Six Games for Insurance Adjusters
You will undoubtedly interact with claims adjusters if you ever file a personal injury claim and decide to pursue it without legal counsel. For each game they play, you must plan ahead thoroughly.
Despite their pleasant personalities, these specialists are dedicated to helping their companies save money at all times. As a result, they will say and do whatever to convince you to accept a settlement that is lower than the value of your claim. The six games that insurance adjusters often play are listed below.
- Making Friend With You
You will be utterly captivated by an insurance adjuster throughout your first interactions with them. They often approach you in a nice manner, appear genuinely worried, and are ready to convey their condolences.
Their early good manners are a ploy to put you at ease, not an honest endeavor to provide excellent customer service. You are more likely to say anything that might hurt your case when you are at ease and believe that you are speaking with a close friend.
Even innocuous remarks like saying, “I am fine,” when asked how you are doing might be used against you. As a result, no matter how pleasant an adjuster seems to be, it is always vital to be vigilant and approach every interaction with an adjuster as a legal chat.
- Giving Settlement Offers a Time Limit
Getting claimants to accept settlements before they are due is one of the simplest methods for claims adjusters to save money for the insurance companies. In the first week after an accident, compensation offers are often made to victims.
The majority of the time, this occurs before individuals have had a chance to heal. They could even be seen by chiropractors or other medical experts before they have the opportunity to make follow-up visits with their primary care physician.
An adjuster is also placing pressure on your rehabilitation and treatment by pressuring you into making a settlement choice. The price of these items will not be included in your proposal should you need more extensive medical treatment or time off from work. Do not accept an early offer, even if it seems fantastic and is only available temporarily.
You have the legal right to get all the care you need prior to debating and accepting a final settlement sum. You won’t have to accept less money in the future just because you rejected an early offer.
- Dissuade you from hiring a lawyer
Adjusters often advise against seeking legal counsel for claims. Their most popular tactic for accomplishing this is persuading accident victims that the price of employing lawyers would reduce the amount of their settlements.
To counter this argument, keep in mind:
Money allotted to cover medical expenses, missed earnings, and pain and suffering won’t be used for attorney costs. It will be recorded individually instead.
By hiring a lawyer, you may avoid having awkward talks with claim adjusters.
According to statistics, injured victims who opt to represent themselves obtain far lower settlement amounts than claims who have legal assistance.
It’s not always necessary to have legal representation in order to get a personal injury compensation. However, when you file a personal injury claim with one on your side, you are almost certainly going to get a greater payout.
- Requesting your signature on a waiver
Injury victims are often asked to sign medical release papers by claims adjusters. They will have access to all of your medical records thanks to this method. In other words, you may arm them with information to either accept your offer immediately or refute it.
It is not a good idea to sign a release of medical records. You may decide whether elements of your medical records are pertinent to your case by requesting their release. You may, at your choice, notify the adjuster of the specified information.
- Requesting conversation recordings
Never consent to having your talks taped. Conversations that have been recorded may always be used against you in court. If adjusters want more data, they may gather it without initially obtaining authorization to record.
- Making Calls While Under the Influence of Painkillers
The fact that many claimants are using prescription painkillers throughout the early phases of their recovery process is known to the adjusters. Naturally, this is the time of day when they call the most often.
Painkillers may impair your capacity to think clearly, reply wisely, and evaluate how each of your responses may affect the conclusion of your settlement while you are under their effect.
The good news is that you are never obligated to pick up or call an adjuster back immediately. Instead, allow callers to leave thorough voicemails outlining their calling-related needs, and then reply when it is most convenient for you.
Play None of Their Games
There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself while interacting with insurance adjusters, despite the fact that they are skilled at using extremely successful strategies to negotiate reduced settlement amounts. Most essential, do not pick up the phone when you are not prepared to answer it, and do not let a nice manner deceive you.
You may also think about retaining a reputed lawyer to increase your chances of succeeding and receiving just recompense for your losses.