When you buy an insurance policy, you are entering into a contract with that insurer: you are paying the insurer a monthly premium in exchange for the legally binding promise that the insurer will pay for the losses you may one day suffer which are covered under your insurance policy. Whether you make those payments to the insurer in connection with potential house fires, storm damage, car accidents, medical injuries or illnesses, or other losses, you depend on insurance as your security shield. You hope that those types of situations never occur, and do everything you can to avoid them. But what if they do occur, and the insurer does not “play fair” and tries to pay you much less than you are owed, or denies your claim altogether?
Insurance Companies Are Often On Their Own Side, Not Yours
It is a common misconception that your insurance company works with only your best interests in mind. Insurance is a huge, for-profit industry that increases the bottom line by paying back out as little as possible. Fair play exists, but not everywhere or at all times, and may be tempered by the industry your insurance is related to. For example, there tends to be greater transparency in medical insurance with regard to surgeries and hospital stays. Certain schedules and deductibles are established and honored. But not always. Car insurance may be another matter. An insurance company who must pay you for the fault of their driver is very likely try to offer you a lowball settlement. If medical expenses are also on the table, they may try to wear you down with arguments or refusals to accept that your injuries were due to the car accident itself.
When an insurer denies and/or delays your claim unfairly and in a manner inconsistent with your agreement with that insurer and/or MIssouri state insurance law, that insurer is said to be acting in bad faith. Not only is it illegal for an insurer to act in bad faith, but you as the consumer may have a civil claim against that insurer.
Insurance Claim Adjusters May Be Setting You Up For a Lowball Offer
Typically, claims adjusters investigate the accident and damage, the events leading up to the damage, and factors of negligence, risk, fault and responsibility. While it is true that insurance claims adjusters investigate insurance claims to determine if the claim is in line with the damage, and to catch fraudulent claims, these adjusters are also looking for angles on how to pay out the minimum possible — or for them, the best case scenario will be to pay you nothing at all. Their findings are used to negotiate a settlement which can be at odds with the terms of the insurance contract, or the prevailing laws, or to deflect their company’s responsibility to a third party liability. Just like the insurers they work for, insurance adjusters are required to assess claims in good faith, and when they do not, the consumer may have a civil claim.
Work With Trusted Attorneys to Force Insurers to Play Fair
When you hire The Hershewe Law Firm, P.C. you not only get a team of attorneys who work with insurance companies and insurance adjusters on a daily basis, you are sending a signal to insurance companies that you have knowledge and experience in your corner, and that it will be a waste of time to attempt to play lowball games with you. If you are making a claim on your insurance policy, we study the contracts you’ve signed and negotiate with your best interests as our guiding principle. Call us now for a consultation at 417-999-9999.