Five Common Ploys Used by Insurers to Avoid Paying Claims

You may lead a very full life, but one that is often filled with more than enough stress to keep you busy too, leaving you with little room or patience to worry about whether everyone else is doing their job as promised. This is especially true when you are paying out large sums of money to corporations like insurance companies. Like so many other businesses geared toward consumers in the US—and vying for their money in the form of premiums—insurance companies are paid to do one thing: provide the service that they agreed on, outlined in the legal contract most commonly known as the insurance policy.

Unfortunately, insurance companies do not always follow through; in fact, in some cases, they may deny claims without even reading the details. Greed takes over, and large corporations become more concerned about pleasing themselves and their shareholders—and often that means keeping your money in the bank. When a company becomes intent on earning interest rather than fulfilling the details outlined in their contracts, bad faith practices may emerge.

Five typical signs that an insurer is trying to get out of paying include:

1. Cancellation of policy – this is a pretty obvious tactic, as you may have been paying into premiums for months or years, giving the insurer many thousands of dollars while never filing a claim or needing anything in return except customer service for your policy. A sudden cancellation or other changes to your policy that would exclude you may be a blatant sign of bad faith too.
2. Excessive or unreasonable delays – one of the worst reactions you can get from an insurer is no response at all. In a more straightforward case, you may have experienced adjusters calling immediately, working to get the facts straight and begin a routine investigation. If delays continue with absolutely no communication or with excuses that seem unreasonable, you may have a problem.
3. Intimidation tactics such as requiring extensive documentation – although this one might sound odd it is all too common. You may have been subjected to these intimidation tactics without realizing it as the insurer requested mountains of paperwork that were nearly impossible to attain! This is a typical tactic used in hopes that you will just get tired and drop the case.
4. Low-ball offers – these are often incredibly small offers that the adjuster may not only have the audacity to offer you but also fully expect you to take it, insinuating that it is all you will get. This is one of the most common practices by insurance companies hoping to get out cheap.
5. Calling in the fraud unit – while some cases may legitimately be fraud, often insurers will begin heavy-handed intimidation by insinuating that they think you are lying or committing fraud. Bringing in a fraud unit could delay a case extensively.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of others, please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit AttorneySgtPike for a no obligation case review.