When you submit an insurance claim in Illinois, you won’t receive a settlement right away. Your insurance company must first investigate the claim; your adjuster is pivotal in this process. Understanding the role your insurance adjuster plays and how to work with them, you can improve your chances of a fair settlement.
Keep reading to learn more.
What Is An Insurance Adjuster?
An insurance adjuster is an agent who evaluates insurance claims to determine the following:
- Whether the claim should be approved
- The settlement amount
When an insurance company assigns an adjuster to a claim, they’re generally an employee of the company. However, insurance adjusters can be public agents as well.
Once your claim has been assigned an adjuster, they’ll examine the details of your policy, your claim details, and the evidence surrounding your claim. For instance, if you’re filing a claim concerning a car accident, the adjuster would typically view the police report and any available traffic camera footage before making a decision.
In theory, your insurance adjuster is supposed to make decisions based solely on the facts. In reality, adjusters often make decisions that lean in the insurer’s favor.
When Will An Adjuster Visit In Person?
The larger your claim, the more likely you are to receive a visit from an adjuster. Insurance companies have to weigh the cost of hiring the adjuster against the potential benefit they may offer.
For instance, if you were to file a $100,000 homeowners’ insurance claim, an adjuster would almost certainly find some reason to reduce its value. To the insurance company, the cost of sending an adjuster to your home is worth the thousands of dollars it might save.
Now imagine that you were driving while distracted and scraped your car against a fence. You file a $500 claim with your collision insurance. Because the claim is so small (and can easily be illustrated with a photo), the insurer is unlikely to send an adjuster in person.
However, the lack of an in-person visit doesn’t mean the insurance company will automatically agree to cover your claim. If the insurer doesn’t send an adjuster out, it will closely scrutinize photos and other supporting evidence to determine whether to pay your claim in full.
Tips For Dealing With Your Insurance Adjuster
Whether you’re talking to an adjuster over the phone or speaking with them in person, understanding what to say (and what not to say) is critically important. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind while speaking with your insurance adjuster.
Be Polite And Respectful
In some ways, talking to your insurance adjuster may feel like dealing with an adversary. That’s all the more reason to remain polite. This is about more than just good manners — adjusters are more likely to negotiate with you if you treat them with courtesy.
Don’t Be Afraid To Push Back
Being friendly with your adjuster doesn’t mean you have to be a pushover. Before meeting or speaking with them, make sure to review your policy so you know what’s covered and what isn’t. If you’re present while the adjuster is inspecting property damage, speak up if they miss or undervalue something.
Stick To The Facts
If you volunteer more information than the adjuster asks for, they could find a way to twist your words. Many insurers will deliberately misconstrue things their policyholders say to avoid paying claims. Only answer what the adjuster asks — and never admit fault.
Don’t Accept The First Offer
Some policyholders are so thankful to be offered anything that they accept the insurer’s first settlement offer. This is almost always a deliberate lowball that the insurer puts out to see if you’ll take it. You can and should negotiate with your adjuster if what they’re offering is unfairly low.
It will help to have evidence on hand when negotiating. If you can provide evidence showing that the adjuster’s offer is too low, they’ll be more likely to take you seriously.
Consider Seeking Legal Counsel
If you’re handling a minor insurance claim, you may feel confident that you can handle it yourself. However, if your claim involves life-changing conditions like burns or spinal cord injuries, it’s wise to talk to an attorney before agreeing to any settlement.
Contact a Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers for Legal Help
Ideally, your insurance claim will be reviewed and approved quickly. In many instances, however, insurance adjusters (and the companies they work for) focus on reasons to deny or undervalue claims.
If this is happening to you, you don’t have to push back on your own. The trusted team at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers has years of experience helping injury victims stand up to insurance companies.
Whether you’re having issues with your claim or haven’t filed one yet, we want to help. Give us a Contact Us to schedule a free consultation at (312) 635-5400 with a Chicago personal injury lawyer.