A great majority of the insurance adjusters we encounter while negotiating settlements are honest people who are just doing their jobs. However, occasionally we encounter a less than scrupulous insurance adjuster who will resort to using underhanded tactics to stall and try to cheat the claimant out of the money he deserves. Here are some of the tactics.

Unnecessary Arbitration

A claims adjuster will sometimes try to convince the claimant to participate unnecessary arbitration. More often than not, the claimant is the one left footing the bill for the arbitrator.

Waiting for the Insured’s Contribution

In most cases, the insured is not required to contribute to your settlement. However, the claims representative may try to insinuate that negotiations cannot proceed until the insured has paid the insurance company some money, money that will never come.

Fabricating a Denial

An insurance adjuster might also attempt to tell the claimant that the claim does not exist or otherwise deny knowledge of the claim. Attempts to press the matter on the part of the claimant might be met with threats and other intimidation, which the adjuster can probably get away with as long as nothing is put into writing. Regardless of whether or not legitimate, such threats are blatant violations of industry standards, and the adjuster should be reported to his superiors immediately.

Why Do Adjusters Stall?

These here are several reasons why an insurance adjuster might stall. Often, the adjuster stalls in an effort to find more information and to strengthen his weak case with extra research. However, the claims adjuster might be attempting to run out the statute of limitations of the claim. Claims adjusters will neglect to inform claimants without attorneys of the actions that must be taken to prevent the statute of limitations from running out. This is very illegal: the insurance company is required by law to advise the claimant of the relevant statute of limitations.

An experienced personal injury attorney can shield claimants from these unscrupulous adjusters. Call today for a free initial consultation with experienced First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan.