Insurance Company Tactics: A Practical Guide
We are all familiar with the friendly faces that represent the myriad of insurance companies to choose from today. Daily TV ads portray them as our helpful friends and neighbors who look out for our best interest. Yet when faced with an auto accident claim, the reality is often a bit different.
If you have recently been in a car accident, it is likely that you have been contacted by an auto insurance company. It is also likely that they reached out with a friendly and caring face. But don’t be fooled. As pleasant as the adjuster may be over the phone, they are not your friends, and your best interests are not their priority. Auto insurance companies, just like any other business, are here to make a profit on you and your injuries.
At Jeff GOULD Law, we are all too familiar with the tactics that insurance companies use throughout your claim to save their profit at your expense. It is essential to understand these tactics in order to understand how to fight back.
What are these tactics? Read on to learn three common ways insurance companies fight your claim:
Tactic 1: Low Settlement Offer
Easily the most common insurance company tactic is offering a lowball settlement in hopes that it will be accepted. Insurance companies figured out long ago that there is a direct correlation between how quickly a claim is settled and how cheaply it is settled for. It is a very common practice for an insurance adjuster to make a victim an offer that has been intentionally calculated at a low rate. The idea of quick money can be an attractive option for someone who is dealing with painful injuries, the hassle of car repairs, or possible loss of time at work.
Insurance companies love to use this tactic because the settlement is irreversible once accepted. When you sign a full and final Release agreeing to their settlement offer, your claim closes, and it is impossible to revisit. The insurance company will try to rush you into signing by declaring the offer is good for only a few days. The reality is that the offer stands until the claimant has responded (accepts or denies). Before you accept any kind of offer from the insurance agency, consult with an attorney and review the offer together.
Tactic 2: Requesting Recorded Statements
Another common tactic used by insurers is to call a claimant shortly after an accident and tell them that they need to provide a recorded statement on the spot. However, you don’t owe a recorded statement to anyone else’s insurance company. You do not have a contract with the at-fault 3rd Party adverse auto insurer, and you do not and should not give them a recorded statement. It will only be used against you later. But they certainly won’t tell you that. Instead, the representative will use an amicable approach and professional-sounding language to make you open up and say something on record. They do this in search of something that can be misconstrued into an admission of guilt or comparative negligence: a tactic that would increase your liability and lower your settlement offer. In this situation, the safest choice is to instruct the insurance company to communicate directly with your attorney for all future inquiries.
Tactic 3: Classic Delay Tactic
There are two reasons for this. The first is that Insurance companies operate by investing the money from our premiums. The longer they can keep those dollars working in investments rather than being used to pay out claims, the more money they make. The second reason is to try to discourage claimants altogether. During this time, they actually want you to feel unsure about your claim. This tactic was designed to push you into accepting a lowball offer or even dropping the claim for fear you may get nothing at all. Don’t let the insurance companies scare you. If you’ve been in an accident, you deserve compensation.
The Road to Recovery
Don’t let insurance companies and their tricky tactics discourage you from receiving the compensation you deserve. We are The Attorney in Your Corner, and we fight for you and protect your best interests throughout. If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, remember this: our job daily is to handle insurers. We can and do get them to evaluate your injuries properly, maximize your damages and increase your payout. At Jeff GOULD Law, we know exactly how the system works. Contact us today.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this blog/site is NOT, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. It is for general informational use only. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. Further, this information does not create an attorney-client relationship.