Car insurance companies are experts at making us trust them. They spend huge sums of money on targeted advertising campaigns that, no matter where we go, we can’t seem to escape.
They hire famous celebrities to convince potential customers that they’re “the good guys,” even though, in most cases, they are the exact opposite. Finally, they make people pay outrageous premiums that, in the best-case scenario, you never need and therefore end up giving away thousands of dollars without reaping any benefits.
Insurance lets us live our lives without having to worry about catastrophic events ruining our financial freedom – and that’s their compelling argument. We need health insurance, life insurance, house insurance, travel insurance… and car insurance.
You must be mindful of your car insurance company’s many tricks. No matter how sympathetic your situation is, you can bet your bottom dollar that your insurance company will try to take and withhold every penny they can from you, every chance they get.
It’s not personal – it’s just the business. So, since we here at Wilshire Law Firm care very deeply for our clients, we decided to make our own list of the top 10 tricks car insurance companies use to mislead people.
Keep this list handy next time you deal with your insurance agent!
1) They claim your insurance package doesn’t cover your accident
Car insurance companies will stop at nothing to avoid paying your claim. They may say it’s the fault of a third party, or, they even could try to place the blame on you by manipulating your words!
Be extremely careful when you are talking to your insurance company in the first moments after your accident.
2) They secretly spy on their customers
Car insurance companies hire secret investigators to follow you around. Their goal is to get you on video tape performing an activity that is not compliant with your insurance policy.
To avoid being stalked, it is absolutely crucial that you are honest and upfront with your insurance company from the very beginning, so that they cannot catch you red-handed and deny you a claim.
3) They create disillusion to minimize your injuries
At no time should an insurance adjuster give you any type of medical advice or diagnosis. It is only up to a medical doctor to determine what type of treatment, and potential rehabilitation, you need.
Not only can this negatively affect your long term financial situation, it can also negatively affect your long-term health. Your health is your most important asset!
4) They delay actions on your claim
Car insurance companies do not make money when they pay claims, and they purposefully ignore you when you file a claim. Their hope is that you will shy away from your claim, accept a low settlement, or, worse – die.
When you call for a status update, you will most likely be told that your adjuster is not available, and that they’ll call you back. That call rarely comes, and if it does, it’s usually just to let you know that your paper work is still being processed, with no timeline in sight.
5) They ask you to release your medical records
At no point should you be releasing your medical records to your insurance company in wake of an accident without the advice of an experienced personal injury accident attorney.
Insurers will try to convince you that they care about your wellbeing and that they can offer advice, but all they’ll be doing with your medical records is searching for loopholes in your claim, which will enable them to give you less money than you deserve.
6) They offer you money to sign a release
Pressures from mounting medical bills, matched with loss of wages (both due to injuries from your accident), can put a serious stranglehold on your financial situation. Car insurance companies will try to take advantage of you in this moment, when you are at your weakest.
It is extremely important that you do not succumb to their ploys, to force you to sign a release as part of accepting an “offer.” This release will free them from future liabilities for your injuries, which may have long-lasting, sometimes severe financial affects.
7) They try to coerce you into admitting fault
There is nothing worse than admitting fault at the scene of an accident. In fact, you shouldn’t speak at all, if possible (especially if you’re at fault). Even the simplest statement of regret or sorrow can be manipulated into admission of guilt, such as, “I am sorry about the accident.”
It is extremely important that you contact a lawyer if you feel at all threatened by your insurance company to falsely admit guilt in any way, shape, or form.
8) They act like they’re your friends and then up your rate
This could be the most important thing to keep in mind every time you speak with your insurer! They act friendly and nice, but in reality, it is their job to take as much money from you and withhold as much money from you as possible.
They will literally get fired if they do not try to trick you into giving the company more money. Remember, they do not work for you, they work for the insurance company, who will stop at nothing to nickel and dime you. Trust us, they do not get rewarded by giving you, an injured party, breaks in coverage.
9) They try to force you to record a statement
Very soon after you have your accident and file your claim, an adjuster will call and imply that you are legally obligated to tell them your version of what happened. This is not true.
You must not oblige, and tell them that you will need your lawyer present before any facts are discussed. If you do tell your version of the story to your insurer, you can rest assured that they will try to twist your words to give you a smaller claim, or potentially deny your claim completely.
10) They lie and say you don’t need a lawyer
An adjuster’s worst nightmare is going up against the award-winning lawyers of Wilshire Law Firm. Car insurance companies, big and small, fear our talented attorneys because time and time again we take cases that would have been small payouts, and win our clients massive settlements, that they deserve 100%.
Not only will our team of legal experts help you get a max claim from the insurance company, we will help you manage other expenses and keep them low.
At Wilshire Law Firm, new clients receive a 30-day No Fee Guarantee: if you aren’t 100% satisfied with our efforts after 30 days, you can walk away. Plus, if you retain our services and we don’t win your case, you don’t owe us a penny. Simply put: if we don’t win, you don’t pay.
Learn more about why Wilshire Law Firm is the right choice for your case.
Our team is ready to take your call now! 1-800-522-7274
