10 Reasons to Never Trust an Insurance Company

10 Reasons to Never Trust an Insurance Company | Houston Personal Injury Lawyer

Filing an Insurance Claim? Don’t Automatically Trust Insurers to Explain Your Rights, Look Out for You, or Honor Your Policy

As for-profit businesses, insurance companies make money when they don ’ thymine pay up claims in broad or at all. That may sound like common sense, but it can be easy to forget when an adjuster seems harmonic or helpful as you file a claim .
The reality is that, however, that policy companies are under no obligation to explain or protect your rights. In fact, it ’ s not uncommon for them to use slippery, unethical, or potentially illegal tactics to reduce or prevent payouts .

How Insurers Can Sabotage Your Claim: 10 Tactics

Being mindful of these tactics can help you stay on your guard and avoid the mistake of trusting policy companies when it ’ mho clock to file a call .

1.  Insurance companies may push you to provide an “official” statement.

official is normally “ code ” for recorded. When you give an official statement, your words can be used against you. sol, if you make a mistake or misstate anything, you could give insurers room to try undercut or deny your claim.

TIP : Don ’ t agree to give an official statement until you are completely ready. When you do provide this statement, joint to the facts—and never admit or accept blame for the accident or incident associated with your claim .

2. They may use “gaps” in reporting or treatment against you.

For some coverage and policies, like car insurance, there may be rigorous deadlines for reporting cable car accidents. Missing that reporting window may give insurers reason to deny a call .
similarly, waiting to get aesculapian attention—or skipping necessary treatments—can open up a window for insurers to allege that :

  • You were not injured by the event associated with your claim.
  • You caused your injuries to get worse by not getting treatment ASAP or as needed.
  • Your injuries aren’t as bad as you claim because you would have gotten immediate or more treatment if so.

TIP : Call your indemnity ship’s company angstrom soon as you can when you know you need to file a claim. besides, make certain you see a doctor and follow through all recommended aesculapian treatments .

3. They may prolong the claims process.

indemnity companies know that people often depend on compensation from claims to cover aesculapian bills and/or get by while they ’ re out of make and recovering from accidents and injuries. When insurers drag out claims, they ’ re trying to intensify that fiscal imperativeness. The end game is to get people to accept less than they deserve .
By Texas law, however, insurers are required to :

  • Acknowledge claims within 15 days of receiving notice of them and request any additional information needed at that time
  • Approve or deny your claim within 15 days of receiving all requested information
  • Notify you if the deadline needs to be extended and explain why

TIP : When you feel like you ’ re getting the runaround from an indemnity company, call a lawyer. You can get free answers about your rights and what to do to protect them .

4. Insurers may blame you for the event associated with the claim.

If they can make an argument that you caused or contributed to the accident or event related to your claim, they will .
Why ?
That can give them room to reduce or deny your call .
TIP : Don ’ t let the insurance ship’s company play the blame crippled. An lawyer can help you diffuse this tactic by presenting the properly counterargument and evidence to protect your call .

5. They may minimize the injuries and/or losses associated with the claim.

insurance companies may try to claim that the injuries or damage pre-existed the incidental associated with your claim. They may besides allege that events after the incident contributed to the injuries or damage. All of this is just another feat to minimize or avoid paying compensation.

TIP : Take pictures and/or videos of the accident scene and damage. besides, keep all records you have related to your injuries. This type of evidence can go a long way towards proving equitable how much compensation you may deserve .

6. They may use standardized formulas to calculate payouts.

How do you know if they plugged in the veracious numbers ? How do you know if they ’ re using a fairly equation ?
You can ’ thyroxine be certain of these things. so, you can ’ t mechanically trust the offers insurance companies may throw out—especially foremost offers .
TIP : never accept an crack without understanding the details. All excessively often, initial and subsequent offers fall unretentive of providing the wide compensation a claimant deserves .

7. Insurers may ask you to see a specific doctor.

This is generally a erstwhile visit to assess or verify your injuries. Don ’ thymine expect confidentiality with this doctor. rather, expect that the doctor has a relationship—and aligned interests—with the insurance company .
TIP : Be truthful when speaking to this doctor of the church, and don ’ t say anything you wouldn ’ t want to be shared with the indemnity company. besides, try to bring person you trust with you to this appointment. This person can be an crucial spectator late if there ’ s a discrepancy about anything .

8. They may surveil you.

An policy research worker may follow you about and record your activities. This surveillance is done to verify whether your statements to the insurance company were true. It may besides be done to try to catch people doing things that could be used to subvert their claims .
For example, lifting something heavy when your claim involves back injuries could be used to argue that you misrepresented or overstated your injuries. consequently, insurers may say, you don ’ triiodothyronine deserve as much or any recompense for your title .
TIP : Expect to be surveilled and keep a lookout for anything out of the ordinary after you file a claim. besides, take special manage to follow repair ’ s orders, and don ’ t do anything you shouldn ’ t be doing, given any physical limitations you may have .

9. They may send you a check with a release of all claims.

They want you to cash it and sign the release. then, checkup bills keep coming that you were not even aware existed. If you do sign off and take the money, you could be “ agreeing ” to accept that check as the wax recompense, closing your title and leaving you with the checkup bills to pay .
TIP : Don ’ t automatically cash any check from an indemnity party. spill to a lawyer if you need help figuring out whether the check adequately compensates you for your claim.

10. Insurance companies may bring in their own lawyers to fight you.

When disputes arise, insurance company attorneys will be ready to go to conflict against you. These lawyers only defend indemnity companies. That means they have extensive know fighting claims .
TIP : Don ’ thymine fight insurance party lawyers entirely. Make sure you have an lawyer on your side who knows how to stand up to insurers .

Trust an Attorney When You Need to Deal with Insurance Companies

When it ’ randomness fourth dimension to file a claim with an indemnity company, you may have limit time, and making mistakes could compromise your recovery. To make indisputable you take the right steps—and to set your claim up for success—work with an experience lawyer. More importantly, never trust an policy company .

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