How Insurance Companies Use Adjusters to Devalue Your Claim

If you file a car insurance claim for a minor dent or slight scuff, your insurer will often quickly approve it — after all, it’s cheaper for them to pay for the damage than it is to hire an adjuster to investigate. However, insurers are in the business of making money, and if your vehicle has major damage, they’ll likely want to inspect it first. Technically speaking, adjusters are supposed to be impartial. But more often than not, they try to do whatever they can to devalue your claim. Here are a few insurance adjuster claim tactics to watch for.

Is your insurance company sending an adjuster your way? You should always be polite and cooperative, but you should also be wary. Thankfully, if an adjuster unfairly devalues your claim, a car accident lawyer might be able to help.

Immediate Lowball Offers

Some insurance adjusters count on customers’ being desperate for money (or just impatient to have their claims approved) when providing estimates and offers. Your adjuster may assess the damage to your vehicle and then send you an immediate offer that’s substantially less than you asked for.

This is sadly common in car accident cases involving serious injuries. When you’re struggling to pay medical bills and are unable to work, a $10,000 settlement might sound great — even if you could get a much larger settlement by filing a lawsuit.

Don’t fall for this tactic. At the very least, you should talk to a personal injury lawyer before you sign any kind of settlement offer. Most lawyers offer free consultations. If an attorney thinks your case might be worth far more than the offer you received, they might agree to represent you.

Claiming the Damage Was Pre-Existing

Some insurance adjusters will try to get out of paying claims by insisting the damage to your vehicle existed prior to the accident. If they do this, you should politely but firmly tell them this is not the case. If you happen to have photos of the car before the crash, these could be helpful — but don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re obligated to accept the adjuster’s claim if you can’t disprove it.

If your adjuster is denying or underpaying a claim because they believe the damage is pre-existing, it’s worth consulting a car accident lawyer. Sometimes, all it takes is a quick conversation between your lawyer and the insurance company to resolve the problem. If that doesn’t work, your attorney might be able to help you appeal the decision or take legal action if the insurer is acting in bad faith.

If you’re filing a personal injury lawsuit rather than making a claim about vehicular damage, adjusters may attempt to use this same dishonest tactic. Your lawyer may be able to collect statements from your doctors and copies of your medical records to prove your injury was not the result of a pre-existing condition.

Saying There’s Insufficient Evidence

If you’ve ever filed an insurance claim, you already know that you need to attach ample evidence. However, some unethical insurers who don’t want to pay a claim will tell you there isn’t enough evidence. For instance, if you file a personal injury claim for serious injuries after an accident, an insurer might say that your medical records are insufficient to prove the extent of your injuries. They might undervalue your claim or deny it outright.

In these circumstances, some people give up. They may be overwhelmed as they are trying to heal and confused as to what evidence the insurer needs. This is an area in which a lawyer can be helpful. Your attorney can determine what evidence is necessary in order to definitively prove your claim. If the insurance company continues to refuse to pay, it might be necessary to file a lawsuit.

Trouble dealing with your adjuster? Call Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law now at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 for a free and confidential consultationf!

Conducting Surveillance

Your Insurance Adjuster Might Be Spying on You

Police officers who are investigating crimes aren’t the only ones who conduct surveillance. When working on your claim, your insurance adjuster may look for evidence that you aren’t as injured as you say you are. Adjusters don’t have the same power that police do (for instance, they probably aren’t going to wiretap your phone), but they often comb through social media to look for anything that may discredit your claims of injury.

For example, imagine you file an insurance claim for a back injury you suffered in a truck accident. You claim you are unable to go to work or lift more than a few pounds. An insurance adjuster scrolls through your social media pages, finds pictures of you lifting weights at the gym, posted after the accident, and uses them as a basis to deny your claim, even though the photos were taken prior to your accident.

This is a fairly extreme example, and insurance adjusters can often twist what you post to make it seem like you were at fault for an accident or that you’re exaggerating your injuries. That’s why most personal injury lawyers advise their clients to stay off social media for the duration of their case.

Deliberately Convoluted Denials

Most people aren’t experts when it comes to understanding the language of insurance policies, and unscrupulous insurers use that fact to their advantage. Sometimes, an insurance adjuster trying to avoid paying a claim will send you a denial letter with unclear, jargon-filled language explaining why something isn’t covered.

Unfortunately, many people understandably assume that the insurance adjuster knows what they’re talking about, and they don’t pursue the issue further.

If you get a denial letter for something you believe is covered under your policy, it’s worth pressing the insurer for more information. If you still think the insurer is obligated to pay the claim, you should reach out to an attorney. A lawyer will quickly be able to tell you if the denial is legitimate. If it isn’t, they can advise you on the next steps to take.

Making Excessive Documentation Requests

It’s entirely reasonable for insurance companies to ask for an additional document or two. However, some adjusters will deliberately ask you for unnecessary information or make repeated requests just to drag out the process. When they do this, they hope you’ll give up.

While it’s a good idea to comply with these documentation requests, it’s wise to consult a lawyer if you think the adjuster is being unreasonable.

Adjuster Trying to Devalue Insurance Claim? Our Texas Injury Lawyers Can Help.

Let Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law Fight for the Compensation You Deserve

For most people, the process of filing insurance claims — especially those involving major vehicle damage and serious injuries— is highly stressful. Dealing with an adjuster can be intimidating, and if that adjuster is trying to unfairly lower your compensation, you might not know how to assert your rights.

Insurers count on customers’ accepting lowball offers and not challenging adjusters. However, attorneys can see through insurers’ often-shady tactics — and insurance companies know that. Working with a lawyer can’t guarantee that you’ll get a fair settlement, but it can make it far more likely.

At Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law, we face off against insurance companies on a daily basis, and we’re determined to secure the compensation our clients deserve. We have recovered more than $1 billion for our clients, and we might be able to help you, too.

Are you having trouble getting your claim approved? Is your insurer offering far less than your claim is worth? Call Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law now at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 and get your free and confidential consultation today!