Dealing with Insurance Adjusters
Claims adjusters serve a very important purpose for everyone who buys insurance. The unfortunate truth is that there are people out there who sometimes try to make the best of a bad situation and attempt to get more money out of an accident than they should for injuries, repairs, and replacements. There are also more than a few unscrupulous repair shops and service centers that will take the opportunity to inflate a bid, or do more repairs than are required, if they know the bill is to be paid by insurance. If there were no adjusters, our insurance rates would be much higher due to the actions of these dishonest individuals.
As a result of this, insurance adjusters have really gotten a bad reputation. However, the truth is that adjusters are on your side and are doing all they can to make sure that a claim is settled accurately. There are some things you can do, however, to be prepared for the claims adjuster and help him or her do the best they can to settle your claim in a fair and equitable manner.
1. Get the details.
If you are in an accident, make sure you keep calm and get information. Write down pertinent information and be observant of details… They are very important in sorting out issues and who was at fault in an accident. You can protect yourself to a far greater degree if you get information than if you don’t. If you have a cell phone with a camera, don’t be afraid to take pictures of the incident. If you have a copy of your insurance company’s “accident report form”, fill it out as accurately and completely as possible. Most companies have these forms available to their customers. If you don’t and you just had an accident, you may want to print a copy of QualityAutoInsurance.com’s Car Crash Cribnotes sheet and fill it out. Then print a second one to keep it in your car in case you have an accident in the future.
2. Check your policy.
Your insurance policy defines your relationship with all the parties related to the accident. This includes your claims adjuster. Your policy tells you what you’re responsible for and what you can expect from your carrier. When you are reviewing your policy, take notes and write down what you are required to do, for example:
You may be required by your policy to get two or three different repair estimates. It’s a good idea to get one from the company you bought your car from if they offer repair services.
If you were not found at fault for the accident and you are in need of a rental car, the responsible party’s insurance carrier should provide you with a rental. You can request it from their insurance company.
If your vehicle has been “totaled,” find out what the actual cash value of the car is. You’ll want to match make, model, year, mileage, equipment and condition of vehicle. The Kelly Blue Book website is a good source for helping determine vehicle values following an accident. Your claims adjuster will do this as well using a database available to the insurance industry. You want to determine if what you think your car is worth and what your claims adjuster thinks its worth are in the same range. If not, he may have overlooked something and you’ll want to make him aware of that.
3. Make sure you do all the paperwork that’s required.
There are forms and documents required by your insurance company as part of any claims submission. In most cases, following your contacting your carrier regarding a claim, these documents will be sent to you. If these documents haven’t yet been provided, make sure you call your insurance company and request them. Most of these forms can be either sent by e-mail or you may be able to download them off your carrier’s web site. You should be able to go over them with a representative from the insurance company on the phone if you need assistance in completing them.
Take the time necessary to fill these claims forms out carefully and completely. They are important in getting you the right settlement for your claim. If you need help with them or have questions, call your insurance company.
4. Check on how your carrier wants you to proceed.
Call and ask your insurance company if the claims adjuster needs to inspect the damage to your vehicle, or if the carrier has a preferred shop where they can appraise the damage and repair the car without the involvement of an adjuster. In the latter case, you may not even need to meet with an adjuster.
5. Meet with your claims adjuster.
Once you’ve done all your homework and paperwork you can meet with your claims adjuster and feel comfortable. With information comes power and you will be able to discuss issues with your adjuster from a solid foundation of knowledge. Just remember, no matter how prepared you are, you’ll never know their business as well as they do. So don’t be adversarial in the conversation. Just be straightforward and candid. Ask for your adjuster’s opinions where you are unclear and give him the chance to help you. You may not know it, but your claims adjuster has a fiduciary responsibility to you, meaning it’s his job to act in your interest in your dealings regarding the accident.
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