Avoiding Problems With Auto Insurance Claim Adjusters

When you file a claim with your car insurance company, that claim is dealt with by an insurance claims adjuster.

The role of the claims adjuster is to determine how much money you should receive from your auto insurance claim, and there are several ways in which they can determine this.

The first step carried out by a claims adjuster is to determine whether or not your claim is in fact covered by your insurance policy. In other words, do you have sufficient coverage for them to begin investigating your claim in the first place?

If you do have adequate auto insurance coverage, they will then work to determine whether or not the repair or replacement costs that you have provided for your vehicle are accurate. After which, they will then give you a settlement offer and tell you how they calculated this value.

In general, most auto insurance claims adjusters do a reasonably good job of coming to a fair settlement value for your automobile. There are some instances however, when you may have problems with the final valuation that you are given.

Below we briefly describe the three main areas in which you could experience potential problems, and then later on in this article, we will show you how to reduce your risk from such problems when you make your claim.

1) Car Insurance Claim Process

One area that auto insurance claims adjusters tend to be weak in, is communicating to you exactly how they arrived at your settlement value, as all too often they are used to just handing out settlements without having to explain their calculations fully.

Whilst this may be acceptable to you if you receive a settlement value that you are happy with, if you get a lower value than expected, then this could prove to be problematic especially if you don’t understand why you are getting a lower settlement than you had hoped for.

2) Not Enough Money For Vehicle Repairs

Another problem that can occur with claims adjusters is that sometimes you will be given a check for your auto repairs, and then you are left to find an auto repair shop that will carry out your repairs for that amount.

This can prove difficult to do, especially if garages are quoting you a higher value for your automobile repairs than you have been given money for in your settlement.

3) Contacting Your Insurance Adjuster

Getting in contact with your claims adjuster is another common problem that people experience.

It can be sometimes very difficult to get in contact with your claims adjuster, which then makes trying to find out how your settlement value was calculated even harder.

Furthermore, if you are not happy with your settlement payout then not being able to contact your claims adjuster, or not being able to speak with them promptly, can result in long delays before you get the money required to pay the repair shop.  If you only have one vehicle, this may mean having to resort to using public transportation until your vehicle is released.

How To Avoid Car Insurance Claim Problems

One of the best ways to prevent problems with your car insurance claim is to get the name and number of your claims adjuster, and their supervisors name and number, the first time you speak with them.

This way, should you have any problems later on you will be able to contact your claims adjuster, or their supervisor, directly.

Be sure to also write down the claim number that you are given and the date of your accident, as this is what they will use to quickly identify your case on their database when you phone or email them.

It is also advisable that before you accept your settlement, that you make sure that the car repair shop and the auto insurance claims adjuster agree on a price.

This way you will be sure that the settlement you are receiving will be enough to cover the cost of the repairs on your vehicle, and will also save you hunting around for a car shop that will repair your car for the amount you have been given.

Finally, remember that your insurance adjuster is there to help you. So if for any reason you are unhappy with the service that they are providing you with, contact their supervisor and express your concerns regarding your settlement case.

Resolving Disputes

There is a possibility that for whatever reason your claim will be denied. If this occurs, your first course of action should be to speak with your insurance advisor or agent.

Their knowledge and expertise will be invaluable in helping you to decide whether or not you are entitled to a claim, and if you are, how you can go about getting it paid.

If you are unsuccessful using this approach, a more drastic course of action would be to file a complaint with your state insurance department or even to sue your auto insurance company for malpractice.

Disagreements On Settlement Amount

You may find yourself in a position where your auto insurance claims adjuster agrees that you are entitled to make a claim, but disagrees with you on the amount that you should receive in your settlement.

Fortunately, there is something built into your insurance policy which is designed to deal with exactly such disputes.

It is called the appraisal clause, and unless you know it exists, which not many people do, you are unlikely to be told about it by your claims adjuster.

The Appraisal Clause

The appraisal clause should only be used as a last resort after you have tried to settle your claim with your claims adjuster.

If you decide to request an appraisal on your insurance claim, you must send a letter to your insurance company stating your request in writing.

It is recommended that you keep a copy of this letter for your records, and send your request by registered or signed for mail so that you will have a record of when your car insurance company received the appraisal request.

The appraisal process begins after each party, both you and your car insurance company, have selected an appraiser to represent their position. Both appraisers will then nominate a neutral umpire for the case that they are unable to come to an agreement to.

In the majority of cases, a settlement is reached and you will receive a fair car insurance settlement claim.