Support
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that is not addressed here, please contact our Customer Service team by email or by calling at (800) 890-ITEL (4835).
You can find a glossary of carpet, vinyl, wood, laminate, siding, and roofing terms here.
General ITEL Questions
- What does ITEL do?
- Why should I use ITEL?
- Why is my adjuster using ITEL?
- Can anyone use ITEL?
- How long has ITEL analyzed samples for insurance carriers?
- Where do you get your information?
- What if I can't send ITEL a sample? Can they help me?
- Does using ITEL slow down the claims process?
- How do will I get my report?
- When should ITEL be used?
- How does ITEL measure and maintain accuracy?
- How do I know if my sample has arrived at ITEL?
- Will ITEL return my flooring, roofing, or siding sample after testing?
Material Pricing for Flooring
- How does ITEL arrive at their benchmark price?
- Should I always settle the claim at the ITEL benchmark price?
- Can you determine the value of carpet by touch?
- Does ITEL test area rugs?
Material Matching for Roofing and Siding
General ITEL Questions
- What does ITEL do?
ITEL gives adjusters, contractors, and policyholders a fair, fast, and accurate way to settle flooring, roofing, and siding claims via an economical, unbiased and independent analysis of damaged materials. The process is simple:
- A sample of flooring, roofing, or siding is sent for testing with an ITEL Test Request Form. ITEL tests carpet, vinyl, wood, laminate, ceramic and stone tiles, along with roofing and siding.
- ITEL performs a technology-driven, detailed analysis of the incoming sample to determine the pertinent material specifications. ITEL then compares the sample’s specifications to our comprehensive database of products readily available in today’s marketplace to find an appropriate match.
- For flooring, ITEL returns a Lab Report that includes measured specifications, currently available examples of Like Kind and Quality replacement products, and an ITEL benchmark settlement price. For roofing and siding, each Lab Report includes product matches, measured specifications and contact information for a distributor or manufacturer to aide in the process purchasing replacement products for repair.
- Why should I use ITEL?
ITEL assists the insurance carrier and homeowner in arriving at a fair price point for the closest available flooring of Like Kind and Quality. For roofing and siding, ITEL provides accurate matches to repair or replace damaged material and locates distributors for the replacement product.
Using ITEL, carriers achieve:
- More accurate flooring pricing for policyholders
- Better matches for roofing and siding repairs
- Fast turnaround with results in as little as one business day
- Improved service to the homeowner
- Reduction in overpaid flooring, roofing, and siding expenses
- Fewer supplementals due to underpayments
- Better overall claims indemnity control
- Opportunity to include Replacement Material Program Vendors and custom remanufacturing in the settlement process
- Support for the adjuster through ITEL’s Customer Service department
- Why is my adjuster using ITEL?
- Because ITEL is completely independent from all insurance carriers, vendors, and manufacturers, you and your adjuster can rely on ITEL to provide a fair, unbiased analysis of your damaged flooring, roofing, or siding. For flooring, ITEL helps determine average retail pricing and comparable products available in today's market. For siding and roofing, ITEL helps identify the original material and finds distributors that carry suitable replacement products. More information is available on our page for Homeowners.
- Can anyone use ITEL?
Yes, anyone can send flooring, siding, and roofing samples to ITEL for fast, independent analysis.
- Homeowners: click this link for instructions to send samples.
- Adjusters, contractors, and vendors: click this link for instructions to send samples.
- How long has ITEL analyzed samples for insurance carriers?
- ITEL has been in business helping property insurance companies settle claims since 1993.
- Where do you get your information?
- ITEL's team of product researchers are in constant contact with manufacturers and distributors to make sure we use the most current product information available on each test. More information on ITEL's database is available at this link.
- What if I can’t send a sample?
- ITEL will try to assist depending on the circumstance. Please call Customer Service at 800-890-ITEL to discuss available options.
- Does using ITEL slow down the claims process?
Normal ITEL turnaround time including second-day shipping for flooring is just 3 days but can be reduced to 1 day depending on the service type and shipping method. The chart below shows the ITEL turnaround time options.
Total Turnaround Time Based on Shipping Method Shipping Method
Regular Next Day Service
Express Same Day Service
Overnight Shipping 2 days 1 day Second Day Shipping 3 days 2 days Please keep in mind items that may affect turnaround time, such as mailroom timetables, pick-up times and if a weekend is involved. ITEL’s normal business hours are Monday—Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Express service is currently available for carpet, pad, vinyl, wood, and laminate analysis.
- How will I get my report?
- Reports are sent via e-mail or fax based on the contact information submitted on the Test Request Form as soon as your test is complete. Find out how to complete a Test Request Form at this link.
- When should ITEL be used?
- Research shows that insurance carriers can dramatically improve accuracy and eliminate overpayments and underpayments by using ITEL on flooring losses larger than 100 square feet.
- How does ITEL measure and maintain accuracy?
ITEL’s Quality Control team randomly and actively monitors lab test results to ensure industry standards are met. All test results are double checked for new flooring analysts and all experienced analysts have a percentage of their tests reviewed.
ITEL also hires an outside consultant to perform an analysis of laboratory accuracy on a monthly basis. ITEL uses the results of this analysis to continue to improve quality and make personnel decisions in order to give the most accurate results possible.
More information on our process available at The Science of ITEL.
- How do I know if my sample has arrived at ITEL?
- Check the delivery time for your package on the shipment tracking page. You can also contact ITEL Customer Service for assistance (800-890-ITEL).
- Will ITEL return my flooring, siding, or roofing sample after testing?
- While the test process destroys part of the sample, ITEL keeps a piece of the original sample for 90 days. The remaining sample is generally not returned; however, if you would like a portion of the sample, please contact ITEL Customer Service or by calling 800-890-ITEL. Please note that all samples are discarded 90 days after the test date unless specifically requested by the sender.
Material Pricing for Flooring
- How does ITEL arrive at their benchmark price?
ITEL obtains wholesale pricing information directly from flooring mills and manufacturers. ITEL arrives at a retail price by adding a standard profit margin to current wholesale prices. The margin used is based on extensive research with mills, manufacturers and distributors. ITEL also applies a markup to account for shipping from the mills or manufacturers to the insured’s local area, as well as locally adjusted labor rates that are supplied by Xactware and MSB.
For most flooring samples sent to ITEL there are multiple retail products of Like Kind and Quality available in the market. However, these similar flooring products may vary in price depending on many industry factors such as volume purchase agreements, retail pricing strategies, etc. Therefore, ITEL’s benchmark price represents the current average retail replacement price for "Like Kind and Quality" flooring.
- Should I always settle the claim at the ITEL benchmark price?
- In most cases, adjusters settle the flooring material component of the claim at or very close to the ITEL benchmark price. However, since the ITEL price is an average retail price that should be used as a benchmark, there can be claims with unusual circumstances that warrant adjusting the ITEL price appropriately.
- Can you determine the value of carpet by touch?
It is impossible to determine the value of flooring by touch for many reasons, including:
- 70% of the value of carpet is the fiber type and amount of fiber used. Due to advanced fiber construction and fiber blending, you can not determine the exact fiber type by feel.
- In order to determine how much fiber is used, the face weight and pile height must be taken into consideration. Face weight does not include the weight of the backing therefore an algorithm is used in calculating the results.
- The combination of specifications, as well as current market styles and pricing in ITEL’s database are necessary to arrive at a fair average price for Like Kind and Quality flooring.
- Does ITEL test area rugs?
- ITEL does not test area rugs. Our carpet database is for wall-to-wall (broadloom) styles and pricing only.
Material Matching for Siding and Roofing
- Why do I need to submit a piece of vinyl siding? Won’t a photo be sufficient?
Photos do not adequately document colors and patterns. Therefore, ITEL requires an actual piece of the siding to view the grains, profile, original color (which can change with varying light in a photograph), nail hem, butts, and embossed numbers to help differentiate from the companies/manufacturers to determine who made the product.
If you are unable to send in a piece of the siding, however, feel free to send a picture and a competed ITEL Siding Questionnaire and ITEL will help where we can.
- Once I receive the information regarding my roofing or siding, where can I purchase it?
- If available, ITEL lists a distributor near the loss site on the lab report. If there are no known local distributors, ITEL provides contact information for the roofing or siding manufacturer to help locate the siding.
