How often have you thought about hiring an inventory service, but felt you couldn’t justify the Return on Investment (ROI)? This service is something few like to think about, because many feel that “it” will never happen to them. Many of these same people believe it’s a waste of money to pay for insurance because they don’t see anything coming back, only money going out.
But ask a person who endured a tornado’s damage, experienced the loss from a burglary or suffered the emotions of digging through a fire’s debris of water-soaked, melted “stuff” that used to be their belongings. I’m guessing – actually I know – they would say every dollar they paid for their inventory documentation was money well spent.
An example of the value of having an inventory is relayed by one of our customers. He remembers watching his grandmother’s house burn. The aftermath, he believes, was even worse! That’s because when watching a fire, you think of only one thing – that you’re experiencing a loss. But when you are digging through the rubble, many more emotions set in.
Reality is brutal! Fear, frustration, “why me”, anger, despair. You go full circle when dealing with a disaster. There were so many items that could not be identified because the fire burned them beyond recognition. How do you prove you owned something you don’t even recognize yourself?
Family members helped his grandmother remember quite a few items, but they know that thousands of dollars worth of belongings were not claimed. Those losses will never be recovered.
As a business owner, he knows he could not remember everything in his building. After receiving his portfolio of photos and written report, he stated that if he has a catastrophe, he’ll be able to file his claim quickly and not suffer through the devastation that his grandmother did. He’ll have pictures rather than charred items to refer to. He’ll also have the list with purchase date and cost readily available to provide to the insurance company. Knowing he’ll be able to financially recover – quickly – is imperative.
What is the ROI when you can replace a minimum settlement with a maximized claim? What is the ROI when you can replace time spent digging through muck with time rebuilding? What is the ROI when you can replace loss and frustration with peace of mind?
