You have paid all your auto insurance premiums over the years without delay. Now when you’re caught into an accident and have suffered significant damages, you expect your insurance company to come to rescue you from the trouble.
However, you receive no calls from the adjuster after informing him or her of the accident. Does this sound familiar?
Nobody wants a hassle with the insurance claim and just wants an acknowledgement straightway that his or her claim will be paid in due course. However, many of us fall prey to the insurance companies who take part in grey and bad faith practises - often bog down auto insurance claims, refuse it altogether, or under-appreciate your claim.
Why do adjusters don’t return your calls?
Your insurance company has nothing against you on the personal front. Rather, the insurance adjusters are usually overloaded with cases and saddled with a system that is designed to minimize the number of claims. It’s important for you to understand that your insurance company will use as many as tricks in the book to resolve your case for as less as possible. It’s a standard procedure of the insurance companies not to return calls so that you accept any offer (how low it might be) whenever they call you later. Though these are unfair practises and the regulatory authorities don’t entertain these, these take place often. Most people have no idea what course to take if an adjuster doesn’t ring back. There is an option. You can communicate to them via registered mail. But, what if they still ignore you?What option do you have now?
If you weren’t the at-fault driver, you will probably have ‘full coverage’ to repair or replace your vehicle, arrange for an alternate transportation, pay for medical bills and regain lost wages. If you have Personal Injury Protection (PIP) under your own automobile insurance policy, that will help you with medical bills and lost wages up to the amount of the policy limit. A PIP should also cover your co-passengers along with you. Review your insurance policy to find out steps you should consider in case the adjuster doesn’t return your telephone calls. The first strategy that you may undertake is the squeaky wheel strategy, which asks you to call frequently in an attempt to place your name at the top of the adjuster’s priority call list. Usually, most insurance adjusters have much more cases than what they can actually handle and here this strategy comes really helpful. However, at times, adjusters can be very rude if the insurance carrier is overwhelmed with claims. This doesn’t mean you have nothing to do to protect your interests. Initially, you can file a complaint with your insurance company's grievance redressal cell. You’ll hear back from them if they want to protect their name and business. If you don’t, file a complaint directly with your state insurance department. Click here to register a complaint online. Your complaint will automatically be forwarded directly to the appropriate department for handling.Blog Category