How to successfully negotiate personal injury insurance claim - Handling the First Call from the Insurance Adjuster Written by SettlementCentral.Com - Jeanine Steele
How to successfully negotiate personal injury insurance claim - Handling First Call from Insurance Adjuster No recording from insurance adjuster Remember, ABSOLUTELY NO RECORDING! This is a primary, cardinal Number One Rule. What you say CAN and WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU. She may try to get into your personal life: Are you married? Do you have kids? Where do you work? What do you do? Etc. Again, deflect all of those questions and tell her there will be more than sufficient time for you to present that information as part of your background in your settlement claim. She has no right to information at this time and do not participate in giving it to her. She is going to want to know your version of accident. You can't believe how sweetly question will come because it sounds like she wants to be your "good neighbor" and friend. Just remember her "good hands" are on your wallet and anything you say about accident or your treatment WILL work to your disadvantage later on. Tell her very politely that you do not wish to give any statement whatsoever regarding "my" version or any version of accident. Tell her that you will be glad to discuss facts further at appropriate time. Tell her you will be making a written demand for compensation and it will include a complete description of accident. She is going to want to know where you went for treatment, and, by way, how are you feeling today, and-oh-what did your doctors tell you about your injuries. NEVER, EVER, GIVE HER THIS INFORMATION EARLY ON. There is not one thing in that request that cannot wait your sending to her a brief paragraph in writing. The reason why she wins and you lose-big time-if you answer is that at this early stage, you do not know what is important or not important about any of those topics. But believe us, much is at risk, because in informal format of interview you will not think to include everything. And although it sounds informal, once you give a statement, it may as well be etched in stone. See, she will ask you when you are finished speaking whether or not there is anything else you can remember that you want to add. Then, so far as insurance company is concerned, you have just committed yourself to that particular set of facts. YOU CANNOT LATER COME AND CHANGE THINGS WITHOUT AROUSING SUSPICION AND RESISTENCE. Keep Your Resolve With respect to second rule, keep your resolve. She is trying to intimidate you and to discourage you from proceeding with full vigor by arguing "no liability" at outset. She knows that her insured owes you something and she is trying to deflate your enthusiasm for documenting and submitting your claim. You do not have to get into a debate with her, or prove her wrong on phone. Calmly state that you are sure that she, as a professional, would not make a decision on partial facts and that once she has your complete demand package she will agree with your assessment. Then say goodbye and get off phone. DO NOT engage her in idle banter; she has no facts to go on and all she is doing has nothing positive in it for you, so don't accept her invitation to spar at this time. Once you are free of her, read more of this website to understand strengths and weaknesses of your case. Resist Overtures toward an Early Settlement The third ground rule is to resist her overtures toward an early settlement. If you do have a particularly strong case, both in terms of liability and severe bodily injury, you can expect that adjuster is going to try to settle claim early. She may not try it during first call, but somewhere early on, she is going to indicate that case is one of clear liability against her insured and that she has a fair offer for you. She may even blurt out a proposal: "I cleared this with my supervisor because we feel so bad about what happened to you. He authorized me to take care of all your medical expenses in this matter and pay you an additional $2,500 on top of that! You won't have to submit a thing; we pretty much know what your medical treatments consist of. My boss has only done this in two other cases that I know of. That sounds pretty fair, doesn't it? I can have paperwork prepared along with check to you in, say, two days. OK?" WOW! You would swear some of these adjusters could sell used cars and do quite well at it. She is not doing you any favors at all. What she is doing is nothing you want any part of; she is trying to avoid what she sees as possibility of extensive damages. Insurance companies do not want to hang around on payment end of a heavy damages claim as they watch medical expenses increase and pain and suffering award grow. Of course every early settlement offer is not sign of a particularly strong case; some cases with simple damages need to be settled early.
| | Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Review your Credit Report RegularlyWritten by Cindy S. Morus
Besides paying your bills regularly and on time, single most important thing you can do so show that you are a good credit risk is to known what's in your credit report.Studies have shown that many credit files contain errors that can harm your credit rating, leading to rejections when you apply for loans, insurance or even a job. The errors range from simple human error to being mixed up with a similarly named person. It’s essential that you check your credit files and monitor your credit regularly in order to protect your good credit standing, even if you always pay your bills on time. And if your credit needs improvement, checking your report will help you find any problems that can be cleared up. A correct credit report, paying your bills on time and passage of time will ensure highest scores. 1. Cleaner credit reports improve your FICO™ score. 2. Find errors in your credit report before they damage your credit rating.
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