Why would a car accident claim’s adjuster try to pull some scheme-y trick? Well, why does a car salesman try to sell you a car? That’s how they get paid. Although claims adjusters technically get paid no matter what, the best and brightest that move up the ladder are the ones with minimal payouts. They go looking for ways to help the insurance company keep those precious dollars in their bank account instead of yours.
Obtaining agreements, lowering the value of your damages, and making minimal phone calls can all damage your claim. Adjusters know what they’re doing, so you should know too.
Outright Devaluing Your Damages
Unfortunately, with all the databases, and contradicting information from one location to the next, there is not one value for the damage to your car. The damage to your car is not as black and white as you might think. Instead, the role of a claims adjuster is to coordinate an appraisal. They’ll look around to negotiate with the policyholder for the insurance company that will ultimately pay.
How’s that for service? Your claims adjuster, although working with your insurance provider, is really looking out for the other insurance company—the insurance company of the other guy.
Minimal Communication
When they don’t talk to you or your insurance company, nobody wins. That’s often what happens because insurance adjusters have made the process seem like a one-time meeting. They hand you a slip of paper and don’t expect you to answer any questions or follow-up. Insurance adjusters like it that way because it means that they can throw a number on there, and you’ll probably accept it.
Then your insurance company will only start asking questions if that number seems especially high. What should or could you do then? Well, what you should do is go through your attorney. Have them process all of their communications with you through your attorney, and then your lawyer can speak with your insurance provider.
They can ask questions that you wouldn’t normally, such as, “Have you seen the condition of this car? That blue book value is much higher.”
Ask You To Recount the Accident
Something that they shouldn’t do, but almost always do, is to ask you to recount the crash. They may use some soft-probing questions such as, “Oh, it looks like you got hit from the side, are you okay?” But what they’re really trying to accomplish here is to get you to lower the value of your claim.
When you recount the accident to your insurance adjuster, it’s almost like a second statement. They’ll use that to help them determine fault and if they can reduce the payout in any way possible. For most insurance adjusters, they’ll direct the conversation away from property damage and right into fault without anyone noticing.
Asking You To Sign Right Away
Claims adjusters are technically the ones that authorize payment, and that means that they’ll look for ways to get it as low as possible. One way they do that is to make it seem as though you can’t negotiate for a better settlement. By the way, they manage settlement negotiations too. But, what they really want you to do is sign away your right to seek further compensation.
In fact, you can do that without even signing anything. If you cash a check issued through a claims adjuster, then it may be in your policy that you can’t pursue further compensation later.
Get Help From a Henderson Car Accident Lawyer
Even if you’ve already fallen prey to one of these terrible tricks, you can get help. Claims adjusters aren’t untouchable, and they certainly aren’t above the law. When they’re caught doing things they shouldn’t be, they can lose their job and more. If someone tricked you, then get help from a Henderson car accident lawyer to step up your claim. Retaking control of your claim is critical if you want a chance at full compensation.
At Christian Morris Trial Attorneys, our personal injury lawyers look at your claim with an objective eye. We want to know exactly how to plan for your settlement negotiations and a lawsuit if it moves forward that far. Getting with a good attorney is only one part of the battle for rightful compensation. Call Christian Morris Trial Attorneys in Henderson to get started.
