Although it is a legal requirement for your insurance company to pay a valid, fair settlement following an accident, do they really want to do it? As expert personal injury lawyers and wrong death attorneys (Los Angeles), we can confidently say no.
Dealing with insurance claims adjusters can be challenging. They will say and do everything in their power to trick you, dismiss you, or twist your words. At the end of the day, the insurance company would prefer not to pay your claim than simply cough up the money without a fight.
Understanding Insurance Company Tricks
This article will discuss the most common tricks insurance companies use to avoid paying a fair settlement. Understanding these tactics can empower you to approach conversations with your insurance company with caution and confidence.
Having the support of a wrongful death attorney in Los Angeles or a personal injury lawyer from the Law Office of John J. Perlstein ensures that you will not fall victim to the deceptive practices insurance companies might use against you.
You can count on our personal injury attorneys in Los Angeles, CA to assist you through this process, fighting for the rightful compensation you deserve following an accident.
Deceitful Tricks Insurance Companies Use
Lowball Offers
One of the most common and easily executed tricks insurance companies might use against you is presenting an initial settlement offer that falls significantly below the actual value of the claim. When they throw out an arbitrarily low number, they are hoping that you blindly accept it without any negotiations. But the fact of the matter is: You deserve more.
Imagine you’re involved in an Uber car accident on the 405 freeway. The total damages, including medical bills and car repairs, come out to $25,000. When you call up your insurance company, however, they present an initial settlement offer of just $5,000.
This outrageously low offer fails to compensate you for the severe damages you incurred. By using the lowballing strategy, the insurance company aims to persuade you to accept their offer without raising any questions.
Ultimately, the insurance company just wants to save money and cut costs where it can, but with the help of our Los Angeles wrongful death attorneys, you can avoid getting sucked into their scams.
Valid Claim Denials
Your claim might be entirely valid, but insurance companies will make every attempt to discredit it or find technicalities to deny your case. Why? Because they just don’t want to pay a fair settlement if they don’t have to.
Insurance adjusters might use recorded statements against you to invalidate the legitimacy of your claim or tell you that you failed to provide enough evidence. They will use any trick in the book to avoid paying a fair settlement!
Surveillance and Investigations
Just as you have the option to hire a private investigator to dig deeper into a personal injury case you’re involved in, insurance companies can pursue similar investigative matters. Before agreeing to a fair settlement, they will likely look further into the case for any conflicting information that could be used to challenge your claim.
For example, if you were injured in a car accident, the insurance company might conduct thorough investigations and surveillance to find evidence that minimizes the severity of your injuries. The more evidence they gather against your claim, the less money they will have to pay you.
Liability Disputes
When insurance companies dispute liability, they do everything in their power to question or outwardly deny their policyholder’s responsibility for an incident. In the case of a property damage claim, the insurance company might challenge the extent to which their client is deemed liable.
With liability disputes, you’ll notice that insurance companies may downplay the severity of your injuries, argue against the degree of negligence, or suggest that your injuries were pre-existing and unrelated to the accident in question.
Delays and Refusal to Respond
Insurance companies love to play games by delaying your claim’s processing or refusing to respond to you. They know it will frustrate you — they purposely want to get under your skin, so you eventually agree to a lesser amount.
Be wary of these five deceptive schemes that insurance companies employ to avoid paying a fair settlement. They are pros at what they do. But with the right knowledge and help from an experienced Los Angeles wrongful death attorney, we can work to get you the money you deserve.
Contact a Los Angeles Personal Injury or Wrongful Death Attorney Today
Regardless of how insignificant or seemingly trivial your question may be, our personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles have heard it all. We are dedicated to helping you combat any deceptive tactics your insurance company might use to evade a fair settlement. Our job is to get you the justice and compensation you deserve, so leave the dirty work to us.
We are widely recognized as one of the best Los Angeles personal injury law firms. We handle all types of cases, from pedestrian accidents to train crashes to burn injuries, and boast a successful track record.
Our team of wrongful death attorneys (Los Angeles) practices on contingency. This means you’re not required to pay unless you win. For a free consultation with a Los Angeles injury attorney, call us today at (213) 463-6604 or fill out our form on our site.