What Insurance Adjusters Don’t Want You to Know
We’ve all heard the catchy insurance jingles. “Like a good neighbor…” “On your side…” But the reality is that they’re not on your side.
Insurance companies have loads of tricks such as this, that, and here, that they employ to either deny your claim or diminish its value.
But it doesn’t just stop there. Here are 5 different things that insurance companies won’t tell you after you’ve been in a car crash that only help them—and hurt you.
1. They don’t represent or work for you
Insurance companies have one thing in mind at the end of the day: their bottom line. While insurance adjusters will let you know they’re working hard on things, this really just means what’s in their best interest.
Now don’t get me wrong, insurance companies still have obligations and requirements. They can’t just deny claims for no reason. They still must:
• Abide by the terms of the contract or relevant policy
• Follow state and federal laws
• Abide by promises they’ve made (but they may try to get out of if not in writing)
• Conduct themselves with duty of good faith
It’s important to remember that these duties don’t equate to working what is best for your given situation. These are basic legal parameters they must work within so that they don’t break the law. This doesn’t mean they have to “do what’s right” in your opinion.
Implicit within the simple term, it’s all right there: insurance agent. They’re the agent of the insurance company, not you. The person representing you would be your personal injury attorney. That’s why you’ll hear lawyers refer to the term “representation” in your crash claim. Insurance adjusters are happy to tell you that you don’t need a car crash attorney because they know that evens the field.
So you have to remember that insurance companies, whether it’s your own or the other drivers, aren’t working for you. If they can find a way to pay you less money and keep the rest in their pockets, they will.
2. They’ll lowball you on purpose
Sometimes insurance adjusters are quick to throw out a lowball offer. And they know it’s low too.
This is standard practice for them because there is minimal risk involved and some people don’t think twice about accepting the initial offer. This is just another way they can get more money in their pockets.
Insurance companies will begin by offering something so low that by the time the negotiations drag on, it compels some people to accept a much lower number than they’re entitled to because they don’t want to continue the fight.
There are some cases where insurance companies might deny a valid claim just to see what you do. While this is against the law and might entitle you to additional damages, insurance companies look at some of these cases as a cost of doing business.
3. When you talk to them, they’ll use it against you
Recorded statements are a good trick they use. While you’re required to notify and work with your own insurance company, you’re under no obligation to give the other driver’s insurance a recorded statement.
Insurance adjusters are trained to ask you what seems like harmless questions and get answers out of you they can use to deny your claim. It may be as simple as asking the extent of your injury, if you took your eyes off the wheel for a second, or were you speaking with someone in the car?
This is one important reason why you shouldn’t wait to hire an attorney. Every time you speak with an adjuster, it’s another opportunity for them to get something new to use against you.
4. They’ll make you think they’re your friend
We call this a false sense of security trick. This goes hand in hand with the recorded statement because they will sound friendly and downright eager to help. After a car wreck, you can feel disconcerted, depressed, lonely, and other types of emotions because even low impact collisions mess with our everyday schedule and lives.
They realize that finances may be tough because doctor’s appointments are not only building up your medical bills, but you’re missing work because of them as well.
A friendly voice is always easier to work with than someone who’s being rude. But with that level of comfortability, it also opens you up to be less cautious about what you say. Speaking with someone who’s more like a friend makes you let your guard down. And this may cause you to say something that inadvertently hurts your claim .
Know that the adjuster is actively working against you and don’t let their charm lure you into minimizing, instead of maximizing, the accident value .
5. They’ll make you think you have limited time to settle
Time is a great trick insurance companies use. Delaying can wear people down, but urgency can work just as well.
The idea here is to offer a quick settlement so that you sign a release and give away any future rights to sue. We’ve seen far too many times where someone will settle a claim quickly, but then find out that their injury requires surgery, prevents them from working , or hinders their earning capacity moving forward. But unfortunately, if they’ve already signed a release, they typically have no more rights to sue for the injuries sustained.
Insurance companies will make it seem like time is of the essence. And quickly. California has a two-year statute of limitations in personal injury actions like a car accident. This means you have two years from the date of the wreck to file a lawsuit.
Of course, there’s nothing to gain by delaying. Insurance companies are happy to hold on to their money and collect interest. But don’t let them use it to make you take a quick settlement when you may be entitled to more.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer
My name is Dan Hanecak and I am a Sacramento car accident attorney. We know the tricks insurance companies use to try to give you less than you deserve. Please give me a call today at (916) 619-5452 and I will speak with you personally about your case. Or if you like, we have a form on our website and I will follow up with a call to you to discuss your questions.
We don’t like to see people get taken advantage of by big-time insurance companies. Don’t let them fool you into thinking you aren’t entitled to proper compensation because of someone else’s negligence .
