·       If you encounter an adjuster who can't be reasoned with or who is unresponsive to your messages, don't be afraid to escalate it up the chain of command.

·       Steve's favorite question to ask adjusters is: "Why do you say that?" (or "How did you come to that conclusion?"). He said it was a nice way of forcing the adjuster to put up or shut up.

·       A great phrase to use with adjusters is: "Help me to understand..." (for example, "Help me to understand how you drew that conclusion" or "Help me to understand why you think xxx..."). Again, this forces the adjuster to justify his/her decisions.

·       If the adjuster seems like he or she isn't paying attention, try saying: "May I ask you a question?" This helps to capture their attention. Then, ask a question.

·       Finally, Steve gave an example of how to respond when an adjuster says something like: "The step flashing (or whatever) isn't damaged, so we're not going to pay for it." 

·             He said that one response would be to ask: "You're including the felt, aren't you? The felt wasn't damaged by the storm -- so what's the difference? Why are you including the felt?" 

·             And so depending on their response, you can then say something like: "With all due respect, what evidence do you have to support your position to leave out XXX, which is a legitimate and reasonable item?" Also ask: "Do you have any objective, third-party source material that you're basing your position on?"