3 ways insurance companies try to cheat you

On Behalf of | Mar 6, 2019 | Firm News

Thanks to upbeat, charming commercials, you may believe insurance companies are your friends. After all, if they fail to keep customers happy, then they will fail to keep customers at all. It should be in their best interest to help you, right?

Wrong. It is in their best interest to help their profits, even at your expense. You may experience one of these ways in which your insurance provider tries to cheat you after you get into a car accident.

1. Limit your coverage

How much do you understand your policy? Remember that your insurer wrote it and explained it to you. You may think you know what your policy entails until it is time to submit a claim. Then you may discover that you do not have as much coverage as you thought you did, or the company will come up with numerous reasons why your coverage does not apply or has a limit.

For example, your provider may not pay for a rental car if needed for the full time it takes to complete repairs on your vehicle, or it may not allow you to rent a comparable vehicle. 

2. Offer you a low settlement

Insurers know that most people want the aftermath of an accident to be over as soon as possible. Customers are likely to accept what the company offers them because it seems a fair amount and puts an end to the situation. Insurers take advantage of this and give you lower than you actually deserve to receive under the circumstances. An early settlement is unwise anyway, because it takes time to investigate and realize the full extent of damage to your vehicle and person.

3. Complicate your claim

Insurance companies count on the fact that the more complicated the claims process, the more likely you are to give up pursuing the money. They may deny your claim or delay the process by continually asking for more evidence, not communicating with you, giving you arbitrary deadlines and discouraging you from seeking legal help.

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