Two
major hailstorms have hit this area this summer and the roofers, insurance
adjusters, hail repair specialists, and windshield installers are swamped.
There
must be two dozen hail repair operations set up on parking lots around town.
Interesting folks. Most are from out of state. One bunch is from Greenville,
S.C. and are in their fifth year working our area in the summer.
I
enjoyed chatting with them as they give off a car salesman type vibe. Friendly,
but they mean business, and quick to get the point.
In
the years I worked in car sales, I never worked at a place that got hit with
damaging hail. What were the odds?
One
told me a hail repair can run from $3,000 to $10,000+.
Windshield
are a problem. There are not enough in stock. One company, tired of the
congestion and dealing with the City and County of Denver (one and the same) built
a large distribution center near the Loveland/Ft Collins airport last winter.
Now they are enjoying the fruits of their foresight.
My
sister, the insurance adjuster, and her office are slammed. This is in addition
to their normal workload. Some are very unpleasant. Last week she was at the
scene of a fatality near Casper, WY.
A
close friend of hers, who she mentors, is working the Greyhound bus head-on
collision in New Mexico.
Moving
on, a local has about three acres of old Volkswagens. Don’t know much about his
operation as it isn’t a make that interests me. He is next to a John Deere
dealer that must have 50 tractors in stock along with other ag equipment.
People
survive in many ways. This man makes a living out of the apartment complex’s
dumpsters around town.
WSF,
you go traveling down some weird paths. True, and the voices in my head keep
talking shit about me like I’m not even here.
9 comments:
Voices? What voices?
The DIL's sister and her husband live on the East side of Cheyenne. They were telling me about the ginormous storms that hit them this summer.
He said there was a foot of hail blocking traffic on one lane of the 25 North by the state line.
And I've seen dozens of cars here that look like they got shelled with golf balls. Dents all over any horizontal surface, and some of the cars looked like an army of demons with ball peen hammers attacked them.
Just something else to get used to living here!
The logistics of a post hail storm disaster isn't something I've ever considered. Obviously it's big business.
drjim
Twice this year I know of the plows have been out moving hail. Severe thunderstorms and flash floods in the slot canyons are real hazards along the Front Range. My grandmother and mother were struck by lightning in Bellevue.
LL
Part of the weather patterns here. Moist air flow from the Pacific NW combined with an "Albuquerque" low pressure system pulling in more moisture from the Gulf and heated air rising from the plains create some severe weather. Wise general aviation pilot don't fly West over the Rockies after 11 am.
Yep, the smart ones DO travel the country. They can make more in a couple of days than a fixed shop makes in a month. There are some that work the car show circuit too, and they easily make 4-5000 in a weekend.
There was another type of company that did work for a local new car dealer about two years ago.
The dealership had its cars in its lot, across the highway there was a larger building being remodeled. During the remodel, the building was spray painted. The wind took the overspray across the highway an deposited on the cars in the lot.
The covering insurance company had a outfit that specialized in removing the overspray on the cars and repainting where necessary.
I would never have thought that there was enough things being damaged by this overspraying that another company can make a business out of doing the repainting and repairing.
Old NFO. Craftsmanship still lives.
JS Never heard of that but it makes sense.
JS - Overspray is a big business. We had a claim a few years ago with 20 vehicles oversprayed. Got expensive for the insurance company. Wind goes where it wants to.
I personally don't particularly like hail. Been in agriculture too many years. But I do have to say that it is profitable for the insurance adjusting business. About 30% of our yearly billing. Many hours involved in handling the claims and many folks seem to think that their claim takes priority and their stuff MUST get fixed right away. That is why the parking lot hail guys do so well. Most local body shops are booked until late next spring for hail repair. Just in time for the next season. Hail is job security for me.
Just think of all the people you piss off by doing your job when they find they didn't win the insurance lottery.
I won't forget the cattle that died of lead poisoning from eating hay bales used for backstops on a impromptu rifle range.
Oh yeah, that was a good one. As I always say, weather & stupidity pay my bills.
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