FORT WALTON BEACH — It has been more than a year BP pledged to make it right after last year’s oil spill, yet numerous local residents and businesses continue to be frustrated with the claims process.
A new business at the Publix shopping center downtown is designed to help ease those frustrations. Gulf Coast Facilitators opened last week to assist individuals and businesses properly file claims with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.
“It is really simple, but you’ve got to understand what they want,” said Frank Ellis, owner of Gulf Coast Facilitators. “You’ve got to look at it from a different perspective, as if you were to pay the claim. They’re trying to pay people, but we know they only want to pay legitimate people. There have been people with fraudulent claims. We all know that.”
The eight-member staff assisted more than 70 clients in the business’ first week.
Ellis had worked at Gulf Coast Representation, a similar business that opened in Panama City last December. After seeing many customers come from Okaloosa County, he decided to open his own business in Fort Walton Beach.
Ellis still works closely with Gulf Coast Representation; the companies refer customers to one another.
Ali Salman, owner of Gulf Coast Representation, said a lot of the people who have had their claims denied thus far are “not submitting the correct documentation.”
“We have not had any problems with BP or the GCCF,” Salman said. “They have been paying these claims and they have been doing a great job of paying them to us. We’ve been getting a huge success rate.”
Some of the problems are as simple as people not signing and dating forms or having their documentation in the right format. The main thing the businesses’ staffs have noticed is that claimants are not submitting proof that the oil spill harmed them financially.
“BP and the GCCF love what we’re doing because we’re giving them the claims in their format,” Salman said. “BP wants to pay these claims. I know it sounds hard to believe, but they want to pay these claims. But when someone’s giving them inaccurate information, it’s a lot of problems.
“We’ve had more problems with actual claimants than we have with BP or the GCCF,” he added. “They have been very easy to deal with, very straight forward.”
Gulf Coast Facilitators and Gulf Coast Representation keep a percentage of the claims payments they collect, usually between 15 and 20 percent. If a claim is denied, their client is not charged.
Salman said customers sometimes insist that the company submit a claim request even if they do not have all of the documentation, knowing it will likely be rejected. Of the legitimate claims they have submitted with all the paperwork correctly filed, only one has not been paid yet.
“I was extremely skeptical until the checks came in the mail,” Salman said. “Once the checks came in the mail, I was like ‘Wow, these people really do what they say and say what they mean.’ ”
A new business at the Publix shopping center downtown is designed to help ease those frustrations. Gulf Coast Facilitators opened last week to assist individuals and businesses properly file claims with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.
“It is really simple, but you’ve got to understand what they want,” said Frank Ellis, owner of Gulf Coast Facilitators. “You’ve got to look at it from a different perspective, as if you were to pay the claim. They’re trying to pay people, but we know they only want to pay legitimate people. There have been people with fraudulent claims. We all know that.”
The eight-member staff assisted more than 70 clients in the business’ first week.
Ellis had worked at Gulf Coast Representation, a similar business that opened in Panama City last December. After seeing many customers come from Okaloosa County, he decided to open his own business in Fort Walton Beach.
Ellis still works closely with Gulf Coast Representation; the companies refer customers to one another.
Ali Salman, owner of Gulf Coast Representation, said a lot of the people who have had their claims denied thus far are “not submitting the correct documentation.”
“We have not had any problems with BP or the GCCF,” Salman said. “They have been paying these claims and they have been doing a great job of paying them to us. We’ve been getting a huge success rate.”
Some of the problems are as simple as people not signing and dating forms or having their documentation in the right format. The main thing the businesses’ staffs have noticed is that claimants are not submitting proof that the oil spill harmed them financially.
“BP and the GCCF love what we’re doing because we’re giving them the claims in their format,” Salman said. “BP wants to pay these claims. I know it sounds hard to believe, but they want to pay these claims. But when someone’s giving them inaccurate information, it’s a lot of problems.
“We’ve had more problems with actual claimants than we have with BP or the GCCF,” he added. “They have been very easy to deal with, very straight forward.”
Gulf Coast Facilitators and Gulf Coast Representation keep a percentage of the claims payments they collect, usually between 15 and 20 percent. If a claim is denied, their client is not charged.
Salman said customers sometimes insist that the company submit a claim request even if they do not have all of the documentation, knowing it will likely be rejected. Of the legitimate claims they have submitted with all the paperwork correctly filed, only one has not been paid yet.
“I was extremely skeptical until the checks came in the mail,” Salman said. “Once the checks came in the mail, I was like ‘Wow, these people really do what they say and say what they mean.’ ”
