Dallas insurance lawyers who deal with insurance companies very often probably already know this, but for those of you who do not – here is what you need to know and consider when dealing with an insurance company.
1) An insurance company is not your friend. They may sound nice initially when talking with you but they are, from the start, working and trying to find ways to keep from paying on a claim. That is what they do. Never make the mistake of thinking otherwise. Their job is to make money by keeping from paying claims any way they can.
2) The Texas Insurance Code is one place where the laws governing insurance companies and their conduct is regulated. The Texas Department of Insurance is suppose to regulate the insurance companies. The reality is that TDI is overworked and understaffed. If you really want to be treated right by an insurance company – then you must hire an attorney.
3) The insurance companies do not want you to hire an attorney because of #1 above. They understand that private attorneys are the only people who can make them do their job. Of course they paint attorneys as greedy and terrible people and spend millions on advertising to make attorneys look bad. Did you ever wonder who paid for all that advertising?
4) Insurance companies will lie to you!!! Surprise! Surprise! They will deny your claim by citing policy language justifying their actions when the language they are citing is illegal or taken out of context. Did I say the policy language was illegal? Yes! There are many policies in force that contain improper / unenforceable language. A lawyer knows what is proper and what is not – thus the insurance companies do not want you seeing a lawyer.
5) Insurance companies do what they do everyday. They know what they are doing. Most people will only have a claim a few times in their lives. They are the ones with experience, not you. The insurance adjustors know how to negotiate and attend classes and training sessions instructing them on how to deny a claim or pay only a small percentage of what is owed. You need to have someone on your side who knows the proper way of dealing with them.
6) When you make a claim against an insurance company, you are usually dealing with an agent or adjustor. It is rare for one to be honest enough to tell you all the monies or benefits you are entitled to. Often times, especially when it is your own insurance company, there are monies / benefits you have paid premiums to have, yet they refuse to tell you about them, thus they are cheating you and saving themselves money. Folks, this is simple dishonesty on their part.
7) It’s funny actually. They do not want you to consult with an attorney about any claim you have. But guess what? That is exactly what they do. They attend classes discussing the legal aspects of handling a claim and when they have questions or concerns they have staff attorneys they consult.
8) Insurance companies are suppose to pay claims promptly. In fact, there are laws saying exactly that. They are the ones with the money. You are the one who gave them that money by paying premiums. There are laws penalizing them for using their power over you by refusing to pay proper claims or by delaying in paying a proper claim. Remember, they are earning interest on the money they are improperly holding.
9) Insurance companies make it sound like they are being taken advantage of when they have to pay a claim. They spend multi-millions of dollars trying to make the public believe they are being raked over hot coals by citing the amount of money they pay in claims. Keep in mind that is what they do. People pay their insurance premiums so that when they make a claim they will be compensated. That is what insurance is about. Paying claims is what the business of insurance is all about. Compare that big number they pay in claims to the much bigger number they receive in premiums.
10) You are not the bad guy because you have a claim. You struck a deal with them. The deal was that you would pay them premiums on a regular basis. In return they would pay for covered losses so that you were not financially hammered by the loss. When you have lived up to your end of the bargain – is it too much to ask for them to live up to their end of the bargain?!
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