Insurance adjusters are not without external pressures that they must deal with every day of their working life. It would be advantageous for all readers to know the most important ones because they could put money in their bank.
The first of these is your state Department of Insurance. Each state has a Department, Commissioner, or Office of Insurance that broadcasts the antics of all Insurance Claims Adjusters and their superiors in that particular state. Each has a Consumer Complaint Division. If the adjuster you have been dealing with has refused to make an offer, engaged in what you consider unethical conduct, or made what you believe to be a ridiculously low offer, you have cause for a complaint.
Merely mentioning a complaint to the State Insurance Department may cause the adjuster to make a better offer. Adjusters would rather not have to deal with a complaint and definitely do not want copies of them to end up in your personal file!
Your complaint to the State Insurance Department will accomplish several things. First, your boss will now realize that there is a claimant who intends to do whatever it takes to get some positive settlement dollars. That will often inspire that person to take a closer look at your case and come up with a better offer. Also, if you write to the Division of Consumer Complaints, it will become what is always a costly endeavor because a complaint with the State Department of Insurance will add an additional layer of work, overseen by an additional contingent of staff. When you realize that this is likely to happen, they will do more to get rid of you and resolve your claim.
The vast majority of insurance adjusters dream of one day being promoted to a higher position within the company they work for. They are well aware of the fact that if their personal file has correspondence from the claimants they have handled (in addition to copies of the letters that have been sent to the insurance commissioner) and those, at some point, will be read by one of the executives of your company. In many cases, this will be a man who does not want a “Problem”, claims that the employee babbles, splashes and crashes in his office area, causing headaches and extra work within the framework of the command of that particular executive . The adjuster is fully aware that such complaints will keep you on the road forever and surely prevent you from moving up the corporate ladder.
OTHER CRUCIAL ISSUES OF WHICH THE ADJUSTER IS AWARE
When it comes to the reality of the way things work in the actual, day-to-day experience of personal injury claim negotiations and settlements, it is often very different from the stipulations found in “formal law.” That is, legal theory, as it is written and supposedly works. What this means, simply put, is: Adjusters can settle a case, whether their decision to do so is based on “The Law” or not.
In the real world of personal injury settlements, a “Compromise” (one that often has little or nothing to do with “The Law”) is the order of the day. It’s commonly accepted among those in the business (because that’s what makes your work life so much easier) that in any given case, there’s almost always the possibility of negligence on both sides, rather than just one. In practical terms, it boils down to this: Regardless of the law, virtually no claim is without merit or totally worthless, especially if the “Value” is simply “getting rid of.” QUESTION: “How does Dan Baldyga know this is true?” ANSWER: “Because he was an Insurance Adjuster, Supervisor, Manager and then Trial Clerk for over 30 years. He has been there and observed it.”
Although it has never been “officially” expressed to you, all adjusters learn quickly, if your case were to hit the court, compromise will generally be the order of the day, even in cases of questionable liability. This fact alone gives you plenty of room to reach a compromise agreement before your case ends up in the hands of your Defense Attorney, where such a move will generally take place anyway! Why will this happen? Because the costs of preparing for (and then continuing) a courtroom battle will skyrocket.
Being aware of this is always bubbling and boiling in the gray matter between each fitter’s ears. If there are any questions (about who was at fault in the accident you were involved in), never give up. Keep hitting! When faced with a determined claimant who is willing to wait and haggle and refuses to leave, the adjuster is likely to eventually make an offer.
This happens because the adjuster (especially if your claim has some value) does not want it to end up as a complaint with the State Department of Insurance. Plus, he knows you’ll be getting a clearance offer, somewhere down the line, anyway. So you better figure it out now, before the cost of defending it gets out of proportion, later.
To keep looking good (especially for those watching their progress and the way they handle the external pressures that come after them), insurance adjusters, who want to climb their corporate ladder to success, must be very cautious people. that they must work hard to please those for whom they work. For you to understand, this will surely be a financial advantage for you.
Copyright (c) 2003 by Daniel G. Baldyga. All rights reserved
DISCLAIMER: This insurance claim article, EXTERNAL PRESSURES ON TYPICAL INSURANCE ADJUSTER, is to help people understand the motor vehicle accident claim process. Dan Baldyga makes no warranty of any kind, NI intends to engage in the rendering of any professional or legal service, substitute for an attorney, insurance adjuster or claims consultant, or the like. When such professional help is desired, IT IS THE INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITY to obtain it.
Dan Baldyga’s third and final book, AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How to Assess and Settle Your Loss) can be found online at http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com. or http://www.caraccidentclaims.com. This book reveals “How” to successfully handle your car accident claim, so you don’t get taken advantage of. It also goes into detail about the revolutionary BASE (Baldyga’s Car Accident Settlement Assessment Formula). BASE explains how to determine the value of the “pain and suffering” you endured due to your personal injury.
Dan Baldyga – Author
19 Winona Drive, West Springfield, MA 01089
Telephone: (413) 733-0127 FAX: (413) 731-8358
Mail to: [email protected]
CAR ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM
(How to assess and settle your loss)
Found on the Internet at: http://www.caraccidentclaims.com
Gold: http://autoaccidentclaims.com