Dealing with car insurance companies can be challenging, especially when they deploy various tactics to devalue or deny legitimate claims. Understanding these strategies is crucial for policyholders to safeguard their rights and ensure they receive fair compensation. Here are some of the most common ways they try to pay you less than what you’re entitled to:
Delay Tactics
Delay tactics refer to the deliberate actions taken by insurers to prolong the claims process. Insurance companies use these strategies to frustrate claimants, hoping that they will settle for less out of desperation or eventually drop their claims altogether. Examples of delay tactics include:
- Requesting Excessive Documentation: Insurers might repeatedly ask for unnecessary or redundant documents, prolonging the process and making it more cumbersome for the claimant.
- Slow Response Times: Insurers may take an excessively long time to respond to communications or to process paperwork, creating undue delays.
- Procedural Delays: Lengthy internal reviews and multiple layers of approval can be used to stretch out the claims process unreasonably.
- Disputing Estimates: Constantly questioning and disputing the provided estimates for repair or medical expenses can further delay the finalization of a claim.
Policyholders should meticulously document their interactions and seek legal advice to combat such delay tactics effectively.
Disputing Medical Treatment
Insurance companies frequently challenge the necessity or extent of medical treatment effort to minimize their payout obligations. This tactic can significantly hinder the claims process and place additional burdens on policyholders. Understanding these challenges is crucial for effectively countering such strategies. Examples of this often include:
- Questioning the Necessity of Treatment: Insurers may argue that specific medical treatments are not essential or that the claimant is seeking excessive care.
- Disputing the Severity of Injuries: Some insurers may downplay the extent of injuries sustained by the claimant, asserting that their injuries are not as serious as reported.
Injured parties should always keep detailed and organized medical records and seek legal advice to ensure that appropriate compensation is awarded.
Surveillance and Social Media Monitoring
Insurance companies often employ surveillance and social media monitoring to gather evidence that could be used to dispute the validity of a claimant’s injuries or their impact on the claimant’s daily life. Insurers look for inconsistencies between the claimant’s documented injuries and their activities, attempting to demonstrate that the injuries are exaggerated or fabricated.
For example, a claimant alleging significant physical limitations might be scrutinized for photos or posts showing them engaging in physical activities that seem inconsistent with their reported condition.
For this reason, claimants need to be extra cautious about what they post online and how they behave so as not to undermine their own cause.
Lowball Settlement Offers
Lowball settlement offers are a strategy commonly employed by insurance companies to minimize the amount paid out on claims. This tactic involves presenting an initial offer that is significantly lower than the actual value of the claim, in hopes that the claimant will accept it due to a lack of awareness or financial pressure.
Recognizing Lowball Offers
Identifying a lowball offer requires a thorough understanding of the claim’s true worth. Key indicators of these unfair offers include:
- Discrepancies in Valuation: An offer that seems considerably lower than the estimated costs of medical treatments, lost wages, and other damages.
- Pressure to Settle Quickly: Insurers may emphasize the benefits of quick resolution and downplay the need for further discussions or counteroffers.
- Minimal Justification Provided: Lowball offers often come with vague or insufficient explanations regarding how the settlement amount was calculated, making it difficult for claimants to assess the fairness.
Claimants should approach initial offers with caution, seeking a professional valuation of their claim and considering legal advice to ensure they receive a fair settlement aligned with their actual losses and suffering.
If you are dealing with an injury claim and feel uncertain about the process or suspect unfair treatment by the insurance company, do not hesitate to seek professional assistance. Our experienced Las Vegas car accident attorneys are here to provide the support and guidance you need. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.