Insurance companies are well-versed in how to profit from their investors. While they provide benefits that can significantly help their clients, they offer the bare minimum in coverage whenever possible. Insurance companies often try to avoid liability for a claimant’s losses entirely through strategies such as delays or wrongful claim denials. Sometimes, an insurance company will ignore your claim and not return your phone calls to save money. If an insurance company is ignoring you, be proactive about pursuing coverage.
Florida Time Limits
When a homeowner files an insurance claim, the insurance company has 30 days to inform the homeowner if the policy covers the damages they are reporting or if their claim is still under investigation. The homeowner must request this information in writing to enforce this law. An insurance company has 90 days to accept your claim and pay you or deny your claim in writing.
Follow Up
Ignored phone calls are not always intentional. In many situations, an insurance company has reassigned the case to a new adjuster, and the company might also have out-of-date contact information. Follow up with the insurance company after a few weeks of not hearing back. Leave a voicemail explaining that you filed a claim or sent a demand letter and are still awaiting a response. Include your latest contact number and address. A reminder could be all the insurance company needs to return your call.
Document Everything
Keep thorough records of all correspondence related to your claim. This includes copies of emails, letters, and notes from phone conversations. Take photos or videos of the damage to your property as evidence to support your claim.
Recognize Insurance Bad Faith
If an insurance company is still not returning your call, this might be a bad faith tactic. Insurance bad faith means the company is not handling your claim fairly or reasonably, honestly, or with a good faith attempt at upholding its end of the contract. Instead, the insurer intentionally tries to convince you to settle for as little as possible to increase its profits. The insurance carrier knows the longer it waits to resolve your claim, the more money it can make in interest.
An insurance company ignoring you does not mean you filed your claim incorrectly or do not have coverage. It is not the same as a claim rejection. It is a tactic many insurance companies use to try to reduce the value of a claim unfairly. Insurance companies often do not have deadlines or pressure to resolve your claim. Meanwhile, the wasted time could lead to mounting medical bills and damage repair costs. The insurance company knows this and may intentionally use communication delays to increase the pressure on you. If frequent delays or missed connections continue, it could be bad faith.
Do Not Give Into Pressure
Holding out on a claim could pressure clients enough to force them to settle for the first offer. An insurance claims adjuster may remain intentionally unresponsive to your phone calls to make you feel more desperate for compensation to pay your bills. While an insurance company’s silence may frustrate you, remain calm and collected. Stay amicable during correspondence with the claims adjuster. Realize that settling an insurance claim takes time, with or without the insurance company's bad faith. Do not allow the wait to ultimately hurt you by convincing you to jump on a fast settlement.
Hire an Insurance Dispute Lawyer
If an insurance company is ignoring you, you have options. For example, you may be able to seek benefits from your insurance carrier instead. Claim subrogation could yield faster results. Then, your insurer can take up a claim with the other carrier for reimbursement. You may also be able to hold the insurance company accountable by filing a bad-faith claim. A bad faith claim could lead to reimbursement for your original losses and additional money in interest for the insurance company’s wrongdoing.
Use a Florida insurance claim attorney to assist you with your reaction to an insurer ignoring you. An attorney can contact the insurance company on your behalf to elicit a response. Most insurance claims adjusters take phone calls from lawyers more seriously than calls from claimants. Your lawyer can negotiate with the insurance company for maximum compensation. In some cases, a lawyer may be able to file a bad faith claim in pursuit of damages. An insurance attorney can help you protect your rights from the start of your claim.
Has Your Home Insurance Company Denied or Undervalued Your Property Damage Claim in Florida?
If your insurance company is dragging its feet regarding your property damage claim, you should speak with an experienced insurance claim lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Florida law office at 800.451.6786 to schedule your free consultation. We help Florida residents like you fight the big insurance companies who fail to abide by their policies. Remember, we work on a contingent basis, meaning you don't pay us anything until we win your case.
