone can grow and prosper. Check them out by going to http:www.burg.com , then click on the link to his online store. Bob also publishes a free weekly ezine to which you can subscribe going to http://www.burg.com/newsletter.html.