Customer Reviews

Before I say anything else, I want to succinctly express the most important sentiment contained in this post, which is that enlisting the services of Michigan Fire Claims may very well be the BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE. But please allow me to provide some context so as to convey precisely why I am compelled to make such a strong statement.

I recently found myself embroiled in the profoundly unexpected and fully uncharted territory of having to navigate the aftermath of a catastrophic fire that destroyed my home and relegated virtually all my possessions to the ashbin of history. Just like the many individuals and families who have previously experienced such misfortune, my only option was to forge ahead through the devastation and commence the one-day-at-a-time project of putting my life back together. Obviously, a vitally important component of this multi-faceted project is the process of filing the insurance claim. Should you find yourself in this predicament, you should expect to start receiving calls from people identifying themselves as public adjusters. I had never heard of public adjusters before the fire. In fact, of the many friends, family members and work colleagues with whom I’ve discussed my recent tribulations, not A SINGLE one of them had ever heard of public adjusters.

But this is totally understandable, as there is no reason to know who they are until you need them.

Public adjusters (who, despite what the name might imply, are not government agents, but wholly private sector entities), in short, are professionals who, equipped with their knowledge of the intricacies and protocols of the insurance claims process, serve as advocates and liaisons on behalf of the insured. Their objective, quite simply, is to maximize the payout for their clients, which is in stark opposition to the objective of insurance companies, which is, of course, to vigorously find any pretext upon which to reduce the payout, all while making the process as painful and abstruse as possible. Public adjusters are the antidote to this unpalatable scenario, and Michigan Fire Claims is absolutely the most reputable firm in this arena that I could ever imagine.

I think it’s important to address the fact that the method whereby public adjusters, including Michigan Fire Claims, scout for prospective clients may be off-putting for some. On a superficial level, public adjusters are analogous to those in the legal profession who many derisively refer to as “ambulance chasers”. Public adjusters are, essentially, “fire truck chasers”. I received a call from one not even twelve hours after I had just watched in horror as my house was engulfed in flames. This was NOT Michigan Fire Claims. I received a call from another one just a couple days later. This, also, was not Michigan Fire Claims. No, Michigan Fire Claims had the DECENCY to wait for six days before reaching out to me, at which point I was actually ready to comprehend the service they were offering. Even after my initial interaction with them, while I was still on the fence about whether I needed their help, and while I still clung to the delusion that I had the will and wherewithal to combat the insurance company alone, Michigan Fire Claims did NOT importune me; they waited for me to come to them. AND I’M SO GLAD I DID. Over the course of the process, three different individuals participated in handling my case, including the president of the company himself, and at no point after enlisting their services did I ever have to interact directly with the insurance company again. They did all that work for me.

And here’s the most important thing. Every single member of the Michigan Fire Claims team I encountered along the way was fundamentally DECENT, exceedingly EMPATHETIC to my plight, and unimpeachably COMPETENT in the execution of the mission at hand. After all was said and done, they had extracted virtually the maximum possible payout from the insurance company, and they did so for a VERY fair fee. Michigan Fire Claims is a beacon for those in need.

Michigan Fire Claims was wonderful, made everything easy, and was well worth their fee. Nik and his team were friendly, helpful, and professional. They were available at my beck and call, and I highly recommend everyone use this company.

My family and I had a house fire 6 days before Christmas. I would have thought the process would be overwhelming. Thankfully Michigan fire claims was there for us. They handled everything so we were able to recover fully from our losses.  No matter when I called or texted Rod answered. The whole team put in a lot of work so we didn’t have to.

Wow! what can I say? these guys really helped our church after we encountered a disastrous accident. the insurance fought tooth and nail but Michigan Fire Claims team of adjusters held the line and got the job done! we were able to have our building restored and even got us compensated for cleaning of affected areas in the church. I would recommend them to anyone who needs to file a claim after any damages to your building.

On July 31, 2021, at 5:45a, I received a devastating phone call. My carpet store (15,000 sq ft bldg.) was on fire. Within hours, it had been totally demolished. Over the next few days, I would be faced with making decisions on matters with which I have had minimal experience. To describe it as utter chaos would be an understatement. As this incident was covered in the local news, several public adjusters contacted me immediately. Selecting a company that would best serve my needs was one of the most important choices I would have to make. After speaking with Olivia Ruse, a representative from Michigan Fire Claims, we arranged to have a meeting at their offices in Auburn Hills, MI. After a very comprehensive, two-hour meeting, with Nik Kalaj and Ross Poorman (President and VP, respectively), it became very clear to me that working with MI Fire Claims would benefit me greatly. As my building housed various businesses (five total), they explained to me that working with the various insurance companies representing these different individuals would be extremely challenging. This is where their expertise became obvious. I was very impressed with the innumerable details that they were able to address effectively. They were able to give the necessary, comprehensive estimates required by the exacting insurance companies. Together we presented specified and itemized lists to the insurance agents that allowed me to recover maximum benefits . They guided me every step of the way, addressing issues that literally would never have occurred to me. MI Fire Claims delivered on everything they promised. Beyond that, the compassion and support they provided during this unimaginable nightmare was greatly appreciated. A company that is this competent is very rare and I am beyond grateful for their help.

Gratefully, Derryl and Michele Hill, The Carpet Depot Complex.

I was very skeptical at first and therefore I made a couple of mistakes that could have cost us dearly. But after deciding to go with MFC I can truly say we are so happy with the results and for all the quality service we received. Dominic was always only a phone call or text message away and he help keep me calm. They fought so hard for us to get everything that we needed and we are so HAPPY that we let them handle our claim. Choose MFC you will not regret it!!! If I could I would give them 10 stars!

I hired this team after my fire and was so happy with the services of this company I made a couple of referrals. The referrals that I made became happy clients as well.

Michigan Fire Claims is awesome. Every single person I spoke to and dealt with is down-to-earth and professional. Insurance Companies are not for us, they are against us to save every penny they can. They act like they’re your best friend in the beginning but it’s all a ploy!!!

MFC is 100% for you. Yes, they get a percentage… But it’s money you wouldn’t get without their help! They don’t get paid unless they get you the money you deserve the ins co is trying to hold out on! Nik explains how everything works, there are no surprises!!

You can’t go wrong.  It’s a win-win situation.

Thank you, Nik, Gary, and Jason.

I can’t say enough about how much Michigan Fire claims helped me and my husband get through the most difficult time in our life. When our house burned, we were struggling to deal with our homeowner’s insurance claims agent. They only offered us a fraction of what our policy covered. In addition to expecting us to get bids from contractors on repairing our house, we were expected to write down everything we owned in the house to get covered from our content part of our policy, In a very limited amount of time. As were we struggling with all of this, mind you in Mid December, Nick Kalaj, leader of the company came to our door offering to help. We were skeptical at first, but once we meet with him, and he explained how his company and employees work to get every dollar from our policy that we are owed, we decided to take their help.

It was a life-changing decision. This company came in full force to evaluate the structural damage, and the real amounts it would cost to repair. They meet with my insurance agent at the house and proved to him there was more damage than he was giving us coverage for.  They also sent in a crew led by a wonderful lady named Cori who painstakingly itemized every single item in my house, with a detailed description of the items. I was amazed at the end result. We could have never done this by ourselves.

In the end, we received the MAXIMUM payout for both the dwelling and the contents of our house.  It is also important to stress that during this process that lasted several difficult months, I could call Nick anytime about any concerns I had regarding the process. He always either answered me right then or called back within a couple of hours. He is genuinely a caring and compassionate man. His honesty and integrity cannot be overstated.

After everything, we were able to use our insurance money to buy a newer house, on a lake, replace the things inside our house that were lost, and still have a small nest egg in the bank.  I cannot overstate how much I recommend this company. Their help truly changed our lives.

I can’t say enough good things about Michigan Fire Claims. They did an amazing and professional job. They were excellent advocates for me and helped make sure I got the maximum amount possible from my insurance company! They were fantastic and amazing and made sure the insurance company didn’t get away with a low ball claim payment. I wish I had them in my corner for other matters as well. Dominic Kalaj was easy to work with, professional, and did a great job!

The Michigan Fire Claims team was outstanding; allowing my family and I to step away from the day-to-day stresses of dealing directly with the insurance company. They understood our policy and helped us recover everything we were entitled to. They exceeded our expectations, was very honest and the communication was outstanding! Nik and Cori was exceptional and we’re grateful that they found us in our time of need!!! Thank you all for being such amazing people…

My family is appreciative of the way Michigan Fire; not only handled business with the insurance company, but also the way they handled my family. It was with great care, patience, and compassion. They kept us very well informed and it was a relief to have them take care of everything for us. There was so much about this process we did not know! Michigan fire got us the maximum limits of our policy. We are now closing on our new home!! Thank you Michigan Fire!!

WE WERE LOST WHEN OUR BARN BURNT DOWN. NICK AND HIS STAFF WENT TO WORK RIGHT AWAY AND SETTLED EVERYTHING FOR US WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY. WHAT A GREAT TEAM OF PEOPLE TO HAVE ON YOUR SIDE.THEY WERE REFERRED TO ME BY A FRIEND WHOSE HOUSE BURNT DOWN. HE SAID THEY WERE THE BEST.HE WAS RIGHT.ALL MY THANKS AND GRATITUDE TO THE STAFF. I WILL ALWAYS REFER MICHIGAN FIRE CLAIMS TO ANYONE I FIND OUT THAT NEEDS HELP THEY ARE THE BEST AND THAT IS A FACT!!! GOD BLESS ALL

Excellent service. Professional and caring. We had a house fire and needed an advocate. Nik came out and reassured us they were there to help. The process was new and the insurance company was impatient. Michigan Fire Claims worked as an advocate for us. They answered all of our questions in a timely manner. Without their support, we would have had additional losses! Thank you again Michigan Fire Claims!!

In 2019, these guys literally changed our life. Had it not been for them advocating for us, we would have lost THOUSANDS of dollars of insurance money that was in our policy. Best decision I ever made for our family.

Michigan Fire Claims handled our house fire claim with Allstate. It was a long process with the insurance company from directing me to an awesome attorney and stood by me throughout the whole process. They got the max on my policy. They are amazing at what they do and take great pride in their work. I highly recommend using this company for any of your insurance claim needs. They went above and beyond for my family and that I am grateful for. The office staff was always so helpful when I did need to call. Dominic provided great communication throughout this process so I always felt positive and well informed. Thank you Michigan Fire Claims for a job well done.

Nik, Ross, & Matt

Words cannot express how much gratitude and appreciation I have for you and your staff. The length in which you all went to lift my burden and ease my stress was remarkable — you treated me like family!

Cheers and best wishes to you all!

As a Real Estate Broker and Licensed Builder, Michigan Fire Claims has helped me and many of my clients over the years. Their empathy to the insured’s situation carries through during the entire process. They take the time and care to ensure they clearly explain every step of the process, in what in most cases, is the most catastrophic situations most people face in their lives. In every case, they have helped me maximize insurance claims in some circumstance 2-3 times what the insurance companies initialed offered as a settlement. Let the professionals deal with the insurance companies, this is what they do and they do it very well.

“In June 2015 we had a catastrophic house fire that resulted in a total loss of our home and contents.Our neighbor, a former fireman himself, recommended Michigan Fire Claims to us, and we thank God that he did! The whole process was overwhelming. I am convinced that the insurance company was doing everything possible to deny the claim. Michigan Fire Claims lead and walked us through the entirety of it. After performing a thorough inventory of our belongings, through insurance company delays, an examination under oath, more delays, mistakes in payment, etc. MFC was our ally and always by our side. Additionally, MFC made sure that our settlement was fair. Otherwise, I’m certain they would have low balled us.Even more impressive than their advocacy on our behalf was how well we were treated by everyone we had contact with. To MFC we were a family that lost everything. Everybody was humane and kind. We felt as if it was always much more than

Even more impressive than their advocacy on our behalf was how well we were treated by everyone we had contact with. To MFC we were a family that lost everything. Everybody was humane and kind. We felt as if it was always much more than business with them. We are eternally grateful for Tom, our adjuster, Gary, and all of the rest at MFC. Thank you for treating us as friends. We will be forever thankful that you were around to help our family our family at our greatest time of need. I would recommend your company to anybody who could use your services without hesitation.
Sincerely,

Matt, Ross, and Inventory Team:

Jerry and I wanted to thank all of you again for the assistance you gave us between the fire and our getting into our new home. Matt, you and Ross gave us reassurance and guidance working our way through this process. Kay, thanks to you for your extra time here trying to make sense of the cleaning inventory concerning what they did and did not do. We realize that you, Matt, made numerous visits to calm me down and give us support when we were overwhelmed with everything going on. We are very grateful. The job everyone did and the function and support of your company was priceless to us!

Thank you all!

Michigan Fire Claims saved my life. On June 7, 2014 during the time while I was undergoing cardiac rehab, my home was totally destroyed by fire. It was a very traumatic experience with my son being taken to the emergency and losing our beloved pet, Hugo, a 200lb Newfoundland in the fire.

The day after the fire a very good friend and house builder came over with his dad to give his condolences and at the same time told me that he could not rebuild my house for the amount on my insurance policy. At a meeting with my insurance adjuster I was led me to believe I only had $200K insurance to rebuild, I was devastated.

A week later I received a letter from Matt Slotka, MFC vice president, a sales pitch about how they could help me rebuild my home.

I ignored the letter thinking it was just another company wanting to make money over my tragedy. During this time, we were living in a 33 foot camper home on the premises and everyday we could see the burned out ruins of our home while grieving for the loss of our beloved pet, Hugo.

Another letter from MFC arrived in the mail a week later and this time Matt was very personal and advised me that if I did not consider his company, to at least hire a lawyer. The advice given made me realize this company was genuinely concerned for me.

I immediately called his cell number and left a voice mail, this was on Saturday. On Monday, Matt drove up from lower Michigan and as he sat in our trailer looking at my insurance policy, he said I had nothing to worry about, I had “Guaranteed Replacement Value” on my home. Which meant the insurance company had to rebuild my house as it stood before the fire, regardless of the cost.

Had I not contacted MFC, I would have dealt with Auto Owner’s agent and built a much smaller home than what I had before the fire. Moreover, I would not have recouped the all the money needed to replace our contents. Thanks to MFC, I was able to rebuild my new home at today’s prices, double of what I was told at my meeting with the adjuster.

My wife and I are very grateful for Matt and all of MFC staff to help us get our home back. We are very comfortable in our new home and wholeheartedly advise anyone that has gone through a tragedy like we did, to contact Michigan Fire Claims and get what’s due you.

Sincerely,
Manuel & Vera Vigil

Dear Michigan Fire Claims, Inc.

Words cannot justify how grateful my family and I are for the services you have provided for us! We were not prepared for losing everything to a fire, or everything that follows after the devastation of a fire. From the moment you were referred to us, a weight was lifted! Not only did you handle everything with my insurance company, you fought and got us enough funds to be more than comfortable while our home was being rebuilt. You kept us informed of everything step-by-step. Our house was a total loss. The contractors you recommended to rebuild our home were also wonderful to work with. Not even six months and we were able to move back home! Thank you so much for making something so heartbreaking and traumatic a lot easier on our family to go through.

Sincerely,

If you ever have a major home owners/renters insurance claim call these guys the immediately after you hang up from reporting your claim! They work hard and fast to get you the best claim settlement. I loved my insurance company and never had an issue… until my first major claim. It was a nightmare that dragged on and on. I was lucky enough to have a casual acquaintance refer me to Tom at MI Fire Claims. Tom, Dom, and Gary are great guys who I felt really cared about helping me get a fair settlement from the insurance company. They were able to double the settlement my insurance company initially offered me, well worth the 10% fee they collect from the total award. Can’t say enough good things about them.

Dear Nik Kalaj:

Words cannot express how grateful I am for the work that Michigan Fire Claims has done for my family and myself. I started off very skeptical, thinking you were just out for a piece of the pie, and I am so glad that I did not listen to the skeptical side because I know that I would have been completely lost had I not had you and your staff there to guide me through this process. Not only were you there to reassure me every step of the way, but with you in my corner; there were many unpleasant tasks that I did not have to do or worry about. I greatly appreciate all of the hard work that everyone did for us and would highly recommend you to anyone who should have to go through it. Please do not hesitate to use me as a reference, I will gladly talk to anyone out there about our experience and the great results you achieved. Sincerely,

It has been five years now since I needed your service. I lost my home in March of 2010 to a house fire. I was getting the run around from my insurance company when I called and met with Nik the very next day. Thanks to him and the great team he has working for him I was able to buy a new home and recover what I had coming from the insurance company for my contents and home. If you should ever need references I would be happy to meet and speak with anyone.

Dear Nik, Matt, Ross, Kelly, Traci (and everyone else at Michigan Fire Claims),

It’s hard to believe that it has been 2 years since we were first introduced as a result of our house fire on July 3rd, 2012. Since our claim has now been officially closed and we’ve had the chance to settle into our home again, we wanted to take this opportunity to offer our sincerest thanks for helping us through the entire insurance claim process.

As you may remember, we had purchased our home (brand new) in November of 2011 and had only lived there 8 months when the lightning strike and subsequent fire occurred. Then, as if the fire wasn’t bad enough, our house was flooded just three weeks later by inept crews performing demolition and cleanup. We were given many excuses and misinformation by companies that were originally hired to help us, we were sued by one of these companies, and we had to move 4 times in the year we were out of our house – to name just a few of the challenges we were forced to deal with. It was difficult, stressful, and overwhelming to say the least.

Looking back, we are absolutely convinced we would not have had the same positive results had you not been there to guide and support us, and more importantly to be our advocate when things got tough (which was often). In particular, we would like to recognize and thank Ross and Kelly for allowing us to send many emails and texts, for taking our phone calls to help answer our seemingly never ending questions, and for guiding us in the best way possible – both are absolute professionals in every sense of the word. We can’t thank you enough for giving us your time, expertise and a well-timed hug or joke when we needed it most.

A little over two years later, we are back in our home – at peace and happy. Our claim is over and our life is back to normal. Our rebuilt house looks beautiful too. All of this would not be possible had Michigan Fire Claims not been there to ensure we were being treated properly by our insurance company and by our contractors.

Please feel free to use this letter as a positive testimonial to your services and also do not hesitate to contact us if you want to use us as a referral. We’d be happy to reciprocate any way we can.

Finally, we are including some before and after photos that we thought you might appreciate. Thank you again for everything!!!

With our deepest gratitude,

Dear Mr. Kalaj,

When we think of the things we appreciate, we think of your company and employees work on the catastrophic loss of our home due to a fire. The experience was a challenge, but with your company’s assistance, it became a positive learning experience for us. We are most grateful for your compassion, vast knowledge, and determination to ensure we receive a fair insurance settlement. Your company and employees worked very hard to ensure we reached a common satisfactory goal. For these reasons, you have our most deepest respect.

Michigan Fire Claims, Inc high standards and persistence allowed us to focus on the future and not be stuck in the day to day difficulties. You all show how much you care for your clients. it is for these reasons we would highly recommend your services to any individual or business to contact for assistance.

Nik,

Thank you for all of your support during a very difficult time in my life. As you know, it was not an easy decision for me to make, however it ended up being a very good decision and one that helped me a great deal during a very emotionally difficult time. I am deeply appreciative of everything you and your fine staff did to help me and I will remember that for the rest of my life.

Thanks again for everything.

Sincerely,

Thank you for a job well done.

Michigan Fire Claims did everything they said they would. I would be happy to use their services if I ever needed again.

We were devastated and didn’t know what to do. The insurance company was not explaining any of our rights. We hired Michigan Fire Claims and they explained everything to us. We were able to take the money and not rebuild.

Michigan Fire Claims was able to get me the maximum limit on my claim.

I found a friend in Nik at Michigan Fire Claims and will never hesitate in referring them.

Michigan Fire Claims gave us substantially more than the insurance company wanted to pay us. We were lucky to have them on our side.

I was extremely pleased with the communication between MFC and me. They were able to give me weekly updates on the status of my claim.

I used Michigan Fire Claims 10 years ago on my house fire and was unfortunate to have another one this year. I did not hesitate to call them to the rescue again.

We were referred to Michigan Fire Claims and will always be thankful for their help in our house fire.

A tremendous weight was lifted off our shoulder knowing we had you preparing and presenting our loss to State Farm. We were able to continue our normal work schedules without all the added pressure. Thank You.

We were so happy to have had you recommended to us by a friend who had also experienced a fire. Nik met with us and took the time to explain our policy and the entire claim process. He helped us avoid numerous mistakes that could have been made. Michigan Fire Claims, Inc performance was simply fabulous.

We wish to thank you for handling our flood with professionalism and care to our home and belongings. Michigan Fire Claims, Inc was able to get us double the offer from the insurance company. Thank you!

Michigan Fire Claims, Inc was able to do everything they assured me could be done on the loss. We were able to take the settlement, pay off the home and purchase a beautiful home not far from work.

Thank you for the work performed on our fire claim. We are happy with the settlement. We will continue to refer you to friends, relatives, and any one we meet with a fire loss.