The Perils of a Loss Adjuster shares your insights and experiences from your career in the insurance industry offering readers a chance to see this field in a new light. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Many people think of insurance as a boring career, with very little excitement on a day-to-day basis. As with any profession, there are periods when the day-to-day work experience can be routine but when dealing with insurance claims every day is different. You find yourself dealing with individuals from all walks of life and the circumstances of each claim are unique to that individual or company. During my 10 years as a loss adjuster, I dealt with a large number of claims and I decided to keep a record of the more unusual, sad, interesting, or funny incidents that I dealt with. I promised myself that when I retired I would write about these incidents to share with my family and friends, many of whom had heard me describe some of these incidents over the years. When my memoir was in a basic draft form my family and friends encouraged me to publish it as they found it a very interesting, funny memoir which they believed would be enjoyed by a wider audience.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
It is always difficult to describe incidents which caused such distress to individuals or a company. Break-ins, especially at domestic properties, often leave individuals or families feeling violated and or traumatised and feeling unsafe in their property. A severe fire or flood would often destroy irreplaceable personal items and photographs or records which were part of a family’s history. It was hard to witness how this could have a severe impact on people’s physical and mental health.
From my point of view, I suppose the incidents where I made a fool of myself. In particular where I had to stand up in court and admit that I was unable to read my handwriting! Not a good look for any professional but I felt the story had to be told accurately and of course looking back it was an amusing set of circumstances. At the time, however, I felt awful.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I want readers to understand how different things were back in the late 1970’s and during the 1980’s. Things happened then that would not be acceptable or tolerated today but we were living in a different time.
For a reader not in the profession to be able to enjoy the book it was important for me to explain some of the basic principles of how insurance claims were handled during that time and how an Insurance Peril was defined under a policy from that era. Once a reader has acquired this knowledge it helps them to understand how and why this led to the incidents I describe in the book.
Although Perils, Cover, Legal Precedents, and how claims are handled today have changed I hope that the book may be used by some in the profession, from a historical perspective, to compare differences and any similarities in the way in which Perils are defined and claims dealt with today.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I hope that readers, whether they are in the industry or not, find it an educational, interesting, and funny memoir and realise that insurance can be a very demanding but rewarding career.
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Throughout his narrative, Thurstan delves into various key aspects of the insurance industry, offering insights into accidental damages, loss adjustment, insurance fraud, auditing, banking, theft, and insurance claims. His anecdotes, often laced with humor, serve to demystify the intricate workings of the loss adjuster’s role, providing readers with an insider’s perspective on the challenges and triumphs encountered in the field.
Moreover, Thurstan’s memoir seamlessly intertwines technical explanations with personal reflections, creating a rich tapestry that not only sheds light on the complexities of insurance claims but also delves into the emotional impacts experienced by those involved. By offering a nuanced portrayal of the profession, Thurstan’s memoir offers readers a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the insurance industry, while simultaneously providing a source of entertainment through his captivating storytelling.
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