10 Easy and Quick Claim Tricks Adjusters Fear

I’m going to give you 10 tips when you’re dealing with insurance claim. Adjusters is to be nice Now don’t mistake, you being nice for not being tough and assertive, But at the end of the case, the insurance claims adjuster is going to be the one who’s. Writing you, your check, You wan na, be nice and have a good relationship with them. After all, these are people just like you who have families who are just trying to pay their bills et cetera, but you ultimately wan na be nice to them so that when they think about reaching out to you and giving you a phone call or when you Call them they’re in a good mood and they’re, not thinking ugh. 

This is the person I have to deal with again. I’ve heard defense, attorneys and insurance adjusters say sometimes they pay a little bit more money to someone who’s nice to them. Tip number two is to listen to what the insurance adjuster says. Let them finish their sentences. Sometimes, if need be, let there be an awkward silence during the conversation. Sometimes they will call you when they’re prepared to make an offer, but you may interrupt them before they.’re even finished speaking, and you may tell them what you think is fair and what you think is fair may even be below what they were about to offer you. Sometimes they’ll. Let you know a bad fact that hurts their defense in your case. For example, if you’re speaking to an insurance adjuster, perhaps they’ll admit to you that their driver, wasn’t paying attention or if you were injured, slipped and fell or were otherwise injured at a business premises. Perhaps they’ll tell you that the store or other or hotel knew about problems with the issue that caused your injury. I’ve had that happen in cases that I’ve settled one in particular. That comes to my mind for almost 200 000, where the adjuster actually told me. We had this issue with the flooring in a particular area of a hotel before the accident. She didn’t have to tell me that, but she did – And I think one of the reasons why I was able to get that piece of information is because I listened to her and let her finish what she was saying Tip number three: when dealing with An insurance claim, adjuster, is to make sure your file and documents are organized and take notes. Your medical documentation, medical bills and all other types of information is the heart of your case and that’s. What the insurance adjuster will later use to request settlement authority for your case Every time you speak with the insurance adjuster on the phone you should be taking notes during and after the call Rest assured that when the insurance adjuster calls you he is already he or She has already spent several minutes reviewing your file and they’re prepared. You need to be equally prepared When you’re, looking at your file and seeing the amount of medical bills that you have, you should be using some type of computerized spreadsheet, like Microsoft, Excel or Google has a similar program, putting all the amounts of medical bills In there, the total bill charges how much your insurance paid and the out of pocket charges. For example, in Florida you’re entitled to recover out of pocket charges, but you need to have your file. Organized Number four goes hand in hand with number three that I just went over, which is just review your file before you reach out to the insurance adjuster Spend a few minutes, so you know exactly what you’re gon na talk about. You have all your numbers, your amounts, for example, like I was saying about medical bills all outlined Also when you speak with the adjuster, confirm that his figures are the same as yours Confirm that he’s received everything that you’ve sent. He or she You need to make sure you’re, looking at the same data, if you wan na try for a fair settlement, Number five give the adjuster documentation to help him or her. You’re gon na want to give him every single piece of documentation that you believe supports your case. He or she’s. Gon na receive that information. They’re gon na, evaluate your case and write a range of how much they think it.’s worth they’re gon na ask their supervisor for settlement authority. If you’re dealing with a larger number, Sometimes adjusters have their own authority, let’s say up to 10 000 on their own, But you need to give them all the documentation that they need to pay fair value. For your case, If you’re not giving them all the documentation that they need, they may wan na offer you fair value, but they just don’t have enough documents to support it. This includes pictures lost wage information, all your medical bills, possibly health, insurance, lien information, et cetera, Help them help. You, Unfortunately, number six is do not believe what the insurance adjuster says In a perfect world, everyone would be transparent. There would be no negotiation, It’s. Kinda like going to a car dealership, You don’t pay the sticker price. You try to negotiate it Now. In Florida, for example, adjusters have a duty to act in good faith to their insureds, but keep in mind when you’re making a claim against another driver or a business. For example, you are not their insured. Their duty is to their client, who is their insured Insurance adjusters want to have a long career at their company that they’re working at And, yes, they have a duty to act in good faith and protect their insured’s interest, but ultimately every dollar That they save their company makes them look better. I’ve heard of certain insurance adjusters being rewarded for making lower offers and saving their companies. Money. Do not mistake a nice adjuster for one who is going to pay you money. Sometimes you’ll deal with the sweetest nicest adjuster, you’ll be sending them your medical bills over a period of months. You think you guys are becoming fast friends and then, when it comes to offer time they give you zero. They deny liability or they offer you significantly less than what you think. Your case is worth An example of a case which shows that you should not listen to what the insurance adjusters say when it comes to your case. Value is a case where a motorcyclist was hit by a truck that failed to yield the right of way. The case settled for 445 000. This is the truck that caused the accident. However, the insurance adjuster initially said he had reserved the case at 100, 000, essentially saying the case was worth somewhere around the 100 000. Now not too much changed after that initial conversation, but the case ultimately settled for 445 000. So take what they say with a grain of salt Insurance adjusters can be very convincing. I’ve actually had cases where I tried to get more money. By presenting a certain argument. The insurance adjuster told me essentially that I’m totally wrong and then after I took the proper legal steps, the insurance company would pay the 10 000 or extra 100 000. I’ve had that happen on several occasions, So they’re not always right. Sometimes they have to consult their legal department to get the legal answer and their legal answer may be totally different than their opinion and what they think they know, because they haven’t handled your issue before The seventh tip in dealing with an insurance claim. Adjuster is give them a time deadline for whatever it is that you’re asking them to do. If you’re making a settlement demand, you should generally put a time limit on it. Let’s say 30 days or 20 days. If you’re sending an email, you should generally give them around three or so days to respond or a phone call. But when you give them a deadline, they document it in their file and they put it in their calendar and will generally follow up with you, or they should around that time, Especially in smaller cases where the insurance company limits are high. They may just put your file aside and it doesn’t become a priority, But in order to make your file a priority, give the insurance adjuster a deadline. Number eight is to respond to insurance adjusters when they reach out to you. If they call you or if they send you an email quickly, This is common sense. The longer you wait to respond, they adjuster may go on vacation. It may delay the claim. The sooner you respond all things equal, the better. You do not have to give a recorded statement to the other side:’s insurance adjuster. If it’s your own insurance, adjuster, let’s say for PIP or uninsured motorist insurance. You generally have to give a recorded statement, but the sooner you respond, the sooner you’re prepared and you’re in a calm state and you’re, not emotional, the better. Now, shortly after an accident, sometimes you wan na take a little bit of time to gather yourself. So you don’t just go out spewing. Your life story to the adjuster and you’re coming from an emotional place To just hammer this point home. If you’re injured at a business premises or you’re injured by another driver or you’re, a passenger in a car and the other driver is at fault. You generally never and should not give your recorded statement to the insurance company Generally can only be used against you. It’s very frustrating. If you ultimately choose to hire a lawyer and he asks you or she asks you did you give a recorded statement, and you say yes generally, all it can do is hurt your claim. Now you should report the claim after it happens, but do not give that recorded statement. Tip number nine is to speak with a claims supervisor or sometimes claims manager. If you’re not getting what you want. Unfortunately, there come times where you have to speak with a supervisor: It’s just like. If you’re at a hotel and the staff is not helping you, you ask to speak with a manager or at a restaurant. If your food is not there on time and you’re very bothered and you feel that you’re getting poor service, the same thing with claims, Sometimes adjusters are overworked. They’re not putting enough attention onto your case. They’re not evaluating your case properly. I’ve had several cases where, speaking with a claims, supervisor has helped me get more money for my clients. You should do the same if it’s warranted. Sometimes you ask to speak with a supervisor and the adjuster handling the file will say you’re wasting your time. The supervisor’s gon na. Tell you the same thing as what I’m telling you, but the bottom line is: I’ve heard that so many times. I believe it this much. There are times, on the other hand, where sometimes speaking with a supervisor will not do much for you. The supervisor may say I’m, not gon na go against the adjuster’s recommendation and his value of the case. If you get tha feeling that you wan na speak with a supervisor, you may be right Tip number 10 when dealing an insurance claims. Adjuster is if you’re, not getting what you think is fair, and maybe you spoke to the claims, supervisor or manager file a consumer complaint with the Department of Insurance, For example. In Florida you go to their website, you file the consumer complaint or you can even file what’s called a civil remedy notice. If you do, the latter send the insurance company a copy of it, because the department will not. This has also helped me get more money in cases I’ve had cases where I was getting offered. For example, 10 000. I filed a consumer complaint and a few days later I get a call and the offer has increased to 14 000 or so So. It doesn’t always work, and you should only do it when it’s appropriate And it’s great. If an insurance company, for example, is not responding to your phone calls or your letters or they close the claim – and they’re saying they won’t reopen it or something of that nature. It can be an amazing tool when they’re not being fair with you, But again we use these sparingly. We don’t always use them. We use them when we feel that the insurance company is not acting in good faith. I hope you enjoyed this video. Please give me your comments.