Insurance adjusters are not on your side, and even worse they use a number of dirty tricks to pay you less, here are just a few:
Voicemail – Insurance adjusters use voicemail and not calling you back to delay and frustrate claimants. They frequently do not return calls and use voicemail to control and slow the pace of your claim.
The Switcheroo – Just when you feel like you have made progress with the adjuster, the insurance company changes adjusters on you, and they don’t tell you until you get a letter weeks later. Ugh, frustrating.
No Soup for You – Not Paying you for Pain and Suffering – People that are not represented by an attorney rarely get any compensation at all for pain and suffering. What’s worse, they often tell you that you will, or even make you a settlement offer where you think you are getting in pocket money, but you aren’t.
The Fine Print – Letters – Insurance carriers send long letters with fine print. They often use this against you. They tell you in fine print in a letter that you have to do something and then reduce the value in your claim. They also ask you to sign releases that give them access to medical records, employment information, and other things that they use against you. Beware!
Short Changed – Not Paying you for Loss of Use – For many people it is a few weeks before they are in a rental and the insurance company does not pay you for loss of use or the time you were without your vehicle before you were in a rental. Make sure to consult with an attorney!
Anything You Say Can and Will be Used Against You – Recorded Statement – Talk to a lawyer before doing the recorded statement! They use this information against you for liability and value for your injury claim.
Tic tock – Delay – Insurance carriers know that a car accident and injuries turn your life upside down and they use delay as a tactic against you to beat you down and pay you less. Even worse, many times they coax you into waiting to get the medical care you need and then lower your claim value because of the “gap” in care.
“We’ll take care of it” – One of the worst things that insurance adjusters do is to tell you things like “We’ll take care of it,” or “You’re covered,” while they gather information to use against you, cause your claim to loose value, and then don’t pay you what your claim would be worth. Don’t fall for it!! Talk to a lawyer to find out what your claim is worth.
The Settlement Scam – Possibly the worst and dirtiest trick of all is telling you that they will pay your bills and then you will get some in pocket amount. Sounds fine, and then you sign a settlement agreement where they pay “reasonable” medical bills. Still doesn’t sound bad; until your medical providers turn you into collections because they weren’t paid in full. BEWARE!!! These settlement agreements allow the insurance company to determine the amount to pay and often it is not enough and you are left with a balance!! Also, frequently people do not realize there may be other parties that need to be paid out of settlement, such as your health insurance. Beware, and talk to a lawyer!! (For more information on this scam, read my article Don’t Trust the Insurance Company!! – HurtAZ.com | Arizona’s Car Accident Injury Lawyer)
The Rabbit Hole – Not Paying Wage Loss – Often the adjuster that tells you they will take care of it will tell you that they aren’t paying for work interruption for one reason or another: need supporting documentation, not reasonable, etc.
Gotcha – After all of these dirty tricks, then the insurance adjuster doesn’t pay you a fair amount. Then what do you do? They have gathered information to use against you, caused delay and then argue your treatment isn’t consistent, and without a lawyer they know there is nothing you can do about it. Don’t wait until you get here to talk to a lawyer! If you wait you may have made your claim more difficult or impossible to resolve without litigation, or not something a lawyer can’t help you with, or worse you may have missed the Statute of Limitations. Don’t Wait!!
Fight Back
How do you fight these tricks and others…
Hire an experienced injury lawyer that will evaluate your case from the beginning and get you the maximum in pocket settlement. If you have been injured in a car accident or through the negligence of another, call me! Don’t wait!! Consulting with an experienced injury lawyer could make a huge difference in your settlement recovery!
